Graeme Souness has admitted that the obsessive nature of Newcastle United made it difficult for him to succeed at St James' Park. However, the former Magpies boss always believed that if a manager could get things right, then the fans would be 'dancing on the streets'.
And that is exactly what Eddie Howe has accomplished during his 14 months at the helm. Newcastle remain in contention for European qualification, and will contest their first domestic cup final in 24 years against Manchester United on Sunday.
Newcastle's Wembley showpiece will provide them with a prime opportunity to end their 54-year trophy drought, and Souness has opened up on the 'weight of expectation' in the city.
Souness wrote in his Daily Mail column: "I only had to step out on to the streets of Newcastle, on any day of the week, to understand the obsession with football and the monumental weight of expectation in that city.
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He added: "I don’t think there’s a city in the UK where you’d see as many people out wearing the local team’s colours when that team weren’t even playing. It never failed to amaze me.
"I was like all the managers before and after me there, thinking, ‘If you get this right, what an amazing football club this could be’, when I took over in 2004. But managers didn’t stay at that club very long."
Howe represents a new era for Newcastle, one which doesn't include Mike Ashley (to the delight of the Newcastle fans), nor the prospect of another relegation battle.
Instead, the Magpies are looking upwards rather than downwards, and Souness believes Newcastle should head to Wembley with 'great confidence' after their transformation under PIF.
"I think it’s a 50/50 game. United are over-reliant on Marcus Rashford for goals, but the absence of Nick Pope is very significant," Souness added.
"Pope’s had a great season and the goalkeeper-defender relationship is like a team within a team. The keeper and his defenders know each other’s strengths. If you’re a centre half, you instinctively know when your goalkeeper’s going to come for a cross.
"But Newcastle will still go into this match with great confidence. Their success this season is not about the Saudis throwing money around. The £250million spent under this ownership has been proportionate.
"The achievements are down to Eddie Howe getting a tune out of the players and managing the squad very well. His team are bold and I like that. Under some previous managers, they were super-cautious both home and away.
"But Eddie’s come along and wherever the team have gone, they’ve said: ‘Right, we’re going to take you on in a game of football. We’re going to outscore you, out-football you and try to win the game.’ That’s all to their credit. So far, so good.
"I know the significance of what lies ahead for Newcastle. They’ll be dancing on the Quayside and the Bigg Market in that great football city if they can find a way to win."
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