Eddie Howe has made his policy on the domestic cup competitions very clear before the draw for the Carabao Cup second round.
Howe took Newcastle's FA Cup third round tie against Cambridge United seriously last January but the Magpies were beaten 1-0 in one of the shocks of the tournament's history on a day when a relegation battle was clearly on the minds of the players. But with the new season under way Howe has steered clear of mistakes made be managers that came before him when it comes to commenting on the cups.
Remember, it was 1955 when Newcastle last lifted a domestic trophy and you'd need to go back to 1999 the last time United reached a major cup final, when they lost the FA Cup to Manchester United at the old Wembley. United's old board made the error of underlining the fact they would use the cups to experiment and give young players a chance back in 2010.
In the decade that followed, Newcastle were knocked out of cups by then lower league Brighton (twice), Cardiff at home, Sheffield Wednesday, Nottingham Forest (home and away) and Oxford United with Alan Pardew, Steve McClaren and Rafa Benitez all suffering cup upsets.
Steve Bruce tried to change things on that score and in fairness guided Newcastle to both the FA Cup quarter-final and League Cup last eight in 2020. United lost to Man City at home then Brentford away, in a result that infuriated supporters.
League Cup defeats to Burnley and Leicester on penalties in 2021 and 2019 at St James' Park also unfolded while a tough draw at Arsenal in the FA Cup came to the conclusion many expected - another defeat at the first hurdle. Howe is the next manager to try to change things in the cups.
Howe said: "I think if I sat here and said I didn't want to win a trophy there would be something wrong with me. That's my dream, to win silverware and win cups and achieve great things for this football club.
"I have to dream big on behalf of the club. Again, that's not saying we are going to do it, it's my dream and then we have to work hard to try to achieve that. And every day I'm pushing to try to make that dream a reality."
Newcastle started the season with a tremendous 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest on a day in which they could have chalked up a cricket score. It was a case of picking up where Newcastle left off last season but Howe has made his views clear about talking about last term.
Howe said: "I am proud of the team's run at the end of last season. In my mind, that's gone now and we can't just go back to that time.
"We can try to take the good things from it but we have to earn the right again. That's crucial for every team in the Premier League.
"You start fresh and start level with everyone else and we have to earn everything that comes from now. We have to get the supporters onside with our energy, enthusiasm and our work-rate. You have to earn the trust again and I back the players to do it."
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