The eyes of the Premier League big boys fixated on Newcastle United at the King Power Stadium. While supporters across the land nursed a Christmas hangover, rival clubs hoped Eddie Howe and his team were suffering a post-World Cup one.
It took just two minutes for that optimism to be obliterated.
The unprecedented winter hiatus did, in all honesty, come at a bad time for everyone on Tyneside. Newcastle had won six games in a row across all competitions heading into the World Cup break.
