It's probably fair to say that Newcastle United's qualification for the Champions League last season was beyond the dreams of even the most optimistic supporters.
Finishing fourth in the league above the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea may have seemed a tad unrealistic at the start of August when the Toon beat Nottingham Forest in their first Pre,mier League match of the campaign.
Fast forward 10 months, a Carabao Cup final appearance at Wembley and a fine season in the league later, Eddie Howe's men have gone from strength to strength.
Howe's biggest task now comes in the transfer window and adding quality - and depth - to his squad to enable United to compete both domestically and in Europe.
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Off the pitch, however, interest in the Magpies has rarely been greater, with demand for tickets soaring at the club's iconic St James' Park home. Packed out week after week last season, the demand for tickets is only going to increase with a Champions League campaign to come in September, and frankly, St James' Park is not big enough to satisfy demand.
In a ChronicleLive survey of what should be key priorities, 45 per cent of supporters wanted to see the expansion of its famous hilltop home. And not only did fans want to see St James' expanded, 25 per cent of those wanted capacity to reach at least 80,000, which, if it did, would make it the biggest club stadium in the country, surpassing Manchester United's 76,000-capacity Old Trafford.
Thirty percent wanted St James' 52,300 capacity to be increased to at least 70,000 seats which would see it become the second biggest behind Old Trafford. Talk of stadium expansion is nothing new of course, with it likely on the agenda of the club's new owner as they look to maximise the growing revenue streams the club's success will likely bring.
Russell Jones, the former executive director of the Magpies, who played a key role in shaping the arena as it is today, believes that despite its limited location within the city centre, there is scope to increase the size of the Magpies' home.
"There are means of doing it," he told ChronicleLive recently. "There's a saying in life: where there's a will, there's a way. Basically, that's what you have got to adopt. I wish them well in doing so.
"I always referred to the stadium as the cathedral on the hill. People used to laugh at me when I said it, but it is the only place I know that people come on a Saturday and worship a team.
"The key to St James' is it's right in the middle of the city. It's really the only one that's like that so it's easy to get to so that was the key to leaving it where it was rather than ultimately trying to move it elsewhere.
"It would be a mistake to move away. I think there are things they can do to expand it if they want to. I'm sure the local authority and Newcastle City Council would be very supportive in terms of what they want to do. These days English Heritage are a lot more compliant in terms of wanting to help people as well."
