Rio Ferdinand insists Newcastle United players will relish turning out in front of a packed St James' Park as the club plan for a big future. The atmosphere inside the ground before the game with Liverpool was electric as the noise almost drowned out the team covering the match for BT Sport.
Ferdinand, and fellow pundit Peter Crouch, are used to playing at St James' as an opposition player, while former Magpies goalkeeper Shay Given, who joined the panel for the TV coverage, is hugely familiar with the feeling of having the loyal home support behind him after years in the United goal.
As the players emerged to a deafening roar, Ferdinand hailed the impact the United fans could have on their team. And he pointed to the fact the 'community' feel was back as a key factor.
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"This is one of my favourite stadiums," he said. "The difference between the atmosphere before, the expectations were different. You seem to feel when we walked through, it’s coming back to like it was when we played.
"These fans, you can’t give them enough credit for the way they support this team. They need to be excited. This form now, with the form they’re in and what Eddie Howe’s doing and the ownership, everything’s pointing in the right direction. This place will be difficult for teams to come to."
Given echoed Ferdinand's comments, adding: "I was here for the first game against Tottenham under the ownership and it felt like a dark cloud was lifted from the city. The fans, the excitement from the stadium. There’s a real buzz coming from this unbelievable stadium. The feel factor’s back. The big clubs will be looking behind their shoulder."
While pressure from the stands can sometimes affect players, former Liverpool striker Crouch feels the new atmosphere can only help the players - and Ferdinand highlighted how the fans have responded to the positivity from the boardroom.
"Sometimes when there’s negativity, you can see players hiding in a Newcastle shirt," said Crouch. "But positive, which it is now, you see players thrive in it. The crowd, when they’re positive, really bring something special."
"Part of that is the team have to drive that," added Ferdinand. "You can’t have one without the other. You need ownership, to instill that confidence and belief and making it more of a community. This part of the world is community driven.
"The new owners are doing that. But you need the team to reflect that with some sort of successto keep them engaged. What at atmosphere. This is like a carnival. This is what you want to play in.
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