If Newcastle United's owners were already committed, well, Sunday's Carabao Cup final defeat will have only made the hierarchy more determined to end the Magpies' drought after they were left 'humbled' by the club's incredible supporters at Wembley. In fact, Amanda Staveley did not just stop at vowing to one day lift the Carabao Cup following the 2-0 defeat against Manchester United - the Newcastle part-owner also pledged the club would win the FA Cup, the Champions League and the Premier League in the years to come.
Staveley made a similar statement in her first round of interviews following the takeover back in October, 2021 and Newcastle are certainly closer to ending the club's 54-year wait for silverware than the black-and-whites were when the owners inherited a side in deep relegation trouble. Yet there is still very much a feeling within the club that Newcastle are only getting started with so much work still to do on and off the field.
Yes, Sunday's final was a reminder of how far Newcastle have come in the last 12 months, but this painful loss also showed how far the black-and-whites still need to go to take that next step. This spirited group have already overachieved - their contributions will never be forgotten - but Newcastle are going to have to evolve in the coming years to get to where they want to go. Eddie Howe, himself, admitted that there will be 'some players that might not get back to Wembley' before the Newcastle head coach later added: "We know how and what we need to do to push the team on."
