To claim Tyneside is desperate for success would hardly be a groundbreaking revelation. Newcastle United have failed to win a domestic trophy since 1955 - meaning at least three generations of supporters are yet to see their team lift any of English football's major honours.
And no, all those second-tier titles or Intertoto Cups do not count as worthy silverware. However, while everyone has endured the barren spell together, the younger generation have been bereft of positivity the most.
For anybody under 25, the majority of their time as Toon supporters has probably felt more like a custodial sentence, engulfed by the dark cloud of Mike Ashley. The famous “Entertainers” era, heartbreaking FA Cup runs and European escapades against the continent’s elite were witnessed on YouTube rather than reality, with older relatives or friends giving them second-hand accounts of better times.
