Eddie Howe became the first manager in 70 years to guide Newcastle to domestic silverware when they beat Liverpool to lift the Carabao Cup.
Not since Duggie Livingstone presided over the Tyneside club’s 1955 FA Cup final triumph over Manchester City has the St James’ Park trophy cabinet been opened to welcome one of English football’s big prizes.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the men who came closest to ending that wait before 47-year-old Howe, who himself suffered the disappointment of a 2023 League Cup final defeat by Manchester United, finally got the job done.
Joe Harvey
Harvey, the last Newcastle manager to achieve tangible success in the 1969 Inter Cities Fairs Cup, hoped to add a domestic prize to his curriculum vitae when he took the club to the 1974 FA Cup final.
However, Liverpool – and future Magpies boss Kevin Keegan in particular – had different ideas with the England international scoring twice in a 3-0 victory for the Reds beneath the Twin Towers.
Gordon Lee
Lee was at the St James’ helm by the time the club booked a 1976 League Cup final showdown with Manchester City, but his big day ended in similar disappointment.
Hopes were high when Alan Gowling cancelled out Peter Barnes’ opener, but Dennis Tueart’s spectacular overhead kick ultimately won it for City.
Kevin Keegan
Still revered on Tyneside, Keegan had fans dreaming of title success for the first time since 1927 when he took Newcastle 12 points clear of Manchester United at the top of the Premiership table in January 1996.
However, they lost five of their last 13 games as United claimed 34 of the 39 points available to them during the same period to overhaul the men from the north-east.
Kenny Dalglish
Dalglish, who had denied Manchester United counterpart Alex Ferguson the title as Blackburn boss in 1994-95, took over from Keegan in January 1997 and having guided the Magpies to a second successive runners-up spot behind United at the end of that campaign, set his sights on FA Cup glory in 1998.
However, it was his misfortune to find Arsene Wenger’s title-winning Arsenal standing in his way and goals from Marc Overmars and Nicolas Anelka either side of half-time saw them complete the double.
Ruud Gullit
Twelve months later, Newcastle were back at headquarters in the final of the same competition, this time with Ruud Gullit, who had won the FA Cup with Chelsea two season earlier, in charge.
The Dutchman was even more unlucky than his predecessor to be pitched into battle with a soon-to-be-knighted Manchester United boss Ferguson, who looked on as Teddy Sheringham and Paul Scholes netted to clinch the second leg of an unprecedented treble four days before the Red Devils beat Bayern Munich in Barcelona to add the Champions League to their Premier League crown.
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