Eddie Howe accepts that next season the bar will rise significantly for Newcastle United after their superb season.
The Magpies hope to seal third place in the Premier League and can finish no lower than fifth, their best position since 2012 under Alan Pardew. However, Howe knows that with such success comes increased expectations in the football world.
As Newcastle wait on the result of Liverpool's result at home to Aston Villa, which could even seal Champions League football for United, Howe said: "The expectation is the challenge. That is raised and then that becomes normal.
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"What you achieve then, so if you finish fourth, fifth or sixth, anything below that is viewed as a failure. That is a very difficult one because the challenge of the Premier League is so tough.
"So we have challenges ahead next year. But that's for next year, it's not for me in this position right now."
United's best ever Premier League finishes came in 1996 and 1997 when they earned second place with one near miss for the title under Kevin Keegan and a late surge to be runner-up a year later under Kenny Dalglish.
