Jamaal Lascelles and his team-mates once shared pizza with former owner Mike Ashley and urged him to push the club further up the Premier League table.
But the Sports Direct magnate, during a team bonding session in Ponteland at an Italian restaurant, repeated his party line that he could not compete with countries when it came to investment like United's Premier League rivals. This was a source of frustration for players who always insisted they wanted better players around them to kick on after promotion in 2017.
Ashley's pizza summit came in 2018 when Newcastle made an awful start to the season under Rafa Benitez with the Spaniard also left irked after any major recruitment drive just months after delivering a top 10 finish with the majority of his Championship squad.
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Lascelles admitted that the players always wanted to see the club grow under Ashley after hoisting the Sky Bet title trophy five years ago. He told Chronicle Live: "Of course. It is always difficult if you are not competing financially.
"It is what it is. We loved to win games with the team we had but when you have loads of teams around you spending millions and millions every transfer window it is difficult.
"For years here we have tried to keep our team spirit together. Fight for it all, and give everything to the badge. I think that's what has kept us in the Premier League for so long. We have had a huge shift in mindset and mentality."
Lascelles has remarkably captained the Magpies to survival in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. And while he has not been guaranteed a slot under Eddie Howe he has still played a part in this season's great escape.
He said: "Every game we approach we want to win. We work so hard on the training ground. We did great business in January. It's just great to reward the fans, home and away they are the best fans in the country.
"Now they can finally enjoy it. We needed to repay them and I think we have. The club is in a great place at the moment and it is so nice to see."
When asked if it was the greatest of escapes during his time as captain, Lascelles said: "I think so. The way we turned it around, with big changes at the club, to adapt to new owner and different style of the manager.
"Where we were in the table and where we were mentally as a team, to then get to where we are now is unheard of. It is unreal, the first time in history. We have had a good run at home and good run away, we changed the style of play and changed our philosophy.
"This is the strongest the team has been in terms of chemistry and camaraderie. We have got some great lads in the dressing room. It is all down to the manager, he's done a fantastic job and he deserves the credit."
