The landscape has shifted significantly on Tyneside since Tottenham Hotspur last paid a visit to St James' Park. Newcastle United could take a huge step towards qualifying for the Champions League next term with victory on Sunday, and it is worth recalling just how far the Magpies have come since they last hosted the same opponents.
Tottenham faced the unenviable task of being the first visitors to the North East following the Saudi-backed takeover when they arrived on October 17, 2021. Newcastle were winless in their opening eight matches of the campaign, but buoyed by the change of ownership and the long-awaited exit of Mike Ashley during the international break.
Steve Bruce was granted the honour of leading out the Magpies for his 1,000th match in management, but rumours remained the head coach would soon depart. New co-owner Amanda Staveley confirmed in a statement two days' prior that change does not happen overnight, and the process of appointing a successor would not be rushed ahead of an 'important game'.
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The new era got off to a perfect start, with Callum Wilson firing the hosts ahead after just two minutes. But then it became a familiar dreary story for Newcastle, with Tottenham easing to a comfortable 3-2 win despite a late goal from Ciaran Clark.
The optimism of a fresh start was swiftly met with a bleak reality check, with the Magpies already at risk of being cut adrift in the fight for survival. The new owners knew their mid-season investment was something of a gamble, and the dismal display despite renewed enthusiasm from the stands highlighted the scale of the task at hand.
Quizzed on the mixed emotions of a 'strange day', Bruce told reporters: "Every football club needs clarity. Right from the top right the way through to everything that makes a football club the way it is.
"Now the new owners have been very respectful. I can’t say enough of them the way they have gone about their business for the last week, 10 days but Rome wasn’t built in a day, as they say."
Three days' later, the head coach was gone and it would take almost a month before Eddie Howe would be unveiled as his successor.
Newcastle did not record a victory in the meantime, and a first success would come at the fifth attempt under the new head coach. Hindsight may lead some to assume it was a steady rise since that nervy home win over Burnley in December, but the Magpies had to wait another six matches to pick up just their second win.
From there, Howe and Newcastle have barely looked back. Heavy away defeats at Manchester City and Tottenham would follow, but in the end the Magpies managed to stave off relegation fears and secure a comfortable mid-table finish.
Sunday will mark 554 days since Tottenham provided the first test of the new era, and the progress already made is startling. Howe admits the latest encounter could represent Newcastle's biggest of the season in a campaign which includes a first domestic cup final for more than two decades.
The bookmakers list United as the favourites to pick up a win which would extend their cushion in fourth spot to six points, while also holding a game in hand of their nearest rivals. Sunday's result will not prove decisive either way, but could well shape the narrative surrounding the Magpies' remaining fixtures.
Such is the speed of Newcastle's development, anything but recording the double over Tottenham this season could well be viewed as a disappointment in the stands. Rome was not built in a day 'as they say', but the Magpies have wasted no time in taking the first steps to delivering on the owners' long-term vision.
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