Newcastle United are in a vastly superior position than the last time they upset the Premier League apple cart. In 2011-12, Alan Pardew had the Magpies punching well above their weight.
Ahead of the season, off-field turmoil - a perennial occurrence under Mike Ashley threatened to derail their season. Unrest at failing to invest the £35million Andy Carroll money heightened further when Joey Barton was axed just two games into the new campaign.
A drastic summer overhaul also saw established first-team stars like Kevin Nolan and Jose Enrique leave the club. Replacing them was a contingent of French-speaking players, with Yohan Cabaye and Demba Ba the standout names.
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Against the odds, Newcastle launched an assault on the Premier League big boys and almost pulled off the spectacular. It took until the 11th game of the season for United to taste defeat when Manchester City edged out a 3-1 win at the Etihad Stadium.
That result would begin a six-game winless run that came to an end against Bolton Wanderers on Boxing Day 2011. Pardew’s men - bolstered by the January arrival of Papiss Cisse - would regroup and ultimately finish fifth.
Agonisingly missing out on the top four was softened slightly by Chelsea - who finished sixth - winning the Champions League, meaning Newcastle would have missed out on playing in Europe’s elite competition regardless.
Nevertheless, Toon supporters enjoyed the black-and-white wave that was rarely seen again during the Ashley era. Fast forward to the present and the Magpies are thriving under new ownership.
Six league wins on the bounce has Newcastle flying high in second place, seven points behind league leaders Arsenal. Any concerns over World Cup ring rust were quickly put to bed with a 3-0 demolition of Leicester City.
The Saudi Public Investment Fund’s billions promises to make European contention a long-lasting romance rather than a brief fling. If the history book is anything to go by, Eddie Howe’s side may have already made up enough ground to trump Pardew’s troops from yesteryear.
At this stage 11 years ago, Newcastle had 27 points on the board. Ironically, their 16th match was also against a Brendan Rodgers side as Swansea City came to town. A dull 0-0 draw will best be remembered for the pre-match tributes paid towards the recently-departed Toon legend Gary Speed.
The Magpies missed out on a top-four finish by four points the following May, with defeat to Everton on the final day crushing their Champions League hopes. Failing to build on their momentum in the summer transfer market was one of the most blatant near misses of Ashley's regime. Astonishingly, Howe and Co have already amassed six more points than the class of 2011-12 at the same stage of the season.
Premier League table after 16 games in 2011-12
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