Ever since the Saudi-backed takeover last season, Newcastle United‘s fortunes have turned on its head.
Freed from the shackles of Mike Ashely, relegation struggles and drab football, The Magpies are thriving.
Signings such as Bruno Guimaraes, Sven Botman, Kieran Trippier etc are all proving to be immense for Newcastle’s turnaround, alongside manager Eddie Howe of course.
They currently sit 3rd on the table and have lost just once so far this season. Safe to say, their credentials for a European berth look pretty solid.
On the pitch, the side looks ready to take on just about anyone, and their performances against Top 6 opposition have been largely impressive.
Needless to say, confidence and spirit at St James’ Park is at an all-time high, something which is reflected by their ambitions for this season.
Despite being just a single year into their new era, Newcastle refuses to be satisfied with European competition, and instead, they seem to have their sights set on silverware.
In fact, the very notion of a trophy is one of the first things that players lay their eyes upon at the training ground, as revealed by this image.
Historically, motivational tactics employed by coaches have usually involved a bit of incentive, be it a reward or even a few days off.
Alternatively, coaches have also convinced their players that ‘the world’s against them’, injecting a dosage of hate that really gets the adrenaline pumping.
However, Eddie Howe and co have opted for a method that’s not entirely unique but still pretty clever.
As the players prepare to enter the Darsley Park training ground, they are greeted by a rather frustrating message ‘We have not won a domestic trophy in 67 years’.
While it may seem pretty damning at first, the sentence likely gives players plenty of motivation, as it puts the onus on them to end the wait and calls on their sense of pride.
It’s difficult to establish an exact measure of its impact, but considering that Newcastle looks an inspired bunch on the pitch, the message is almost definitely doing the trick.