Eddie Howe and Newcastle United fans
Eddie Howe and Newcastle United fans
It was once a happy hunting ground. Ruud van Nistelrooy scored in all five of his visits to St James' Park as a player, but his Leicester City side could only muster a measly shot on target in a 4-0 defeat against Newcastle United on Saturday.
Although Leicester were only a goal down at half-time, van Nistelrooy knew that the stadium 'could ignite and then it will be intense'. So it proved. Eddie Howe's side ran riot and scored three goals in the space of just 13 minutes in the second half.
"That's why today was so important," the Newcastle boss told reporters. "It's not just us that need to feel that - it's the supporters that need to feel the power that they possess."
We have seen a number of teams rocked by quickfire goals at St James' before, of course. Last season, Newcastle scored four in 18 minutes against Sheffield United; three in 13 minutes against West Ham; three in 22 minutes against Chelsea; two in as many minutes against Spurs; two in three minutes against Crystal Palace; and two in six minutes against Luton Town.
This season, however, Newcastle have not been quite so rampant at home. In fact, Newcastle had only scored five goals at St James' in the Premier League in the opening months of the campaign, winning just half of their home games in the process.
Something has changed this month, though. In December, alone, Newcastle have bagged seven goals on their own turf and Howe's team could have scored more after having a whopping 44 shots combined versus Liverpool and Leicester City.
These were two very different games, against sides at opposite ends of the table, but both fixtures showcased Newcastle's ability to find the back of the net in different situations, whether it was responding to Liverpool drawing level/going ahead or putting newly-promoted Leicester City to the sword.
Leicester defender James Justin knew what was coming on Saturday, after playing at St James' on a number of occasions over the years, but that counted for little. "As soon as the crowd gets rocking here, it's a difficult place to play when they're on you and they're pressing you," he said.
The challenge for Newcastle, as has been the case for the last year, is marrying their attacking threat with defensive solidity on a consistent basis. Newcastle did so against newly-promoted Leicester City, but it has to be the start. With a huge Carabao Cup quarter-final to come on Wednesday night, Geordies will once again play their part.
"They need to feel that we are connected," the Newcastle boss added after supporters repeatedly chanted 'Eddie Howe's black and white army'. "Today we were connected and the crowd really responded well to what we were doing.
"The crowd really stuck with us and we benefited from that so a big thank you to everyone that came and supported us today. The fact that we're still united and still together after an indifferent period speaks volumes of the loyalty of the supporters."