Newcastle United players celebrate at St James' Park and, inset, Cole Palmer and Noni Madueke
Newcastle United players celebrate at St James' Park and, inset, Cole Palmer and Noni Madueke
It felt like a rallying cry. Newcastle United had not long secured a point at the Amex when captain Bruno Guimaraes declared: "Your support will be vital next Sunday - let's create an unforgettable atmosphere."
Newcastle certainly need one in the early kick-off against Chelsea after the Blues moved level on points with Eddie Howe's team following a 3-1 win against much-changed Liverpool. The stakes could not be higher in the race for the Champions League.
Not only would a win at St James' Park see Newcastle move three points clear of Chelsea - the Magpies would also land a huge psychological blow against the Premier League's youngest side with just two games to go. Having been in this situation a couple of years ago, when Newcastle held their nerve to get over the line, Dan Burn stressed his side had 'huge belief'.
After all, as strong as Chelsea have been at Stamford Bridge, as much as talisman Cole Palmer is looking like his menacing self again, the Blues have only won one away game in the league since mid-December. Newcastle, in contrast, have triumphed in eight of their last 10 top-flight fixtures at St James' in that time.
You can see why Eddie Howe hopes the St James' factor 'can make the difference' and Burn was hardly speaking out of turn when the Geordie told NUFC TV that 'we always back ourselves at home, especially when the fans are behind us creating that really good atmosphere'.
The image that came to mind when Burn uttered those words was a beery, febrile St James', rather than the stadium in the cold light of day, after TNT picked this game to spare Chelsea a Sunday evening kick-off, but what do the numbers say? Well, since the start of last season, Newcastle have contested six home games at 12.30pm in the Premier League: winning three, drawing one and losing two.
The stunned stadium certainly did not feel like a fortress when Bournemouth hammered leggy Newcastle back in November or when Chris Wood's hat-trick fired Nottingham Forest to a deserved victory last season. However, dig a little deeper, and there have been some memorable atmospheres, particularly when the traditional big-hitters have come to town.
Take when Newcastle defeated Arsenal 1-0 in November. Newcastle had gone five top-flight games without a win at the time yet the Magpies managed to limit Arsenal to just a single shot on target over the course of 90 minutes - and the crowd certainly played their part.
When decisions did not go Newcastle's way, there were cries of 'Same old Arsenal - always cheating!' When Newcastle had to dig in, and defend their goal in front of the Gallowgate late on, the crowd willed them on, whether it was cheering tackles, repeatedly chanting 'Eddie Howe's black and white army!' or loudly whistling in the dying moments as they urged referee John Brooks to blow up.
Or how about when Newcastle thumped Spurs 4-0 little more than 12 months ago? That was a day when goal scorer Anthony Gordon said 'it can feel like the stadium is suffocating you' as an opposition player. Spurs star James Maddison, who had plenty of experience playing at St James', did not disagree. "Anyone who has played here before knows what type of game you're in for when you come here," he sighed. "But it still took us by surprise."
However, one 12.30pm kick-off stands out above all others: Newcastle's 4-3 win against West Ham last year. For context, Newcastle were 3-1 down in the 76th minute and had just a 2% chance of winning, according to Oracle, who provide official match insights for the Premier League.
Yet Newcastle somehow went on to turn the game on its head thanks in no small part to home advantage. In fact, West Ham defender Vladimir Coufal feared the stadium was 'going to explode' after Alexander Isak scored a penalty to make it 3-2 while Howe described the atmosphere 'as electric as I've known it and I even include the PSG game'.
"I think they believed and we believed with them," the Newcastle boss said. "You just hope they can suck one in and they did."
That was a day when Bruno Guimaraes wrote that 'St James' Park makes things possible' - regardless of the kick-off time. How Newcastle need the stadium at its ferocious best on Sunday.