Newcastle United entered a new stratosphere little under a week ago now.
Indeed, Newcastle United ended a 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy by winning the Carabao Cup.
An inspired Newcastle beat Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley in the Carabao Cup final, lifting the League Cup for the first time in their 133-year history.
It was both the end of the journey and the start of a new challenge. Eddie Howe’s side have written themselves into the history books, completing a remarkable transformation from relegation strugglers to genuine trophy winners.
Chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan has vowed Newcastle will win more trophies going forward too, making it hard to believe that supporters won’t be treated to more days like Sunday 16 March, 2025.
While the PIF takeover was always likely to change the story at St James’ Park, it has been a rapid-fire rise in sometimes testing circumstances given some of the PSR restrictions in play.
Not long ago, Steve Bruce was attracting all manner of criticism in the Newcastle dugout as the team flirted with relegation on an almost constant basis.
Now, Bruce has shared his verdict.
Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images
Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images
Steve Bruce delivers verdict as Newcastle United win Carabao Cup
Back in 2022, Bruce pointed out that Howe had received a “lot more money” than he ever did during the Mike Ashley era.
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“Eddie has had a lot more money to spend than I ever did, but he’s brought in some good players and improved the team,” he told FourFourTwo.
“I’m very happy to acknowledge that, because Newcastle and the fans deserve the success.”
While certainly true, it does not mean Howe has had it easy. Selecting the right players to spend those funds on is a different thing entirely and Newcastle have largely done that very well during the PIF era.
There’s also the small matter of PSR to consider, with the club unable to spend to any significant degree over the past few windows.
Speaking to The Mirror, Bruce does admit that simply making signings isn’t easy just because the club have wealthy backers.
The former Newcastle boss also talked of his delight at seeing the club win a trophy.
“I’m delighted that they have finally won a trophy for the many, many good people who work for the club and the supporters who have waited so long for success,” he said.
“Without comparing budgets between now and then, all I will say is that it’s all right having money to spend – but you still have to spend it wisely.
“I thought Nick Pope, Kieran Trippier and Dan Burn were inspired signings, all really good value.
“That midfield three (Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton and Sandro Tonali) is top, top-drawer and now they have a world-beater in Alexander Isak. I hope it’s just the start for them.”
Bruce was in the news even before his most recent interview.
In fact, former Toon star Dwight Gayle has revealed his reaction to the Newcastle owners taking over the club back in 2021.
According to Gayle, Bruce increased the training workload while joking the PIF owners were watching the players, presumably knowing his time at the club was drawing to a close.
Newcastle have of course moved on from Bruce but he remains an unpopular figure, albeit the fact he managed to keep the team in the Premier League at least deserves the slightest bit of credit.
That’s not to say he did a great job by any means and the ambition should have been higher, but it does feel worth noting.