It was only the Carabao Cup but it may as well have been the Champions League. You will not see a celebration of a football team like this anywhere else in Britain.
This was Newcastle at its proud, unrestrained, unflinching, hedonistic best. This was a carnival Geordie style, as hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to laud Eddie Howe and his players.
I have not seen anything like it before in all my years covering football. It had more in common with the sort of celebrations you see in countries like Italy, Spain or Brazil. It was truly remarkable, a stunning display of love and affection for a football team that had once been synonymous with failure and disappointment.
The scene on the Town Moor when the team arrived was like the main stage of Glastonbury for the headline act on a Friday night. A sea of black and white as far as the eye could see as 150,000 people flocked to the green area a short walk from the city centre. There were probably double that in the pubs and bars scattered across Tyneside.
They came from north, east, south and west to pay tribute to their heroes. They came by metro, bus, car and on foot. Young and old and everything in between. Those that watch the team play and those that merely know they exist and the result every weekend. They all came together and drank – no guzzled – it all in.
This was a party 56 years in the making and Newcastle is a city that knows how to have a good time. Not since the Fairs Cup triumph of 1969 has Tyneside seen a party like this. After 70 years without a domestic trophy, nobody was going to let this day pass without a celebration.
This was an explosion; an eruption of pride in everything Newcastle United means to the city and its people. This was their moment, their triumph, their history being secured.
“There is no other city like Newcastle when it comes to football,” said Howe. It was not an understatement. “We are nothing as a football club without you the fans, we need you, your passion, your loyalty and your unwavering support. And just know, we hope this is just the start of things, just know we will give absolutely everything we have to bring success to this football club…”
Howe was halted by a huge roar. A chant of “Eddie Howe’s black and white army” broke out spontaneously. Not for the first time in the day, Newcastle’s usually stoic leader looked like he might burst into tears.
This is what Newcastle United can do to people, even those like Howe who are not from the region, those who are not born and raised in black and white. It has a life force that pulsates through the city, it gets under your skin, it grabs hold of your emotions and squeezes every last drop from them. It has been too much for so many managers, but not Howe and not this group of players. They have thrived under their demands and been fuelled by their expectations and the city adores them for it. This was the chance to show them.
“I knew there would be people coming out to celebrate today,” added Howe. “But the sheer number of people lining the streets for the parade and ...
