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Those words adorned the walls at the training ground, and were the lifeblood of what became an incredibly successful 2022/23 season. It was Eddie Howe’s first full term in charge and he led Newcastle back to the Champions League.
As Newcastle struggle for consistency in 2025/26, a very fair question has been asked: Where has the intensity gone?
But on the evidence of Saturday’s 3-2 defeat to Brentford, there are even more fundamental issues. In every sense, this team have lost all the hallmarks that initially helped them impose themselves back then.
'I don't blame the supporters' - Eddie Howe
Newcastle conceded just 33 goals, the joint-fewest with Manchester City, who won the Premier League title. They also scored four or more goals in seven games. At both ends of the pitch, they were driven, aggressive, purposeful; everything was aligned from recruitment, to the tactics, to the output on the pitch.
They were, in effect, everything they haven’t been this season, and everything Brentford have embodied under Keith Andrews.
Where once there was a steely determination, now there is a softness, a lethargy and a painful lack of ideas when pressure is applied on the pitch. Having taken the lead through Sven Botman, the number of points dropped from winning positions has risen to 19. Meanwhile, 11 goals have been conceded in the last ten minutes of games, a record matched by only Burnley and Leeds.
To summarise the attacking woes, Newcastle’s xG (Expected Goals) from this game was 2.25, compared to 1.93 for Brentford.
Frustration among the fans, and pressure on Howe, has been building for some time. There were boos at the full time whistle, and he understands why.
“I don't blame the supporters for expressing their feelings,” he said.
“We created it ourselves to a point, with a lot of games where we haven't played as well as we can.
"We have defended poorly and we have been punished. There's no other thing to do but accept responsibility.”
Naturally, scrutiny over Howe’s long-term future only increases with every poor result, and he was brutally honest about his own recent performances.
"There’s a harsh reality for me. I need to think long and hard about me. I need to work better and do more, work out solutions. I need to take full responsibility for what you see on the pitch.
"I always feel under pressure, so it’s irrelevant to me. The pressure I put on myself couldn’t be more extreme. I’m obviously not doing my job well enough."
"It’s a difficult moment for us, there’s no denying it. Today, especially, we look back at the run of games we had, and you can point to positives in the performance in defeat.
"You can say we created a lot of chances there, and on a different day that could be very different. Today we take full accountability.
"We are 1-0 up at home, and we should accelerate up the gears and show our true form. We didn't. It went the other way.”
"Yes, there were mitigating circumstances. Yes, we are missing key players and yes some of our players are having to play while fatigued. But we have to be better, there is no other way to put it.”
It is fair for Howe to mention injuries and fatigue; his squad has clearly been stretched due to Champions League commitments and progress to the Carabao Cup semi-finals. But that is the price of success and ambition; it is not a surprise.
Newcastle spent £250 million in the summer, adding squad depth in order to cope with a packed schedule. Only one of their six recruits, defender Malick Thiaw, has been a complete success.
Howe has also spoken about developing the team’s playing style in order to make them more effective in possession, but the ease with which a number of teams have contained Newcastle shows that clearly hasn’t happened. Most of those signings from the summer, Nick Woltemade aside, look more suited to the transitional, pressing ideology that went before.
These issues are not new; they’ve been creeping in slowly since 2023. Whether it be injuries, Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) or the sale of Alexander Isak without a sporting director in place, there has always been a reason to shield Howe and the team from criticism. They also delivered a first domestic trophy and Champions League qualification last year, but in the weeks and months preceding an excellent run of form, the same issues were just as clear.
The stark difference in application and ideas between them and Brentford left no hiding place on Saturday, though.
Howe’s appraisal was refreshingly honest. There are reasons why it has been tough, but with the money spent last summer, and the club’s CEO doubling down on ambitions to compete for the biggest honours by 2030 last week, they only go so far.
Newcastle United have big problems, the most fundamental of which being a complete erosion of everything that once made them a force.
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