Howe’s history men to go down in Newcastle folklore

Newcastle United finally exorcised the ghosts of 56 years of failure on a Wembley stage that has left them the most indelible.

A giant black-and-white wave of celebration erupted as the team beat Liverpool 2-1 in the 1955 FA Cup match, which had already suffered nine straight defeats under the auspices when referee John Brooks blew the final whistle.

Finally, the lengthy wait was over. The inter-city fairs cup, which had been held in Tyneside for 56 years, has since become a punchline and punchbag for other fans to enjoy.

The curse has been cast aside now that the club has won a much-deserved victory thanks to Eddie Howe, the club’s manager, who has transformed the club during a wealthy time under Saudi Arabian owners.

The crowds and emotion that fueled a magnificent performance were barely present at Wembley, leaving many fans crying well before the conclusion, and many others unable to watch as the clock ticked closer to 100 minutes and the triumphant victory came to an end.

As their celebrations were played out loudly in the north-east anthem “Blaydon Races,” the black-and-white backdrop Newcastle’s supporters provided a wall of sound.

When Federico Chiesa replied four minutes into added time to give Liverpool an unlikely, undeserved hope, those painful memories of the past were briefly brought up again after Dan Burn and Alexander Isak scored either side of half-time to give Newcastle the control they deserved.

At the Newcastle end, the tension was unbearable, but Howe’s men managed those final seconds with skill, and Liverpool were unable to take the lead.

The manager, who has lived through every Wembley moment with the rest of the Toon Army, may find himself given a statue of St James’ Park, similar to those of Sir Bobby Robson and Alan Shearer.

Since Harry Redknapp won the FA Cup with Portsmouth in 2008, Howe is the first English manager to win either the trophy or the league. Additionally, he becomes the first English manager to achieve this honor since 2004’s Steve McClaren at Middlesbrough.

In their final two years, Newcastle appeared to have learned every lesson from their defeat to Manchester United. They were prepared this time. They rose to the occasion this time.

Additionally, there was room for the Toon Army. Before kick-off, a flag with the message “Get Into Them” emblazoned directly onto the flag.

And it was all accompanied by the never-ending, audible sound of support for the day.

Wembley had Newcastle stories all over it, as well as the celebration ticker tape.

In stoppage time, Burn opened the scoring with a thunderous header from Kieran Trippier’s corner in the final few days of his career, ending his first England call-up at 32.

He capitalized on Liverpool’s bizarre plan to mark him with Alexis Mac Allister, who is not far off a foot smaller than him, which continued in the second half.

It could have been in honor of Blyth-born Burn, the boyhood fan whose name will forever be etched in Newcastle folklore, as the theme from the movie Local Hero rang out at Wembley amid cheery scenes.

Before the game, Isak was touted as Newcastle’s potential winner. And so it was when he quickly and deadlyly reacted to halt Jacob Murphy’s fall.

However, Howe must largely be held responsible for another outstanding management and strategy.

In November 2021, he took Steve Bruce’s place at Newcastle, which was 19th in the Premier League, five points clear of safety after 11 matches.

This is the defining achievement of Howe’s Newcastle’s Champions League season. Since Newcastle last won the trophy last time, there have been 31 managers in at least one game.

The 47-year-old has successfully broken the unbreakable barrier that many had found impossible to overcome.

Mohamed Salah was reduced to a shadow by Howe’s side’s fierce defensive discipline, a consequence of howe’s side’s relentless defensive discipline.

In a game he only started the third time, after a League Cup tie against Arsenal when he played for 61 minutes and after the first leg of the Champions League last-16 game with Paris St-Germain when he was substituted with four minutes left, he failed to score a shot or create a chance for Liverpool.

With this loss, Newcastle could and ought to have added more as they simply outperformed a Liverpool team, making their midweek Champions League exit against PSG on penalties worse.

The usually ice cool leader and hero of this triumph, Howe, acknowledged that he had been sucked into what this occasion meant for both a city and a football team.

He continued, “I have been doing this all day, which is very unusual. I am very, very emotional.” We were aware of the dangers facing all of our supporters. We wanted to win the trophy and show them how much we care.

I’m so, so pleased with the outcome and performance. The victory was important, but Liverpool’s cameo was difficult. I was considering extra time. We constantly challenge ourselves. “It was never going to be 2-0.”

We were aware of history, Howe continued. We made a point of supporting the club. We desired a score. We both desired to succeed and triumph. We are innovating. We were amazing, in my opinion.

Even Howe expressed surprise at Burn’s performance, saying, “We worked consistently for two weeks on set-plays just for this game, and if you’d seen us in practice, you’d have said we had no chance.

“Dan Burn scored, we couldn’t believe it.” He hasn’t received that kind of training.”

A football team’s and its fanbase’s victory is not all that different. A city that has waited 56 years to enjoy such a moment won.