When Eddie Howe Newcastle entered, he walked in as well as a wall. Different, in fact.
Think of a large road in the country, including Wembley, and the club's record was one losing one. These locations were orientation points of trauma.
Fans could indeed remember the data of victories in the same way as their children's birthdays. December 7, 2013. Their only victory in Old Trafford since 1972. Likewise there was only one victory at the Emirates Stadium. Go back to 1955 for the last Wembley Triumph.
These were the walls where how looked up, mental barriers that had started to feel insurmountable forever. Fatalism was their identity. He brought a ladder just as well.
Because in three and a half years of Howe, Newcastle has scaled those walls. More recently, they were beaten right through them. In the space of eight days at the start of the year they won in Manchester United, Tottenham and Arsenal. It was a challenge with three peaks and they planted their black and white flag on the top of each of them. That week felt transformational.
Four months later, and with a first domestic trophy secured in 70 years, they go to the Emirates today knowing that a different victory in Noord -London would let them second in the Premier League that goes into the last weekend of the season.
Employees talk about the muscle reminder of those big wins, because they feel that they no longer write history every time they cut a W on the wall of the dressing room. They feel like winners and, with 21 from their last 28 games, no team knows how to win as Newcastle at the moment.
“I don't think we would have won the Carabao Cup (beat Liverpool in the final) if we hadn't had those victories in advance,” said Howe, referring to the three peaks.
'The fact that we had defeated other clubs, not in a one -off situation, but a regular way in recent years, helps you go with those games with a conviction that you can win again.
'We have the inner conviction that we can now win everywhere. But we know that we have to be at our best to do that. If you go back to Manchester City, we were not at our best and we were really disappointed about ourselves (4-0 defeat). The players understand that now – if we fall, we are defeated. If we play maximum, we can win. '
The maximum of Newcastle, as shown since the start of a winning run of nine games before Christmas, is form that would have a challenge for the title.
They follow Liverpool with 17 points and although it would be a piece to say that they left that number on the table, there was a five-game Winless series in the fall that saw them slide to the 12th. It led to questions on the outside, but Howe found answers on the inside.
“The early frustrations that we all shared were of inconsistency, where we did not perform at the level that we knew we could,” he thought. “It was frustrating. We knew that players were individually better than they showed. There were highlights, but it was inconsistent, you never knew what we would deliver.
'In that respect, the second half of the season has been very, very good – motivation levels, work level, the collective desire to reach has been there.
“We have not always played well, but I think we have seen a real solidity in the team and the run that we have had, the number of games we have had to win to push ourselves into this position, can only come from consistency and a collective good spirit among the players.”
Also consider that Howe has not signed the first team in three transfer windows and the height is all the more remarkable.
Newcastle does not yet reach the oxygen masks. That is the point that makes Howe, they feel comfortable here.
In turn, the head coach believes that the qualification of the Champions League – another victory is needed – and a long -awaited summer of considerable reinforcement will be able to continue.
From fatalism to flags on Bergen, Howe arrived with a ladder but has built a staircase. At the moment on Tyneside it feels like heaven is the limit.