Newcastle’s St James’ Park plan is the biggest stadium crime in modern football

Newcastle’s St James’ Park plan is the biggest stadium crime in modern football

Eddie Howe believes the atmosphere inside St James’ Park helped his squad during their overwhelming Carabao Cup semi-final victory over Arsenal. He might have had a point, but it was certainly not an impediment.

Martin Odegaard’s missed chance before Jacob Murphy opened the scoring, Howe’s tactical brilliance, Arsenal’s tiredness, and, of course, Newcastle’s first-leg advantage were all potentially decisive factors.

But, whether the Gunners were negatively influenced by the enthusiasm or the home side was pleasantly affected, one thing is certain: it was spine-tingling stuff. It truly was.

You could hardly hear the person next to you, never mind referee Simon Hooper when he tried to announce that early VAR judgment against Alexander Isak. Microphone or no microphone?

The first thing to note when considering Newcastle United supporters’ enthusiasm is that it is not unique. In reality, it is commonplace.

For example, there was a fantastic atmosphere at the Emirates Stadium for Arsenal’s previous game, a Premier League victory against Manchester City. Another aspect worth noting is that, for all of its vitality, St James’ Park has had its fair share of disappointments.

Even this season, they’ve won just six of their 12 Premier League games at St James’ Park. When you think of long-standing, famous stadiums like Anfield or Old Trafford, you think of success (at least you did until recently with the latter), but the same is not true when you think of Newcastle’s home.

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