Jon Lane, contributor to the True Faith podcast, believes a top-six finish and a run to the Champions League knockout stages would be a successful season for Newcastle.

Dark times

Supporting Newcastle is a rollercoaster ride. But when you've grown up with it, it's all you've ever known. 

The most challenging times have been when there was no ambition to go anywhere, when we were owned by somebody just doing enough to keep us in the Premier League.

The clear issue with the club during the Mike Ashley years was it was not run to be successful, it was run to exist. 

What we've got now is ownership that wants us to be the best we can be.

Steady Eddie

I'm 37 and I think in terms of what Eddie Howe is delivering, the quality of the coaching, he's the best Newcastle manager in my lifetime.

I'm not sure whether he sits alongside the likes of Kevin Keegan and Bobby Robson as a legendary figure quite yet but to finish above Chelsea and Tottenham last season, when you consider the difference in revenue between the clubs, was incredible.

Even before that, we were not going to stay up in 2021-22 until Howe improved the players who were underperforming.

Arguably, bar the departed Allan Saint-Maximin, every single player has improved under him. Miguel Almiron is probably the best example of that.

It's nice now because I can sit back and trust that signings like Harvey Barnes and Sandro Tonali are going to work out. You know they're in the right hands.

Season expectations

It's difficult to say what should be expected this season because you have some people saying we should be challenging for the title and then people like me who believe a top-six finish would be a really good achievement.

The Champions League is obviously a massive extra and I think to reach the knockout stages would be a great effort.

If we did drop out at the group stage, the Europa League could also be a huge chance to go on and lift European silverware.

Ultimately, I just want to see us improve and I think that's what the manager will demand of the players.

We're a transformed club and I think the majority of the fanbase will be behind the team again if they show the same willingness to give everything.

European tour

The more I think about it, the more I would love us to draw Real Madrid in the group stage.

They're the essence of that competition and playing them would really reinforce that we're in there for real.

Watching Howe take on Carlo Ancelotti would be special and I think he'd relish it.

Going to Paris Saint-Germain without Lionel Messi and perhaps Kylian Mbappe would be an interesting one as well and would give us the chance to beat a top club.

Jon Lane was talking to Adam Drury