Newcastle are no longer plucky underdogs – James Calvert
It’s reasonably safe to assume Newcastle United fans did a little light celebrating on Tuesday night when their team saw off Southampton to secure a spot in the League Cup final. Their long suffering supporters, without a cup final to their name in nearly a quarter of a century and no domestic silverware since 1955, will no doubt have partaken in a shandy or two to mark this latest phase of their rebirth. And that’s perfectly understandable with their passionate and dedicated fans having been starved of anything even vaguely resembling success for far too long. What is less understandable, however, is why so many others are branding this achievement as a triumph for the underdogs. There are a lot of words you could use to describe this new and improved Newcastle team – but surely underdog is no longer one of them. The Saudi-owned club now has massive financial clout to back up its incredible fan base and is on a clear path to becoming one of the giants of the sport. Yes, their past may have been built on decades of underachievement, but I can’t see their future being anything other than bright and beautiful. While it is certainly true that money alone doesn’t automatically...