Eleven years ago, when Mike Ashley took over at SJP, he said: "We will be challenging for the Premier League title within five years!"
Well the start of 2013/14 saw Alan Pardew in charge; Joe Kinnear appointed as 'Director Of Football" at the club; and Danny Simpson told he wasn't good enough to play in the Premier League and sent to QPR on a free transfer.
Oh yes, and we lost the opening game against Man City 4-0, and Simpson eventually went on to win the Premier League with Leicester City.
The 2019/20 Premier League season may be just four games old, but we are already starting to get a good idea of contenders in various parts of the table.
Manchester City and Liverpool appear to be a cut above the rest again and, barring any dramatic improvements from the chasing pack, it looks like it will be a two-horse race for the title.
Then there is the top four - or, now, the big six.
The remaining four - Arsenal, Man United, Tottenham and Chelsea - should be battling it out for the remaining two places, but there are enough early warning signs about all of them to think that this is a great year for a team to break into the Champions League spots.
Sadly it won't be Newcastle, and Ashley's words never ever became reality.
And with Liverpool and Man City so far ahead of the rest, I think a top six finish for the minnows is all they can wish for.