Newcastle United head coach Matthias Jaissle has revealed that he did not need to see footage and images of Tyneside's grand trophy parade from 2025 in the build-up to this year's Carabao Cup campaign.
That day, over 300,000 supporters lined the city's streets, hanging from lamp-posts and buildings, many of them shedding tears of joy, as Eddie Howe hoisted the club's first domestic silverware in 70 years.
Following the 2-1 win over Liverpool, supporters scaled the old Newcastle Breweries building - now the Sandman Signature hotel - to unfurl a 35-metre portrait of Howe to celebrate the first man since Doug Livingstone to win a domestic cup back in 1955.
Respect for Howe's Achievements
Jaissle is full of respect for Howe's achievements after one trophy and two Champions League entries in his five-year stint as boss, but knows the club must turn the page and look to new glories, starting with this year's Carabao Cup quest, with West Brom in Toon for the second round.
When asked about the Carabao Cup celebration nostalgia and whether club staff had pushed it his way, Jaissle said: "They have tried to convince me to show me the footage. It was not needed.
"It's gone. The Carabao Cup is a big competition. It is important to the club - we are aware of that. We are looking forward to it. We want to play in this round.
"First, we will analyse the Liverpool game and see the availability of the players. We have many players who are exhausted and some have minor injuries so we need to see. We will make a decision when we get together today on the team selection."
First Cup Selection and Young Talents
Jaissle's first cup selection will be important with Geordie fans still mentally scarred from the Mike Ashley era, when weakened teams and early exits sickened the supporters at St James' Park.
As Jaissle starts to win fans over, with his name chanted in the 2-2 draw with Liverpool, he insists he would make decisions carefully and would lean into his sports scientists and nutritionists at the club's KNOX training ground.
Newcastle's Saudi backers PIF have pumped in £30million to improve the training ground that Ashley once allowed to run into a state of disrepair, with even the club crest hanging off the front of the building towards the end of the Sports Direct tycoon's ill-fated tenure.
When asked on how strong he will go against Championship promotion hopefuls West Brom, Jaissle said: "We need to be pragmatic. We have a top-class training facility.
"They (the squad) will come in and have a good breakfast, and then we analyse the game, they have a good lunch, and then they go home and rest. We have the facility to regenerate mentally and physically.
"This is the most important time when you play two games in a short space of time and then we make good decisions prior to the match to see who is ready."
Jaissle is toying with the idea of handing young right-backs Leo Shahar and Mason Miley a chance while Ewen Jaouen and Bazoumana Toure will also be in contention for debuts.
When asked if the cup will be used to blood youngsters or his preference is to send some of the kids on loan, the German head coach said: "I want to see the young lads and talents as much as possible, because that gives a good feeling.
"You see how they are developing and whether they are getting closer to the first-team. We want them edging towards their first minutes (senior minutes) and the Premier League.
"But loans are also reliant on what happens in the transfer market. It is always a bit of a balance, they train with us, but in reality, they need to get game-time and develop. So we need to be smart with the decision-making, and that will come at the end of the window."
Cup-Winning Experience
Brushing past the Baggies would also be a smart move for Jaissle with the head coach already having cups in the cabinet from his time in charge of Al-Ahli and Red Bull Salzburg.
When asked if he could transfer some of his cup-winning magic to Tyneside, Jaissle simply smiled and stated: "That would be nice."
