The team appears to be more settled and Rafa Benitez is finding a winning formula at this level.
A large part of this winning formula involves striker Dwight Gayle.
Signed from Crystal Palace in the summer, for a fee reported by Sky Sports to be in the region of £10 million, he has been charged with getting the goals to move Newcastle straight back to the Premier League.
That he has done, with four goals in five appearances for Newcastle so far this season.
One former Newcastle player who has been very impressed is Steve Howey. The former Toon defender, who spent 11 years with Newcastle United, had this to say about Gayle’s impact on Sky Sports News HQ today (08/09/2016):
“The lad Gayle, for me, I always thought he’d score goals and sure enough I think he has scored four or five this season.
“He is a goalscorer. He scored goals in the Premier League and I think he will get goals in the Championship.”