Newcastle's fresh optimism is fuelled by energy boost

Red Bull takeover has brought new life to club that finished bottom of the table for the past three years

- Gerard Meagher

Don't mention the F-word. Such has been the pace of the Red Bull rebrand that one Newcastle official joked there would be spot fines for anyone who forgets it is no longer the Falcons giving them flight.

Energy drinks are in, feathered friends out, but the feelgood factor now coursing through the northeast promises more than just a dopamine hit. For the club, who only a few months ago were exploring a loan from their league rivals to stay afloat, and the revamped Prem, there is a feeling that the Red Bull revolution can be seminal.

Newcastle finished bottom of the table for the past three seasons. In the 2023-24 campaign they lost all 18 matches. They have been operating on a shoestring budget and seen numerous promising homegrown youngsters seek greener pastures elsewhere. But Newcastle have now come full circle, harking back to the Sir John Hall era when they could spend like no one else and won the Premiership title in 1998.

The takeover has, among many things, allowed Steve Diamond to go shopping this summer. Such is rugby's transfer market that, at such short notice, he has been unable to secure an A-lister to put up in lights at Kingston Park. But make no mistake, this season will be different.

"The only reason we've recruited the way we have, to be brutally honest, there were no world-class players available in July," he says. "Our recruitment drive moving forward will be different. What we've got to do is get the building blocks in place and then we can get a team together."

Still, Diamond has used his extensive contacts book to forge a squad that will be considerably more competitive than in recent seasons.