As ever in football, it comes back to players. Levels, they say in the game. A team can only outperform the collective value of its parts for so long. There is a point where David has to put down the stones and pick up some pound coins.
Remarkably, Leicester City were greater than their whole for a full season and won the Premier League in 2016. Add Newcastle to that exclusive list of those who, for so long, have defied the odds to the point of favouritism.
For the entirety of 2022 they rewrote the book of expected form.