Steve Bruce can use his own experience at Manchester United to cope with the pressure of Newcastle’s long trophy drought.
Now that Liverpool’s title bogey has been put to rest, Newcastle’s 51-year wait for a major trophy will become football’s most talked-about quest.
Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester City represents an opportunity even if the home side begin as underdogs, and Bruce is aware from his playing days at Old Trafford - when they eventually ended a 26-year wait to be champions - how tough breaking the cycle can be.