There wasn't a can of Woodpecker in sight - not unless Mike Ashley had some spares stuffed up his cashmere coat - but what a refreshing change for Newcastle United against Arsenal.
Whether you nodded your head in agreement or turned a funny shade of crimson when you read them, Joey Barton's criticism of the atmosphere at St James's Park appears to have had the desired effect.
It's all well and good going on about how passionate and loyal you are as supporters - and I'm not saying you're not before anyone thinks about sending anthrax to me in the post - but you also have to prove it every now and again.
he thing that struck me on Wednesday night was you could see Arsenal's players were visibly shaken by the experience. They may escaped with their unbeaten record intact, but they were shaken on the pitch by the level of determination they faced and they were shaken by the hostility they were greeted with from the stands. That is what St James's Park used to be like every week! Teams used to hate coming up here.
Maybe it was just the performance which galvanised those in the stands into voice, the fact they were actually given something to get excited about on the pitch. But I can't help but feel, even before kick-off, that there was a different mood in the ground, the players responded to it and, when their efforts inspired the crowd into even louder support, they upped their level of performance another notch.
When Newcastle scored their thoroughly deserved equaliser midway through the second half, I feared Arsenal would simply raise their game and score another one. The most impressive thing was, Newcastle didn't let them and, while Sam Allardyce may have come out with some rather strange things after games this season - prattling on about international breaks at Derby County for example - I don't think anyone disagreed with him when he said Newcastle were the team who looked like winning it in the second half.
So well done Sam, well done the players and well done you lot. I was impressed with everything I saw and heard on Wednesday night and, let me tell you, it's been a mighty long time since that happened! So everyone pat yourself on the back and feel content in the knowledge that it was a job well done.
However - there is always a however with me isn't there - need I point out that the improvements made against the league leaders will count for didley squat if there is not the same level of performance against Birmingham City on Saturday.
This has to be the start of something, not just an oasis in a desert of garbage. With games against the Brummies, Fulham, Derby and Wigan next on the agenda, I hope that, when you all open your Christmas stockings, this nasty little spell is nothing more than a bad memory!
Remember, Newcastle drew at Arsenal last season under Glenn Roeder and they beat the Gunners at home under Graeme Souness. The difference on Wednesday, though, was that Newcastle were, for long periods the better side, so that is really encouraging. Nothing but the same, though, will be tolerated at the weekend!
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