Looking to put Newcastle's 2014-15 Premier League season behind it, new manager Steve McClaren has barred his players from talk of that disastrous campaign in hopes his tenure with the club will be more positive than that of his predecessor, John Carver.
Objects in the rearview mirror may be closer than they appear and McClaren, who was appointed Magpies gaffer in June after caretaker manager John Carver's sacking, is well aware of the effect it can have on his squad.
"I think there is a huge relief from everybody that finally we can stop talking about last season and what has gone on and what has been happening," McClaren told reporters, speaking in advance of Sunday's Premier League opener against Southampton.
"Now we look forward to a fresh season where everybody starts on zero. Everybody can say: 'Last season has gone, this is a clean sheet of paper, let's go again.'"
The Magpies will be looking to bounce back from an utterly dismal season that saw the club avoid relegation by a mere four points, finishing with 39 points and a goal differential of minus-23.
Manager Alan Pardew went from a club legend to an object of derision by supporters at St. James' Park, forcing the silver-maned gaffer south down the A1 to take the Crystal Palace job as fans and players alike showed their frustrations both with the product on the field and owner Mike Ashley.
Organized protests became as plentiful as poor Magpie performances, and John Carver took over the job on an interim basis - as much a harbinger of future unemployment as it was an opportunity.
McClaren is hoping these frustrations are indicative of a bygone era and that the club can move on.
Summer signings Georginio Wijnaldum and Aleksandar Mitrovic are both promising young talents that should breathe life into a club desperate for invigoration, and hopes are relatively high upon the River Tyne.
