Newcastle supporters will travel to St James’ Park on Sunday full of optimism that a brighter future awaits under their new Saudi-backed owners, following the departure of Mike Ashley. However, whatever the outcome against Tottenham in the curtain-raiser to the new era, one thing is certain: it will take time, investment and a lot of hard work to move Newcastle up the Premier League table and into a position to compete with the best sides in the country. Here, Sky Sports statistician Sven Alexis takes a look at the numbers around Newcastle’s current situation to reveal the work that needs to be done on the pitch to take the team to the next level… A familiar, slow start to the season Newcastle’s slow starts – record in opening seven Premier League games Season Won Drawn Lost Points 2021/22 0 3 4 3 2020/21 3 2 2 11 2019/20 1 2 4 5 2018/19 0 2 5 2 2017/18 3 1 3 10 – – – – – 2015/16 0 3 4 3 2014/15 0 4 3 4 New...