Quite like their relegation in the 2008-09 season, when Newcastle failed to beat the drop from the Premier League in 2016, many football fans were shocked.

The similarities continue; back then stars who were deemed ‘too good to go down’ included Michael Owen, Fabricio Coloccini, Luis Enrique and Shay Given. This time the featured players were seasoned internationals such as Georginio Wijnaldum, Moussa Sissoko, Cheick Tioté and Tim Krul.

Both relegated sides have their aims set at immediate promotion back to the Premier League, but unlike the Newcastle side of 2009-2010 who were sitting on top of the pile with 13 points after five games, the current Newcastle side have already lost twice.

Many people have since questioned the seemingly automatic assumption that Newcastle would easily seal their promotion back to the Premier League, but should that assumption have been made in the first place?

Unlike their predecessors, the current Newcastle team has been boosted by eleven signings, many of them notable players such as Dwight Gayle, Matt Richie and Mo Diamé. With such a turnover of players – eight have also departed with players such as Sissoko and Tioté still to be sold – any football team would need time to gel.

This is a stark contrast to the starting eleven for Newcastle’s first Championship game of the season against West Bromwich Albion in 2009, of which all of them were players who had played at St James’ Park the season before.

Although the Newcastle side who lost to Fulham 1-0 in the opening game of this season could be deemed unlucky to lose, it was clear that it was a new side being put together. There was no sign of a partnership between Dwight Gayle and Ayoze Pérez up front and the relatively young side – the eleven players who started had an average age of 24 – seemed very reliant on the pace and trickery of Matt Richie.

In the end it was poor set-piece defending that let the Magpies down, with Matt Smith taking advantage of a free header to seal the win for Fulham. In the following match, Newcastle were again prone to mistakes and found it hard to break down a well-drilled Huddersfield side under David Wagner.

Not only should the relatively new squad be seen as a reason why Newcastle shouldn’t be seen as the team to ‘walk the league’, but the other Championship sides have also considerably strengthened. Even as recent as two years ago, the thought of Championship sides being able to make bids of around £10million on multiple occasions would’ve been laughed off.

However, with the vast amount of money being pumped into the game recently, even sides who had previously played in the English third tier such as Bristol City and Wolverhampton Wanderers have been able to make notable signings.

Of course, the two other relegated Premier League sides in Aston Villa and Norwich City should be seen as strong contenders for promotion, but there are an increasing number of teams this year that are capable of finishing in the playoffs or the automatic promotion places.

The usual suspects of Derby County, Sheffield Wednesday, Brighton and Hove Albion and Ipswich Town will be seen as teams to be in and around those places by the end of the year, but who would’ve predicted the resurgence of Huddersfield Town or Fulham? With relatively tame budgets compared to the league’s expected front runners, both sides have spent well and are playing as a unit rather than relying on big name stars.

Bristol City have also impressed, and with Wigan Athletic featuring the notorious Will Grigg, the increased quality of sides in the Championship will certainly make Newcastle’s job a lot harder.

Despite their early setback, Newcastle should still be seen as favourites to win the Championship title. With supposed additions such as Callum McManaman being whispered around and key players like Aleksandar Mitrović returning, the Magpies will only get stronger and team chemistry will rise with it.

However, with the standard of teams around them being far stronger than in their previous tenure it certainly will not be a walk in the park. Even the usual promotion candidates have strengthened, with Derby acquiring Matĕj Vydra, Wednesday snapping up Steven Fletcher and Brighton adding the underrated Oliver Norwood to their already brilliant squad.

This Championship season could well be the most unpredictable and tightest campaign ever, and while Newcastle must be seen as favourites to win it, it should not be assumed that this achievement will arise automatically. 

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