The euphoria that greeted the start of Newcastle United's season has been replaced by a sense of deflation after three successive Premier League losses has left them 14th in the table.
Newcastle's third league defeat last season did not arrive until March and Eddie Howe's side ended up fourth to ensure a return to the Champions League for the first time since 2002.
When they thrashed visiting Aston Villa 5-1 on the opening day of the season it seemed the momentum had continued into the new campaign but defeats by Manchester City, Liverpool and Brighton & Hove Albion have stopped them in their tracks.
Three points from four games is not what was expected after a close season outlay of £140 million on new players including AC Milan midfielder Sandro Tonali.
Howe will be anxious to get the bandwagon rolling again on Saturday at home to unbeaten Brentford before Tuesday's trip to Milan for their Champions League opener.
After that, Newcastle have a run of games in which they should be able to climb the table but Howe is only too aware of the complexities of the Premier League and how dangerous it is for fans to start taking victories for granted.
"It's never been lost on me how difficult the Premier League is," Howe said after the Brighton defeat. "It's ruthless, so if you get your focus swayed, you're going to have big problems."
That is especially relevant this weekend with so much focus on next week's trip to Milan when Newcastle will return to Europe's elite competition for the first time in two decades.
MASTER GUARDIOLA
While juggling the demands of the Premier League and the Champions League will be new for Howe, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has mastered the art.
City begin the defence of their European crown
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