Toon Army back in Premier League with less fanfare

Promoted clubs Newcastle's passionate fanbase remains but the North East club's big-spending days are confined to the past.

The homegrown striker, Andy Carroll, right, epitomises Newcastle's return to their roots.

Newcastle's passionate fanbase remains but the North East club's big-spending days are confined to the past. Richard Jolly reports It is Newcastle United, but not as we know it. Back in the Premier League after a one-season tour of the Championship, the black-and-white stripes and fervent support are familiar, but much else has changed. Many of the images of the club that were initially endearing but more often mocked have become outdated. Instead of embarking on a quest for managerial maestros with Geordie blood, the low-profile Cockney-Irish career coach, Chris Hughton, - once disparagingly deemed "Clipboard Chris"- oversaw an efficient promotion.

Messy melodrama and fractious failings tended to be features of Newcastle's recent past. With the exception of an altercation between Andy Carroll and Steven Taylor that left the latter with a broken jaw, their venture into the lower leagues was notable for the quiet professionalism they displayed. The squad differs, too. To their critics, Newcastle became a byword for clueless, costly buys from abroad. Albert Luque, Fabricio Coloccini, Marcelino, Jean-Alain Boumsong, Stephane Guivarc'h: they are embarrassing indictments of Hughton's predecessors.

Now, however, two-thirds of the squad are English. Hughton has signed from Nottingham, Liverpool and London, in the form of James Perch, Dan Gosling and Sol Campbell; his passport has not been required and his chequebook barely used. The notion of Newcastle paying over the odds is hard to dismiss, but their current expenditure is a mere £1.5 million (Dh8.7m), all on Perch. There are no wildcards, no exotic additions, but Hughton possesses a squad he knows. It all suggests a more grounded approach.

That may be reflected on the terraces. The traumatic 2008/09 season can be interpreted as a reality check though it would be incorrect to assume everyone needed it. It has been easy to portray the Newcastle fans as incorrigible optimists though that was only ever a section of their support. Expectation, however, has been an issue at St James' Park since Kevin Keegan's first spell as manager. Now it is reduced. There is a natural assumption that, with the exception of big clubs and big spenders, clubs elevated from the Championship are in danger of a swift return. Newcastle are one, but not the other.

Yet size matters. Aided by their home crowd, they went unbeaten at home last season, the first time in over a century they had accomplished that. That this is Newcastle United means, for many, it is easier to envisage Wigan Athletic or Bolton Wanderers among the strugglers, and the historic generosity means their wage bill remains higher than those of clubs who have retained top-flight status. Nevertheless, the nature of their surrender in their last taste of the Premier League means much of Hughton's squad have unfinished business with the top tier: Coloccini and Jose Enrique proved more reliable at the back in a lower division last year; Alan Smith was a commanding presence in midfield in a division that contained Plymouth and Peterborough; Kevin Nolan their equivalent of Frank Lampard, in scoring from midfield. Each, however, has a reputation to rebuild against high-calibre opponents.

For those, such as Leon Best, Wayne Routledge and Mike Williamson, who were bought to aid in their escape from the Championship, this is a greater challenge. It is in attack that the difference with the demoted squad is most marked. Then the expensive underperformers included Michael Owen, Mark Viduka and Obafemi Martins. Now Carroll, the raw, physical force from Gateshead is the pivotal forward. Newcastle have gone back to their roots. It is both a crowd pleaser and cheap.

Continuity and consistency have been the advantages of the Hughton era. They should be enough to ensure a solid sort of survival. That is not what we associate with Newcastle but then this is a very different Newcastle. [e-mail]