How Newcastle United's current form compares with 8 European qualification seasons - plus iconic photos

It was a huge positive on a rare negative during a historic season for Newcastle United.

A 2-0 defeat at Sheffield United in the penultimate game of the Magpies’ first ever season as a Premier League club was the unexpected scene for they day is was confirmed the club would return to European competition after a 16-year absence. The likes of Andy Cole, Peter Beardsley and Robert Lee would face Royal Antwerp and Athletic Bilbao in the UEFA Cup during the following campaign as European football became an almost annual event over the years that followed.

United would go on to qualify for the Champions League on three occasions and also featured in the UEFA Cup and even the Intertoto Cup over the following 12 years before competing on the continent became a rarity. The Europa League campaign secured under Alan Pardew in 2011/12 was the only time the Magpies took on European opposition during Mike Ashley’s ownership of the club.

Now, with Ashley a thing of the past, and hope and ambition restored at St James Park, dreams of Europe are firmly back on the agenda and United’s form during the first half of the Premier League has led to a firm belief those dreams could become a reality. But how does their current performance compare to the previous seasons when the club has qualified for Europe via their final position in the Premier League table?