The 2015/16 season was a turbulent time for Newcastle as they were relegated to the Sky Bet Championship.
What would have been a painful experience already was made worse by the fact that they were relegated by bitter rivals Sunderland.
However, what will definitely raise the spirits of the Newcastle fans is the fact that they have secured the services of Rafa Benitez - one of Europe's highly rated managers having had success at the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea.
Despite that, the task that faces Newcastle, to bounce straight back up, is one of monumental difficulty. Therefore, there are definitely things that must happen at Newcastle over the summer in order to achieve that goal.
The Championship is a league that has always had a reputation for tremendous competition but perhaps not more so than the league as we know it today.
Money is being spent in much larger quantities by those sides who are desperate to claim Premier League status as soon as possible. Thus, the league is made even harder and competitive than it was before the big money spending.
That may come as a shock to a club even the size of Newcastle as they get their first taste for Championship football for several years. Not only that, but the fact that they have a manager who is completely unfamiliar with Championship football may prove problematic.
Nevertheless, many fans, pundits and writers are tipping Newcastle for an instant return to the Premier League. After all, it is probably where a club of that size and stature belongs!
But, in order to return instantly, there are several areas that the club must address before the start of the 2016/17.
Football League World writer Reece Chambers identifies the FOUR things that Newcastle must do over the summer.....
Benitez to be given time
With great support comes great pressure and Newcastle United are perhaps the prime example of that very saying. Fans in the past have proved vital for Newcastle's successes with a sold out St James' Park proving intimidating for even the highest quality opponents.
However, that colossal support can also come with its disadvantages - Steve McClaren's short reign was the best example of that very drawback.
The fans in Newcastle are very passionate about their club and can sometimes be seen as expecting too much of their manager.
In Benitez, they have a world class manager with tremendous tactical awareness. But, to get out of the Championship there needs to be passion, drive and motivation to want to succeed in one of Europe's toughest leagues.
Consequently, the fans must manage their expectations over the summer and get right behind the manager and players for the start of the campaign. This is because they will be vital to all of their side's success and if they expect their side to win every week, the pressure on their players may just come to disadvantage them.
Bring in players who know the Championship
Like any side recently relegated from the Premier League, Newcastle will know the monumental task that lies in front of them to return instantly to the top tier of English football.
A way that will certainly enhance an instant return to the big time is through the signing of a few defenders that have either played in the Championship before or, even better, had success too. The summer transfer window will be an interesting time to see who they try and bring to the club.
And, with big names such as Aleksandar Mitrovic at the club, you wonder how long some of those types of players will hang around at the club - given the tricky task that lies out in front of them. With budget cuts, as well, Benitez may be keen to get rid of some of the higher earners at the club.
Therefore, it could be suggested that there is room for a few players that can bring experience to the squad.
As an experienced manager, there is no doubting Benitez's ability, but he will need to look places other than Europe tops leagues in order to find the players that will help Newcastle get out of the Championship at the first time of asking.
Strengthen the squad
Not only will Newcastle need to bring in new personnel to bring experience to the squad, but they will also need to look at bringing in players to add strength to the squad.
Last season, there were an incredible 11 players on their injury list at one given time. Now, every side as their injury issues, but that is a remarkable amount of players to have absent and could have been a reason for the relegation that followed.
The recruitment process will be an imperative part of Benitez's actions over the summer and he will more than likely need to sign multiple players to strength his side to increase their chances of an instant return to the Premier League.
Sign a goal scorer
For a club famous for their number nines, Newcastle seriously lacked on goal scorers last season - with Aston Villa being the only team to score fewer goals.
Newcastle's top scorer last season was Georginio Wijnaldum with eleven - but four of those strikes came in one game against Norwich. The club's main striker Aleksandar Mitrovic - signed last summer for £13m after impressing in Belgium - has managed just nine goals in the Premier League and was dropped to the bench frequently throughout the season.
Last season's Championship campaign showed just how important it is to have a prolific goal scorer if you want to be successful in the league. For example, Burnley became Championship champions with impressive striker Andre Gray scoring 23 goals for the club.
As a result, Newcastle must recruit a top striker who will more or less guarantee them goals in order to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking.