It was a month in which the Magpies advanced in two competitions but it was not the stirring success Howe would have hoped for.

And it leaves Newcastle's campaign very much on a knife-edge as we move into February, another month of crunch fixtures - eight of them, all of which feel significant.

In an likelihood, Newcastle's focus will shift from four fronts to three this week when they head for Manchester City where only the most unlikely of turnarounds would see them remain in the competition they won last season.

Howe's side should beat Qarabag over two legs to move into the last 16 of the Champions League, and that should of course be celebrated. But if the Magpies are to progress and become a true super club, qualification for the Champions League must be an annual occurrence, and after Saturday night's 4-1 defeat at Liverpool - meaning Howe's side have taken just one point from the last nine available in the league - a top five finish is looking increasingly unlikely.

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