'It was carnage', Dwight Gayle on Newcastle United roller-coaster plus life under Bruce and Benitez

Dwight Gayle has described the St James' Park atmosphere in the first game after the Saudi-backed takeover as "total carnage" as Geordie fans wildly celebrated the start of a new era.

The former Newcastle United number 9 was an unused sub for the 3-2 loss against Tottenham Hotspur as some United stars experienced what Gayle feels was an atmosphere that players were able to thrive in. In fact, Gayle credits the supporters for allowing Eddie Howe's team to punch way above their weight in his final season as the Magpies went from rock bottom to 11th place, then mid-table to Champions League qualification just 12 months later.

Gayle told Chronicle Live: "I know we'd had good atmospheres but that was carnage. As a player, sitting on the bench for that game, you are like: 'This is crazy!'

"We knew it had changed then. The whole environment means that the team can totally thrive and no disrespect last season the team overachieved but that is what it's like when the fans and the owners have the same buy in.

"When the owners are working together as one it is amazing what can be achieved.

"It was surreal, it (a takeover) had been talked about in the dressing room previously a couple of times and when it doesn't happen you think: 'Is it another case of what if again'.

"Then I remember seeing all the Newcastle fans outside the stadium, drinking and partying. From day one of the takeover the mood was completely different."

The swirling atmosphere that day was there for all to see as Jimmy Nail's "Big River" played through the tannoy in front of an elated Gallowgate End and new supremo Yasir Al-Rumayyan took his seat for the first time. Before that Mike Ashley had very much been the absent owner with players occasionally getting in front of the Sports Direct magnate at bizarre impromptu steak or pizza nights.

After Gayle's debut season, in which he grabbed 23 goals, and a Sky Bet Championship title medal, the team always played against a backdrop of turmoil with an ongoing political battle between Rafa Benitez then constant fan unrest with Steve Bruce in the dugout.

Nevertheless, Gayle said the moment he was approached by Benitez in 2016, he was never going to say no to United. Dwight tells me: "It was a massive chance for me to sign for Newcastle and I looked at it as an opportunity to improve myself again.

"I felt like I wasn't playing as much as I'd like (at Crystal Palace), and then Rafa approached me, as soon as I spoke to him there was no other decision to be made, I wanted to join that group.

"We had a great little group that connected really well. It showed with the performances on the pitch.

"We had some great attacking players that were there to create chances and score goals. Even if we were in a solid block we were set up very well tactically.

"The manager knew what he had in the dressing room in terms of creating chances with some of the good players that he had.

"We had a big core in that dressing room with Matt Ritchie, Jonjo Shelvey, Karl Darlow and myself. There was a Spanish group and a French group but we all got on so well.

"Once everybody got to grips with the first few weeks we became fixated on what we needed to do as a group it was good."

Gayle would help Newcastle finish 10th in their first campaign back in the Premier League with six goals to his name. But change would be around the corner for the striker who has now netted in all of the top four divisions.

As Benitez tried frantically to build a team capable of staying up in the summer of 2018, Gayle found himself heading to West Brom on a unique "loan swap" as Salomon Rondon heading to Tyneside and the man Benitez had paid £10million for left for the Hawthorns.

Gayle was a hit with West Brom as he netted 24 goals, but insisted he'd never wanted to leave Newcastle. He said: "I felt at home and at no point did I want to leave Newcastle because my family really enjoyed the city and the people. For that reason, I didn't want to go.

"I'd played the season before and I felt confident if I got the opportunity if I'd stayed. But obviously, Rafa had ideas that he wanted to move on, try other options and other things.

"Knowing that, I knew I had the opportunity to go to West Brom and start scoring again. It was a chance to try to get some confidence."

Benitez would leave in the summer of 2019, and Gayle headed back to St James' Park to a manager-less Newcastle. Pre-season even kicked off without a head coach as Ben Dawson was put in caretaker charge.

Gayle looked back and said: "We travelled over to China without a manager. I picked up a calf injury in training and then Steve Bruce met us over there.

"He came in and I was out for the first three months with that calf.

"It was difficult for the group. We weren't playing the best football or creating the most chances, there were a lot of opportunities for us to soak up pressure and try to score on the counter attack.

"Or maybe it was down to a maverick play or set-plays, I found it quite difficult. I did have a bit of a purple patch under Steve Bruce just after the Covid period.

"Then I remember coming back in the next pre-season feeling really confident then I got injured against Crewe and that put me out for a bit."

Gayle endured mixed signals from Bruce with the manager telling the Press on numerous occasions he'd been trying to sign the striker for years, but then not using him. The 34-year-old said: "I was always OK with Steve. I don't think we had any arguments.

"He said he'd tried to sign me many times but I did not play as much as I wanted, although I never had any qualms or problems. It was one of those things, there's 25 players and everybody wants to start.

"You train as hard as you can which I always did throughout my career. When the opportunity comes you have to take it and perhaps I did not always do that as much as I could have to get to play more. I always worked as hard as I could to prove."

Managing Newcastle series

Like Benitez, Gayle outlived Bruce at Newcastle but moved on after Eddie Howe's first season in charge. Now at Derby County, Gayle cherishes the memories of being United's main man, but one moment sticks out.

Recalling his goal in the 3-0 win over Barnsley, which helped seal the second tier title, Gayle said: "That was a great day. I wish I'd taken a few more videos and pictures to be fair.

"I haven't got too much. It was an amazing atmosphere and I remember everyone going crazy.

"We were talking on the bench about how good the atmosphere was. Then the fact we managed to win the title that year was the cherry on the top. All the boys were absolutely buzzing."

That day Gayle celebrated with the famous "going up, going down" salute as Newcastle went into the Premier League and Sunderland came the other way. Gayle never did play in a Tyne-Wear derby but arguably his greatest day in a Stoke shirt, the club he joined straight after Newcastle, came when he bagged a brace on Wearside in a 5-1 win.

Unfortunately, there weren't enough days like that for Gayle, and reflecting on his time in the Potteries, he said: "It was frustrating on a personal level, but the team did not do very well. I went there with the idea that we'd be fighting for promotion and I'd be scoring goals, but it didn't really materialise.

"No fault of the club and I obviously tried my hardest, so it wasn't down to the lack of work-rate, it just wasn't meant to be.

"It was a frustrating time for me and it was tough but ultimately they gave me the opportunity to leave on a free transfer. That helped both sides and now I just wish them all the very best really."

Gayle would now love to see something of a double at the end of this season with his new club Derby getting promoted and Newcastle qualifying for Europe. He said: "I speak to a lot of the boys and you see things popping up in the news. It is so nice to see them all doing well.

"You know how hard they work in training and how professional they are away from it. It's nice to see that continue but hopefully they can finish off the job and get Europe.

"It is a difficult one because they've had a lot of injuries so I wouldn't blame them if they didn't reach it."