Newcastle manager John Carver has been offered a radical new approach to the task of beating Premier League champions Manchester City for the second time this season.
The Magpies head for the Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening having already won there in the Capital One Cup fourth round in October.
They will do so with some fans having expressed their disquiet with head coach Carver's methods after a 1-1 draw at Alan Pardew's Crystal Palace last time out, prompting managing director Lee Charnley to issue a rallying cry earlier this week.
However, the 50-year-old Geordie insists he knows exactly what supporters are feeling, not only because he is one of them, but because he lives amongst them.
He said: "I sit down with the fans every day. I was at the golf club the other day on a day off and sat with nine, 10, 11-year-old kids for 10 or 15 minutes talking about the team.
"It was quite funny. I asked one kid what his formation would be and to write down his team on a piece of paper. He had two defenders in a 2-6-2. I told him we would do that against Manchester City!"
For Pardew's most vociferous critics, his methods live on at St. James' Park in the shape of Carver and his coaching staff, and a run of seven games in all competitions since his departure for Selhurst Park has yielded just a single victory.
Carver is acutely aware of that, but will not be swayed from his mission.
He said: "There are always people who are going to be against me because there are people out there who would love to be in my position.
"I've gone through a format, a system to get into the position I've been given. This hasn't just happened, this hasn't been given to me on a plate. I've had to work extremely hard for it. I've worked extremely hard to get this position.
"But there are always going to be people out there who'll have a go at you and you have to deal with it. I don't listen to anything, I don't read anything, I don't even watch the press conference. I only hear about things when people come to me and say 'what about x, y,z saying that?'.
"I've come from nothing, but that background doesn't mean I don't deserve what I've got. I think I am a humble person, that's for sure. I respect everybody because that's the way I was brought up.
"The important thing is making sure there is a relationship between me and the fans. I think it is important. I'm trying to get that. It's important that people understand I only want the best for this club."
Carver has his hands full simply picking a team this weekend, with left-back Paul Dummett and midfielder Remy Cabella having joined Steven Taylor, Cheick Tiote and Siem de Jong on the injured list, a toll which has left the head coach with just four fit senior defenders and significantly reduced options in the middle of the park.
However, he at least has top scorer Papiss Cisse, who announced his return from the African Nations Cup with his 10th goal of the season at Palace, back in harness.
Goals have been at a premium for the Magpies in recent weeks -- six of the nine they have scored under Carver have come in two games - and the presence of a man who was once again linked with a move away from the club in January is a source of some comfort.
He said: "It's amazing what that one goal can do. He's been lively about the place, he's been smiling.
"What I will say is that, up until the Palace game, we have been creating and missing chances. We haven't taken those opportunities and if Papiss had been there, he would have finished off one or two of them."