An ideal time in the heart of the festive season to get a snapshot of views from Newcastle United fans on how they think things are going.
So we sent out various questions to a small number of regular/irregular contributors to The Mag.
Asking these Newcastle United fans some of the important questions of the day.
As well as some with a seasonal twist.
Here we have Davey Hat-Trick giving his answers:
If you were granted three New Year’s wishes (apart from the obvious of winning something!) to come true in 2025…
Assuming you don’t mean winning the Lottery and waking up next to Margot Robbie…
1. A relaxation of PSR and FFP rules. I can’t think of another industry where – as an owner – I wouldn’t be allowed to spend my money on my business.
2. Some perspective with certain fans. I get fed up of people calling for Eddie Howe’s head after one bad result, or describing one of the team as a “Championship player at best”. I suspect most of these people weren’t Newcastle supporters before the PIF took over, but they need to understand that everyone has a bad game once in a while, and we can’t win every match. If you call yourself a supporter, support…
3. Holding on to our blue chip players (listed above) and upgrades on one or two others. We have the makings of a very good team.
Your New Year’s resolution that is Newcastle United related…?
I promise not to get upset with the two blokes (one is a cockney!) who sit next to me and complain endlessly. I once asked the cockney if he liked ANY of our players and that seemed to calm him down.
Win the FA Cup or League Cup sometime in the next five years AND finish between 8th and 10th in each of these five seasons, or win nothing AND finish between 2nd and 4th in every one of these five seasons?
League position, league position, league position. Always.
What would be a perfect Newcastle United Christmas present to unwrap?
A new 10-year contract for Alexander Isak.
In 2024, what have been your three best Newcastle United moments?
Beating Sunderland 3-0 at the SoS. Up until then some of their fans said things like only three of our team would make it into their squad. We outclassed them without getting out of second gear and the deluded halfwits from down the road got back into their boxes
1-0 against Arsenal. It showed what this team can do if everyone applies themselves. Arsenal are a top, top side, but we deserved the win
Tonali’s return. I’ve seen some talent grace the SJP turf and he is up there with the best of them. There is plenty more to come, too.
In 2024 what have been your three worst Newcastle United moments?
The enforced sale of Anderson and Minteh. Man United are £700m in debt, yet they are seen as ‘sustainable’. We have the richest owners in the world, yet they have to sell before they can spend their money. The system is rigged to ensure the ‘big six’ will remain the big six forever
Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Godoussi leaving SJP. I felt the club lost some of its identity and a bit of its charm when they left. Things nearly got ugly when Paul Mitchell came in throwing his weight around. I think if Amanda and Mehrdad had stayed on, it would have been handled better
Too many frustrating performances against teams we shouldn’t struggle against. West Ham at home and Brentford away this season are two of many. And we tend to do well against the ‘big’ teams,
Brentford v Newcastle United
Once we get Christmas out of the way, the Newcastle United hierarchy have promised an update early in the New Year, regarding what their plans are for delivering a significantly bigger/better stadium. What do you hope they say? (Not just whether staying at SJP or new site but also capacity, timescale, progress they might have made on the quiet regarding their plans, whatever)
What I HOPE they say is that we’ll stay in the city centre, find a way of getting 70,000+ people into the stadium, and making sure that the bulk of the extra tickets are affordable.
What I THINK they’ll say and do is go after the option that will generate the most revenue. I suspect that will mean relocation, much higher prices, no concessions and a huge increase in the number of corporate places. I suspect I’ll end up with a worse seat at a 50% higher cost.
The 2025/26 season will be the tenth since Newcastle United last had a Premier League derby match. Have you any seasonal black and white goodwill for our Mackem friends finally making it back to the top tier, from what looks the most appalling quality second tier for many years. Or even just because the amusing FA Cup stroll on Wearside last season whetted your appetite for the return of the derbies?
I can’t get worked up about Sunderland and I don’t think they have a hope in hell of getting promoted.
A generation of Newcastle fans are growing up disliking other clubs (Klopp’s Liverpool, Arteta’s Arsenal..) far more than they dislike Sunderland. Give it another generation and they’ll mean as much to Geordies as Hartlepool and Darlington.
If you could guarantee five NUFC players to be fit for the rest of the season (including all those currently unavailable), who would you choose and in what order?
Interesting question. It pre-supposes our five best players will carry the team. They won’t – the team needs to be balanced. Jacob Murphy has made things better recently, even though no one would put him in their top five. But to answer the question…
1. Isak
2. Tonali
3. Bruno
4. Gordon
5. Botman
Bruno Guimaraes Eddie Howe Sven Botman
If you could invite three current Newcastle United players to yours for a social gathering at Christmas, who would you invite and why?
Murphy, BDB and Osula (Mad Dog if I’m allowed a coach instead). I just think it would be hilarious.
If you could invite three Newcastle United connected people, past or present, around to yours for a social gathering at Christmas, who would you invite and why? Thinking of fans (famous or not), past (not present) players, managers, owners, whoever.
Sir Bobby, Sir John Hall, Chris Hughton. They all made a bad situation better. It would be nice to talk about good times (I’ve already met KK and Terry Mac and gushed at great length about what they meant to me).
A knock on your door on Christmas Day, your place beautifully Xmas decorated, roaring fire, table laden with more food and drink than anybody could eat and drink. You open the door and freezing cold, snow bleaching down, which three cold and starving Newcastle United connected characters (past or present) would you still turn away?
I’m sure some people would go for the likes of Kinnear, Bruce, McClaren etc. But they tried their best; they were just bad at their jobs.
I’ll go for Dan Ashworth (sly, greedy, entitled, arrogant, disloyal), Michael Owen (didn’t want to come, never bothered to try, couldn’t wait to leave) and Mike Ashley (ran the club like a discount retailer. Another five years would have sunk us).
Assuming you don’t think that position has been reached already… what would it take for you to think Newcastle United needed to consider replacing Eddie Howe?
He’d need to finish in the bottom half of the table with a full and fully fit squad. Even then, I’d need to be convinced we’d replace him with a significantly better manager, and I don’t see a proven upgrade who is available right now. Sorry Jose.
What are your worst ever past Newcastle United Christmas time moments / memories. Could be any kind of memories – matches, presents, whatever?
I can’t think of one – honestly – but I’ll share a story with you.
Don’t hate me.
One Boxing Day (I was 18/19), Newcastle were playing away somewhere, my mates and I were looking for something to do, and one of them had just got a car. We decided to go to see the mackems play West Brom, just for something to do. We got seats rather than stand among the unwashed, but after two minutes I turned to my mates and said “This will end up 0-0”. Sure enough, 0-0 is how it finished, and there wasn’t a solitary moment of interest in the entire 90 minutes. I’ve seen some rubbish in the 60 years I’ve been following Newcastle, but this was the worst match I ever attended. Serves me right for straying from the path of righteousness I guess…
In your lifetime, the five people associated with Newcastle United (anybody, on or of the pitch, inside or outside the club) who you would like to say thank you to and why?
Joe Harvey (won something). Sir John Hall, Sir Bobby, Chris Hughton, Amanda Staveley (all saved us at different times).