This season is not exactly going to plan for Newcastle United just yet, but the Magpies have been given some leeway for very difficult and frustrating external circumstances affecting them.
It’s safe to say last season was the most successful campaign in decades for Newcastle, with a top five finish securing Champions League football and of course, the Carabao Cup triumph ending the long wait for a trophy on Tyneside.
Convince me otherwise: Eddie Howe gave me my greatest day as a Newcastle fan but he has taken us as far as he can
DISCLAIMER: It's not all his fault, chaos behind the scenes and PSR does not help 😡
He’ll always be a hero but everything comes to an end
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However, as we head into the final game of 2025, Newcastle are sitting in 14th place in the Premier League table and hopes of qualifying for the Champions League next season are fading fast.
While Eddie Howe’s job is safe for now, there are a number of concerns over the lack of progress the club has made. So, what’s the problem?
Newcastle chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan is pictured at St James' Park.
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Newcastle are underperforming, but spending power is limited
In the latest episode of Beyond the Back Four, Newcastle’s season was put under the microscope and guest Ned Keating suggested the Magpies’ struggles this term have been surprising.
He said: “Like last season in the Champions League, Newcastle are struggling to capitalise on that success. I expected bigger and better this year, maybe even for them to be challenging for the title.”
However, Keating went on to admit that Newcastle are operating under restrictive rules when it comes to their finances which may well be holding them back.
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He added: “There is always pressure that comes with being the richest club in the world but this is a different era compared to Roman Abramovich at Chelsea where they were able to splash the cash. If Eddie Howe used this as a reason to explain things away, you’d see a lot of fans — not just Newcastle’s — jumping on it.”
Would Unai Emery have won a trophy as quickly as Eddie Howe if Newcastle appointed him in 2021 instead?
Don't forget, he was PIF's first choice!
Show your workings in the comments!
A split image showing Unai Emery managing Aston Villa and Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe lifting the Carabao Cup trophy.
Credit: Catherine Ivill – AMA/Sebastian Frej/MB Media via Getty Images
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What does success look like for Newcastle this season?
Obviously, being in the bottom half of the table is far from ideal for Newcastle. This is a club looking to knock on the door of the established Big Six, but right now the Magpies look miles away from that.
Still, there’s every chance that, come the end of the season, Newcastle can celebrate more success. We are in a rare position here where we see the club still competing across four fronts heading into the new year, with a Carabao Cup semi-final on the horizon and progress in the Champions League very much in their own hands.
If Newcastle could win another domestic trophy, that would arguably be enough to satisfy demands at the club for another season. However, if Eddie Howe can get Newcastle back in the top five by the end of the campaign, this disappointing run of form would be well and truly forgotten and forgiven.
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