What do you do when something you didn’t think would ever happen but have been waiting your entire life for finally comes to pass?
I found out at 4:42am on Monday 17th March 2025, 20 kilometres west of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia in my father-in-law’s bedroom, where I was watching the Carabao Cup Final with my wife and her dad.
The answer was, I just sobbed. Like hundreds of thousands of people within Wembley Stadium, in pubs and homes around Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and others exiled around the world, I wept with gratitude, relief and intense, overpowering joy. I missed the initial celebrations from the Newcastle players and coaches as I was trying to come to terms with the enormity of what had just happened, what it meant for the club and what it meant for my own life.
When I emigrated to Australia in 2018 I did not think there was any risk that it would mean I wouldn’t be able to witness Newcastle’s first domestic trophy in 70 years in person. The club was simply nowhere near winning anything. Post-takeover it became more of a possibility but 2023 was a huge disappointment, and until it actually happened my default self-protection mechanism was to reconcile myself to the idea that it never would.
Truth be told, I still have not come to terms with it four days later. All it takes is a quick scroll through social media, or the thought of two Newcastle supporters in particular from my hometown village in Northumberland who did not live to see this day, and I become overwhelmed again. All I need to see is a picture of Dan Burn and I wonder if I’ll ever be sad about anything ever again. This feeling is not unlike the newborn glow experienced in the week or so after my two daughters were born, only this time the object of my affection is a 32-year-old man from Blyth and an unassuming guy born in Buckinghamshire.
The fixture scheduling of the international break means we get to bask in this glory for another few weeks yet, with an added bonus of hopefully seeing the aforementioned hero of the hour put the cherry on top of what must be the most perfect week a footballer has ever experienced by making his debut for England at the weekend. Hollywood would reject the Dan Burn storyline for being too far fetched.
2024/25 has been a success regardless of what else transpires from here. All most Newcastle fans would have wanted in their lives would be to see the club lift some silverware just once, but after the victory parade on 29th March, and when everyone has sobered up / peeled themselves down from the ceiling, thoughts will turn to what happens next.
While some form of European football is now assured, Newcastle have a good opportunity to get back to the top table by finishing in the top five of the Premier League. The Conference League would not be a bad competition to be in, and the Magpies would be installed as favourites, but the money and prestige on offer doesn’t compare to the Champions League. Newcastle have a handful of players who should be playing on the biggest stage and by all accounts it would be easier to persuade a certain Swede to extend his contract with **Champions League football** on the table.
Newcastle’s next four games are against bottom half opposition and three of them are at what will surely be a rapturous and reinvigorated St James’ Park. By the time they visit Aston Villa on April 19th the Magpies could have a firm grip on that top five. While us fans continue celebrations for the next two weeks it is a fair bet that Eddie Howe is already preparing for Brentford, and he will not allow any hangovers to persist when the games start coming around again. The short-term objective is underlining this cup victory by qualifying for the Champions League.
Aside from the obvious joy for the supporters, officially being a club that wins things will help when it comes to **retaining current players**. Not that anybody wants to leave Newcastle, but it would be a major surprise after this for anybody to agitate for a move away any time soon even if there are options on the table (which, in the case of Isak, there probably are not due to his asking price). It would be impossible for any of those players at Wembley not to be enthused by the idea of more of that. The idea of Bruno Guimaraes playing for any other club than Newcastle is now just an absurdity. Football is a cynical business and players know how to tap into the intense emotions of supporters, but that man very evidently loves the club. Sandro Tonali will feel he has more to give, while Anthony Gordon now has extra personal motivation to reach more cup finals for Newcastle.
Similarly, all **Paul Mitchell** has to do is show prospective new signings the eight minute clip on the official NUFC YouTube channel of the celebrations immediately after the final whistle and the deal will be signed, sealed and delivered. Newcastle have PSR headroom now and, even despite this stunning victory, there are areas for improvement in the Newcastle squad as they redefine what success looks like in future seasons. Winning this trophy makes Mitchell and the recruitment team’s job that bit easier when the summer rolls around.
If transfer targets are wondering what sort of coach **Eddie Howe** is and how he will help them develop their game, show them the clip of Joelinton post-game, where he talks with an abundance of love and emotion about the man who transformed his position, his career and his life.
Which brings us onto the architect of this success himself. It has been obvious to anybody paying attention that Eddie Howe has all the tools to be a great football manager. He is vastly experienced already at the age of just 47. His coaching credentials are unquestionable. His man management is excellent and his players love him. His tactical acumen has improved and he has demonstrated over three years that he can learn from mistakes, adapt and find solutions with stunning results. He is now a winner and this should be the catalyst for more success in the coming years with this brilliant manager at the helm.
In one sense it doesn’t really matter what comes next. Nobody can ever take this away from us. We will continue to drink this in and revel in it. And when the football does start again we can hopefully use the feelings engendered by this victory to push us into a summer where the project could turbocharge and Newcastle United could become the force that we’ve known all along it has the potential to be…
HWTL!