Newcastle United have won a domestic trophy this week and I don’t know what to do.
I’ve been on cloud nine all week.
I’ve often wondered what it would feel like if my club ever won a trophy.
My whole life it seemed like something Newcastle United would never do – but it’s not just that.
I’ve been told and bantered at all my life that my club didn’t deserve to win things, because if you’re young(ish), Newcastle simply haven’t in living memory.
At least, before 16th March 2025.
Now we have one. And I just don’t know what to think. How to feel. Or what I am now supposed to do.
Until 6:15ish on Sunday, it was all about the trophy drought. A drought that was “too long” for a club as big as Newcastle. That drought was the proverbial stick I was beaten with. My club was mocked for it and in turn, I felt mocked too.
Maybe it meant we weren’t as big as we thought? Maybe the club was simply cursed, and I was doomed to follow a “nearly” club at best.
I still cannot take it in what has happened, because readers, until then it was 70 years prior when we won our last domestic trophy.
It’s gone.
It’s a slow realisation. That drought is gone. That whole narrative is now a thing of the past.
It’s not 70 years anymore (56 years since our last European trophy). That’s the best thing about the win on Sunday. It’s not the performance, although that was good. It’s not even beating the giants of English football that are Liverpool. I don’t think it’s even the trophy itself. It’s the epoch-defining nature of it. It’s the slow realisation that in almost an instant the narrative around my club has changed.
It’s gone.
We earned that trophy and it will not be another seven decades before we do it again. Of that, I am sure.
I often wondered how I would feel when the time finally arrived, if it ever did. Would be emotional? Would I cry with tears of joy? Would I feel relief? I didn’t really know. I don’t consider myself to be an emotional person, so I really didn’t know I would feel.
I can tell you my feelings have reverted between the two main ones of “warm glow” of happiness and what I think of as the closest I’ve been to an out of body experience. But five days on and I still haven’t come down from being almost completely unable to take it in.
It’s gone. And I don’t know what to do.
I suppose actually the emotion of “relief” is in there somewhere. I don’t really recall feeling as nervous as this for the 2023 final against Manchester United. After the game, I figured that this was because I never really believed we’d actually win that game, even though perversely, it was probably the best chance we had; better than against Liverpool who we actually went on to beat.
But even then, looking back today, could I hand on heart say that I expected us to beat Liverpool in 2025? No. Of course not. Liverpool win trophies. We do not. That’s what a simple study of English football tells you.
All I wanted was for us to compete; to step up and play well. Readers, we stepped up and played well. Within a few minutes of the game, I could feel the sickness from nerves that I was experiencing just slip away. We looked composed, assured and equal, if not better than Liverpool were offering. If you want to say that Liverpool looked below par, I would argue that was just as much down to our game plan than the way Liverpool were also playing. Liverpool offered little, but that’s because we were the ones winning challenges, and headers and tackles and soaking up the possession that Liverpool inevitably had.
And when the first goal (Big Dan Burn (BDB) the man from Blyth!!), what a goal and what a header it was. To power that header through with such precision and such distance, from outside the box, I believe was a moment for Dan, and all Newcastle fans to savour.
Dan Burn Goal Newcastle Liverpool Carabao Cup 2025
To a man, every one of the lads from minute one to the last were absolutely outstanding. But what can I say about the second goal? What struck me about Isak’s goal, apart from the finish, was just how much space he was given. Jacob Murphy knocked it perfectly to him but the right-footed volley was exquisite.
After that, I was certain we’d have enough, even when Liverpool reduced the arrears beyond added time. Yes, the fear would always be there beyond added time. But I just felt that Newcastle were switched on from the first minute to the final whistle.
We earned the win and earned the trophy. Every single one of that Newcastle United squad deserved that winners medal.
I do want to end by pointing out just a few names I was thinking of while the players were collecting those medals and why I as a fan, I was filled with such pride.
Bruno Guimaraes, who came to the club to challenge for top European places – bought into what the club is all about, team captain on the night and now a trophy winner.
Jamaal Lascelles, the club captain who joined us 10 years ago. He has stuck by the club thick and thing, good and bad, for all these years. Now a trophy winner.
Jacob Murphy, signed a few years later in the Rafa era, his future not always certain at Newcastle United, overcame the odds and is now a trophy winner.
BIG DAN BURN, the man from Blyth.. who came up the ranks from non league… an England international and trophy winner in the same week,
Kieran Trippier – the first signing of the new era to take a chance on us when safety from relegation was by no means certain. A trophy winner with Newcastle.
And many many more.
All now trophy winners with Newcastle United. There are so many stories and so many reasons why NUFC have made us all proud forever.
And that’s it. I still don’t know what to think or how to feel. Maybe I never will. But the drought is over. It’s gone!! And I hope words have done the lads justice and given me something to start from as I adjust to the new reality at Newcastle United!
(Jonnie has his own blog as well, which you can visit here)