· 13 August 2025, 19:00
**Newcastle United get their season underway in the lunchtime kick-off on Saturday as they visit Villa Park to take on Aston Villa live on TNT Sports at 12:30pm.**
It has been a trying summer for Newcastle, and while there has been a bit more positivity around the club in the last couple ot days following the arrival of Malick Thiaw and the impending transfer of Jacob Ramsey and Yoane Wissa, the Alexander Isak saga has sapped all of the goodwill out of the fans.
Newcastle ended last season in the Champions League places and added a major trophy to the cabinet for the first time in 56 years.
Heading into pre-season, Newcastle had money and no PSR issues. We were gearing up for a fantastic transfer window with targets like Hugo Ekitike, Bryan Mbeumo, and Joao Pedro mentioned. But then reality hit and hit hard.
> [](https://twitter.com/TheAthleticFC/status/1955524974577426827)
All hope is lost
----------------
It quickly became clear that top players still didn't see Newcastle as realistic contenders and weren't willing to take the chance and be the ones to push the Magpies to that next level.
Meanwhile, the CEO stepped away due to ill health, and the sporting director left the club while the club's star striker started agitating for a move.
All of this has meant that when [The Athletic polled fans from each Premier League club's fanbase](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6546873/2025/08/13/premier-league-hope-o-meter-2025-2026/?source=twitteruk), Newcastle fans were the most pessimistic ahead of the new campaign. Only 19% of Newcastle fans polled had any hope for the new season.
With the new season so close, how are you feeling as a Newcastle fan?
0 votes · 1 day left
Sunderland fans can't wait for their season
-------------------------------------------
For context, Sunderland, who have been backed by pretty much everyone to go down in spectacular fashion, were the fourth-most optimistic fanbase, with 91% optimistic about the season ahead.
They're clearly just excited about being in the Premier League again, and that's understandable, but after lifting a trophy and heading back to the Champions League, we, as a collective, can't even muster up a bit of optimism.
Where do we stand on the optimistic/pessimistic scale? If you'd asked us about a week ago, we'd be with that 81% of negative Nancys. Now? Well, it's a shame there isn't an option for "meh". There's plenty to be excited about, and the new-look squad is starting to take shape, but until we know what's happening with our strikers, we can't give a definitive answer either way.