Ordy bids farewell to the player who became a symbol for a club reborn
As was expected and speculated on, Kieran Trippier has announced he is leaving Newcastle at the end of the season.
Whose decision this was, and whether it was mutual is interesting. For the past few windows, talk of Bayern and PIF Saudi based clubs were on the agenda, with the feeling those might be the last chance to collect a fee. As it happens that’s not the case. He will go after four and a half years, the wages will come off the squad costs but there will be no player sale revenue. He will go having played in the Carabao Cup final twice, winning one and being part of the original ‘class lads’ who got us out the muck in 2022.
Remember his start? A horrendous 1-0 defeat to Cambridge United, where he swung in 17 crosses and not one NUFC striker could get anywhere near them. Cue the Saudi cheque book being opened for Chris Wood and someone who could get on crosses. But two things were apparent immediately. One, that he was going to raise our floor. His footballing ability was actually an upgrade on anybody else in the squad. Second, that this guy would end up being our leader and it is interesting that of the three people who lifted the Carabao Cup in 2025, only one has the potential to be on our books for 2026/27.
Free kicks flying past the England keeper with short arms, then a one goal win over Villa with him breaking his foot and missing a significant period after. A squad that had looked improved, but not exceptional, suddenly were flying. That period of the season including Leeds away as well, became the turning point and kept us up. If we can talk about a first statement signing from January 2022, then only Bruno and Tripps are in that bracket.
If you want to look at where we really did take that step, then how about his free kick against City in the early part of 22/23 to put us two goals up. That was a lift off moment. Callum Wilson getting injured saw us dip into the market for Alexander Isak. That season was probably peak Trippier at NUFC. He was the leader (whether he would agree with that or not) and undoubtedly it’s the best season I have ever seen from a full back at Newcastle.
His disappointment at the end of the game against Man United at Wembley meant you could tell he wanted so much to deliver that trophy. He won La Liga at Atletico Madrid, surely that time with Diego Simeone, scoring in a World Cup semi final, assisting in a Euros final as well and now this guy was playing for us. A reminder that at that time we were in the relegation zone and he allegedly took a pay cut to come to the club. That shows a desire to be involved in the project, a desire to work with Howe who had made some trips to Madrid in his time off.
There have been issues on the pitch, including a worrying period where games at Goodison and then Stamford Bridge saw a player who looked to have mentally collapsed. In practice this seems to have been more to do with his personal life, though he has never wanted to discuss that or blame it. The club clearly needed to offer him some support and at that stage the FA Cup third round game provided exactly that. With some jokers at Roker Park trying to mock him throughout the ninety, he had the backing of the entire away end (whether morally that song was appropriate I will leave to the readers) but the fact that he wanted to show his gratitude for that support was evident at the end.
Another thing that has been obvious, and in football is often even worse when it comes to a defender, is that age and time can’t be stopped. This footballer has reached the very top of professional football and been a key part of our attempts to break into that established group at the top of the Premier League. However, the second leg against Barcelona was hard for him, chasing players who are quick and thrive on movement in space, he was caught out for the penalty. That seemed to spark the manager into replacing him at half time, a sure fire sign that he felt Tino would be more helpful for the second half. Whether that was correct or not, Trippier might point towards the four second half goals conceded, but then he was targeted again by Sunderland.
Ultimately we knew a parting of the ways was going to happen. This seems to have been timed for the international break but also as a break in the noise linked to accounts, the derby, the manager and everything else. The fact that he has been one of the most fervent supporters of the manager and has constantly stood up for him, was not missed in terms of the timing of this announcement. The contract situation with Fabian Schär is still outstanding and the idea of change from the club, across the squad is growing. The next steps are going to be hard and we are going to take them for the first time without the leader who raised the floor of this squad.
You don’t have to worry Kieran, we’ve been so lucky to have you.
Stephen Ord @smord84