Newcastle United fans – Middle Age Fanclub

Gallowgate Cult Heroes number 24 – Scott Sellars.

In a time when we seem to value pace and athleticism ahead of ability at times, it’s nice to think back to footballers who didn’t rely on speed, strength or the odd trick here and there. It’s nice to remember a player who had a bit of craft on the ball and could always be relied on to find a team mate, however difficult the pass might look. Scott Sellars was one such player.

Sellars was well established as a player when he signed for Newcastle. He’d made close to 300 appearances for Leeds and Blackburn when he joined us for £600,000 in 1993, making him available for the final 13 games of the season as we pushed for promotion to the Premiership.

In a way Sellars, a left sided midfielder, was a typical Kevin Keegan signing. KK could see that this was a player who could undoubtedly land the ball on a sixpence, but also that he was perhaps a little under appreciated too. Those famous man management skills might just work wonders. With a wand of a left foot, Sellars struck a sweet dead ball, something we would find out in the most glorious of circumstances not long after he signed.

Sellars only scored 8 goals for Newcastle in 75 appearances across just over 2 seasons. However, one of them would go down in the folklore of the club. Not only did this goal pretty much tie up promotion, but it was the winner in the derby of 1993.

The conditions made the goal all the more beautiful. It was ‘hoying it doon’ that day and conditions made it difficult to keep your feet on a heavily waterlogged pitch. Newcastle had won a free kick just to the left of centre outside the D of the box. Sellars, Rob Lee, Paul Bracewell and Barry Venison were in discussion about what would happen before Venners moved away. Rob Lee made the dummy run over the ball and Bracewell – who’d been shielding the ball – moved before Sellars strode forward and curled a beauty over the right hand side of the wall and in at the far post, completely wrong-footing the mackem keeper, Tony Norman. I was there that day, soaked to the skin like everybody else, but the joy was unfounded on the terraces. What a goal!

Sellars would go on to help settle Keegan’s young side as they went into the Premier League. His experience was a help, but his quality was invaluable as we not only settled in, but climbed the table and challenged the best that the league had to offer. Newly promoted Newcastle would finish 3rd that season with Scott making 35 appearances in all, scoring 4 goals and contributing a fantastic 11 assists for the likes of Andy Cole and Peter Beardsley.

Injury would hamper Scott’s progress in the following season and he only made 19 appearances, scoring just the one goal. And it was a terrible cartilage injury that would help signal the end for him, coupled with the signing of David Ginola in July 1995. By December of that year Sellars was on his way to Bolton Wanderers for a fee of £750,000.

Scott established himself as one of Bolton’s stars, making 106 appearances over 4 seasons and contributing 15 goals and numerous assists. After Bolton he joined Huddersfield for a couple of years before winding down his playing career at Danish club AGF Aarhus and then Mansfield Town.

After retiring from playing, Scott carved out a successful career in coaching with the likes of Chesterfield and Manchester City before moving on to become the Head of Academy coaching and then Technical Director at Wolves. Nowadays he can be found as the Sporting Director at Al-Jazira in the UAE.

Auf Wiedersehen, Kev.

I was already in love with Newcastle United when Kevin Keegan shocked the world and signed for us. And still as a 12-year-old I couldn’t comprehend why he was coming to St. James’ Park. I’d loved watching the likes of Micky Burns and Alan Shoulder play and now the England captain and former two time European Footballer of the Year had decided that he too was going to pull on the black and white striped shirt. My world – and that of an entire city – turned upside down.

It’s difficult to find the words to do Kevin justice. Difficult to focus through the tears and the memories too. But here goes.

I learned of the signing from the back page of someone else’s newspaper on a beach in Spain. I scrambled my way back up the beach to tell my dad who went across and asked to borrow said newspaper. It was like reading some kind of otherworldly fairytale. Things like this didn’t happen to my club. Needless to say, I couldn’t wait to get home.

Kevin Keegan changed Newcastle United in ways that none of us could ever have dreamed of. In fact, he revolutionised it. And in doing so he dragged the whole city with him. He was a force of nature and would continue to be so for the rest of his life as far as our football club and city was concerned. Countless people have said that Keegan just ‘got’ us, so it’s not original but, boy is it true. Kevin loved us and we loved him right back. He forged a lifelong connection that was felt by each and every one of us.

As a player he carried the club on his shoulders, dragging us back into the top division at a time when we’d been in what felt like a permanent state of flatlining. When he scored that goal on his debut and ended up practically throwing himself into the Gallowgate, even the most hard hearted couldn’t help but fall in love, even the most cynical began to believe again. Only when he returned as manager would we truly feel like that again.

Improbably, his first stint as manager was even better than his two years as a player. He saved the club from a fate that might have killed us off and then set about on a mission to make us the talking point of English football for the first time in a long, long time. While we won nothing, everyone of us will cherish the memories of that period for a lifetime. Once again Kevin gave us hope and pride and allowed us just to believe that our club and our city really mattered.

Even the second time around in the hotseat was exciting. Yes, he was hamstrung by those not fit to breath the same air, but it was simply incredible to have him back, if only for a brief period of time.

Kevin spent a long time defending us and giving the underdog a voice. From the early 80s all the way through to the modern day, he’s had our back. It’s a debt that could never be paid back, but one that he wouldn’t have expected even an ounce of thanks for.

The news of his passing will have shook every last one of us. It’s just incredibly sad. As others have said, Keegan was the best of us. So if you can, through the tears and the sadness, try and find just a little bit of time to celebrate that once upon a time he chose our club. He chose us. And how lucky were we?

Rest in Peace, KK, but most of all, thank you.

Bruno: Say it ain’t so!

After a certain Swedish drama queen left you feared it wouldn’t end there. And it didn’t. After a particularly poor season ended without European qualification, the fear deepened. Sure enough, Anthony Gordon took a seat on our bench and some weeks later reappeared as a Barcelona player. Next came Sandro Tonali, who fell for the bright lights of London that came with a frankly ludicrous salary from a club who seem to have doubled down on 17th place finishes. But when rumours about Bruno Guimaraes began to bubble up you just felt they couldn’t be true. Those others, of course. But not Bruno. Never Bruno.

I write this in search of balance, for myself as much as the rest of us. Of course everyone will have an opinion and you can’t deny them that. Some will feel betrayed and wish terrible fortune on Bruno. Others will understand and thank him for what he achieved here. All will feel at least a little bit hurt.

For what it’s worth, I desperately don’t want Bruno to leave. Not only is he our captain and most important player, he’s the talisman for the whole club. However, I think I at least understand his reasoning for feeling like he needs the move. The chance to move on and play at the very top level must be tempting and if you’ve any kind of ambition in life, it’s what you want. If you fancy yourself as a top player then I imagine you want to win more than a Carabao Cup. At the moment, and for the foreseeable future, we’re not dining at the top table with even European qualification evading us.

On the other hand, Bruno was well and truly a part of last season’s 12th place finish. He was the captain of the team that failed to gain even a Europa Conference League spot. And while it would be churlish to deny that he was easily our best player last season, he was still a major influence over the team and their underwhelming performance. They failed together; no one really came out with a great deal of credit. So, to now suddenly be pining for Arsenal feels wrong.

So would we be more comfortable if Bruno was to join another club that have been credited with an interest, like Real Madrid? Me personally, yes. I wouldn’t like it any more, but I’d understand. Certain Premier League clubs cherry picking the best talent at other Premier League clubs doesn’t sit well with me and if ambition is behind Bruno wanting to move then there’s not much more ambition than heading to a club like Madrid. To come out and say that he wants to move to Arsenal – if he’s said that – feels like nothing short of a betrayal.

These days loyalty seems to come in bite sized chunks. One club men are hard to find. Bruno has apparently said that he doesn’t want to tarnish his legacy at the club. Well, that’s easily done. Stay. Be loyal. Stay and build on that legacy. With the team in transition and seemingly bedding in new young, hungry talent, stay and guide them through. Furthermore, stay because the fans, the city and the region have put you – and your family – on a pedestal for the last 4 years. Acknowledging that and staying; that’s the stuff of legacy and legend at a club like ours.

It’s clear that the club need to react to this news. If we’re serious about not selling Bruno and we really want him to stay, then a new contract will be offered and offered quickly. Surely that’s what a proper football club does? Surely that’s what a football club who see themselves as “being in the debate about being the top club in the world” by 2030 does? Over to you David Hopkinson.

Personally, I’d be devastated if Bruno Guimaraes leaves. Like many other Newcastle fans, he’s a player that I love watching in the black and white stripes. I’m certainly not the first to say that he’s one of those rarities who just ‘gets it’. And that’s what makes this news all the more devastating. It’s felt like Bruno has embraced us as much as we’ve embraced him. His words after the Carabao Cup win embodied that. “The fans deserve everything…people have died, people have grown up and they’ve not seen Newcastle as champions.” Maybe we deserve for him to stay, whoever that’s down to.

As a fan I’ve watched any number of heroes leave. Waddle, then Beardsley, then Gascoigne hurt. Keegan leaving hurt. Andy Cole, Les Ferdinand and plenty of others too. But we survived. If ever there was a ‘trust the process moment’, it’s now. But does the process battle to keep hold of its captain, leader and legend or does the process bow to the inevitable, hold out for the best price possible and attempt to replace one of modern day Newcastle United’s most influential and popular players? I know which I’d choose.

NUFC: That was the week that was.

Sometimes it feels like only the likes of Shakespeare and Scorsese do drama like Newcastle United. And the last seven days or so has encapsulated that perfectly…or imperfectly if you’re a Newcastle fan.

When news broke of the Munoz deal being hijacked on Wednesday night it wasn’t even that much of a shock, really. We’d already lost out on Zadok Zohana little over a week ago. He of course chose Brighton instead of Newcastle United. You can add that to almost the entirety of last pre-season when it felt like anyone we approached went elsewhere and the only quick deal was signing Nick Woltemade, done in the latter stages of the window.

Now, I don’t know much about Munoz apart from YouTube clips, so I’m not overly bothered that he’ll be in red, not black and white next season. But it’s not really the point. Once again we seem to have dithered and somewhat inevitably, lost out. Reports said that the player was keen to come, the price agreed etc. It was also said that he was the top target. And yet still we couldn’t get the deal done!

Earlier in the week we were greeted with the news that Head of Recruitment, Steve Nickson was off to West Ham. I won’t pretend to know exactly which players he signed, targeted or recommended, but whichever way you look at it losing such an important figure within the club doesn’t look good and just adds to the disruption. And it also means that when we should be actively recruiting players were also trying to recruit yet another replacement for someone who should be doing the recruiting. In theatre terms more a farce than anything Shakespearean.

There was also the news that Tino Livramento had picked up another injury and was out of the World Cup. While I feel for the lad, it just made me wonder if he’s ever going to be consistently available for Newcastle.

In the past week or so we’ve also had news about Sandro Tonali, Marco Pallestra and James Trafford. The Tonali to Spurs news just feels bizarre and yet so, so suited to us. Without going into any real detail though, why on Earth would he want to join Spurs? Seemingly, he does though. And the sight of their fans on social media explaining what it will take to get the deal done is galling to say the least. Then there’s Pallestra who our old friend Fabrizio Romano seems determined to tell us is DEFINITELY NOT GOING TO NEWCASTLE! Alright pal, calm down.

The Trafford news just left me cold. Two days of people pointing out that we’re interested once again. No concrete news about any actual transfer, but he’s our top goalkeeping target again. Forgive me if I feel like I know how this one ends already.

For me it’s crucial that we start hearing positive news. I appreciate that the window has only been open a matter of days, but other clubs aren’t waiting around. Brighton and Spurs have both made notable signings. I mean even previously skint Barcelona have made a major signing…

It’s important that we get things right. For weeks now we’ve heard rumours about the list of possible Gordon replacements and now we’ve lost out on the first one we’ve gone for. Already there are worrying echoes of last pre-season and much more of this could prove catastrophic for the upcoming season and the so called ‘project’. Again.

On the flip side, there are positives from the last week. New boy Ewen Jaouen looks to be a player with real potential and with any luck we’ve found our eventual number 1 for years to come. We have several players at the World Cup (ok, it’s not all incredibly positive, but there’s a barrel to be scraped here) and Yoane Wissa has actually scored.

It feels like the next couple of weeks have to be positive though. Players need to be coming in and coming in early. As I write the fixtures are out tomorrow and if you’re anything like me you’ll start looking at runs of games where we might start losing points! Forgive me for preaching positivity and then being so negative, but I’ve supported the club through thin and thinner and this is how I approach every season!

Clearly, we could all just do with some good news!

Farewell and good luck, AG.

At around 9.30 on the evening of 18th March, you’d have been forgiven for thinking that we’d struggle to even give any of our players away come the summer transfer window. With Barcelona 7-2 up on the night of our Champions League Round of 16 second leg, I’d have laughed you out of town had you told me that anyone in black and white would fit in on the other team. And yet, some 72 days later Anthony Gordon has just signed a 5 year contract at the Camp Nou in return for Barca throwing £69m our way.

Some will say good riddance, reasoning that the player has let us down this season with a number of lacklustre performances and a perceived reluctance to feature in the last 4 games of the season. Others, myself included, will remember the many positives and wish the lad the very best of luck.

At the time we signed Gordon – in January 2023 – I was thrilled. For me, we’d signed a player who was raw, hungry, ultra quick and skilful and who had so much promise that his future in black and white looked truly exciting. Although he played in a very different position, there was something about this deal that reminded me of signing Andy Cole. And for me, Anthony Gordon has very much fulfilled that promise. With 152 appearances and 39 goals, I think it’s hard to argue against the fact that he’s done just the kind of job that he was brought in to do.

On the negative side of things, you could point out numerous performances this year when he didn’t look as interested as we’d have liked. There’s no doubt that there have been times when he’s let us down. But, he’s not been alone in that.

Remember though, players aren’t infallible. Anthony Gordon certainly wasn’t. I think he let us down badly against Liverpool in August of last year when he was sent off in first half injury time for a reckless challenge on Virgil Van Dijk. Without that I think most of us would say that we were on for a memorable victory. But wherever you look in terms of the Toon, players will have let us down. Nobody’s perfect. It’s the same with life in general. I mean, I begged for a BMX aged 12 and my parents got me a Grifter. Try doing wheelies on that! Talk about a let down!

But for any lows there have been many more highs. Whether it was hustling PSG defenders into mistakes on that memorable Champions League night in October 2023 when he was absolutely electric or fabulous goals at home against Spurs or versus Man City in 23/24. Whether it was one of many penalties won in our favour or the four goals and 33 minute hat-trick he scored this season against Qarabag. Whether it was the performance against the mackems in the cup win at the stadium of shite or his goal against them at home this season. Anthony Gordon was dynamic, exciting and frankly a menace, typifying the qualities that we would probably all ask for first and foremost in anyone wearing those black and white stripes.

Personally, I’ll remember the player that fell in love with the club, the area and the people and who at times looked like he’d die for that badge. A lad who arrived with potential and left a much better player, but still with some potential to fulfil.

On leaving he talked about how much he owed the club after arriving and feeling “quite lost”. He went on to say “I loved every single minute of being a part of Newcastle United” calling us “an incredible club” and ending with “I’ll be a fan for the rest of my life.” A classy way to end his time here, I thought. He leaves having become an England regular during that time and having been instrumental in the run to winning our first trophy in well over 50 years. Gordon has easily been one of my favourite players of the last few years and I have no doubt that whoever takes his shirt will have to work damned hard to replace that pace, hard work, guile and sheer impact on the team. Yamal’s new mate will be a tough act to follow!

Adiós y buena suerte, Anthony. And all the best, bonny lad!

A Tribute to Tripps.

Kieran Trippier arrived at Newcastle United without a cape that I know of, but clearly prepared to give superhuman levels of effort in order to keep the club in the Premier League. We weren’t quite on our knees, courtesy of the recent takeover and the appointment of Eddie Howe, but without Tripps you wonder if things would have turned out a lot worse.

There was something a bit thrilling about signing an established England international back in January 2022, especially as we were bottom of the league at the time. Add to that the honours – he’d won La Liga with Atletico Madrid in 20/21 and scored for England in the 2018 World Cup Semi Final – and for me this was a signing that was a bit reminiscent of signing Keegan in 1982.

Before he signed many of us had probably resigned ourselves to watching Championship football in season ’22/’23. It was hard to feel any hope or optimism, particularly as for many of us this wasn’t the first time that we’d been struck by that particular Toon depression. After he signed though, it felt like everything might just be alright after all.

Tripps would go on to captain the side, embodying the determination and work rate of his manager, helping us get to safety in that first season and then leading us on an unforgettable journey in subsequent seasons. He galvanised what was pretty much a broken club, influencing other quality players to take the plunge too and set the standard for every last one of the squad to follow. While Eddie is often credited with improving players, it’d be remiss of us to underestimate Trippier’s influence on the likes of Gordon, Miley and Hall.

Trippier’s laser-like focus has remained largely unaltered during his time on Tyneside and even when others have been preferred to him, like Livramento and Miley, he’s always been a positive influence on others. No sulking and pouting, no ‘do you know who I am’ type behaviour, just sheer professionalism and a desire to see the club progress.

One thing I really liked about Tripps was his on field behaviour. Always calm and composed. If he made a mistake, the hand went up in apology. If others made a mistake he was the first to give encouragement. A proper professional, an inspirational captain and a superb team mate.

There won’t be many among us without a positive memory of Tripps. For me, his performance in the vital away win at Leeds in January 2022 stands out. He was immense that day against Bielsa’s team and helped secure a rare clean sheet and three points at a time when we desperately needed things to start going our way.

He’s scored vital goals too with my personal favourite being the curling, dipping free-kick in the win at home to Everton in February 2022. This was only our third win of the season and a goal that would help us get out of the bottom three. He made ‘tiny arms’ Pickford look stupid as well at the same time! Such was the beauty of that free-kick that I was inspired to write a poem about it as well! It’s on the link below if anyone fancies a look.

https://middleagefanclub.co.uk/2022/02/13/poetry-blog-kieran-trippier-over-the-wall/

And of course, Tripps was superb in the Carabao Cup final win drawing on his big game experience to get us through the match. Firstly, he delivered the corner for Dan Burn’s towering header for the opener and then he was immense in those last 10 minutes when Liverpool were piling on the pressure.

That’s been the story of Trippier’s 4+ years in Toon. When the pressure’s been on, he’s invariably been there with the big game experience to calm it all down and push people to greater heights. In leaving, he’ll leave a huge hole in the squad and it’s to be hoped that he’s passed enough of his experience on so that things don’t suffer to much.

In the future, it’d be great to see him return in some capacity. For now though, it’s goodbye. Go well, Tripps and thank you.

Magpie Moments Episode 8.

Welcome along to the latest Magpie Moments, the column that celebrates the great, the terrible and the typical moments that we might have shared as Mags. This time around features Leicester away, Laurent Robert in Hollywood and Micky Van der Ven practising a hobby when probably he should have concentrated more on his football.

Leicester away, 2018. The King Power Stadium, April 2018 and Newcastle are sitting just below mid table in the first season back in the Premier League under Rafa. Jonjo Shelvey had opened the scoring on 18 minutes. We’re 66 minutes in, trying to defend our one goal lead when it happens. A 30 second passage of play that should go down in the club’s history. It won’t, but it should. With Leicester on the attack Newcastle produce 9 tackles in 30seconds, to let the home team know they’re in for a fight. Each tackle is roared on by the travelling fans. First Mo Diame puts in two, one from being prone on the grass. Then it’s DeAndre Yedlin’s turn with a sliding interception followed by a stretched clearance. As the ball breaks it’s down to Matt Ritchie to put in a sliding challenge. Paul Dummett is next with a typically robust challenge and all the while the away following are getting louder and louder as Leicester players seem to be suddenly not so committed. Jonjo Shelvey and Ayoze Perez join in before Christian Atsu wipes a Leicester player and the ref blows for the foul. And then, just for good measure Dummett flattens someone going up for a header. Newcastle would go on to win the game 2-1, ending the day in 10th position and ultimately staying up. That 30 second collection of tackles was not just a Magpie moment; it was a clear sign that this team were up for the fight and fully committed to the shirt. I wonder if today’s players can look at themselves and say the same?

Robert’s free kick goes to Hollywood. This was a memorable goal in its own right. Laurent Robert scoring a peach of a free kick in March 2005 to win the game against Rafa Benitez’s Liverpool. When the free kick was given over on the East Stand side of the box it looked ripe for a good delivery into the box, maybe something Shearer could get his head on. Instead, Robert just hit a trademark shot which flew high into the Leazes end net. It was a fantastic goal, but would become known for more than just the three points it won. Throughout the game it was noticeable that there were extra subs knocking about on the touchline at times. And then at the end there were people in black and white shirts who weren’t Toon players, celebrating. It turned out that they were actors from the film ‘Goal’ and that Robert’s free kick – or a version of it – would end up in the film as the winner in a Champions League match. It also produced these faces from ‘scorer’ Santiago Munez, which I always think are worth revisiting.

Micky Van der Ven’s breakdancing. In April 2024 Newcastle United would hammer Spurs for the second consecutive year. In 2023 it had been 6-1 and a year later we would trounce them by four. Both performances were superb, featuring some incredible goals. But there were two moments that stood out in the 4-0 game, both involving Spurs’ defender Van der Ven. On two separate occasions, rather than try and stop Newcastle from scoring he just tried to distract them with some breakdancing. It didn’t work as first some Swedish bloke turned inside VDV’s backspin and scored before Anthony Gordon did more or less exactly the same two minutes later. Undeterred, VDV just carried on like a teenager with a roll of lino from the 80s!

So, if proof were needed that at Newcastle United there was never a dull moment, that’s three more bit of evidence for you! God only knows what the next episode might bring.

Gallowgate Cult Heroes number 23 – Mike Mahoney.

Mike Mahoney is the first goalkeeper I remember playing for Newcastle United. I would have been about 6 when I went to my first match and saw him play, but I’d heard of his legend long before from my dad singing his song when he came in drunk from the match!

Standing at only 5′ 11”, Mahoney was small for a keeper, even in those days. This was 1974 and he had been a regular with fourth division Torquay United, but Newcastle manager Joe Harvey was confident enough in his abilities to buy him for the princely sum of £25,000. He only made 2 appearances that season, but his time would come.

Mahoney appeared 37 times in the ’75/’76 season, taking over from the popular Willie McFaul and Newcastle finished 15th in the table. Despite his size Mahoney was agile and could always be relied upon to produce a spectacular save or two. He couldn’t save us from defeat in that season’s League Cup final though.

Despite the presence of another good keeper in Roger Jones, Mahoney would play every game in the ’76/’77 season and was voted our Player of the Year. He’d earned the popular terrace tribute song of “Mick Mahoney, super goalie, la la la la la”! With Newcastle finishing 5th and earning a UEFA Cup spot, the stage seemed to be set for Mahoney to go on and make the number 1 shirt his own for a long time.

However, the following season (’77/’78) was a disaster and Newcastle were relegated. Before the season even started there was the threat of strike action by players who were desperate for Richard Dinnis to be appointed manager. They got their way, but Newcastle spent almost the entire season in the relegation zone. Mahoney would only make 23 appearances and having been hit by a bottle in the away leg of our UEFA Cup tie against the Irish side Bohemians, he suffered a loss of form and was never the same keeper again.

New manager Bill McGarry clearly didn’t rate Mahoney and he was sold to Chicago Stings in the November of the ’78/’79 season. From there he played in the North American Soccer League for California Surf and the Los Angeles Lazers until his retirement in 1986. Mike joined the coaching staff of the Lazers for a couple of years until the club folded. He would stay in the States until he returned to England in 2018 to coach at Bristol Manor Farm.

Although only on Tyneside for a relatively short amount of time, Mike Mahoney definitely became a bit of a cult hero.

NUFC: How do you solve a problem like a Wissa?

It’s pretty much been a season of near disasters for Newcastle United. You can go as far back as pre season and the shocking defeat to Celtic. Last minute losses to Arsenal and Liverpool at home, countless injuries, Marseille, Man City in the cup, sunderland, Barcelona and the surrender of 25 points from winning positions. Add to that the shocking drop off in form of our great early season hope, Nick Woltemade. Yoan Wissa, however, might just trump the lot.

I think we all knew that we’d had our pants pulled down when we agreed to pay a reported £55m for a bloke who was about to turn 29 in summer. I’m not sure any of us could have forecast what would come next though.

I have to admit that a few years ago, Wissa was a player that I liked the look of. He was playing second fiddle to Ivan Toney, but on the occasions that I saw Brentford play, he looked dynamic and dangerous. He looked a player with the potential to be the main man at a Premier League club. And he still might be, but this season has made him look anything but.

What we’d probably all hoped for was that quick, dynamic striker that played for Brentford last season. With 20 goals in total, four seasons as a Premier League player and 137 appearances, it appeared that we were getting someone who knew his way around the league. It’s turned out to be an entirely different matter.

So far, Wissa has scored 3 goals and contributed just one assist in 23 appearances. At the time of writing, in 427 minutes of Premier League action he’s managed just the one goal. There’s been little else to redeem him. His contributions have been tepid and it’s already gotten to the stage where he looks a little desperate when he gets on the pitch which is inevitably leading to errors and snatched shots when chances present themselves. In short, he looks lost.

Of course, time will tell whether this year can be put down to the lack of a pre-season (his own doing) and the early injury that ruled Wissa out for so long. But will he even get that time?

For me, Wissa’s signing highlights a lack of scouting depth. The last minute farce of signing an Isak replacement should never have happened. Even before we knew that the rat wanted out, we should have been targeting his successor. It feels like we weren’t. And if we have a look at some of the other new strikers in the league it makes our decision to sign Wissa look all the more desperate and unimaginative.

Brentford had signed Igor Thiago from Club Brugge in 2024, but injury ruled him out for most of last season. However, looking at his stats for this season puts our scouting to shame. So far, Thiago has 21 goals in 40 appearances and has just made his debut for Brazil. He’s 24; not even in his prime, but with enough experience to suggest that he has all the tools to lead the line at a bigger club. He’d been playing in Europe for just over 2 seasons when Brentford bought him. He wasn’t unknown.

In July 2025 Everton signed Thierno Barry from Villareal for £27m. After a shaky start he’s now made 31 appearances and scored 6 goals. Not an incredible record, but he’s only 22 and was signed at half the price of Wissa. He’s also a French Under 21 international who’d been playing regularly in Europe since 2022. Would his raw talent and potential have been a better bet last year when we’d committed so much money already to signing Nick Woltemade?

Even in the dark place down the road they have a summer signing who has been a success. Brian Brobbey signed from Ajax having scored 35 goals in 92 appearances. Quick and powerful, his potential looks huge and even though he’s not exactly lit up the goalscoring charts, he looks to be another player who would have fit right into our team.

To be clear, I’m not saying any of the above would have been the answer to all of our problems. But it’s interesting to look and see that all of them have had a greater impact than our £55m man.

Would Eddie Howe have been able to mould and nurture any of this potential into a better option than Wissa? I guess we’ll never know. However, his work with other players in our squad would suggest so. Or would an alternative have went the same way as Wissa? After all, Eddie certainly hasn’t worked any magic there and as we approach the end of the season Wissa is looking more and more like a forgotten man.

In then end, we’ll never know if anyone else would have worked out better. But for me, Wissa’s signing and the fall out from what was a farcical summer window shows that this is an area where we have to do better.

With another even more crucial window approaching and the need for more striking options well documented it’s vitally important that Ross Wilson gets it right. And if he’s still Newcastle’s number 9 next season, then Yoanne Wissa has to start the season in top form.

NUFC: A time for heroes.

So Wednesday night came and went with a result that we couldn’t really argue with. Sure, the scoreline was painful and we’d competed well for three quarters of the tie. But I think we all knew – however deep down – that Barcelona away would spell the end of another European adventure.

As I write I’m not sure I’ve really fully recovered. It’s still bizarre to look at and there’s still a sense of disbelief about what happened. But a couple of days of reflection has told me that there was still stuff to be pleased about.

We had some more truly great European nights making the most progress we’ve ever made in the Champions League in the process. We matched the current Champions League holders – yawn, again – and despite the result, matched Barcelona for much of the tie. And when push comes to shove, we only lost 3 of 12 games. We’ll have learnt a huge amount from those 12 games and younger lads like Lewis Hall, Malick Thiaw, Lewis Miley and others will be better players for that experience. But the dust has to settle now.

As it stands, we’re about to launch ourselves into an eight game mini season, starting with the sister lovers down the road at home on Sunday. Six of the teams that we’ll play currently sit outside of the top 10, meaning that there are some very winnable games to come. Could there be a final fantastic twist in the season still to come?

Obviously though Sunday is huge. Whatever the status of either team, when we meet it’s always huge. And we really owe them one after the game in December. It wasn’t any kind of stylish win for them, just more the fact that we thoroughly let ourselves down. We just didn’t turn up and that cannot be the case on Sunday.

It would be great if all of the usual talk had some substance for once. Over the years I’ve gotten sick of hearing Newcastle players giving it the big one before big games and talking in cliches and soundbites about how ready we are and what we’re going to do. I’d hoped that the Carabao Cup final had put an end to any big game mentality issues. All I want on Sunday is that we turn up and are aggressive and absolutely on the front foot. Take the game to them, make sure there’s nowhere to hide and not a second to dwell on the ball and make sure that class tells in the end. We shouldn’t be giving an inch at St. James’.

Sunday isn’t about bragging rights or being ‘north east top dogs.’ Yes, it’s about pride, but it’s much more than that. Win and we kick start the season…again. Lose and the pressure’s on and frankly it’s a disaster. A win would make be psychologically massive as we attempt to climb the table, but because it’s them, it would undoubtedly do wonders for the club at this time. You might even argue that it sets up a feelgood factor going into next season too because a loss means that we’re starting from scratch when the same game comes around next year.

Every aspect is important, starting with the crowd. We have to make the atmosphere horrible, no excuses. Their lot need to be at the very least unnerved, while our lads need to be inspired. Win our battles, keep the ball, play fast and play 100% focused. If we’re being outbattled and outthought by Dan Bellend and Granit Xhaka then maybe a few need to be giving up. Given what’s just happened and what’s to come, we cannot lose. We just have to win.

Just this morning I watched a video of the highlights of the derby win on New Year’s Day, 1985. One of the first I can remember being at. We were superb that day, dominating, winning convincingly and seeing two mackems sent off for their headloss. We could do with seeing that spirit and that dominance this again weekend. A Peter Beardsley hat-trick wouldn’t go amiss either, but there’s no hope there! Perhaps Nick Woltemade is in the mood for revenge?

It’s crucial that we use all of the big game experience gained over the last four years, take the game to them and channel that aggression in order to keep eleven on the field. I for one couldn’t stand to see another referee ruin a game this season! And I couldn’t stand their lot and the media reminding us for another season of how long it is since we beat them in the league!

Last season, when the club needed a hero, eleven of them stepped up and left Wembley as “f***ing legends” to quote our captain. A year on and we need them to step up again, starting on Sunday and then carrying on for the seven games after. So let’s be positive about Sunday and then the rest of the season. We can only look up, in my opinion. No half measures, no mistakes, no excuses.

We’re Newcastle United. Howay the lads!