Tag: NUFC Academy

NUFC: Making the case for creativity.

So, it’s the understatement of the year to say that things aren’t going as well as we’d like for Newcastle United at the moment. Three wins in 11 games in the league, 5 defeats, no win away from home, only 11 goals scored and 14 conceded, 6 of which have come in the past two games. Not exactly going to plan.

Clearly, there’s lots to discuss as barely anyone is producing the goods at the moment. However, I’d like to make the case for a bit more creativity in the team and squad.

Firstly, let me say that I fully understand that the likes of Bruno, Tonali, Murphy et al are all capable of unlocking defences. So, this isn’t a criticism of anyone in particular. But in the last two games we have amassed a whole 5 shots on target, showing that either chances aren’t being created or players aren’t backing themselves to shoot.

It seems clear enough to me that we lack flair and the ability to unlock stubborn defences, especially away from home. Someone capable of a moment of magic who can carry the ball and either beat defenders or commit them so that space is freed up elsewhere.

On Sunday afternoon I watched the second half of the City v Liverpool game and was fairly mesmerised by the performance of City winger Jeremy Doku, who time after time ran with the ball and made things happen. I thought of our wingers; Gordon, Barnes, Elanga and Murphy. In the league, especially away from home, they look scared of flying at a full back. Elanga especially looks like he’s struggling, short of confidence and a fish out of water, but the other three seem to prefer cutting back and laying the ball off rather than hitting the byline or dribbling on the inside and heading towards goal. Yes, Jacob Murphy is likely to bag an assist now and again, but he’s also likely to pass back the way too and take the sting out of attacks.

And it’s not just City and Doku either. West Ham have Bowen, Brentford’s Ouattara scared the life out of us at the weekend and the likes of N’Diaye and Grealish at Everton simply want to make things happen. Manchester United have M’Buemo, Palace have Sarr, Villa can choose from Rogers and Buendia, while Bournemouth have a few and even the likes of Leeds have someone like Dan James who will try to run at defenders.

Meanwhile, we seem to have lost our bravery, our creativity and our intensity. Five shots on target in the last two games tells its own story.

As a younger man, I watched Newcastle teams featuring the likes of Hibbitt, Beardsley, Gazza, Ginola and Robert; players with the gift for unlocking defences. Fast forward to 2025 and we don’t have that in our locker. Yes, Bruno and Tonali are both capable of a cute pass and have shown that at times this season. But where is the equivelant of those players mentioned above? Where is the breathtaking piece of skill? Where is the pinpoint delivery from corners or free kicks? And who is there that might just bend a free kick around a wall?

And what of Nick Woltemade? For me, with 6 goals he’s started well, but he’s looked lost in the last two league games. It’s okay to drop into spaces between the midfield and defence, but when the opposition see it coming and there’s no one running beyond you then it seems like a sure fire way to give them the ball back. Howe needs to find a better way to use the big German and perhaps that comes when Yoane Wissa is fit, but until then, we’re not creating chances at one end and struggling at the other.

For me, we need another striker in January. And I don’t mean chasing a £70m bundle of hype like Sesko. Surely, with the network of scouts available there is a young, quick, hungry striker worth taking a punt on somewhere.

Options like this can maybe free up Big Nick to play more of his natural game. He’s a player I really like; someone who seems to read the game well and a player who gives us that little bit of the unexpected that maybe we’re missing. But without support from a winger or midfielder running beyond him then it seems like all too often he’s getting caught on the ball in crowded areas.

With the January transfer window a while away yet – and let’s face it, we’re not good at getting people in quickly – short term solutions might come from the youth ranks. After all, we’re looking for something different to help solve the problems that have left us looking up at the majority of the table and there are young, keen hungry players within the ranks that are worth a seat on the bench.

Sean Neave gets better every time I see him and looks to be a player with both a bit of skill and an eye for goal. His strength might be an issue in the Premier League, but that said he’s done well when I’ve watched him in the Football League trophy against men’s teams.

There’s been a bit of a clamour to see more of Park Seung-Soo since he impressed with cameos in pre-season. A wide player who looks brave and creative and runs with the ball really well, he might just be capable of unlocking defences in the latter part of games as we search for something.

Alfie Harrison is another one who carries the ball well and has an eye for a pass. After arriving with quite a bit of hype around him in February 2024, opportunities have been limited, but on the occasions that I’ve seen him, he’s looked to be someone who’s buzzing with creativity and could well be worth a place on the bench with such a crowded fixture list.

One thing’s for sure; something has to change in order to break the cycle of away defeats. That may come from existing squad members such as Jacob Ramsey or Lewis Miley, but away from the glare of St. James’ Park, maybe it’s time to give youth a bit of a chance.

Where are they now? An update on some of our released academy players.

At the end of every season our list of released players is published and without fail there are a lot of academy players on it. For some, it’s the end of a promising career with Newcastle while for others, it must have seemed inevitable for a long while.

What has always struck me about our released players is the likelihood that they will disappear from the professional game altogether. It’s always felt like a rarity to see any of them picked up by a league club and then go on to have a successful career. James Tavernier, once of this parish, has gone on to become a Rangers legend, Jamie Sterry is still playing at Doncaster Rovers and Dan Burn, released when he was 11 seems to be having a decent career nowadays too!

Recently, I got to thinking about our released players from last season. A little bit of digging revealed…not much. Players have mainly been picked up by local non league sides. Only a couple stood out as paying at a slightly higher level.

Jay Turner Cooke was brought into the NUFC academy from Sunderland in 2021 after a family issue saw him leave the club. He was highly thought of at the Academy of Light and it looked like a bit of a coup. However, despite much promise and even a couple of first team appearances in friendlies, he never quite bridged the gap to the first team and was released in summer.

Turner-Cooke subsequently signed for FC Halifax Town of the National League in August. Since then he’s made 12 appearances, scoring 2 goals from midfield and with Town currently sitting 6th in the league and on a 5 game winning streak, he might just find himself back in league football next year. It seems he’s settled well into first team life and hopefully can have a successful season and start to fulfil the promise he showed in our academy.

A while up the road Jamie Miley continues to do well at Hartlepool, also of the National League. In fact, having only been at ‘Pools since January of this year, he’s already signed a contract extension to keep him there until 2027.

Miley, the elder brother of Lewis, spent almost a decade in our academy and appeared in a few pre-season friendlies for Newcastle, but his time was blighted by injuries. Now, he finds himself in the National League playing alongside other former Toon academy graduates like Adam Campbell, Jack Hunter and Luke Charman. So far, Jamie has made 30 appearances for Hartlepool, with 14 of them coming this season where he has managed to grab two assists from a defensive midfield position where he’s been described as “pivotal”. Sounds like he’s doing well in a side that hasn’t really lived up to early season promise and recently sacked manager Simon Grayson. Best of luck for the rest of the season, Jamie!

Of other recently released academy players, forward Josh Donaldson is also at Hartlepool, but currently on loan at Dunston UTS. Slightly further south, midfielder Ellis Stanton is in the National League North with Darlington and has made 9 appearances this season, grabbing 2 assists in a struggling side. Finally, brothers Rory and Harry Powell are both at Ashington AFC.

Great to see some of the young lads fixed up with clubs and carrying on with their careers!

NUFC Academy: Next Cab Off The Rank?

Every year Summer brings what feels like a never ending, exhausting amount of transfer talk. From bedroom ITKs with their insider sources and local journalists who can never seem to agree on the status of a transfer to the new breed of ‘celebrity’ internet transfer gurus; they’re all at it to the point where it becomes tiresome. And that’s before we get to the flight trackers!

But what about getting one or two breakthroughs from our youth ranks?

It’s a bone of contention for many Toon fans; the will to have young players coming through versus the dearth of talent in the youth ranks that we’ve seen over the years and also our demands for shiny new names and star players.

But, given the demands of the fixture schedule in the coming season, academy talent could well be in demand at some points. Especially if it means solving the habit of putting two keepers on the bench! So, who could be the next sensation after Lewis Miley to make the leap from academy up to the first team squad?

There are some more obvious candidates, if you look at our loan lads from last season. Young Alex Murphy has already featured in the first team and then spent the season on loan at Bolton last year, so maybe he’ll make the step up this season. Similarly, there’s Charlie McArthur, also a defender who was out on loan last year and could well get a chance next season. There’s also the exciting prospect of Trevan Sanusi stepping up, after making his senior debut last season before succumbing to injury. However, I’ve decided to pick out three players whose progress intrigues me the most.

Leo Shahar. A name that many of us will already have been alerted to, but also perhaps a pertinent name for us with the coming season in mind. While Tino Livramento seems to have deservedly nailed down the right back spot in the team – when he’s not filling in at left back that is – it could be a position of little cover this year. Kieran Trippier may well be sold, despite showing his value to the side last season and this then leaves Emil Krafth or Harrison Ashby as cover. While the former has proven himself a reliable squad member, he is prone to picking up injuries. Ashby, on the other hand, is yet to make an appearance for the first team since joining in 2023 and with only loan appearances since then, he may well be moved on. Shahar looks like a young player with a big future. With a wealth of experience at Premier League 2 level, Leo is also an England international at both Under 17 and 18 levels. Since I first watched him he seems to gained a little bulk and strength to his frame and now looks a lot more capable of handling the rigours of the mens’ game. He’s a pacy full back, with good positional sense and decent distribution. And of course, he’s been learning from two excellent examples in Tripps and Tino. Could he be one who makes the step up this year or is a loan the more likely option?

Alfie Harrison. Since joining us from Manchester City in the 2024 January transfer window, Alfie has made steady progress with the Under 21 side. With 5 goals and 7 assists last season, he certainly made an impact. The little I’ve seen of Harrison suggests a player of real promise. A really skilful player who looks at home as a number 10, Harrison is quick and carries the ball really well, while his movement looks fantastic. He looks to be a player who sees passes a step ahead of most and his stats back that up. And while those in the know seem to be suggesting that a loan may be the best course of action for the youngster, I think it would be interesting to see how he fares as part of the first team squad where minutes as an impact sub could well produce interesting results.

Garang Kuol. Kuol has had quite a turbulent time since his arrival in January 2023. A full Australian international, he’s been loaned out twice since then and has still only made 25 appearances. It’s safe to say that neither loan went well with both clubs – Hearts and Volendam having poor seasons and changes of management. From what I’ve witnessed of him, Garang seems to be a quick, skilful player with an eye for goal. Comfortable with the ball at his feet, he plays mainly as a winger, but looks at home anywhere across the front line. Kuol’s best time since joining the club was during the latter half of last season in the Under 21 set up where he scored 8 goals and might just have caught the eye of Eddie Howe and the senior coaches. It seems likely that next season may be spent on loan again, but for me this kid looks worth shot at some point, especially with the number of games we’ll be facing across a very busy season.

Obviously, given our transfer activity with youth players over the last few years, there are lots of players getting noticed at both Under 18 and Under 21 level. The future looks exciting with the likes of Lewis Miley and Sean Neave breaking through of late. And then we can look to players like Cordero, Vakhtang Salia Baran Yildiz, Miodrag Pivas, Travis Hernes before going even younger with players like Michael Mills, Mason Miley and Sam Alabi all breaking through into older age groups last season.

But will we see a first team squad breakthrough from anyone in the academy set up next year? It’s the kind of thing that always captures the imagination, so let’s hope so.