soccer – Middle Age Fanclub

Gallowgate Cult Heroes Number 20; Joe Harvey

Time and again it’s said that the word ‘legend’ is overused these days. And it’s right. That bloke down the pub that can stick 6 pickled eggs in his gob at once is not a legend. Reality TV stars are not legends. Put simply, legends are made of sterner stuff and capable of remarkable feats.

In terms of the history of Newcastle United, Joe Harvey is a legend, of that there can be no doubt. Serving the club as both a successful player and manager, Harvey will do down in the history of our club and be talked about long after we’re all gone.

Joe joined Newcastle in 1946, a year after the end of Word War II which had stalled his football career and restricted him to guest appearances for several clubs around the country. A box to box midfielder, Joe would go on to help us win promotion to Division 1 in 1948.

Three years later began a golden period for not only the club in general, but for Harvey’s career. He was the integral and inspirational captain as Newcastle won back to back FA Cups in 1951 and ’52. The team would also have top 5 finishes in in the ’48/49 and 50/51 seasons. Joe was very much a no nonsense kind of player with exacting standards of those around him. As captain he was revered by the squad, who respected him totally. However, they feared him just as much! None other than Jackie Milburn noted that many of the players were petrified of Harvey and that running into him “was like hitting a bag of iron.”

Joe clocked up an impressive 224 appearances before retiring in 1953. He then went on to spend two years at the club as a trainer, while also learning his trade as a coach. In 1954, while still at Newcastle, Harvey took the job as manager of Crook Town and steered them to victory in the FA Amateur Cup. He would continue to work in the lower leagues at both Barrow and Workington before finally getting the Newcastle job in 1961.

Harvey would remain as Newcastle manager until the end of the ’74/’75 season, resigning after a 15th place finish. However, his years as manager cemented his place as a club legend. While in charge he took Newcastle to the 1974 FA Cup final – our first since 1955 – and also assembled teams that included players like John Tudor, Terry Hibbitt, Terry Mcdermott, Frank Clark, Alan Kennedy, David Craig, Wyn Davies, Irving Nattrass and Malcolm MacDonald; so he knew a player when he saw one. He remains the club’s longest serving manager to this day.

Without doubt Harvey’s greatest achievement as manager was in winning the 1969 Inter City Fairs Cup; the last trophy we would win for over 50 years (unless, in more desperate times, you insisted that the Intertoto Cup was also a triumph! I know I did…). So, until last March, Harvey’s triumph was the last shred of real glory that we all had to cling to – some of us for far longer than others!

Harvey’s half time pep talk in the second leg of the final will go down in Toon folklore. It wasn’t a moment of tactical genius. Nor was it some Churchillian battle cry. No, instead Harvey simply walked into the dressing room with his team 2-0 down and started by questioning the long faces. Then, when it was pointed out that they were losing and had been chasing shadows for the last 45 minutes, he told his boys that it was ok – “All you’ve got to do is get a goal and they’ll collapse. Score a goal and they’ll fold like a pack of cards.” And the rest is history. Despite the doubts among the players, Newcastle would score three second half goals and clinch the trophy with an aggregate score of 6-2.

Harvey was back to help the club out in 1980, taking over for a time as caretaker manager after the sacking of Bill McGarry.

Joe Harvey died in February of 1989, just over a year after Jackie Milburn. A plaque was unveiled in Joe’s honour in 2014. It was cleaned and restored some years later and can now be found at the Gallowgate End of the ground. Maybe not the statue that some had called for, but proof still that Harvey will forever be a legend at Newcastle United.

Magpie Moments Episode 5

Welcome along to another episode of Magpie Moments where we look at some of the more interesting things that have happened at our beloved club over the years.

Beardsley goes in goal! Yes, you read that right. There was once a game where club legend Peter Beardsley ended up in goal. And that was only a small part of the story. In April, 1986 Newcastle played away at West Ham Utd. We would end up getting beaten 8-1 with the Hammers scoring four in each half. Our cause wasn’t helped when goalkeeper Martin Thomas went off injured and we were forced to put defender Chris Hedworth in nets. These were of course the days of only having one sub and who was wasting that one spot on a keeper? Things would continue to slide downhill though with Hedworth then also getting injured! Up stepped Beardsley to have a go as we battled on with only nine men. It’s safe to say that things didn’t improve! The game was not only memorable for the scoreline and the amount of goalkeepers, but also for the fact that our ‘legendary’ hard man centre forward Billy Whitehurst scored; one of only seven goals he’d manage in black and white. Oh and as if there wasn’t enough going on, Hammers’ centre half Alvin Martin grabbed a hat-trick!

Shearer’s record breaker. If you were there that day I’m sure, like me, you’ll never forget the noise. A guttural roar that started in the toes of every person present and roared out through the throats in celebration of a legendary achievement. A significant piece of black and white history being made right in front of our very eyes. The goal itself was a fairly scrappy affair. A long kick out from Shay Given was met with a flick on by Shearer. The ball arrived at the feet of Shola Ameobi, who just when it looked like he’d lost it, managed to back heel it into the path of the onrushing Shearer, who held off the challenge of Pompey’s Andy O’Brien and toe poked past the keeper. The celebration was true Shearer; arms aloft, fists pumping, screaming at the crowd. Seconds later, the chant of ‘Shearer, Shearer, Shearer’ rang out and felt like it might never stop, until it did. And when it did, and the game kicked off again spontaneous applause broke out. A moment that I’ll take to the grave.

Keegan on the steps of the Milburn reception. Andy Cole remains to this day one of the greatest strikers to ever wear the black and white shirt. There are still many who rank him as their favourite ever player. So when he was sold, seemingly out of the blue, to bitter rivals Man Utd it’s safe to say that it was a bit of a shock. Such was the shock that some fans descended on St. James’ Park where manager Keegan would come out onto the steps to talk to them and try to allay any fears about their team, ambition etc. In a way it was typical Kevin Keegan; wearing his heart on his sleeve and deciding to confront the situation head on. Those supporters had worshipped him as a player and still did as the saviour of the club and the man now in charge of the team. Keegan explained that the playing style had become predictable and stale and so had sold Cole to prompt a change of direction. Evolution rather than revolution. Of course, there had been a falling out between player and manager, but we weren’t to know that at the time. Instead, Keegan spoke with passion and smoothed things over with the fans, gaining a standing ovation for his troubles at the end of it all. Only at Newcastle United!

Keegan on the steps of the Milburn stand

Gallowgate Cult Hero Number 19; Jonas Gutierrez

Sometimes a player comes to Newcastle and just gets it. Not just the club, but the city, the region, the people. Malcolm Macdonald, Shay Given, Ryan Taylor and more recently Bruno and Joelinton are all good examples. As managers Kevin Keegan, Rafa Benitez and Eddie Howe are great examples of this. And it’s one of Keegan’s signings that seems to have also fallen in love with not only the club, but the city and the people. Gallowgate Cult Hero number 18 is Jonas Gutierrez.

Gutierrez was signed from Real Mallorca in July of 2008. Newcastle had thought that they could get him on the cheap due to him buying out his own contract – not like Mike Ashley to be sourcing that kind of deal, I know – but in the end the fee was decided by tribunal and cost Newcastle a few million more than was originally expected. But the Argentinian international proved to be a bit of a bargain in the end.

Jonas was known for celebrating goals by wearing a spiderman mask and promised that this would continue with his first goal for the Toon. However, despite scoring in November, the mask wouldn’t make an appearance until he scored in the 6-1 home drubbing of Barnsley in the following March. And it was a fitting strike too – a cracking 25 yard drive that went in off the underside of the crossbar.

Gutierrez was a winger who could play on either side. He was often skilful and an asset to the team going forward. But it was probably his enthusiasm and work rate that made him so popular with the fans. Jonas was a grafter, pressing defenders before it was trendy and tracking back like his life depended on it. As we all know though, his first season with the Toon wasn’t to be successful as we were ultimately relegated. Many thought that the likes of Gutierrez and Coloccini would be off. Instead, both decided to stay and fight for the club.

It was probably here that Jonas cemented his place in the hearts of many supporters. As we all know, we were promoted as champions at the end of that season and Gutierrez stood out in that promotion season. However, on our return to the Premier League he found himself competing with Hatem Ben Arfa for a place in the team and invariable lost out. He still managed to make several valuable contributions though as we pushed ourselves into a 5th place finish under Alan Pardew.

Undeterred, Jonas kept working hard and proving his importance to the squad. The spectacular goals continued as did that undeniable work rate. And then, in early 2013 doctors discovered that Jonas had a testicular tumour, which would be operated on at the end of the season in his native Argentina.

Post surgery as he was loaned out to Norwich it looked like his Toon career was over and that as a club, we hadn’t really bothered to look after him. And yet, with the loan move largely unsuccessful, Jonas returned and came on as a sub against Man Utd at the back end of the 2014 – 2015 season, given the captain’s armband as he took to the field to a hero’s reception. But the best was yet to come.

Going into the final game of that season against West Ham at home we needed a win to guarantee staying up. Gutierrez was the star. Firstly he put the cross in for Moussa Sissoko to head the opener, but then in the 85th minute, he cut in off the left hand side and sent a scorching grasscutter into the back of the Gallowgate net via a slight deflection. Cue absolute hysteria!

That celebration will stay with us Geordies, as it will with Jonas, for many years. First with the shirt spinning above has head and then the iconic shirtless pose in front of the Director’s Box, cupping his ears and screaming in their general direction. Newcastle were safe, but more importantly, Jonas had beaten cancer and taken some sort of retribution out on Mike Ashley. This would be his last goal and last appearance for the club.

Jonas still talks fondly of his time on Tyneside and seems to be a regular visitor to the city. In his own words he feels “like a Geordie” and speaks with nothing but warmth about the club, the city and the fans. He was even seen busking at Greys Monument in recent months! Jonas Gutierrez; the very epitome of the saying, ‘once a Geordie, always a Geordie.’

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.

Magpie Moments Episode 4.

Being a Toon fan means that there’s never a dull moment…unless you had the misfortune to sit through much of Steve Bruce’s football. But our football club has provided its fair share of memorable moments over the years. So, welcome to Magpie Moments, episode 4!

Griffin Conquers Juve! It’s October 2002 and Newcastle United have lost their first three Champions League group matches. Next up is the mighty Juventus at St. James’ Park under the lights. A classic European night. Memory tells me that we were getting a bit of a chasing for most of the game, but won a free kick over by the corner flag on the East Stand side of the Leazes just after the hour. With the box loaded with the likes of Shearer, Speed and er… Titus Bramble, Laurent Robert shaped to cross it before slipping it short to the edge of the box for Andy Griffin. He then went round a defender before a heavy touch took him almost to the line. Faced with the chance to cross it he just hammered it across the box where Gianluigi Buffon’s attempt to stop it just diverted it into the net. Cue delirium and the start of a great escape from the group that no one could have seen coming! Sir Bobby Robson called it “one of my greatest Newcastle victories”. I was sitting next to a group of Italians in the Leazes that night and even they went mad. I never found out who they really supported!

Matty Longstaff’s debut screamer. Everything about this made for a magical moment. The game had seen both sides have good chances to score, but going into the final 20 minutes things were deadlocked at 0-0. Suddenly, Newcastle broke. Alain Saint-Maximin ran forward and surrounded by defenders, fed the ball wide to Jetro Willems who still had little in the way of options in the box. Sensibly he held it up and then laid the ball off to the edge of the area where Longstaff was steaming in. Without breaking stride he belted a grasscutter into the bottom left hand corner as St. James’ went crazy. Matty had started the game, making his Premier League debut alongside his older brother Sean; a moment in itself. And for me, the best thing after the goal itself was seeing brother Sean delightedly celebrating with Matty at the Gallowgate end. The winning goal on debut against Man Utd, under the lights at the Gallowgate with your brother. The stuff that dreams are made of!

Takeover Take Off! As the recent anniversary of the takeover shows, we can all remember where we were and how we reacted to the news that Amanda Staveley had finally done the deal and freed us from Mike Ashley. For me though, it didn’t feel real until the first post takeover game. There were a few big moments on the day. The Wor Flags display and the line from Big River on the banner in the Gallowgate was pretty spine tingling. Then there was the sight of Staveley, Mehrdad Ghodoussi, Jamie Rueben and Yasir Al-Rumayyan in the director’s box that confirmed that this was really happening. But the biggest moment of the day for me was the moment when Callum Wilson put us ahead inside two minutes. The noise, the relief, the expressions on the faces of everyone involved. The result didn’t matter a jot. Newcastle United were finally on the up again!

Three more fantastic Magpie Moments. I hope you enjoyed reading about them as much as I did writing about and reliving them!

Victory over Benfica with a little help from Wor Flags, Joe Harvey and Nick Pope.

Once again Wor Flags managed to get it just right last night. On another big European night at St. James’ Park they remembered the biggest with an inspirational display dedicated to the Fairs Cup heroes of 1969.

I was born a few years after that Fairs Cup win and spent my formative years thinking that another success was probably just around the corner. It wasn’t. And so Joe Harvey’s boys became the stuff of legend to me. A group of players that any Newcastle side would need to live up to.

At half time last night, the words of Joe Harvey in Budapest drifted through my mind. Two nil down at half time in the second leg of the final all those years ago, Harvey told his players not to worry. “Get a goal and they’ll fold like a pack of cards.”

It was apt last night too, I thought. We were 1-0 up, but in need of a goal. With the game ticking over the hour mark, Benfica were having a lot of possession and it felt like we needed to weather the storm. If we could get a goal though, they’d fold.

Ten minutes later, Nick Pope collected a corner and went looking for options. Still in his own box, Harvey Barnes was one of a few players who started running as Pope carried the ball forward. And then it happened – Pope channelled his inner Tom Brady and launched a Hail Mary up field and into the path of Barnes who had sprinted into Benfica’s half. The covering defender couldn’t quite get there and Barnes was in, although a little wide. The rest is history.

Pope gets some stick for his distribution and rightly so at times. However, he was a hero last night with that throw as well as the customary crucial saves that we’ve come to expect!

In the shadow of the great Joe Harvey, Eddie Howe’s Mags made it another fantastic European night with a resounding 3-0 win. Here’s to another European adventure. Howay the lads!

Gallowgate Cult Heroes; Number 18 Paul Goddard

Every once in a while, we make a signing that almost goes under the radar and then creates a pleasant surprise when it comes to how good the player actually turns out to be. One of the best examples of this that I can think of in recent memory would be someone like Yohan Cabaye, who was quite a low profile arrival but went on to have a big impact on the team.

Paul Goddard was also a good example of this particular phenomenon. With almost 250 appearances and 77 goals for QPR and West Ham, he’d seemed settled where he was and was actually quite reluctant to move north. This was the 80s and a time when moving north from London might have felt like moving to the Arctic Circle! And in fact it was this feeling of being unsettled that would plague him during his time on Tyneside and eventually lead to him moving on. But in the two years that he spent here he managed to become a very popular member of what started off as very much a failing side and grew into something far better.

It was October 1986 when Goddard joined the Toon. We were struggling and Goddard came in and gave the side a real boost. He took a little bit of time to find his feet in the team and didn’t score until his fifth game; a 1-1 draw away at Charlton. Bur Sarge, as he was known, had undeniable quality. Despite being relatively small, he was strong and his hold up play was excellent, allowing others to come into play. He was a good finisher too and someone who seemed to play more on instinct than anything else, reading the game well and knowing when to risk a flick or play the tricky pass. His movement was excellent too. Despite his presence though, as 1987 approached Newcastle remained near the bottom of the league and indeed hit rock bottom after a 4-1 away defeat at Old Trafford on New Year’s Day 1987. Goddard had still only scored one goal.

More defeats followed and it wasn’t until February that Paul grabbed his second goal. Newcastle were stuck at the bottom of the league.

And then, as April approached things took a turn for the better. Goddard would go on a scoring streak, notching in the next 7 games as we won 5. Newcastle were up to 17th where we would finish the campaign. Sarge was a huge reason for us staying up.

For season ’87/’88 Goddard was joined by Mirandinha playing up front. The Brazilian would prove to be a constant source of frustration to Sarge though who time after time would take up a position in space awaiting a pass only to see Mira invariably shoot, regardless of the angle. I seem to remember a few stand up rows taking place in the middle of the pitch as Goddard pleaded for a pass! Even then, Paul managed to score ten times in all as we finished 8th in the old Division 1. The team featured Goddard, a Brazilian international in Mira, Peter Jackson and Glenn Roeder at the back and a host of exciting young players like Darren Jackson, Brian Tinnion, Michael O’Neill and of course the one and only Paul Gascoigne. As a Newcastle fan this was a time when you could help but feel a bit of optimism. Also as a Newcastle fan though, our hopes were about to be shattered.

Goddard had been unsettled in Newcastle from more or less the moment he’d arrived. And now he decided that he wanted to leave in order to head back to London. Add to this the devastating departure of Gazza to Spurs and suddenly everything wasn’t so rosy in the Gallowgate garden.

Bizarrely, Goddard would then move on to Derby – not exactly famous for being near London – where he would score 15 goals, staying for just over a year. Later moves would take him to Millwall and then Ipswich where he finished his career.

Had he stayed at Newcastle I think Godard would have really made a name for himself and perhaps been able to help develop players like Michael O’Neill who never really fulfilled his potential. However, for the time he was at the club Goddard did more than enough to be thought of by many who remember him as a bit of a cult hero.

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!

A little bit of appreciation for Nick Pope.

It’s easy to miss things these days as a Newcastle fan. Where for many seasons in the past we’ve had one or two stand out players capable of running a game or producing a moment that might change one, nowadays the squad is chock full of matchwinners and favourites. Tonali, Bruno, Big Joe, Anthony Gordon, defenders like Burn, Thiaw or Botman and of course Big Nick Woltemade. But it’s another Big Nick I’d like to pay a little bit of a tribute to.

Nick Pope has been excellent so far this season. In a defence that’s been miserly, conceding only 8 goals in 10 games, Pope has bailed us out on more than a few occasions making big, big saves when it’s mattered. He’s also displayed a renewed confidence when commanding his box too.

In terms of statistics, Pope has saved 19 of the 24 shots he’s faced in the league – a 79% save percentage. He’s also only conceded a goal for every 210 minutes played, which is an admirable record so far.

There have still been errors such as the Arsenal winner when you could argue that he should have just stayed on his line, but let’s face it, if he had and the header had still found the net we’d have all been asking why he didn’t come for the cross. And his kicking and distribution will always be under the microscope simply because it is a genuine weakness in his game. Sometimes keepers can’t win.

In the league, Pope has made 19 saves so far this season. A fair few have been pretty vital such as the one down low to his left from Eze against Arsenal, a game in which he made a few crucial saves. There were important saves in our most recent win against Forest, too. With 5 clean sheets in 7 league games it’s clear that Pope is reacting well to the challenge of Arron Ramsdale’s arrival. A player who has not always been universally popular on Tyneside, Pope is now proving to be a superb member of the team, as he has on many occasions in the past, to be fair.

Now in his fourth season on Tyneside it’s clearer than ever that Nick Pope is a top keeper and an asset to the team.

Newcastle v Barcelona; can we talk about last night?

So, after the hype and the weeks long build up, some will say that Newcastle United came crashing back down to Earth following the latest Champions League tie. Going into it with memories of the 4-1 mauling of PSG, Mbappe et al, you could have been forgiven for getting carried away. We had a formula, right? Not quite.

Despite the result, for me there’s a number of positives to be taken from the Barcelona game. I mean, we don’t have to play them away for starters! And while we’re being just a little bit daft, there’s no shame in losing to a side who we all witnessed are just so, so good.

Personally, I didn’t think that there was a great deal wrong with our performance. We started well and with a little bit of luck and admittedly better finishing we would have at least taken the lead. And then it becomes a whole different game. If Barnes or Gordon put away one of those chances maybe the team and the crowd become just a bit too much for Barca and we end up with another PSG style performance. But maybes don’t win football matches.

So…positives. It would be remiss of me to mention positives and not start with Wor Flags and in turn, the atmosphere. What I love about Wor Flags is their ability to come up with something different and creative on a regular basis. The tributes to players, the poignant quotes and the cultural references all give St. James’ Park that little bit something different. Last night’s AC/DC themed effort was stunning and can’t have failed to inspire players and fans alike. Keep them coming lads and lasses!

As expected, the atmosphere was raucous and intimidating; a wall of noise that inspired the quick start made by the team. An early breakthrough might well have ramped that up a notch and then who knows what we’d all be talking about this morning.

I thought there were a number of players that did well. Tino Livramento put in his usual shift against the excellent Raphina as well as covering across the backline when we’d over committed. Sandro Tonali more than held his own in midfield with some clever touches and the usual ridiculous amount of ground covered. Anthony Elanga looked sharp and at times provided Barcelona with a real worry. His searing pace cut Barca open on a couple of occasions and he provided crosses that deserved far better than the end products. A player that, if we can get right, will prove to be a genuine threat this season. Not many will think that he should have been subbed. And I though Malick Thiaw looked superb when he came on. Pace, power and enough class to take time on the ball when others might have panicked. With an ageing back line it’s good to see that the future looks good.

The fact that we created genuine chances last night is of course another positive. There are winnable games to come, our defence is doing well and so if we continue to create chances we should start to put them away. Nick Woltemade will gain fitness and appear more, Yoane Wissa will be available…someone, hopefully can start finishing those chances!

With 6 more games to go it’s reasonably certain that we won’t see a challenge as big as Barcelona until that last game at PSG. Everything in between now and then becomes hugely important. Yes, we need wins, points and better performances, but there’s plenty more time to make that happen. Howay the lads!