In a recent article (‘Eddie Howe – will he jump before he’s pushed?’), I compared posts from Newcastle United fans made on The Mag comments section to reviews placed on car hire sites where, it seems to me, that it is mainly people who want to complain who bother to register an opinion.
Now, I know that The Mag is a Newcastle United independent site and is a sounding board for all fans’ opinions. I also know what opinions are traditionally compared to and that we all have one!
However, I also feel that the tone of many comments that have appeared after the end of the season has plumbed new depths in terms of the vitriol and sheer contempt aimed at the man who sits at the sharp end of the Newcastle United “project”.
After a mixed… disappointing… disastrous (delete as appropriate) season, it seems to me that the relatively small proportion of visitors to The Mag who regularly post their opinions* became dominated by the more pessimistic types looking for someone to blame.
I don’t see this as anything sinister or surprising – just typical reaction to adversity with those falling into this category being a mixture of, in descending numbers, normal deflated/disappointed fans, natural pessimists, predictors of dire prognostications who are at last feeling vindicated, bored mischief makers and full time trolls.
I asked the Editor of The Mag for a perspective on the commenting section, including the numbers involved.
(ED: ‘There are tens of thousands of Newcastle United fans who visit The Mag every single day. It is important to remember that The Mag isn’t a message board, it is an NUFC website where many articles are published every day and read by the tens of thousands of fans, whilst the commenting section is an add-on for the far smaller numbers who are interested in commenting. So whilst tens of thousands visit The Mag each day, there are probably only around 25-50 who regularly comment every day/most days, then across say a month you might have 200-300 in total leaving anything from one comment to those who will comment thousands of times. We really value those who take the time to comment BUT it is important to realise that a very small number of fans put up a huge proportion of the total comments. So at times it can seem overwhelming the number of comments giving a very similar view BUT in reality it is invariably a very small number of fans. It is great that some people leave so many comments and clearly many of these fans enjoy so much their daily conversations with fellow supporters. At the same time though, you have to acknowledge that the relatively very few who regularly comment and put up so many of the comments, don’t necessarily reflect the views of the tens of thousands of Newcastle fans who visit the site. That is why, as well as all the articles that go up, we also regularly poll the tens of thousands of visitors on various topics. A poll in April 2026 perfectly sums up how the commenting section might not reflect the general view of the silent majority who visit The Mag. Newcastle had lost three in a row, 7-2 away at Barcelona, 2-1 at home to the Mackems, 2-1 at Palace. We polled Newcastle fans asking whether Eddie Howe should still be in charge for the 2026/2027 season, almost 3,000 responded and 76% said Eddie Howe should continue and 24% said he should be replaced. Sorry to be so longwinded after ‘Wor Lass’ asked me for some info but I think very important to give this context on where the commenting section sits, like everything else on The Mag it is important to us BUT whilst tens of thousands of fans visit The Mag to read the articles (and comments!), only a relatively very small number actually comment. Thank you for reading this and now back to what ‘Wor Lass’ wants to get across in his article…)
The complicating factor is that the smaller numbers in a category does not equate to smaller impact. There is definitely an inverse relationship between the number of deliberate wind up merchants and the number of posts they make – especially on a match day thread.
Of course, anyone sticking their head above the parapet, just now, and showing support for Eddie Howe is supposedly living in denial. They’re the latest example of happy clappers, the latter day Neros, fiddling while Rome burns.
ABH – Anyone But Howe. I have been told that this is me. Blaming anyone but Eddie for the disappointing league season and capitulation to our Wearyside neighbours. This despite the fact that in my response to The Mag’s end of season questions I apportioned 20% of the blame to Eddie (20% to the players, 20% to Isak, 30% to the owners and 10% bad luck/ small margins).
Eddie Howe is the manager and has great influence within the club so he must bear some responsibility for our relatively poor showing in the league last season. If he’d been at any number of other clubs he could well have been history.
It’s interesting, though, how a sort of group hysteria sets in under these circumstances. I’ve compared it before to how an adolescent can launch into slagging off their ex after a break up. It also reminds me of one of my all time favourite comedy sketches – Monty Python’s Four Yorkshiremen. As each increasingly silly and outrageous claim is left unchallenged you can see the next character thinking, “Oh well, here goes ….!” before upping the ante.
Suddenly, Eddie isn’t capable of anything more complex than setting out the cones. The cup runs don’t count as achievements last season because we only beat rubbish and continental pub teams.
Despite the fact that he was recovering from a bout of pneumonia as the 2024/25 season wound down, then had to operate without a CEO or a DOF during the close season and was preparing for and overseeing a far Eastern tour, according to many in this small group of people who regularly comment he is squarely to blame for the Alexander Isak fiasco and failure, so far, of the hastily drafted in recruits.
I say “so far” because I have faith in Eddie’s prowess as a man manager and coach. Even this, though, is now being ridiculed on a daily basis by certain regular posters. The man who has masterminded the recruitment and improvement of, for example, the likes of Anthony Gordon, Dan Burn, Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall, turning them into England internationals (we have more now than we had for decades) suddenly hasn’t got a clue.
The proof? Harrison Ashby, apparently, according to a poster I read comments by the other day! He’d been “well and truly Eddied”. This is a lad who has been on loan at two Championship clubs, Swansea and QPR, neither of which have bothered to buy him and then at League One Bradford City (where he made only two starts and six sub appearances). All Eddie’s fault because he didn’t bring him into our first team. Words fail me.
This conversation cropped up in connection with an article featuring our capture of yet another “highly sought after/up and coming (16-year-old) star” from West Ham. Perfect fodder for another regular accusation levelled at Eddie. He doesn’t give youth a chance.
The lack of minutes for Neave, Shahar and Murphy plus the farming out on loan of the likes of Sanusi, Cordero and, unbelievably, Minteh all evidence that Eddie is anti youth. No matter that he trusted Lewis Miley enough to bring him into the first team at the age of 17. Yes, we had an injury crisis, but he still had to recognise the talent and trust the temperament.
Two absolute stalwarts of our defence have been Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall. Tino was a 20 year old recovering from a very bad injury when Eddie bought him. Eyebrows were raised because of his long injury lay off but he quickly established himself as a first team regular.
Lewis Hall was an 18 year old Chelsea reserve and we paid £28 million for him. I can remember a period of time where Eddie was lambasted for that decision as he typically refused to rush the lad into the first team spotlight. He’s right at the top of everyone’s “must keep” list nowadays.
William Osula was bought just after he turned 21. He’d had a rather undistinguished career and played very few matches at Sheffield Utd (where Jason Tindall had seen something in him) and Derby County. Eddie was derided for this decision and for sticking with him week after week as Will donned the “headless chicken” persona. But as he settled down and started scoring towards the end of the season, the £15 million fee has started to look like a bargain.
What about our own youngsters? Seung-Soo Park, Trevan Sanusi and Antonio Cordero are all 19. Park was kept at NUFC and has played well for the U21s but hasn’t broken into the first team. Sanusi and Cordero have both been out on loan. Sanusi’s spell at Lorient has been blighted by injury and he has made very few appearances because of ankle and knee injuries.
Cordero’s first loan move to Westerlo in Belgium was cut short and he was switched to Cadiz where he seems to be doing better. I don’t know why he featured so little in Belgium – he might just have not been fancied by the coaching staff, the standard may not have been right (too physical, maybe?) or perhaps he couldn’t settle and was homesick. Either way, it doesn’t scream Premier League first team ready to me!
It seems to me that Sanusi needs to stay fit, Cordero needs to handle being away from home and Park just needs to keep on doing what he’s doing. Eddie has kept him close so that’s a sign that he’s being looked at and I believe he could start to feature next season.
The most regular gripes, though, concern Neave, Murphy and Shahar.
I must admit, I was surprised and disappointed myself when Neave, in particular, didn’t get a decent run out in the return leg against Qarabag. In general terms, though, Eddie and his staff see these lads in training every day and seem to be coming to the conclusion that they’re not ready. As I mentioned earlier, when we had injury problems Eddie was happy to promote 17 year old Lewis Miley and when we needed a new left back he lined up 18 year old Lewis Hall. But he hasn’t turned to any of these lads yet.
It’s clear that it isn’t age that’s the stumbling block, its ability and/or temperament. If Eddie Howe thinks they’re good enough and ready they’ll play.
I can’t finish, though, without mentioning what I see as the silliest claim of the lot. Yankuba Minteh, an unproven youngster (he’d just turned 20) bought from un fancied Danish outfit OB, was immediately sent out on loan to Feyenoord where he had a very successful season, scoring 10 goals in 27 games.
On the same thread where we were reliably informed that Harrison Ashby had been “Eddied”, critics were using this as another cudgel to batter Eddie with. He went straight into the Brighton team so why hadn’t he been kept with our first team? Err, yes. He did. AFTER the perfectly judged season in a slightly higher, more competitive league where he could have game time and prove himself.
The obvious and – by ALL – accepted plan was to bring him back to St James’ Park and have him in the first team squad once he was ready. We were all looking forward to this towards the end of the season. It was a done deal as far as everyone was concerned. But guess what? PSR reared its ugly head and, whether Eddie wanted it or not (which he most definitely didn’t), Yankuba Minteh and Elliot Anderson were sacrificed by the bean counters in order to balance the books.
Nice one, Eddie. You really must try and do better!