The Newcastle United heroes and villains of the 2020s

Here at The Mag we invited a number of regular/irregular contributors to give us their Newcastle United heroes and villains.

Our thanks to David Hutchinson (you can hear Hutch every week on The Mag Podcast, along with Simon and Jamie, discussing all things NUFC) for taking up the challenge.

Hutch has focused on the Newcastle United heroes and villains of the current decade, the 2020s.

Newcastle United Hero of the 2020s

In truth, there are a lot of people you could put here. The obvious one is Eddie Howe. Then there are the likes of Bruno G, Trippier and even Amanda Staveley to consider. However, after consideration I went with someone who I believe is well on his way to legendary status at the club.

Dan Burn, local lad from Blyth, came into Newcastle United at the very end of January 2022 from Brighton and, at the time, I recall being a bit disappointed. A move for Sven Botman had been heavily rumoured and the big worry was that we needed more to improve upon what had been a very lacklustre defence. What an idiot I was.

His four and a half years at Newcastle have been quite something.

In the absence of an injured Trippier he stabilised a defence that looked certain for the drop. He was an ever present in helping us back into the Champions League. Once there, he scored against PSG in their SJP demolition, pocketing Mbappe in the process. Jumping ahead, have you ever seen someone score a curling header in the Champions League? I have – Dan Burn! Then there is the small matter of scoring our first goal in a domestic cup final since 1976. Helping us win our first domestic cup since 1955 and finally, becoming club captain at the age of thirty-four.

I cannot imagine in the later part of this decade anyone will have the impact that Big Dan Burn has had.

Newcastle United Cult Hero of the 2020s

Under Steve Bruce, I recall people around me bemoaning the contributions of Jacob Murphy. Even now, he does not get the respect he deserves. With important goals and assists to his name – as well as some of the funniest banter ever seen on a football pitch – Jacob Murphy is very deserving of being my cult hero.

Newcastle United Villain of the 2020s

I suspect that this series will see many contributors opt for Steve Bruce and Mike Ashley as nominations here, but their impact on the club during this particular decade was fleeting. I have opted instead for the pantomime villain… Alexander Isak. After all, we are going to spend the next few seasons booing him relentlessly (if he is ever fit enough to play against Newcastle United again).

Not so obvious Newcastle United Villain of the 2020s

I am going to preface this by saying that an honourable mention goes to Paul Mitchell. His decision to walk out on the club led to what was one of the worst transfer windows in memory and easily the worst of the decade.

My not so obvious villain are the social media transfer influencers. This lot have crafted a niche by driving the market, hyping fans, and pressurising club boards into negotiations.

The Germans have a saying about Football. ‘Die wichtigste Nebensache der Welt’ – translated: it is the most important minor thing in the world. As such, we care more than we should and an attack on the club you support very much feels like an attack on you and yours.

Going back to the key 2025 summer transfer window, these transfer social influencers spent the entire summer cutting and pasting transfer stories about Isak and all the strikers we were looking at to replace him. This in turn riled the braying masses who used every post to debase the club and attack its supporters. Attack us. It felt relentless. It felt damaging, both to the club and on a personal level. And this all came on the back of our most successful season in a generation.

Of course, if has happened every transfer window since and will continue to play its part unless regulations are introduced to stop it. It is one of the worst aspects of modern football and should be consigned to the nothing.

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