Expectations and Newcastle United.
What is the reality?
After the summer we experienced as Newcastle United fans, I think the ‘expectations’ of supporters were simply a case of clinging on to a hope that this season wouldn’t prove to be a disaster.
Then anything that ended up better than that would be a huge bonus.
The start to the 2026/27 season looked particularly problematic, considering the massive job Matthias Jaissle took on only two and a half weeks before the Liverpool match and on top of everything else that had harmed NUFC this summer. Then the first thing the new Head Coach witnessed was Bruno Guimaraes walking out of the door.
If anybody (especially those in the media) wants to know the truth of how Newcastle United fans were seeing their early season expectations, then journalists should look at this question we asked NUFC supporters on Thursday 20 August, three days before the season kicked off against our scouse mates.
We put a poll up on The Mag asking fans: ‘How many points will Newcastle United pick up in their first six matches?’
Thousands of Newcastle United fans voted to give us a great snapshot of how the NUFC fanbase were expecting the early stages of this season to go.
On Friday 21 August we published the responses from the Newcastle United fans, the percentage of supporters who voted for each points number (each total rounded up/down to the nearest whole number):
0 – 3%
1 – 2%
2 – 2%
3 – 5%
4 – 9%
5 – 11%
6 – 13%
7 – 12%
8 – 12%
9 – 9%
10 – 9%
11 – 4%
12 – 4%
13 – 1%
14 – 1%
15 – 1%
16 – 0%
18 – 2%
Before a ball was kicked a majority (57%) of Newcastle United fans (who voted) believed NUFC would get 7 points or less from the opening half dozen games. That then became 69% of fans believing Matthias Jaissle and his players would pick up 8 or less points from a possible 18.
At the other end of things, only 13% of Newcastle United fans thought that NUFC would bank more than 10 points in the first six matches.
With Newcastle United defeating Hull City on Saturday then that already takes NUFC to eight points from five Premier League matches.
Coventry City away still to play on Monday 12 October.
A point at Coventry would give Newcastle 9 points from the opening six EPL matches, which only 31% of fans (who voted) believed was possible.
If Matthias Jaissle and his players get a win at Coventry and move to 11 points from the opening half dozen games, that would be a return that only 13% of Newcastle United expected before a ball was kicked.
Considering Matthias Jaissle has already also guided United into the last 16 of the Carabao Cup, he has massively exceeded the expectations of Newcastle United fans so far, the exact opposite of what much of the media are claiming.
It has been far beyond expectations that so quickly Matthias Jaissle has got his team competitive in all the matches so far apart from that Leeds one. To go into this international break with four victories, two defeats and only one defeat is exceptional.
Especially when Saturday saw the injury list grow to almost a full team of players, with Gonzalez, Burn, Joelinton, Jaouen, Dedic, Livramento, Elanga, Osula and Ramsey all unavailable for the Hull City game.
Hats off to Matthias Jaissle, he has done a superb job so far.