As the sun goes down on one era and a new dawn breaks in NUFC’s history, why are so many Newcastle United fans, spectators, keyboard warriors, social media content creators and contributors on The Mag so relentlessly negative about everything NUFC related?
Why are so many of them never happy and have to criticise every little thing that hasn’t gone so well, rather than celebrating what we have achieved and how we have achieved it?
Yes, some things aren’t great.
The ticket prices, the way the local fan base is treated, the ticketing situation, the lack of communication, the ground scenario, the training ground, the bad business deals and such, but these issues will never go away at any club.
The Newcastle United owners, regardless of what we think, are in it for one thing and one thing only, MONEY. They have no loyalty, no affinity and no regard for the locals, but that is the same at just about every other football club in the world. All owners are the same, money hungry mercenaries.
They are in it for every penny they can get, and that is a cold, hard fact we have to face up to.
However, that said, we have just come out of the most successful five year period in everybody’s lifetime and are gearing up for another chapter of highs and lows and it’s all because of these owners.
To remind everyone of the contrast, here is a clear comparison:
Under Mike Ashley (15 years):
• 2 Relegations
• 0 Cups
• 0 Cup finals
• 0 Semi-finals
• 2 Quarter-finals
• 1 Europa League qualification
Under current Newcastle United owners and Eddie Howe (approx. 4.5–5 seasons):
• 2 Cup finals
• 1 Cup won
• 3 Semi-finals
• 5 Quarter-finals
• 2 Champions League qualifications
• Progressed to the Champions League knockout stages for the first time ever
• Played and beaten some of the best teams in the world
• Achieved all of the above while often operating with half or even a quarter of the budget of opposing teams
In the 45 year period after the 1976 League Cup final appearance until Eddie Howe arrived in November 2021:
• 2 Finals
• 5 Semi-finals
Let that sink in.
Life is not a bed of roses for anyone. We all have our ups and downs, no matter how some people try to portray their lives on social media or through the press and tabloids. Nobody is perfect and nobody makes 100% of the decisions in their life correctly. That includes the Newcastle United owners and manager.
This begs the question: What are people really expecting from Eddie Howe and his team?
Is all of the snivelling, whinging and negative criticism justified or real? Is it for clicks? Do these people really understand? Are they new fans? Even real fans? Have they had any experience of what it’s been like being Newcastle United fans for the last 50 years? 20 years? 10 years?
Can anyone explain what they would do differently under Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi?
As much as I am not a really big fan of these Newcastle United owners, they have put quite a bit into the club (their asset/business) as well.
Yes, they have all made individual mistakes along the way. Yes, they have all made some bad choices here and there. Yes, we could have done better with some signings, squad balancing, tactics, communication with the fans, spending money and building/extending SJP and our training ground, but for goodness sake, why can’t these people be happy with what we have achieved in such a short space of time?
I for one have had the most amazing journey of my life and had never ever previously experienced the euphoria of winning a cup. The only thing I could ever compare with that feeling was the birth of my first child, and even then I’m not sure which was more euphoric.
What I really hope is that the next five years are equally as eventful and successful.
I just think that some of our more sour customers need to give themselves a shake down and realise it’s not all doom and gloom, glass half empty or whatever they want to call it. Can you imagine having been married to any of them? Living with that sort of negativity your whole life?
To all my fellow contributors to The Mag and happy Newcastle United fans, fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the next ride as it’s all about to start again.
Oh, and good luck to Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes for the rest of your journeys and thanks for the memories, they have been amongst the best in my lifetime.