For those of us that have been following Newcastle United for decades, we know what a roller-coaster it can be.
We’ve seen the highs, the lows, the near misses and the pure heartbreak.
We’ve stood on the terraces when it felt like the whole world was against us and we’ve roared ourselves hoarse when we finally lifted that Carabao Cup (me in the Centurion for that joyous night).
So, when we look back at last season — that gut-wrenching, soul-sapping 2025-26 campaign — we don’t just analyse it – we relive it.
Remember, we were 11th at Christmas. Not brilliant, not disastrous. Then everything fell apart. After the festive period we became a soft, error-prone, lead-throwing mess. We dropped more points from winning positions than anyone else in the league — twenty-five, twenty-seven, whatever the exact number, it felt like a hundred.
Time after time Newcastle United went ahead, looked decent for a while, then switched off and let the other lot back in. Chelsea at home, Everton at home, Sunderland at home, Palace, Bournemouth… the list goes on. Late goals became our specialty. Clean sheets? Forget it. Once the early-season solidity disappeared we couldn’t keep anyone out for love nor money. The players looked tired. The gaffer looked like a zombie.
The Alexander Isak saga still makes my blood boil. We sold our best player in the most drawn-out, damaging way possible, and then had a mere few days trying to replace what we lost.
Nick Woltemade scored eleven last season, but only two in the second half of the campaign. By the end Eddie Howe was sticking him in midfield – trying to replicate what he did with Big Joe I suppose. Yoane Wissa was obviously never at 100%. Our attack had no cutting edge.
Our defence, once rock solid under Howe, fell to pieces every time a couple of bodies were missing. Injuries piled up – as much from overuse by the gaffer as from a relentless run of fixtures. The intensity that used to define us just drained away. St James’ Park stopped feeling like a fortress. Away from home we were toothless. We finished 12th with 49 points. From Carabao Cup winners and fifth the year before to that. It hurt. The Newcastle United project went from bright, to stalled, to going in reverse.
Newcastle United fans disagreed and argued for the cause…but I think there was plenty of blame to go around: the players, the gaffer, the management, the ownership. Regardless, it was a season of underperformance and finger pointing. I wanted Eddie Howe to go…as much for his health and reputation as his performance. He was a man bereft of ideas at the end. He did so much for this club and the fans but he was a spent force. The burden of the job even too much for his broad shoulders.
That’s why this Newcastle United summer reset was inevitable.
You can’t keep papering over the cracks when the foundations are shifting. Eddie Howe had earned every bit of loyalty with what he achieved, but the dressing room looked tired, the recruitment hadn’t landed, and the board’s title-or-bust talk was starting to sound hollow while we were flirting with the bottom half. Big players were being linked with moves, the fans were restless, and the whole thing felt like it was running on fumes. Something had to give.
Selling Gordon, Tonali and Bruno this summer was painful, but it was the only way to start again properly. New manager, new ideas, younger legs. We couldn’t keep limping on with the same squad and the same problems. These were the same players that offered tepid performances in the derbies, were on the pitch when we dropped points, failed to provide leadership and effort when it mattered most. Most importantly, they wanted away. Isak leaving made us angry (and geez – boy did we show it on his return!). Gordon moving onto bigger things was always on the cards. I do not think Tonali ever really wanted to be here (and I don’t think he wants to be at Spurs either) if we’re being honest. Bruno hurt the most…I believed him to be a legend in the making for the club, but when he hired a super-agent to help get a move that showed his true colours. Thankfully, we learned from the Isak debacle and sold as early as possible – and at great value! Eddie Howe should have resigned at season’s end but perhaps his pride told him he could right the ship. He needed to go to start the necessary reset and rebuild I believe.
The club lives on and is bigger than any player. The fans are still as rabid as ever because this club has a habit of rising from the ashes. Now I know many of you had doubts this summer. I heard about “a relegation fight” from some. I heard a well-respected pundit say we’d have a new gaffer by Christmas – and the punters/bookies seemed to agree. The doom and gloom merchants were in full voice but we all realise that comes from love and passion for the club. We wear our emotions on our sleeves and we’ve been disappointed and hurt so many times before. I truly believe some predict the worst as it’s easier to deal with than the disappointment that unrealised ambition sometimes brings.
My view, and many like me, gave Matthias Jaissle a clean slate. We saw the money from the sales there. We know ownership still has deep pockets and long-term ambition. God Bless Hopkinson and Wilson for showing confidence and putting forth amazing graft to craft a reset. We’ve got hungry young players who will grow into their shirts.
We got seven new kids (ages 18-24) signed up (with 21-year-old Matias Fernandez-Pardo set to make it eight on deadline day) and looking up for the challenge. A defence that has been rebuilt properly with Dedic (what a signing!) on one side and Hall on the other. Hornicek looks very good between the posts and offers the ability to properly play out from the back when called upon. Thaiw and Botman look to form a very good partnership and with the double pivot of Nico and Miley in front of them, their lack of pace should not be a critical area of concern. Steur looks like a superstar in the making.
Credit: Newcastle United FC
Wissa, Elanga, Osula, Ramsey, and even Willock look so much better than last year. The new gaffer? New ideas? Or just more energy on the practice pitch and in the locker room. Nothing brings forth more effort and competition for places than a managerial change. There will likely be one or two players moving on too – perhaps Murphy or Woltemade – needed changes to make room for new talent.
This Newcastle United season likely won’t be about Champions League— we all know that — but it can be about getting the identity back. The intensity. The nastiness. The St James’ Park roar that used to make teams wilt. And who knows, I see enough to think we have a chance at the Cups with a little luck, maybe Europe too.
A proper reset was the only way forward, and now it’s here. The road back won’t be quick or easy, but this is Newcastle United, we don’t do quiet. We don’t do giving up. The next chapter starts now, and we’ll all be there for every single page of it — black and white until the end.