As Newcastle United fans we are always on the outside looking in and we are not party to the corporate workings and management decisions of the club.
Clearly expectations were high when the Saudi Arabia PIF became majority Newcastle United owners in 2021.
I certainly had expectations of doing a Manchester City and that Newcastle United would be Premier League champions by 2028 and Champions League winners the year after.
I was still fairly confident in my prediction up to the start of last season.
However, with the departure of Alexander Isak and the failures to bring in players of equal or better ability, such as Hugo Etitike, following the previous summer having to sell Elliot Anderson and Minteh, something was not quite right.
When the PIF took over there seemed to be no problems in attracting quality players to the club; Trippier, Isak, Botman, Bruno etc. Newcastle United were going places and the journey to the top was underway.
Then the wheels started to come off, financial rules were changed to stop Newcastle United doing a Manchester City and slanted to benefit the ‘Super League Six’.
A League Cup trophy and two Champions League campaigns suggested that Newcastle United were on the trajectory as I optimistically predicted.
The 2025-26 season most certainly came across as a huge step backwards in the 5-Year Plan or the 10-Year Plan the PIF/Board had been working towards.
The Isak issue cannot be understated as that had a huge cancerous effect on the Club, not only the loss of Isak’s ‘production’, but that void was never ever filled for the 2025/26 Season. Combine that with an extended season of 58 competitive matches, as Newcastle tried to compete in the Premier League, League Cup, FA Cup and the Champions League, all basically done with an overworked same group of players. That was a tall order for a small, fragmented squad/team, that had gone from a group of players fresh off a League Cup win, that was a cohesive, well oiled team that gelled in a well performing togetherness, to a disjointed underperforming lackadaisical team that blew so many leads it was beyond belief.
Combining this with all board level changes and machinations of senior managers and directors moving in and out, each wanting to stamp their handprint on the operations of the entire club, it just seems to me that the Blueprint of 2021 is no longer workable or viable strategy, so I believe that early in this off-season Blueprint 2 was created. The Newcastle United owners realising that NUFC cannot do a Manchester City and buy their way to success and trophies, but a new radical approach is needed to bring success that cannot be achieved in the relative short term. It seems the success is now viewed in the long term but is now through organic progression and growth from within.
I think Blueprint 2 was presented to Eddie Howe, who realised that under his management he could not take the team any further working under these conditions. These Blueprint 2 conditions are to sell players who can command huge transfer fees; Gordon, Tonali and reluctantly – Bruno. The incoming players are younger and less expensive, as Newcastle have to satisfy the financial constraints of both the Premier League and UEFA.
Blueprint 2 will be a much slower and deliberate process and the hiring of Matthias Jaissle is a reflection of this strategy in his development of young players, that goes along with a history of success in winning trophies. However, what this means is that I have lowered my expectations of Newcastle United being the Premier League champions and Champions League winners and this will now only happen in 2030s.
I also believe this is only possible with a new Stadium, or massively enlarged St James’ Park, to generate revenue to compete with the ‘Super League Six’ in a financial system that is rigged to aid and abet these select clubs, while handcuffing the likes of Newcastle United and other clubs with aspirations of winning football’s top competitions.
I have enjoyed the Eddie Howe ride, but I think the next few seasons will be more of consolidation in the Premier League while Matthias Jaissle imposes his style of play and tactics, while developing the players to his style of play.
As always in my 60 years of supporting Newcastle United nothing is ever easy or straight forward, as dreams are shattered and potential not realised. No matter what happens I will still be a Newcastle United fan and my expectation at the start of this season is that we will win something!