The Newcastle United players have had plenty of criticism come their way this season.
Some of it justified, some of it not.
As we approached the final stages of this 2025/26 Premier League season, the indifferent results over the previous eight months had left Eddie Howe and his NUFC team with relatively little to play for.
In contrast, game after game their opponents had everything to play for.
Teams hoping to secure Champions League football, sides desperately fighting relegation, even fighting for the title.
These most recent five Premier League matches had something in common.
Saturday 18 April – Newcastle 1 Bournemouth 2
Total distance covered by the players – Newcastle 118.43km Bournemouth 113.89km
Saturday 25 April – Arsenal 1 Newcastle 0
Total distance covered by the players – Arsenal 116.75km Newcastle 117.31km
Saturday 2 May – Newcastle 3 Brighton 1
Total distance covered by the players – Newcastle 110.27km Bournemouth 108.07km
Sunday 10 May – Forest 1 Newcastle 1
Total distance covered by the players – Forest 108.44km Newcastle 114.61km
Sunday 17 May – Newcastle 3 West Ham 1
Total distance covered by the players – Newcastle 120.43km Bournemouth 114.62km
Throughout this season I have regularly seen a minority of fans questioning the commitment of the Newcastle United players. If only they tried harder…
I don’t think this has been the case at all. The effort has been there right across this 2025/26 season but sometimes it just isn’t enough. At times the quality hasn’t been there and on a number of occasions simply the opposition playing well.
Ahead of recent matches, many fans of clubs we are due to play, come out with comments such as ‘Newcastle United players will already be on the beach due to nothing left to play for’ but that has most definitely not happened.
Arsenal going for the Premier League title, Bournemouth and Brighton competing for Champions League places, Forest and West Ham desperately battling relegation. The Newcastle United players haven’t won all of the five matches BUT in all five games they have worked harder than the opposition, ran further than the other team.