The Week For Newcastle United 5

mattlewis89
Sep 19
8 min read

The Champions League begins

Arguably the best Display Wor Flags have created. It was incredible and even through the TV felt the Atmosphere

The scene as the players came onto the pitch yesterday will undoubtedly be part of Newcastle United highlight packages come the end of the season. Wor Flags pulled off arguably one of, if not the best display they ever have and set the tone for an atmosphere fitting of any Champions League night across the continent.

The line up took me by surprise as Eddie went with Gordon up top as opposed to Woltemade. I understand there may have been a bit of a fitness concern and potentially thinking of our next League game, but I would have much preferred to see Gordon start on the left and then move into the middle at Half time if needed to be.

Elanga is a player who I have been less than convinced by since his arrival but last night, especially in the 1^st half he showed more than one glimpse of what he is capable of, and I am hoping that he can take that forward into our next run of fixtures. He had the beating of Martin in the full back position and if we had a clinical striker up front one of those chances may have been put away. Fabian Schar looked like he enjoyed going up against Lewandowski before his head injury and for the 1^st half at least Trippier handled Rashford quite well. Thaiw did a decent job when he came on for Schar and will be very interested to see how he performs when he gets a full 90 minutes.

I never question Eddie Howe’s decisions, and I trust him completely to lead our club to the next level but if I were to criticise something it would just be that he might have over-complicated things slightly with not starting Woltemade and the subs that were made.

One person I am going to criticise is Harvey Barnes. For large parts of last season and throughout the start of this season he has lacked a lot of Quality and showed so much inconsistency it is costing us in big moments during games. He had a big chance to stake his claim to be our Number 1 Winger with Gordon’s suspension but hasn’t come close to convincing many people that he is good enough to be a 1^st team regular. The consistency of all our wingers will be watched very closely this season, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that was an area we looked to strengthen again in January if the right player came up.

It isn’t doom and gloom we don’t play PSG until the final game of the League phase, and the other six fixtures do give us an opportunity to get enough points to at least make the play offs.

I expect Woltemade will Start on Sunday at Bournemouth

Eyes will now turn back to the premier League where we have a tough away game to Bournemouth, who we haven’t beat since 2022. We got an important win against Wolves to get our 1^st win of the season, and these post Champions League games are going to be vital we cannot afford to be suffering any CL hangovers. We play every three or 4 days now until the international break so our squad will be tested significantly so how Eddie rotates and manages the schedule is going to be fascinating.

Ticketing

There has been a lot of controversy regarding tickets in the last couple of weeks. A total of 103 Season tickets have been cancelled for breaching terms and conditions. I’m not sure if these tickets were individual’s or third-party companies but either way it is a frustrating piece of news that has come out recently. Ticketing processes will never be able to satisfy everyone and will always be controversial. The challenge is obvious that we need to protect the heart of our core fan base, whilst at the same time growing the fan base globally and commercially.

Amanda Staveley

An Emotional Amanda after hearing comments from a Newcastle Fan Page.

If you haven’t seen Amanda’s interview that she has done recently go and have a look or listen as it is brilliant. She talks a lot about Newcastle and everything that happen when they first came into the club and the legacy left by previous owner that had to be dealt with. There were some very emotional moments in the interview and even now you can see she cares about our club and fan base. I know there were obviously agreements in place that Amanda would go when she did but really do miss her being part of the club.

The Lasses Stumble Into New Era At GIS

A tough Day at the Office against Sheffield United as we move to our new home.

Our first league game at the GIS resulted in a disappointing 1-1 draw with Sheffield United. In the first half we seemed to lack venom when it came to our attacking our midfield struggled to have an impact on the game. We were able to get a point from a poor performance, and other potential challengers also dropped points so that can be taken as a positive.

I do think the GIS will take some getting used to for the players but also for the fans off the pitch. The atmosphere felt very different to that of Kingston Park but I have faith that that home feel will come as people get accustomed to the new surroundings.

It has to be said the club did a great job creating a good pre match experience for the fans that attended. Howay Again were brilliant, the wor Flags displays were great as always and could see plenty of other NUW imagery around the stadium that will be there every week. There are a few teething problems of course but confident this will feel like home sooner rather than later.

We next travel to Birmingham this Sunday to take on the Title Favourites in my opinion. Last season we beat them at St Andrews and will hope for a repeat result. I’m sure there will be a big following down in Birmingham (Up in Birmingham in my case) and regardless of the result I believe this game will be a key measuring point for our expectations this season.

The Lasses under 21s played midweek and I’m not looking to write that result on here. Our new academy will continue the learning on and off the pitch I’m sure.

Su Cumming Retires

I am halfway through my writing and my phone pings with the announcement that Head of Women’s football Su Cumming will retire at the end of September. She has played a key role in the rapid growth of the women’s team at Newcastle, overseeing the rise the WSL2, move to being a full-time club, a new academy and branding and some incredible recruitment along the way.

Su said: "It has been the greatest privilege of my career to lead women's football at Newcastle United during such an exciting period of growth.I am incredibly proud of what we've achieved - delivering back-to-back promotions, the historic first match at St. James' Park with over 22,000 fans, full-time contracts, an academy and our own branding and training ground. Most of all, I'm proud of how the women's game has captured the hearts of our amazing supporters. None of this would have been possible without the unwavering backing of the club, the tireless work of our dedicated staff, the extraordinary commitment of every player who has pulled on a black and white shirt, and the talent and drive of Becky (Langley), who is amazing to work alongside bringing all of my strategy to life and whose leadership promises such an exciting future. I step away humbled by what we have built on and off the pitch, proud to have played a part in laying the foundations for success, and excited to see Grace and her team take the journey to even greater heights."

Manager Becky Langley said: "Su has been an incredible leader, and her passion and drive has helped to transform Newcastle United Women on and off the pitch. The club would not have made the growth that it has without Su's commitment and talent. I would personally like to thank Su for everything that she has done for me and for this team to get us to this position. I have learnt a lot from her; I value her guidance and friendship alongside appreciating the support she has shown me in my time as manager. Her values are one her strongest attributes. She will always be a part of our history, and we all look forward to welcoming her back to our fixtures and working with her in her new role."

Su will now take on the role of Newcastle United women’s global ambassador once the period of handover has been completed with Director of Women’s Football Grace Williams.

Director of Women's Football Grace Williams said: "I want to thank Su for the time and dedication she has shown to Newcastle United Women. It would not be in the position that it is now without her. She has rallied and fought for equality, equity and value for women's football in the Northeast and is someone who I will continue to look to for guidance. Su has been an incredible support during the transition period, and I have no doubt that she will continue to help us grow in her new role."

I’m sure from everyone who has an affiliation with Newcastle United Women officially or as fan thank you Su for everything you have done for Newcastle United Women.

Academy

A spirted 2nd Half from the Young Magpies with Kacey Wooster Scoring again.

Newcastle United under 19s were also beat by Barcelona losing 3-2 on Thursday afternoon. The 1^st half looked like it was going to a similar story to our under 21s season with disappointing defeats when we went in 3-0 down at half time, however a spirited performance in the second half pulled it back to 3-2 with an excellent strike from Leo Shahar and a tidy finish from Kacey Wooster (With his 4^th of the season across the academy) gave the score a much more respectable finish. We did have a chance late on to equalise as well but wasn’t to be.

The Week Ahead

Another busy week of fixtures for all our team with 7 fixtures across all our squads. We must quickly put a pin in the Champions league and concentrate on building momentum in the Premier League starting with breaking recent form with Bournemouth. We begin our defence of the League cup against Bradford which even with the guaranteed rotation that will come must be taken seriously. The lasses have two away days against Birmingham and Forest and like the lads, I expect to see a lot of rotation for the quick re-visit to the city ground. The under 21s have two league games in 5 days and will hope to get their league season up and running in a positive way and the Lasses under 21s also play Birmingham this week.

HOWAY THE LADS AND LASSES

Fixtures