Column: Passive Newcastle players leave Howe's job at risk

NEWCASTLE United are currently preparing, cooking and serving some of their worst form in a decade.

In a season in which they have gone toe-to-toe with some of Europe's elite, there is a small possibility that they could be pulled into a relegation dog fight.

Eddie Howe's men have lost eight of their last 11 Premier League matches, recording just 9 points from the last 33 available in the competition. In that period, they have conceded 22 goals at a rate of two per game.

After match week 33 - a typically lifeless, as of late, 2-1 home loss to league minnows Bournemouth - Newcastle have 42 points; made up by 12 wins, six draws and 15 losses.

To put that into perspective, in the 21/22 season - noted for the PIF takeover, Howe's appointment, and the Magpies' greatest of great escapes - Newcastle went winless in their opening 14 Premier League matches and still finished with 49 points and just 15 losses.

And in the 15/16 season, the last time the club was relegated, they finished on 37 points with 19 losses. Five games remain this season, none easy. It is feasible that Newcastle end this campaign with the same or more losses than a relegation season; a stat that sounded unthinkable in May 2025.

I was at the game on Saturday. It was the first I had attended since the 3-2 home loss to Brentford in February. What was apparent from the off was the noticeably tame atmosphere. It was certainly the most passive I have experienced since the Saudi Arabian-backed takeover.

Bruno Guimaraes' second-half introduction brought the loudest cheers on Saturday (Image: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)

But can you blame the fans? Aside from the result and another late goal conceded, it was a predictably drab performance, with very little correlation to earlier iterations of Howe's Newcastle - no hunger, no drive, and very few chances to applaud.

'We'll support you evermore' rings true, yet I can understand the frustration when there are only a couple of players still actively fighting for the badge and covering themselves in any glory.

It is evident now to me that whoever is the manager next season, a serious and brutal squad overhaul is needed, with ten player exits and ten incomings; something I am hopeful for.

David Hopkinson is making the right noises, and Ross Wilson appears to be an experienced and shrewd appointment. Now we need to see some action, and learning from the inefficiency and ineffectiveness of Newcastle's transfer dealings last summer, it needs to be sooner rather than later.

Without a miracle, Newcastle's European ambitions do look dead and buried.

Howe told PA after the Bournemouth game: "My belief in myself can't waver, and it's not". I still believe, unless Newcastle are to suffer a near-impossible relegation, club legend Howe has enough credit in the bank to warrant another transfer window and a chance to turn this around.

Whether he will be allowed that is a different story, and I can, regretfully, understand if the club were to take that approach.

The club says they will decide on Howe's future at the end of the campaign. I believe they will already be planning for both possibilities.

The players now have five games left to prove themselves. As the board are doing, the fans will also be keeping a watchful eye on who's performing, or at the very minimum, who is making an effort.

Jeers bellowed around St James' Park at full time as Newcastle's players stood dejected (Image: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)

As the famous adage goes: "Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times."

During the 'hard times', it will be interesting to see who comes out fighting.

Season ticket waiting list confirmed

Ahead of next season, Newcastle are launching something that has been requested for years: a formal season-ticket waiting list.

The club has signed off on the plan after a detailed proposal from the Fan Advisory Board, reflecting the huge demand for seats at St James' Park.

Mags, Mags+, and Junior Mags members will be able to register free of charge between Monday, May 18 and Sunday, May 31, with a minimum of 250 season tickets to be allocated from the list for the 2026/27 campaign.

Supporters will be dropped into one of seven priority tiers, based on whether they held a Mags membership in both 2024/25 and 2025/26 and how often they entered ballots or bought tickets for Premier League games, with the most regular attendees being pushed towards the front of the queue.

Emails confirming eligibility and priority bands will land on May 18. A ballot and allocation process follows from June 1-7; positions are confirmed from June 8, and new season ticket offers go out from June 10.

Fans will then be able to see their place in the queue via their online ticketing account, but they must keep renewing their Mags membership to stay on the list.

Under-14s will still be required to sit with an adult, and the club says it will work with disabled supporters and those needing personal assistants to find suitable seating.

While the priority criteria will not be popular among all fans, it is probably one of the fairest routes the club could take. At the very least, it now opens a pathway and a sliver of hope to what was a largely closed-shop system.