Our reporter Ewan Wishart will be uniting Tyne Valley Toon supporters with his weekly column, The Toon Crier.
THE final Toon Crier.
When I was offered the opportunity to begin writing this weekly column 14 months ago, I think I underestimated the steep learning curve that was ahead of me.
I was thrust straight into the deep end, with one of my initial Hexham Courant pieces being a first-person recap on Newcastle United's historic Carabao Cup win, their first domestic trophy in nearly 70 years.
It was at least encouraging to know that the club and I were both facing uncharted territory at the same time.
Now, a season and a half on, the time has come to bring the Toon Crier to a close with the end of the season.
Attending my first match as a five-year-old in March 2008, a 2-0 win against Fulham - a game marred by dropping my first and only ever cup of scorching Bovril on my legs - I would never have imagined I would have been allowed the opportunity to write professionally about Newcastle all these years later.
It has been a privilege, and more importantly, a pleasurable endeavour to write about my boyhood team. I sincerely hope you've had half as much fun reading my ramblings as I have had scribing them, so thank you.
Newcastle United 2025/26 season review
Now the formalities are out of the way, let's get back to the important topic at hand: Newcastle United's tumultuous, up-and-down season.
Just like a poor TV or film reboot of a previously successful franchise, or in football terms, Manchester Reds' continual search for an adept successor to Sir Alex Ferguson, the 24/25 season was always going to be a hard act to follow.
Although perhaps it was a campaign doomed to fail from the start. It began with Paul Mitchell's abrupt departure as sporting director, followed by the transfer saga to end all transfer sagas, the announcement that then chief operating officer (CEO) Darren Eales was also heading for the door, and a failure to secure almost a dozen transfer targets.
Alongside, of course, the panic buys, notably Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa, with the latter swiftly suffering a serious knee injury before kicking a ball for the club. And that's just the summer transfer window…
The season began as it meant to go on. Newcastle squeezed 58 games into a gruelling 2025/26, matching their busiest on record. The high number of games bred an inconsistency that could not be overcome, as the threadbare squad was exposed time and time again.
A high of four straight wins in all competitions in early January was as good as it got. There were several spells where it looked like things might improve, only for another disappointment to dissipate hope.
The saving grace was the cup competitions, particularly the Champions League campaign, where the club held their own against Europe's elite.
Triumphant wins against Athletic Bilbao, PSV, and Benfica were recorded, while a draw away against PSG meant Newcastle ended the campaign as the only English team to go unbeaten against the eventual winners.
A heavy exit to La Liga champions Barcelona in the round of 16 was to come, but the squad can still hold their heads high for a valiant effort on the European stage.
Howe's men were unfortunate in the domestic draws, being paired with and then exiting to eventual champions Manchester City in the Carabao Cup semi‑final and FA Cup fifth round, respectively.
Now, to the crux of the campaign. Let's begin with Newcastle's harrowing defeats in the Tyne-Wear derby. What went wrong: was it an underestimation of Sunderland, a poor tactical setup, a squad of players who didn't understand the magnitude of the game at hand, or a mixture of all of those things?
I'd lean towards a combination. Whatever we witnessed over both games was limp, lifeless, abject and lacking any hunger or desire - from players and management.
On the other side of the equation, credit needs to be given to Sunderland, whose less experienced players rose to the occasion. Poignantly, with Sunderland finishing on 54 points in seventh, and Newcastle on 49 in twelfth, those two wins were the difference between finishing in the bottom half of the table and qualifying for the Europa League.
The fallout from those losses was, expectedly, worse than the last. With the March home defeat, the first meeting between the sides at St James' Park in a decade, bringing a raft of 'Howe out' discourse, particularly from fans online.
It meant that Newcastle would have to wait for another chance to upend their dire contemporary record against Sunderland in the Premier League. It is now 11 league meetings (seven losses, four draws), and almost 16 years since Newcastle last beat Sunderland in the league.
This, alongside a miserable league showing, heaped an immeasurable amount of pressure on Howe, the most of his Newcastle career, whose occasional rallying cries in press conferences - particularly towards the end of the season - were met with deaf ears from the players.
Although a staunch defender of Howe, the main and deserved criticism of the manager, as well as his handling of the derbies, was the way he managed Newcastle's final league games.
After being knocked out of their last cup competition in the middle of March, Newcastle lost five of their eight remaining Premier League games, drawing once and winning just twice.
With only the league to focus on, that, as management and the board will know, is unacceptable. Howe's tactical and squad selections during this period were questionable to say the very least.
Why did the season fall flat, and what does the future hold?
There is not just one reason, but several. I believe the main issues boil down to new signings not hitting the ground running as they had done previously, and a squad not built or prepared for the high number of games and the level of opposition they were consistently facing.
Now, with hindsight, it's also clear how much the Isak debacle stifled the season from the off. Not only losing and not replacing a player of his world-class calibre, but also the impact of the rigmarole on fans and the rest of the squad.
Not that the player and Liverpool did not behave egregiously, as they both did, but should Newcastle have let him go and started the search for his replacement sooner? Yes, probably.
But, on a positive note, the board have learned from these previous mistakes. The appointments of the experienced David Hopkinson as CEO and Ross Wilson as sporting director, in September 2025 and October 2025, respectively, have preceded a raft of exciting changes and announcements.
Since their arrival, Newcastle have launched an ambitious off-field reboot, fronted by a five-year transformation plan, a lucrative KNOX Hydration training‑ground deal, significant investment in upgraded facilities and stadium improvements, plus a youth-focused recruitment model that has already delivered promising South American talent and smarter transfer execution.
More recently, the handling of Anthony Gordon's seismic move to Barcelona has been professional and admirable.
The business was wrapped up before June started, with Newcastle reportedly receiving an excellent £69.3m fee, inclusive of add-ons, for Gordon - a player who showed sparks of brilliance, but mostly flattered to deceive, particularly in his final season. That being said, I wish Gordon all the best in Catalonia.
So the future is still very bright for Newcastle; the club seems to be in great hands.
On the pitch, it is now, however, the last chance saloon for Howe. Keeping to what I've said in previous editions, I've always believed that he deserves a summer transfer window to right the wrongs of last season.
That's not to say he should be allowed to continue if we, say, lose our first five matches next season, but I do think he deserves one more roll of the dice for the way he has over‑achieved against expectations.
He and the board have to get the recruitment right this summer. They have to act quickly and decisively so the squad is primed to perform again next season.
Deadwood needs to be cast away, and a young, eager spine needs to be brought in. Particular focus needs to be on recruiting an adept new creator - whether that be a winger or a number 10 - not only to take some of the pressure off of star player Bruno Guimaraes, but also to add some excitement back to our matches!
Too often last season, Newcastle's games became a chore to watch. This cannot go on. It's easier said than done, but the Magpies need to recruit a player of the flair, guile and eminence of some of their previous greats. I'm thinking Paul Gascoigne, Peter Beardsley, David Ginola, Nolberto Solano and Hatem Ben Arfa.
I'm hopeful that the mistakes of last season have been learned from and will be rectified with a productive transfer window, and without European football to contend with, the Magpies will return to form and consistency once again in the 26/27 campaign.
That being said, the Toon Crier has officially come to an end. Again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading.
I'll leave you with Geordie great Jimmy Nail's famous summary, which still rings true: "This is a mighty town, built upon a solid ground, and everything they've tried so hard to kill, we will rebuild".
Share