I asked Newcastle United fans this Alexander Isak question – Interesting reaction! | OneFootball

Most Newcastle United fans are no doubt sick to the back teeth of the debate that’s been raging around Alexander Isak.

The latest utterings from Eddie Howe have cemented what many of us thought but didn’t want to believe.

Alexander Isak wants away and how he’s behaved, means he isn’t being considered for first team action.

Either Liverpool come up with a more realistic offer and we sign a replacement, or he rots away, unless he significantly modifies his behaviour.

On Friday night, before our friendly encounter with Barcelona’s other team, in a moment of boredom I reached out to a few acquaintances on WhatsApp with a picture of our number 14 sliding on his knees on the hallowed St James’ Park turf after scoring one of his 62 goals in a black and white shirt.

I simply asked the question, ‘Hero or Villain’.

As far as I’m aware, the vast majority of these acquaintances, who are Newcastle United fans, don’t regularly comment on The Mag or write articles that are published.

These Newcastle United fans come from a fair cross section of our fanbase, most (but not all) live locally, with jobs ranging from the civil service, to postal services, logistics, accounting, banking, transportation, shipping, teaching, manufacturing, the legal profession and the media. Oh, and one of them is a heart surgeon (don’t ask how that one has become acquainted with a reprobate like me)!

Anyway, here goes with the feedback from these Newcastle United fans to my very simple Alexander Isak question:

Positives (there were some)

Scored the winner in the cup final

Ran the Mackems ragged

Best CF since Shearer

Hero? Is that a question – won us the League Cup and he can make a huge contribution on the PSR front

We’d have been bottom half of the league without him

We need to keep him for this season

Great player and I understand he wants to be the best in the world

He’s been a pleasure to have watched

Could have been another legend if he had seen out another season and should have demanded the number 9 shirt

He has been great for us

I want him to stay

Now for the negatives (note that some remarks have been suitably sanitised for publication purposes)

He’s had his head turned

Bad advice from his agent

He’s clearly cheesed off some of the players

Should have kept his mouth shut

Villain!

It’s very difficult to see him in a black and white shirt again

Fool / mug

Totally wrecked the transfer window – we cannot do or plan anything whilst he sits in the huff somewhere in a mansion

All in all, very selfish

Greedy

Hasn’t behaved at all well

I’d be happy if we can get £150 million for him

My conclusions

I’m not sure the reaction from my sample leads to any clear-cut leanings to the question of whether Alexander Isak is a hero or villain.

What it does show is that some fans still recognise and appreciate what Isak has done for us.

There were also some negative comments in relation to NUFC and our owners, one or two pointed remarks concerning how badly the club has managed the whole sorry episode.

Finally, for what it’s worth, the answer I gave when asked was this, “He’ll always be a hero in my eyes for scoring the winner at Wembley.”