Letters to The Mag – Newcastle United fans have their say | OneFootball

The opinions continue to flow into The Mag, as Newcastle United fans debate the various issues regarding our club.

The end of the season getting ever closer.

Newcastle United fans with the latest collection of opinions below.

Plus the odd fan of Aston Villa and others…

Contributions are sometimes too brief to make up into a full article and so we have gathered up a number of recent  views sent in, (if you would like to send anything in, long or short, regarding Newcastle United, then contribute@themag.co.uk is the place):

Dear Mag,

I’m not going to argue with the headline of the article (‘Newcastle 100 per cent deserved to finish above Aston Villa’), because it’s a fact. Based on the rules that apply there’s no doubt.

However, you couldn’t make up the facts as they played out on the last day of the season.

Let’s be honest, Newcastle, Villa and Forest all bottled it.

We all know how it works with referees at Old Trafford so what does Howard Webb do, pick the least experienced referee available for a game with £75m riding on it. And no matter how one-eyed we all are as football supporters, you’ve got to wonder why?

Then Martinez, sobbing last week because he’s apparently leaving, completely loses it and gets sent off. As brainless as Howard Webb. And to rub it in, he’s spotted today in Barcelona.

Then the hapless clown of a referee gets involved by winning the award for the ‘fastest whistle blow’ of the season. Only at Old Trafford can it happen, in a season where the referee’s have done the exact opposite and let play go on and on before blowing.

And as a Villa supporter watching, you instantly knew what was coming next. Old Trafford being the only ground where we get less than we do at SJP, it had to be.

We’re not sobbing on the Holte though, we got what we deserved. We might not have a pot to polish, but as the only team in the last 10 years, outside of the so called Big 6, to qualify for Europe for three successive seasons, we’re making progress.

It’s been a great season, particularly because Newcastle and Palace have smashed through the glass ceiling. I know you lot won’t agree but let’s hope Villa and Forest can get there too.

Steve Ward

Dear Mag,

Hi just to let you know Celtic is not in Glasgow it’s in Edinburgh,

Geoffrey Alderson

Dear Mag,

The day we made history for our beautiful city and unique football club- Newcastle!

The most passionate supporters – so proud to be a Geordie from far away – Cayman.

Sophie

Dear Mag,

When are you going to forget about Steve Bruce and Mike Ashley?

These two people shouldn’t even be mentioned, they are from the past.

You’ve moved on big style. You have just won your first trophy in 70 years, The celebrations on Tyneside looked amazing, enjoy it, but stop looking in the past.

Some people like to wallow in pity. I am not a Newcastle fan, but a football supporters of a close rival club.

Christopher Castle

Dear Mag,

So here we are, 6th June with the transfer window having been open for 5 full days.

Previous press conferences had Eddie Howe stating the he wanted “signings in early” and that “work was ongoing” as regards transfers.

So far, we have signed only one player – Cordero – which in my view is a replacement for Minteh, who will be put straight out on loan.

Mitchell appears to be in the departure lounge and the press are linking us with anyone and everyone. I think that, following the recent experience in the Champions League which laid our squad depth bare for all to see, this lack of early action in the transfer market must be seen as a huge, huge failure on Mitchell’s part.

It’s a well known fact that as well as at least three players to go straight into the first team (striker, right winger and a centre back) we need at least another three decent squad players.

Do we have ANY targets identified?? It seems that for all of the club’s stated ambition, we seem to be completely unable to either arrange or conduct any transfer business quickly.

I now fully expect us not to sign anyone of note in this short window. It may be that we’re gambling on a PSR fire sale towards the end of June – hardly the way to carry out a directed transfer strategy.

I have a really bad feeling that we’re actually could be in a worse position come the start of this 2025/26 season than we were last season.

I’m trying not to panic and put trust in an already fully employed Eddie Howe, but there’s only so much the great man can do.

Let’s hope we actually make the signings we so desperately need.

Daz

Dear Mag,

Your articles read like you packed your nostalgia next to your bitterness and forgot to bring any facts.

Man City were getting 30–35k every week in League One. No trophies, no oil — just proper loyalty. Fans stood on the Kippax when it was crumbling and still turned up.

You say it was quiet? That’s modern stadium logistics, not the 90s. The place was full. And the tourist scarf stalls? Every club has them – even yours.

We’re not arrogant. We’re just winning now – and you lot don’t like that we flipped the script.

Simon

Dear Mag,

Well , we have two transfer windows and according to all we hear Eddie Howe is in charge of recruitment and sales, Mitchell is leaving just when he should be at the centre of all buying and selling of players.

Steve Nickson and the scouting team are quiet as mice, no new DoF has been appointed or even hinted at, our CEO who is sadly unwell and leaving with no replacement on the horizon, speculation abounds on all our players with the usual stars being linked with every club in the world, we are cited as being after the same targets we were some 6/12 months ago, and finally the new stadium announcement is yet to be made.

So guys and gals what has changed over the last 18 months or so?

Setting aside our stunning cup win and a scrape through entry to the European cup playoffs it’s all a bit frustratingly slow and ponderous, it’s been said we are moving at speed to get all our deals done early in the windows – not in my book as we’re moving at the pace of a French snail catcher (as described by Micky Flanagan).

This may sound silly but my tentative vote for CEO rests at this time with Amanda Staveley who made the deal possible between Ashley and the PIF consortium – a lady who just loves and understands the club raves about the Mags and still defends us unequivocally, our PIF leader could do much much worse.

Thomas Blackett

Dear Mag,

I guess the reason to change the club crest is to support more revenue for the Club.

In my opinion, there is no need to do so.

This badge is our identity, it represents the Club we love.

Will this now become a thing like team shirts changing every so often.

In the years between the strip doesn’t change but the badge does – meaning we have to change our tops again because the Club Crest has changed again.

I‘ve seen some of the designs and was NOT impressed.

This is a design I have produced.

Mike Forster

Dear Mag,

If there is a a subject in Football that is worse than FFP/PSR, I have yet to discover it.

I continue to feel that each club is a business purchased by owners like any other business in the World but run by an authority that continue to show that they are unable to control and legislate fairly and properly throughout all aspects of Football.

They take an age to finalise all decisions.

Whilst we have the likes of Chelsea using very creative accountancy, yet again a loophole taken advantage of.

The use of VAR or FPP investigations… ‘”They don’t know what they’re doing.”

Ian Aitken

Dear Mag,

Hopefully, Alexander Isak will stay.

Clubs will try and turn his head, as always they do. Nothing new. Sadly, money talks. Hopefully, in this case , it doesn’t

My only concern re Isak, isn’t his scoring ability, but his likelihood of becoming injured, sitting games out on the sidelines. The Toon’s medics, physios will know already how sound Isak is. My feelings are he isn’t sound.

It’s a fine balance here. Sell him while he’s hot, say £120m, or risk it, playing him, hoping he plays more games than he doesn’t and keeps scoring.

I’m sure this opinion will go down like a lead balloon. If he can stay sound, he’s a great player to build our team around.

Fingers, toes crossed.

Yours Mark A

Dear Mag,

In the late nineteen eighties I travelled around with my good mate Burnley Jon watching his team get beaten in the old fourth division. The desperation of their support was tangible as it went to the wire if their club would stay up.

Meanwhile Jon would travel with me to exotic NUFC away games like Barnsley worming our way into working men’s clubs and chatting to old guys. A shared working class camaraderie.

Public school educated cockney Rob the Arsenal supporter would also be there with his hatred for Spurs.

Looking back it is strange to think we fell into the stereotypes so obligingly which the media fed on with the portrayal of football supporters back in the eighties.

Having paid into the home end at Peterborough we were escorted by police into the away end to applause from the Burnley mob.

Recently I was in the Brighton end next to the official NUFC away support. Sitting on my hands each time we came close. When Isak banged that ball in the net from the penalty spot my teenage lad could not contain himself, nor could several Newcastle fans around us.

One lad a few seats away from us ended up being manhandled by Sussex police and ejected. And there you have it. The buzz of football.

Paying into the Posh end at Peterborough in the nineteen eighties and being removed by police, forty years later seeing a lad being aggressively removed by police at Brighton. Football, whether old fourth division or Premier League, is part of life.