This would represent success in the 2025/26 season for Newcastle United | OneFootball

Newcastle United fans have just seen the 2024/25 Premier League season come to its end.

A season that has proved to be quite magnificent.

As one season ends though, thoughts immediately turn to what comes next, only 11 weeks to go until the 2025/26 Premier League kicks off.

An ideal time to get a snapshot of views from Newcastle United fans on their thoughts, both on the season that has just ended AND what is to now follow.

So we sent out questions to a number of regular/irregular contributors to The Mag.

Next up answering the questions we have Mark Jankowski:

Three words to describe how you currently feel as a Newcastle fan?

Proud (at our achievements this season), vindicated (I believed in what this group were capable of), excited (by our prospects for the future)

Three words to describe Newcastle United now?

Exciting, determined, ready.

Does 2024/25 now rank as your favourite ever Newcastle United season?

Absolutely, I’m old enough to have been part of the Keegan and Bobby Robson eras which were both fantastic, but as we all know ended up in disappointment. This current era is just as exciting but has finally delivered what so many before them failed to do.

Which are your three favourite previous NUFC seasons (before 2024/25) and why?

The 2009/10 season in the Championship is in there. The way the squad galvanised after one of the most disappointing seasons in Premier League history. I didn’t see us lose home or away that season and have so many special memories of away days with my family and friends.

Although it all ended in tears, 95/96 was a highlight for me. I was a kid still living in Cambridge at the time so I only got to games in London or that fell in school holidays but, every time I went the atmosphere was incredible and we were just so much better than everyone we played. Second place is still our best Premier League finish so it is hard not to include it.

However, 2002/03 is probably my favourite season ever (before 2023/24). We’d had a few frustrating seasons in the wake of Keegan’s departure but this was the season it all came together for Sir Bobby. We had the memorable progression through the Champions League group only to be shafted by the weird double group stage format that season. Also, we were in the title race until late on in the season with Shearer pushing for the golden boot too. What a time to be alive.

Talk us through how it was for you, on the last day of the 2024/25 season (Your emotions, how it all played out, where you were watching it (at SJP or wherever), who you shared it with?

I said to my family and friends back in March that I didn’t want to have to go into the last day needing to beat Everton and boy was I right.

I had actually grown more confident in the week leading up to the game. I thought we’d played well in defeat to Arsenal and I hadn’t been overly impressed with Everton’s performance in their final Goodison outing. What transpired was probably the most nervous 90 minutes I’ve seen, both on and off the pitch.

The time between Everton’s goal and Man U taking the lead seemed an eternity. I think I might have been one of the first in the Gallowgate to get the news that Man U had scored as I leapt up shouting and everyone around me looked thoroughly confused. That news reenergised the crowd, and the team, but it didn’t manage to get us a goal. Fortunately, Man U saw off Villa and Champions League was ours.

I don’t think I’ve ever felt so confused after a match. I was utterly disappointed in the performance but delighted we had achieved our goal.

In order, which eight players have been most influential across the 2024/25 season?

8 Trippier

7 Tino

6 Joelinton

5 Lewis Hall

4 Bruno

3 Dan Burn

2 Alex Isak

1 Sandro Tonali

Have you at any point during his time at Newcastle United, thought that Eddie Howe’s position should be under question?

No…but I could see the pressure building after the Brentford result. Fortunately, Eddie tweaked Bruno and Tonali’s roles and the rest as they say is history. He must have one of the safest jobs in the league right now.

Your favourite three moments in NUFC Premier League matches this past season?

Tonali’s stunner against Brentford

Humbling Arsenal in November… again!

Beating Forest away, also in November. The Forest fans were very smug prior to the game and I’d thrown around a few guarantees of a Newcastle win so it was nice to see it happen.

What are your thoughts on Newcastle United Sporting Director Paul Mitchell leaving?

I’m not sad to see him go. Ultimately he’s done nothing during his time at the club. Maybe he’s been influential behind the scenes but, from the outside at least, he’s been a nothing appointment. Hopefully we can have some stability behind the scenes for a few seasons moving forward as we’re moving into an important period in the club’s development.

Sunderland are now back in the same division as NUFC, your thoughts?

I wasn’t among the fans who are glad to see Sunderland back for the derby.

I hate derby days, far too much stress and now we’re in a position where we are so far ahead of Sunderland there isn’t much to be gained from beating them. We are expected to win every game we will play against them so anything less than that and we’ll have to suffer ridicule. Let’s have the six points next season, see them finish bottom and hopefully they’ll stay gone for another eight years or so.

Trying to put bias aside I think it will be an incredibly tough season for the Mackems. I was listening to the Athletic’s podcast and they were discussing Sunderland’s return. It doesn’t sound like they will strengthen a great deal and they could still lose players such as Bellingham. If they manage to match Ipswich’s points from this season they will have done well.

What would represent success in the 2025/26 season for Newcastle United?

Reaching the knockouts of the Champions League, finishing top four in the Premier League and a decent run (QF at least) in one of the cups.

What do you see as the minimum to achieve this coming season?

If we could only achieve one thing it would be a top four finish. We need to consolidate our position as a top side in the league.

Predict the top six in the Premier League (in order) and which three clubs will be relegated.

1. Man City

2. Liverpool

3. Newcastle

4. Chelsea

5. Arsenal

6. Villa

18. Wolves (it will probably be Leeds but the Leeds fan at work has talked me round)

19. Burnley

20. Sunderland

Name a Newcastle player who you think could be a massive surprise success this coming season, doing far better than most fans expect.

If he stays… Joe Willock.

He’s had a very disappointing season, struggling to find any real form but he’s still a quality player. People are quick to forget how influential he can be when he’s fit and fully firing. I think with a full pre-season we might see Willockinho return to his best. As the saying goes, form is temporary, class is permanent.

Who do you see as the six most important current Newcastle players (in order) for next (2025/26) season?

6 Joelinton

5 Botman

4 Gordon

3 Bruno

2 Isak

1 Tonali – He is our best all round player

With NUFC now having won a trophy…Next three seasons, would you rather finish top four all three seasons BUT win nothing, or finish mid-table all three seasons AND win the League Cup in one of the three?

Top four all three seasons. Obviously I’m hungry for more success but if we can consolidate our position as one of the best teams in the league then that success will follow.

What do you think was the key moment in the 2024/25 season, the turning point maybe, which then set us eventually on track to success?

The loss to Brentford and then draw against Liverpool. Howe moved Tonali deeper after Brentford and this freed Bruno to have more influence on the game. We deserved to beat Liverpool that night and if not for an early whistle from the ref we probably would have. What I did see that night was a team that could compete not only technically, but also mentally, with the best in the land.

If Newcastle United had ended up outside the Champions League places on the final day, would this last season have had a bit of failure attached to it?

Failure? No. Disappointment? Perhaps.

We’ve had an incredible year but if we had missed out on Champions League given the position we had put ourselves in it would have been hugely disappointing and there would have been questions to answer all summer about our best players and our prospects for next season. Fortunately we don’t have to worry about that now, well at least not to the same degree.

Which players do you think would be ideal (and realistic) signings this summer (don’t feel limited to only players who have been linked to Newcastle United in the media)?

I’ve written a whole article on the so give it a read here.

Outside of the players I’ve already talked about I would love to see us sign someone like James McAtee or Oscar Bobb from Man City. They’d be perfect to push our current players for game time and are stars of the future.

Any Newcastle players you would be ok with leaving, that might surprise other NUFC fans (Including any where you think the money received for them and the extra PSR flexibility it would give, could then lead to an overall better team/squad)

I wouldn’t offload anyone for PSR reasons this year (I don’t think we need to). However, if we received a substantial bid for Gordon I would consider it. Anthony Gordon is an exceptional player and a great character and I would love to see him flourish at the club for years to come. That being said there are other great players who play in his position and if selling him means we could free up cash to build the future of the club you have to at least consider it.