The trouble with desperation is that… | OneFootball

The way Newcastle United fans are going on…

You would think disaster was all but guaranteed.

This is what desperation does to you.

Any sense of perspective totally absent.

Judging by the reaction of many Newcastle United fans, you would think…

A disastrous previous 2024/25season where Newcastle were relegated.

Eddie Howe had walked out and Steve Bruce had replaced him.

The club was up for sale and the Newcastle United owners set to sell to the mysterious FTM Consortium.

Newcastle’s five best players had been sold for hundreds of millions.

Only a fraction of those hundreds of millions made available to bring in replacements.

The reality on this morning of Wednesday 6 August 2025, is a little different to the above.

For me it is anyway.

The media love whipping up negativity amongst Newcastle United fans more than anything, getting them to turn on their players, manager, club and so on.

News this morning that apparently Newcastle have lost out to Man U on Benjamin Sesko.

Honestly, if this is the worst thing that has ever happened to you as a Newcastle fan then I envy you.

I keep hearing stuff (from journalists and Newcastle United fans) that this summer couldn’t have gone any worse.

The reality is that the mercurial Eddie Howe is set to lead Newcastle United into his fourth full season, has kept all of his first team contenders (his first eleven and others, such as Trippier and whichever two of the four wingers who aren’t selected), plus has added England international Aaron Ramsdale and £55m flying winger Anthony Elanga, who Forest were desperate to keep hold of.

Meanwhile, the club have made it crystal clear that they will bring in other expensive signings this transfer window, the proof of which has been a number of high value bids.

Of course there is understandable disappointment that so far we haven’t seen more successful offers made for transfer targets

However, that is a very different scenario compared to the levels of hysteria we are seeing from so many Newcastle United fans.

The missing out on claimed transfer targets has been like a stone rolling down a very steep hill, gathering ever more hysteria. The media riding that accelerating hysteria boulder for all they are worth.

Names like Cunha and Mbeumo are included, yet the former was a signing sorted my Man long before last season ended and the latter has since admitted he is a lifelong gloryhunter who only ever wanted to go to Old Trafford. Liam Delap would have gone on our bench and whilst clearly Joao Pedro was an Eddie Howe target, like countless previous Brighton employees he only wanted Chelsea.

I think Newcastle did fail with James Trafford and should have got that one sorted, however, I am not convinced that he was even being offered the chance to be automatic number one if he arrived this summer.

With Hugo Ekitike and then Benjamin Sesko, the desperation for Newcastle United fans has upped to ridiculous levels, where failure to land young strikers who have so far achieved very little for massive amounts of money (transfer fees and wages) is seen as NUFC becoming the lowest of the low. Reality is that it was Liverpool and Manchester United who were absolute desperate for a new first choice striker (or two), with not a single good enough Premier League first choice centre-forward between them. If they are able to and prepared to pay sky high wages, far beyond what Ekitiike and Sesko should really be on with their current profiles, then it is clear how difficult it has been for Newcastle United to recruit from a very small group of players who could improve the NUFC first eleven.

Newcastle United could AND should have done better with recruitment these past two months BUT it is not a disaster.

As for Alexander Isak. He either stays and keeps scoring lots of goals, or he is sold for around £150m and that extra cash would then help ensure that his departure would equal guaranteeing a number of other targets would then be signed, with that extra financial/PSR power Newcastle United would have.