Magpie 24/7

🤩 WHAT A Week for Newcastle United & What A Week To Come! 😍 Welcome back to toonTALK our weekly, free podcast and today is Episode 28 with your host Ian, who is joined today by myself, Paul. On today's menu we are basking in the glory of a great week for Newcastle United and looking ahead to what might be an even better week coming up, on the 1 year anniversary of our Wembley win in the League Cup Final 🏆 🎙️ In this episode we talk about: 🔵 Stamford Bridge Silenced: We break down that brilliant 1-0 victory over Chelsea. Anthony Gordon was the hero again, and the defensive shift the lads put in was nothing short of heroic. Our first win at the Bridge in 14 years—how good does that feel? 🇪🇸 Destination Barcelona: The big one is here. We head to the Spotify Camp Nou this Wednesday for the Champions League Round of 16 second leg. After that gritty 1-1 draw at St James' Park, it’s all to play for. Can Eddie Howe’s Mags pull off a miracle in Catalonia? 🔴 Derby Day Looming: If Barca wasn't enough, we’ve got the Tyne-Wear Derby against Sunderland coming up this Sunday. It’s a relentless schedule, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. How are you feeling about the trip to Barcelona? Can we get the job done? Let us know your thoughts in the comments! #NUFC #NewcastleUnited #toonTALK #Chelsea #Barcelona #UCL #ChampionsLeague #Fanalysis #PremierLeague #Geordies #Sunderland youtu.be/ZTwJi5vtldU?si…

🕵️‍♂️ Many f​ans spotted Yoane Wissa was missing from the iconic dressing room photo after the 1-0 win at Chelsea and the crazy rumours started flying—is there a rift? Well t​he truth isn't glamorous, no he was simply in the toilet when the photo was taken, well according to Craig Hope - and I've no idea how he knows that! 😅 ​However, it’s not all smiles. Reports suggest Wissa is struggling to find his rhythm after his injury and is currently "off the pace" both physically and mentally. With zero minutes against Barca, it looks like he’s playing for his future come pre-season 🤔 ​Can Wissa still be a success on Tyneside, or was the £55m price tag too much pressure? ​#Wissa #NUFC #PremierLeague #Geordies

🇩🇪 BAYERN MONITORING WOLTEMADE? 💸 ​The noise around Nick Woltemade never goes away does it! Despite being a record £69m signing, he didn’t see a single minute of action in the 7-2 aggregate loss to Barcelona. ​Now according to Craig Hope, Bayern Munich are reportedly 'monitoring' his situation. While not a top target yet, a good World Cup showing could trigger a move back to Germany. ​ Eddie Howe clearly doesn't see him as a #9 right now, and he's looked out of place in the #8 role 🤔 ​Is it time to cut our losses, or does the 24-year-old deserve a second season to adapt to life in the Premier League? 🦁 ​#Woltemade #BayernMunich #TransferNews #NUFC

SCOUTING MISSION UNDERWAY 🔍 ​Newcastle could be looking at a total defensive rebuild this summer. With Schär, Trippier and Krafth likely leaving and Tino Livramento yet to sign a new deal amid Man City interest, the recruitment team is busy according to The Daily Mail: ​👀 Hugo Bueno (Wolves): Scouts watched him this week as potential LB cover. ​👀 Michael Kayode (Brentford): On the radar for the RB slot, though relations with Brentford remain "tense" after the whole Wissa saga. ​Who is your #1 priority signing for the defence this summer? 🤔 ​#NUFC #TransferWindow #Livramento #HugoBueno #Newcastle #Wolves

2030 AMBITION vs. REALITY 🏟️ ​Newcastle’s Chief Commercial Officer David Hopkinson wants us to be a 'top global club' by 2030, and whilst saying that is great, there's currently a disconnect between this and the reality of modern day football. ​Without a stadium expansion announcement, new training ground plans, or more frequent communication and involvement from the owners, the 'optics' aren't matching the stated ambition. Although we can and will spend this summer, FFP/PSR rules continue to act as a handbrake on our spending. We have come a long way in a short time, but we've got a hell of a long way further to go to be anywhere near 'best in class' 🏁 ​Do you feel the club is moving fast enough off the pitch? What can we do to speed up the growth of the club on the pitch? Will we keep the Bruno's of this world with the vultures circling? 🤔 ​#PIF #NewcastleUnited #FFP #BrunoGuimaraes #NUFC

🇮🇹 Newcastle United fans can breathe a collective sigh of relief on Sandro Tonali. After the midfielder was forced off during our Champions League clash against Barcelona, there was immediate concern that he might be facing a significant period out at the business end of the season. . ​The anxiety surrounding a potential long-term layoff has been settled by positive news from Gianluca di Marzio. Following an MRI scan today, it was confirmed that Tonali has only suffered a minor edema. Crucially, there is no structural damage to the ligaments or bone, which is the best-possible outcome! While the Italian international was initially considered a major doubt for the upcoming Tyne-Wear derby, the diagnosis suggests his recovery will be measured in days rather than weeks, so he'll stand a chance! ​Newcastle's current strategy is to monitor Tonali on a day-to-day basis to ensure he returns to full intensity as soon as possible without risk of a setback. Although Italy is keen to have him ready for their upcoming World Cup playoff campaign, Newcastle’s immediate priority remains his availability for domestic duties and a hugely important run in. Gabriele Gravina, president of the Italian Football Federation, also commented on Tonali’s injury after speaking to the midfielder himself. “I spoke to him via phone with the coach and our doctor. He was more relaxed than when he left the pitch. There is some concern, but it’s moderate. Today’s tests have provided reassurance. He needs to recover, and he’ll do so with all the means at our disposal. There’s reason for optimism.” Let's see what Eddie says on this tomorrow! 🤞 #NUFC #NUFCNews #Newcastle #EPL

Simon Jordan has staunchly defended Eddie Howe’s position at Newcastle United, asserting that even a high-profile manager like Luis Enrique could not surpass Eddie's current achievements!: ​"The challenge for them is: How do Newcastle United square this circle of having the idea of having the world's richest owners? Having this marvellous fanbase that are - not demanding success - but wanting it so much and obviously we saw that last year when they won the League Cup." Simon questioned whether our current league position is truly a failure, noting that we are largely sitting behind clubs we should realistically be competing with. He argued that finishing around sixth or seventh would constitute a job well done, despite the high expectations set by our previous Champions League qualification. ​"Other than that, where is the argument, what can Newcastle do? They've got to punch massively above their financial weight to break into the top six, so really and truly what we are talking with Newcastle being ninth in the Premier League, is if they go past Brentford and Everton and finish seventh or sixth, they've done their job. But they won't have done their job prima facie because they have been successful in getting into the Champions League." ​He highlighted the "commercial reality" that prevents Newcastle from matching the spending power of Europe’s elite, citing our inability to keep top talent away from "legacy clubs like Liverpool." He suggested that the path forward for the PIF involves long-term infrastructure rather than just transfer spending. ​"They have got the moniker of having the world's richest owners, but they have got the backdrop...the commercial reality (is) they cannot go pound-for-pound with these boys who are spending £250m every transfer window. They can't keep their best players, because their best players are going to legacy clubs like Liverpool. So what do they do? The only thing they can do is do something that they should have done and what they should be doing now, which is build a new stadium. Increase the capacity of the stadium, increase the revenues, get some more opportunities to be able to monetise themselves better." ​As we attempt to move past our European 'nightmare,' Eddie must quickly refocus the squad. We face Sunderland in the Tyne-Wear derby this Sunday, a match that now takes on even greater significance as we look to get back into Europe next season and get back 'on the saddle' after last night's painful second half. #NUFC #NUFCNews #Newcastle #EPL

I was saddened to read on Newcastle United FC Fans of a Newcastle United fan out in Barcelona who has fallen and is now in intensive care with a bleed on his brain. From both myself and the entire bunch of folks on Magpie 24/7 - Newcastle United we are all praying he fully recovers and we are sending him our very best 🖤🤍 #NUFC #NUFCNews #Newcastle #EPL #ChampionsLeague

💩🥄 Certain southern media outlets are trying to cause trouble already I see on the back of last night! Nowt fresh there then!!!!! Stating the obvious here like but NO Manchester United are not in 'advanced talks' or any talks for that matter for Bruno Guimarães. Various local journalists have crapped all over this total non story from a great height! ❌ 🤔 Does that mean there is no truth in Manchester United’s interest? Well that’s a totally different question, but as things stand there is nothing going on and for the figures quoted nor is there likely to be!!!! It's just folk trying to kick us whilst we are down! Doom mongering! Players may well come and go this summer but it will be on OUR terms! #NUFC #NUFCNews #Newcastle #EPL

as they say. So there you have it. More weird and wonderful moments from over the years of supporting the Toon. And here's to a few more next time! 🖤🤍 #NUFC #NUFCNews #Newcastle #EPL #FBLifestyle Graham for Magpie 24/7

✨📖 Welcome to another edition of Magpie Moments, Episode 7. I'd like to think that this edition encapsulates the feeling that #NUFC can be a very different kind of club. It's not just glory & despair; no, we do a great line in the downright bizarre as well! But, we'll start with a lovely goal just to remember that we are actually capable of a bit of unbridled joy as well! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Mark McGhee channelling Mexico '86 Diego Maradona! It was October 1989 & Newcastle United were flying high near the top of the old Division 2 in the hunt for promotion. We'd started with a 5-2 thumping of promotion favourites Leeds, Micky Quinn getting four on debut & been reasonably consistent all season, sitting in 5th with what should have been a simple home game to come against Bradford. Newcastle being #Newcastle though, nothing is ever straightforward & going into the final minute of the game, we'd huffed and puffed, missed a penalty & hit the post. Enter Mark McGhee who'd finally broke his scoring duck in late September & had scored in the previous 3 games. Taking the ball from a throw in McGhee held off his marker, future Toon centre half Peter Jackson, & eventually turned towards goal. Although not being blessed with any pace to speak of McGhee had momentum & simply barrelled his way past defenders, slaloming left & right until he was out in front of goal & able to slot the ball past the keeper. A simply brilliant goal! I was on the Gallowgate & the reaction was chaotic; sheer relief coupled with an instinctive need to stay on your feet while all around you pushed, shoved, jumped & hugged. Watching the goal again now I was amazed to hear commentator Roger Thames describe McGhee as "hurtling towards the danger zone". He didn't. In fact, it looked like he didn't have the energy to celebrate when it went in, instead being dragged to the ground by Micky Quinn. The season would end woefully with the infamous play off defeat, but this was another moment where being a Toon fan is just the best thing in the world! 🇦🇷 Jonas released. It takes a certain kind of boss to display a complete lack of sympathy, empathy or interest in an employee who has been diagnosed with cancer & Mike Ashley was that certain kind of boss! So when Jonas Gutierrez was given his diagnosis of testicular cancer the club were slow to help. Then, when he returned after treatment it was felt that he was "a liability". He wasn't selected because his contract stipulated that a certain amount of appearances would trigger an extension. Hence the final day shenanigans & screaming up to the director's box following his selection & goal against West Ham that year. But this wasn't the biggest example of lacking any humanity here. No, that came when John Carver broke the news that Jonas was being released. By phone. When Jonas was on holiday. Yep, 'Carvs' - who was only following orders from above - rang Ryan Taylor to break news of his release & when it transpired that Jonas was there too, Carver simply asked Taylor to put him on! I mean, imagine that. "Hiya Jonas. Aye it's John Carver. Good holiday so far? Tayls behaving himself? Why am I ringing? Oh, aye...well you know how you've been poorly & that? Well, Mike's asked me to call, just out of courtesy like, to tell you that we'll not be renewing your contract. We're releasing you...hello? Jonas? Hello?" You stay class, Ashley. 🤠 The Indian War Cry. Readers of a certain vintage will know what this alludes to instantly. But lots of younger fans won't have a clue. This was a 'moment' that used to happen every home game in the 80s. If memory serves there was never a prompt or a traditional time for it, but during every match a bloke used to stand up in the Strawberry corner & belt out an Indian war cry! There's footage of it on YouTube & a bit of research tells me he was called Davy, but try as I might I could never locate his whereabouts. What can I say? It's just another one of those moments that makes our club as mad as a box of frogs..

I still can't quite get over that second half performance. Honestly a brutal way to end our Champions League journey. But the champions League WILL do that to you if you aren't on it. As bad as it was. They've got the perfect game next to try and put it right! Sunderland at home. A good opportunity to get a good response from yesterday and try and aim for European football for next season. A loss however after yesterday...could really kill our season off! #NUFC

🇪🇺🏆 Look last night hurts, it does after every defeat, however I was at Glanford Park to see us go down 2-1 against Scunthorpe United, so I can take going out of the Champions League at the last 16 stage to Barcelona at the Nou Camp. Whilst we were losing that night in Scunthorpe, Barcelona were playing in the Champions League at the very same time - they eventually got to the semi-final in that season's edition. Clearly we've a long way to go before we have the squad to compete against the likes of them, but that doesn't mean I'm worrying at all ahead of the game on Sunday against Sunderland, who could only dream of the European run that we've had!!! Some folk have short memories is what I'm saying. We were in that contest throughout the first game and up to the penalty at half time yesterday, afterwards we crumbled and that can happen. We are still developing and learning at this ELITE level and we clearly need a much better competitive squad to get further, but I already knew that before a ball was kicked really and I was just hoping we could over produce and get a plucky win! Wounds licked, now safe travels home and let's focus on Sunday because them lot, despite doing well so far this season for them, are certainly not a Barcelona and in the league we've done well recently against Manchester United and Chelsea and we've a European place to secure this season ahead of a busy summer no doubt!!!!!! No feeling sorry for ourselves! 🖤🤍 #NUFC #NUFCNews #Newcastle #EPL

Happy birthday to former Newcastle United right back Warren Barton, (centre partin'!) 🎉🥳 One of our best EVER rightbacks and a top bloke. Definitely an adopted Geordie 👏 #NUFC #NUFCFans #Newcastle #l

Was a shocking 2nd half but the carnage in that away end for 1-1 and 2-2 are something I'll never forget. #NUFC

Just on my way back to the hotel. Honestly that second half was one of the worst I've ever seen. Totally fell apart after the penalty before the break....and didn't even come out in the second half. It's a shame because to pull it back twice through Elanga. We had hope that going into the second half we could get back into it. But that second half just wasn't good enough. #NUFC

A Reality Check: Remember Where We’ve Come From ​If you’re one of the few seriously calling for Eddie Howe’s head or complaining after tonight, you need a massive reality check. It is time to remember exactly where we’ve come from and how fast we’ve traveled to get here, we are loyal and passionate to the end. ​Look, we have to be honest—yes, Eddie got things wrong tonight and other nights, and yes, players have made individual mistakes. But everyone makes mistakes, from the dugout to the pitch to everyday life. This season hasn't gone exactly to plan in every department, but we should be incredibly proud of how far this club has come in such a relatively short period of time. When you factor in the constraints of FFP and everything else that has been thrown into the mix, what this squad and manager have achieved is nothing short of a miracle. ​Not too long ago, our reality was Mike Ashley as an owner and the soul-destroying grind of the Championship. We were playing away to the likes of Rotherham on a cold Tuesday night, praying for a scrap of ambition. Fast forward to tonight: we’ve just been knocked out in the Last 16 of the Champions League against five-time winners Barcelona. ​ ​The scoreline hurts, but there are levels to this sport. We’ve gone from the doldrums of English football to competing in the knockout stages of the greatest club competition on Earth. We’ve taken the Toon Army from Qarabag in Baku to Marseille, Leverkusen, and PSG, giving a brilliant account of ourselves every step of the way. Tonight, we simply ran out of gas against a world-class machine. There is no shame in that, and anyone suggesting otherwise has a very short memory. ​Now is the time to stay 100% behind the team. The best way to ensure we have a strong finish to the season is to get behind the lads right now. Starting from this weekend, we need to have a really, really good go between now and the end of the season to see if we can get back into Europe and salvage something massive from this campaign. ​The European lights are off for now, and the Tyne-Wear Derby is calling. We lick our wounds, we get back to Tyneside, and we get ready to roar the boys on against Sunderland. Forget the chatter—support the team, back the manager, and let’s win the derby! #NUFC #NUFCNews #Newcastle #EPL #ChampionsLeague

Final Score: Barcelona 7-2 Newcastle United (8-3 on agg) See you later, Champions League 👋 ​Tonight was a sobering reminder that there are, quite simply, levels to this game.... Newcastle are out at the last 16 stage against 5 times Champions Barca. This is the best we've ever done in this competition. ​At the Camp Nou, we didn't just face a team; we faced a machine operating at the absolute pinnacle of world football. It’s a different atmosphere, a different pace, and a level of technical precision that few in the world can match. While the scoreline is heavy, we have to go easy on the lads—they’ve bridged gaps this season that many thought were impossible. They ran until the tank was bone dry against the very best, and there is no shame in being caught out by world-class quality when the gas runs out. ​One result doesn't erase the miles covered or the giants we've rattled. This European campaign has been a right statement of intent, taking the Toon Army to every corner of the map. From a statement 9-3 aggregate win over Qarabag, to proving we could handle the heat against traditional powerhouses like PSV and Leverkusen, all the way to staring down PSG in their own backyard and refusing to blink. We have given a magnificent account of ourselves, and this season, the lads haven't just played for the badge; they’ve elevated it. ​Tonight we lick our wounds, but tomorrow we start the march home. There is absolutely no room for a European hangover because Sunday is everything. The Champions League lights are dimmed for now, and in their place comes the raw, white-hot intensity of the Tyne-Wear Derby. ​Now, more than ever, we need to stay 100% behind this team. We cannot afford any negativity or dwelling on what happened in Barcelona. Every ounce of our energy needs to be focused toward supporting the lads and backing them for this massive game on Sunday. They have given us moments to remember; now it’s our turn to carry them through the biggest game of the domestic calendar. We are wounded and we are tired, but we are Newcastle United—and we are ready for Sunderland who have no idea what Europe is even about! #NUFC #NUFCNews #Newcastle #EPL #ChampionsLeague

6-2. Wave the white flag. This is done! Painful second half 😖 #NUFC #NUFCNews #Newcastle #EPL #ChampionsLeague

⏸️ HALF-TIME AT THE CAMP NOU ​FC Barcelona 3-2 Newcastle United ​What a shift from the lads! It’s been a breathless 45 minutes of attacking football today. Going behind three times in a stadium like this would break most teams, but this Newcastle side is built different and we are still in this! ​The Game Plan for the Second Half: ​We are more than capable of scoring in this game. We’ve shown we can hurt them, now we just need the discipline to see it through! We have to be more compact at the back. We can't afford to give world-class players any extra space in the final third. ​Whatever happens, I am immensely proud of the shift the team put in during that first half and I'm over the moon for Elanga. Let’s keep this momentum going, equalise AGAIN and then push on!!!! ​HOWAY THE LADS! ⬛⬜ #NUFC #NUFCNews #Newcastle #EPL #Barcelona

Elanga AGAIN!!!!!! 🇸🇪🤩 #NUFC #NUFCFans #Newcastle