It has been quite the week for Newcastle United fans.
It began with the end of the Premier League season, as Newcastle United got the job done away to Brentford. They did everything that was required to finish above Manchester United, winning 4-2 to come seventh in the 2023/24 Premier League season.
It was three places bellow where the Magpies came last season, but it represented a decent campaign considering everything that has gone on. There was always going to be a drop off, while the situation was even tougher given the incredible amount of injuries suffered and the suspension to Sandro Tonali.
When you take all of that into consideration, it was a decent season. European football was still a possibility – all Newcastle needed was for Manchester City to do them a favour and win the FA Cup final.
But, in true Newcastle United fashion, Toon fans could not rely on the best team in the world to get the job done. They were beaten by Man United, meaning it is the Red Devils that have qualified for Europe, not Newcastle.
Whether Newcastle United are still on track under PIF
It is a real blow to miss out on Europe, and the way it happened is absolutely agonising. We blew multiple opportunities to decide our own fate, including losing at Old Trafford earlier this month.
That put the situation beyond our control, with Newcastle helpless as Man United celebrated their 13th ever FA Cup win. It is two trophies in two seasons for Erik ten Hag, which is not bad for a man that is clinging on for his job.
But where does missing out on Europe leave Newcastle United and the PIF project? The mood is still positive behind the scenes, according to iNews.
They report that club insiders at St James’ Park still believe that the club is ahead of schedule, following the conclusion of the second full season since the change of ownership.
Eddie Howe has been unable to deliver back-to-back seasons in Europe, yet his achievement of getting Newcastle into the Champions League appears to have given him credit in the bank.
Newcastle are still on the right path
While this season has seen the club regress slightly, it has not been an alarming drop off. There were plenty of disappointing moments and lessons to be learned, but we were not a million miles off where we needed to be.
Newcastle ended the season six points behind Tottenham Hotspur, who came fifth and qualified for the Europa League. That is not a huge gap, and shows how good a season this could have been had some details gone our way. There were plenty of instances where we should not have dropped points, and that cost us. For example, we took just two points from a possible 12 from our games against Everton and Luton Town. That is not good enough, and it ended up being pivotal.
But with the amount of injuries that Howe had to deal with, getting so close to European qualification is impressive. It ultimately means nothing, but it is understandable why the club still believe they are more than on track.
I don’t think anyone expected us to have competed in the Champions League at this stage, and we certainly held our own in the group of death. A seventh place finish and two domestic cup quarter finals is not bad considering the draws we got.
It certainly has not been a successful season. PIF want to be at the top. But this was not a normal campaign, and it is one that should allow the club to learn some vital lessons going forward.
Next year is a big one for Eddie Howe and his Newcastle United, but things continues to head in the right direction.
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