This isn’t the Newcastle United team I expected

Watching this Newcastle United team has so far raised more questions than answers.

Many more.

I am not writing off any of the newcomers, whether that is Matthias Jaissle or any of the signings.

History tells us that snap judgements are often proved wrong with the benefit of time, so personally I will give all of them a proper chance to show what they can, or can’t, do.

To be honest, I admit I hadn’t previously heard of Matthias Jaissle or any of the eight players that ended up coming in this summer, with the exception of Nico Gonzalez. Even then I confess that the sum total of my knowledge was that he is a midfielder and wasn’t a regular first choice Manchester City player. I couldn’t have described what his strengths and weaknesses were but of course once it became clear we were going to sign him, I then became a Nico Gonzalez expert like the rest of you, as we searched for info and footage of him online.

On the other hand, when it comes to the players in this Newcastle United team who hadn’t just arrived this summer, I/we know them well. Their strengths, their weaknesses…

This was the Newcastle United team on Thursday night at the Hill Dickinson Stadium…

Hornicek, Dedic, Schar, Burn, Hall, Gonzalez, Willock, Ramsey, Barnes, Murphy, Osula

Back in say February, if you had asked me to name the Newcastle United team I hoped would be first choice in the 2026-27 season I would have been proved wrong on ten counts. The honourable exception is of course the brilliant Lewis Hall.

The 2026-27 Newcastle United team I would have had in mind back in February…

Trafford, Livramento, Thiaw, new left-side centre-back, Hall, Bruno, Tonali, new midfielder, Gordon, Elanga, new striker

Needless to say, the eight months that have followed February 2026 haven’t turned out as I expected, as I hoped. The same for pretty much all of you I imagine.

Many factors have contributed to the changes that have happened at St James’ Park, including what the Newcastle United team is now, compared to what I’d expected, hoped for.

The severe pressures brought about by the UEFA SCR situation, on top of all the existing disadvantages the likes of Newcastle United and Aston Villa have when it comes to the ability to pay the wages and transfer fees, compared to the financially dominant six. You have then had a change internally at NUFC whereby the Sporting Director leads on who is signed and sold, Eddie Howe deciding to leave and a new face to the Premier League arriving, then so many ins and outs in the transfer window, plus so many injuries and players struggling to get back to full match fitness.

This Newcastle United team we now have. It is what it is.

Photo by Matt Busby Said via The Mag

Going through that Newcastle United team that faced Everton…

Lukas Hornicek

We were always going to be getting a new first choice keeper and Lukas Hornicek was no doubt on the club’s radar. Though I do think James Trafford was who Eddie Howe clearly wanted and it had looked as though he’d finally come to Tyneside. That didn’t happen and to be fair to Hornicek I think he looks a good signing and somebody who will improve as he adjusts to the step up from the weak Portuguese league.

Amar Dedic

A similar story to our goalkeeper as Dedic gets used to the Premier League after moving from Portugal. The club made clear he was already on their radar and not just Matthias Jaissle then arriving and recommending a player he’d already managed. If things had turned out the way I’d hoped/expected they would for this season, then Amar Dedic may well still have been signed, especially as he can play on the right and left, but I think he would have been on the bench more than in the first team and that may still happen if Tino ever manages to stay fit and available.

Fabian Schar

Has been a brilliant player for Newcastle United but he turns 35 during this season and I expected him to be a back-up central defender this season.

Dan Burn

See above.

Lewis Hall

Levels above all of our other players.

Nico Gonzalez

I don’t think the club were thinking of buying him from Manchester City but Bruno’s departure pushed this signing.

Joe Willock

Assumed he would have left this past summer.

Jacob Murphy

See above.

Jacob Ramsey

Improved as last season went on but still had it to prove that he could/should be first choice. I expected a new signing coming in to play alongside Bruno and Tonali and Ramsey as main back-up.

Harvey Barnes

I like Harvey Barnes but didn’t expect him to be first choice this season. Even with all the injuries last season he only started 19 Premier League games and remarkably came off the bench in 18 of the other 19. For me, I expected him to be back-up this season but instead he is automatic first choice as things stand.

William Osula

By the end of February 2026 the Danish striker had scored a total of two Premier League goals in his entire career. An excellent late run of six Premier League goals began with his superb solo effort that defeated Manchester United in March despite NUFC going a man down. I expected him to be the main back-up striker this season but due to that late run of goals last season and by default (not signing a new clear first choice striker), Will Osula is Newcastle’s first choice striker, when fit.

I hope Matthias Jaissle proves to be the long-term answer for Newcastle United, only time will tell.

What I do know though is at the moment I am bemused when so many fans are…bemused when this Newcastle United team aren’t doing far better, why they are so up and down, why they look so fragile at times once conceding, why individual errors happen, why chances are missed and goals conceded, why they rarely dominate the opposition.

Photo by Matt Busby Said via The Mag

This Newcastle United team is currently one made up of players who I/we expected to have left by now or be squad players, supplemented by new signings who to greater or lesser extents are still integrating and not helped by the fact that so much experience and quality was lost this summer.

Hopefully the injury and fitness situation will significantly improve and help the Newcastle United team to do the same. With most players available there will hopefully be enough quality that can be knitted together to bring relative success this season, though that relative success has a relatively low glass ceiling of potential compared to the Newcastle United team I envisaged this season, that I hoped for.

Best of luck every time, every season, to whichever 11 players take to the pitch for Newcastle United. At the moment though I will be hoping for the best but fearing the worst, as this looks a difficult season ahead and my expectations have been significantly lowered.