Newcastle Utd brought the curtain down on a the 2023-24 season with a performance at the GTech Community Stadium that in so many ways reflected what supporters have witnessed since it started back in August with that fine win over Aston Villa on the opening day. From the highs of European nights under the lights to the lows conjured by injury and suspension that robbed Howe of key players for extended periods of the season, heads have rarely dropped either within the squad or in the stands as club and supporters have stood as one to come through whatever was thrown at them.
 
And Sunday was no exception. Producing some wonderful football orchestrated by the conductor that is Bruno Guimaraes and roared on by some 2,000 supporters who had made their way down to the capital in party mood, Newcastle looked nailed on for all three points as well as adding to their already rich goal difference as they roared into a 3:0 halftime lead through goals from Harvey Barnes, Jacob Murphy and Alexander Isak. And it could have been four, but for a glaring miss by the returning Joelinton, who was starting his first game since early January following surgery on his damaged thigh.
 
And all this came after narrowly avoiding going 1:0 down in only the second minute thanks to a VAR call that disappointed former magpie Ivan Toney, when his teammate Bryan Mbeumo was ruled offside in the build-up. 
 
But Brentford had other ideas and within three minutes of the restart they pulled a goal back courtesy of Vitaly Janelt and when, in the 70th Minute the ever-dangerous Wissa out turned Dan Burn and fired a low curling shot past a despairing Nick Pope it looked like the inevitable Brentford comeback that their play deserved was very much on.
 
However, Brentford then conspired to hand the advantage back to the magpies when Mbeumo brought down Lewis Hall and the referee awarded a penalty, only to then downgrade it to a freekick, having deemed, through the persuasive eye of the video assistant referee that the initial foul occurred outside the box. 
 
Isak took the free kick which h was saved by Flekken in the Brentford goal, but his parry only landed at the feet of Bruno Guimarães, and he calmly slotted the ball home to restore the two-goal advantage.
 
Newcastle saw out the remaining seven minutes plus the 11 minutes found by the referee to count as time added on for stoppages and in doing so sealed seventh place in the final premier league standings; denied sixth only by the 2:1 defeat inflicted on Bournemouth by a rejuvenated Chelsea. 
 
In normal times seventh place should present Newcastle with a place in next season’s Europa Conference League but these are not normal times, and this has not been your normal season.  So as the squad jetted out to fulfil a post season commitment in Australia the wait for confirmation of European football continues until the outcome of next weekends FA Cup final. A win for Manchester Utd would see them pip Chelsea to the Europa League spot and in doing so Chelsea will be awarded the Conference League berth provisionally handed to Newcastle; leaving the Magpies empty handed.
 
Speaking after the game Howe was asked to give his assessment of the season overall and where his squad finished the season, and he responded saying: "Is seventh a success? I think it is. I never judge it by league position. But looking behind that - the amount of goals we've scored this year tells you something. The amount we've conceded tells you something. The feeling in the group is so strong. There's a real bond between staff and players.
"When I look back on this season, I'll only have good memories. Some really challenging moments when we had to dig deep, but the players never let me down. 

"I think it's been a season of progression; my feeling is we've grown stronger as a team. I couldn't be happier with where we are. But that has to continue”.

Newcastle Utd travel to the GTech Stadium to face Brentford on Sunday afternoon with an armada of faithful Geordies taking to the Thames to follow them in the final premier league game of the season.
 
And this fixture, despite Sky Sports effort to convince the world that all eyes should be on Anfield for some obscure reason that only Sky Programmers can explain, this fixture is anything but a dead rubber.
 
There are permutations aplenty to digest come the final whistles being blown at Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge and the GTech, with Manchester Utd, Chelsea and ourselves chasing a European slot for next season.
 
With Eddie Howe’s team starting the day in seventh spot, they need need to equal or better Manchester Utd's result at Brighton to qualify for a two-legged Europa Conference playoff on August 22nd/29th. 

However, this would be on the proviso that Erik ten Hag's side losing to Manchester City in the FA Cup Final next Saturday. 
 
Should Manchester Utd win, they would be given a Europa League spot, pushing the sixth place finisher into the Europa Conference and depriving the team finishing in seventh of European football and it is also where the outcome at Stamford Bridge starts to impact

Were Chelsea to lose at home to Bournemouth and we win at Brentford, that would be enough to see Eddie Howe's side take sixth place on goal difference. 

Sixth place would then ensure either a Europa League or a Europa Conference berth, depending on the FA Cup result.
 
It must be said however that it is our failure to pick up the necessary points in this last two fixtures that would have sealed a European place that has found us in this uncertain position in what has otherwise been a remarkable season for Howe and his squad.
 
European adventures, decent cup runs, and some outstanding individual performances and games have been mixed with an injury crisis never the like of which we have seen around St James’ Park in recent memory have made this a season of emotions but certainly not one to grumble about, unless of course that grumble is aimed at VAR!
 
Howe has some selection issues to resolve before naming his team. Does he recall Pope and Joelinton. Does Trippier start or if Schar is fit, does he simply move Krafth to fill the right back berth.
Injury concerns revolve around Anthony Gordon so Harvey Barnes could be his direct replacement if Gordon is ruled out.  Meanwhile the availability of Callum Wilson continues to keep tongues wagging around Tyneside. If fit, he could find himself on the bench.
 
Brentford are without Rico Henry, Joshua DaSilva, Aaron Hickey and Ben Mee.
They do however have Ivan Toney available.
 
The match referee is Simon Hooper. His assistants are Adrian Holmes and Simon Long. Fourth official is Gavin Ward and on VAR will be Paul Tierney, assisted by Natalie Aspinall
 
The squad flies out to Australia immediately after today’s game where they will face Tottenham Hotspur at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Wednesday, followed by a game against the A-League All Stars at the City’s Marvel Stadium on Friday.

Newcastle’s penultimate game of the season takes place on Wednesday evening when they face off against Manchester Utd at Old Trafford.
 
Newcastle head into the fixture looking to achieve something never done in modern times and that is a premier league double over the red devils; having last achieved such a feat way back during the 1930/31 season.
 
Sven Botman, Jamaal Lascelles, Joe Willock, Lewis Miley, Matt Targett, and Sandro Tonali are all ruled out while Eddie Howe is assessing the fitness of Fabian Schar before naming his squad. Kieran Trippier may return to the starting eleven after his brief substitute outing against Brighton while fitness doubts continue to curse Callum Wilson. Miguel Almiron and Joelinton both got a run out on Saturday as they continue their steady return to fitness but whether Howe considers them to be up to starting remains open. Nick Pope has been named on the bench for the last two games but whether he is selected ahead of Dubravka is another thing that Howe needs to decide upon before naming his team.
 
As for Manchester Utd, they will definitely be without Harry Maguire, fellow central defenders Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof and Lisandro Martinez, as well as Luke Shaw, Anthony Martial and Tyrell Malacia. Doubts also remain over the availability of Mason Mount, Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes. 
 
Eddie Howe takes his team to Old Trafford for the second time this season and in doing so seeking an unprecedented double after the 3:0 victory in the Carabao Cup back in November, with the goals coming from Almiron, Hall and Willock. 
 
And while reflecting on that cup victory Howe isn’t dwelling on the result. “I don’t think we’ll use it [the cup win] in any way," Howe said. "It's a very different game and moment in our season. I think it’s always when you’ve had a positive result at grounds, you’re going to visit but this is a one-off game, and we’ll do everything we can to perform well.”
 
A beleaguered Erik Ten Hag meanwhile talked openly after Sunday’s home defeat to Arsenal of Man Utd as a club facing ‘massive problems’ as they sit three points behind Newcastle in the race for a top six place.
 
“That is the situation we are in but still we can get there so we have the opportunities we have to take them and fight,” he told reporters. “Even when the problems are massive, everyone knows this, especially positions and lines.”
 
"You can't progress a team in certain key areas with so many injuries," Ten Hag added. "It's like swimming with your hands on your back and you have to keep your head above the water level, that is what we try to do." And it must be said that the swimming analogy is quite apt given the pictures of a water sodden Old Trafford that were broadcast across the world on Sunday evening as the Manchester weather showed up the shocking condition that the stadium roof has been left in by the owners.
 
Match Referee is Rob Jones, and his Assistants are Ian Hussin and Lee Betts. The Fourth official is Keith Stroud. And in the VAR hut will be Jarred Gillett and Eddie Smart.
 
Kick-off is 8pm and the game is live on Sky Sports.

Newcastle Utd and Brighton played out a 1:1 draw on Saturday afternoon in what proved to be an anti-climax for the 51,997 inside St James’ Park although the 2,000 who travelled from the south coast probably left slightly happier than those in black and white.
 
​And in all honesty Newcastle looked lack-lustre from the start and that was only made worse when they went behind on 18 minutes when, following a right-wing corner was met by Danny Welbeck whose header found Joel Veltman, and he in turn fired home from close range.
 
Brighton immediately went into defensive mode and with their ability to use the clock to kill any enthusiasm that Newcastle tried to inject; the stop start pace of the game did the magpies no favours.
 
Time and again Newcastle were thwarted in their attempts to get any momentum into their play and in truth they never really caused any problems defensively as their endeavours broke down through an inability to play a decent final ball and the longer the game went on the more hurried and uncontrolled their play came.
 
It wasn’t until the final minute of an extended 50-minute half that Newcastle’s passing finally paid dividends when some decent interplay involving Gordon and the impressive Elliott Anderson resulted in Anderson’s pass finding Longstaff, who slotted the ball home from eight yards; much to the delight of those who hadn’t departed earlier to wet their frustrated whistles on the concourses.
 
The second half brought much of the same; Newcastle huffing and puffing and Brighton happy to use the clock and the referee’s lack of enthusiasm to question the timewasting tactics to frustrate both players and crowd. One aspect that he was enthusiastic about however was stopping the game at any given opportunity, whether it was for free kicks taken too quickly or from the wrong place, or the numerous occasions Brighton players played dead; lying prostrate on the turf when no particular challenge seemed to warrant such.
 
The injection of Barnes, Almiron and Joelinton lifted the crowd, but the referee achieved more by refusing penalty appeals for fouls against Gordon and Almiron; with the latter booked for diving. 
 
Gordon did have the ball in the back of Verbruggen’s net, but the referee ruled that Almiron was offside when receiving the ball before releasing it and that summed up the game, which had echoes of last seasons game against Leicester City when we struggled in a dour 0:0 draw but still managed to gain the necessary point to achieve a European spot. That European place still needs filling, and we head into the final two fixtures still in the race.
 
Speaking to the press after the game Eddie Howe said: "Tough game, we knew it would be, Brighton are always difficult opponents.
"I don't think we hit the heights we needed to win it but, if anyone was going to, I thought it would be us.
Reflecting on conceding the lead after only 18 minutes Howe said "Poor goal (to concede) from us, we did start well, we were progressive and out of nothing they take the lead. I'm just disappointed with our product around the box and there probably weren't enough clear-cut chances.
"Without a doubt the scene, the environment created by the supporters (has helped). Even when Brighton scored, they got right behind the team, but we just couldn't find that winning goal. They have made this place a really difficult place to play. This season the crowd have taken it to another level.
"If you're not going to win the game, the draw for us is really important. I think it could be a valuable point for us. The performance was good. I have no issues with our general play. 

"Disappointed with the goal we conceded because Brighton are a tough team to play against and the game became a lot harder from that moment. Credit to the players, though, for how they kept going.
"I was very pleased with our goal. I thought that might give us the momentum needed to go and win the game, but it just didn't happen”.
 And reflecting on his decision to substitute off Alexander Isak after 68 minutes he said: "Alexander wasn't feeling very well yesterday. I took the decision to look after him with a three-game week in mind. You could see he wasn't at full tilt today’. 

and on the absence of Callum Wilson, he said: "Callum also had a little bit of illness, feeling not great in his body so hopefully we'll have him back.
"Two huge games (remain). The Manchester United game is set up perfectly, that will be massive for us. We'll give everything we can to try and get a positive result. Brentford will take care of itself on the last day. 

"As we've said all along, it's probably going to go right until the end."
 
Roberto De Zerbi was far more chippy when he spoke after they game, saying:

"I'm really pleased with the performance. We could have won the game; we could have lost the game. We played against one of the best teams in terms of physical condition in this moment.”

"It is important the point, especially in this stadium. I think St James' Park is the best stadium in the Premier League. I have twice been in this stadium and both times it was an incredible atmosphere. I don't know if the other games at home they have this atmosphere as well”. 

"The level of difficulty of this game was high: we played in our style. with courage and ideas. We are not in the best moment in my time, but we have to play with personality and ideas, and I’m pleased we did that today”.
 
"We suffered in the last 25 minutes and their four changes made a difference. We changed young players so we suffered too much but we should be proud of the performance”.
 
"We have two games at home, and we'd like to finish in the top 10. It's the first time we've played in Europe this season. It's not a big, big result but if you consider how many injuries we've had, finishing in the top 10 would be a great result and better than last season".
 
So; two away games to end the season; next out is Manchester Utd on Wednesday evening followed by Brentford on Sunday afternoon.
 
Howay the Lads.

Saturday see’s Newcastle United play their final home game of the 23/24 league campaign as visitors Brighton and Hove Albion arrive on Tyneside hoping to dent our European hopes.
 
Ahead of visits to Old Trafford and the GTech Arena to face Manchester Utd and Brentford respectively, a home win for the magpies would set up a barnstorming end to the season with places in the Europa League and Conference League guaranteed for whomever bags the fifth and sixth spot in the premier league and the form guide see’s us sitting in the box seat for either slot.
 
A huge positive for Eddie Howe ahead of these three important fixtures is the fact that Kieran Trippier is available to join a squad already boosted by the returning Joelinton, Miguel Almiron and Nick Pope; with the only negative being that Saturday comes too early for Fabien Schar who is still struggling with a slight hamstring problem. 
 
The first selection decision for Eddie Howe is whether Trippier has to settle for a place on the bench as he ponders on whether or not to change a winning formation that performed so well defensively in its last outing with Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento looking more than accomplished in their respective fullback berths.
 
It will be interesting too to see whether Howe retains the three-man attack of Isak Wilson (provided he is fit), and Gordon that created so many problems for the Burnley defence last weekend; with Isak and Wilson both getting on the scoresheet and generally blending well together.
 
There will be no return for ex magpie James Milner as the veteran midfielder is currently sidelined through injury.
 
The matchday referee is Darren England and in the VAR hut will sit Andy Madley.
 
With this being the last game of the season Wor Flags are asking supporters to get to their seats early as all parts of the ground are being included in the pre match display.
 
Enjoy the game

It was less claret and more blues for Vincent Company as his side suffered the indignation of yet another home defeat as his shell-shocked team were put to the sword by some clinical finishing from Eddie Howe’s marauding magpies on Saturday afternoon.
 
Yet Burnley started the game the more eager as not for the first time this season Newcastle struggled to get into the game and the home team could have gone ahead as early as the third minute through Jacob Bruun Larsen, but his effort was saved by Martin Dubravka, and their frustrations were compounded when referee Anthony Taylor turned down a penalty appeal following a clumsy shove on Lorenz Assignon by Bruno Guimaraes.
 
And Burnley found out the hard way that if you don’t take your chances when on top then you are made to suffer as, in their first attack Newcastle Utd took the lead through Callum Wilson as he pounced on a rebound off the Burnley keeper after Alexander Isak had seen his shot saved. 
 
Wilson’s goal came in the 19th minute and by the 40th minute the game was over as a contest as first Longstaff on 35 and then Bruno Guimarães netted with clinical finishes.
 
In all honesty Burnley were woeful as time after time they gave away possession allowing Newcastle to capitalize, and it would not have been a surprise to anyone inside Turf Moor if Newcastle hadn’t scored more before the half time whistle was blown.
 
And it was more of the same in the second half as Burnley continued to show that their passing game is simply not good enough at this level as time after time Newcastle picked them off and with the pace of Gordon, Murphy, Livramento and Isak in the opposition ranks that is not a sensible option to adopt as Newcastle picked them off at will and only the heroics of their keeper Arijanet Muric saved them from an absolute thumping. 
 
On 52 minutes Muric came to their rescue saving a poorly taken penalty from Isak after Gordon had his shirt pulled in the box by Josh Brownhill but he was picking the ball out of the net three minutes later as Isak made amends scoring his 20th premier league goal of the season. In doing so the Swede became the first Newcastle player to reach such a target since Alan Shearer in 2003. 
 
Burnley gained a late consolation goal in the 86th through a header from Dara O’Shea but the only real surprise was that Newcastle only scored four, as they wasted a number of chances. 
 
The win moves Newcastle to sixth place in the league, two points ahead of Manchester United who travel to a rejuvenated and in-form Crystal Palace on Monday evening.
 
And as for Burnley, they seem to be doing their best to show their supporters that relegation is now an almost certainty after a mini revival that had many thinking that the unbelievable was possible. However, any thoughts of a great escape from among the Turf Moor faithful look well and truly over and they need a miracle to avoid the inevitable relegation after only one season back in the premier league. In their remaining fixtures they face the prospect of an away game at Tottenham next Saturday before hosting Nottingham Forest on the final day of the season. Forest sit five points above them and are awaiting the result of their appeal against their four-point deduction for breaching Profit and Sustainability rules, their prospects look decidedly bleak.

A visit to Turf Moor awaits Eddie Howe’s depleted squad on Saturday afternoon as they continue to defy medical logic as well as ill luck and remain in the fight for a European spot despite the worst run of injury ill luck seen in many a season.
 
And that ill luck continues following the news that Fabien Schar has joined his fellow defensive partners Jamaal Lascelles and Sven Botman on the treatment table and is ruled out of  the trip to Lancashire.
 
On the plus side however the Ying to our Yang is the news that that Joelinton, Miggy Almiron and Nick Pope are back in training with the first team and getting closer to at least a place on the bench for our final four games of the season.
 
Another positive for all is the news that Sandro Tonali will not incur any extension to his ten-month global ban from football as the FA have imposed only a two-month suspended sentence and a £20,000 fine having admitted 55 charges of relating to breaches of the FA betting rules between July and October 2023, including four bets on Newcastle fixtures; all of which were on his side to win. Tonali incidentally featured in three of those four games.
 
The BBC website reported that the independent regulatory commission were informed that the process has had a "profound effect" on the midfielder and "is something he does not want to experience again".
 
The independent commission, in summarising the evidence, said the FA contended it was "highly unlikely" that it "would have ever become aware of Tonali’s misconduct but for his admissions".
 
The written reasons issued on Thursday stated the four Newcastle matches Tonali admitted betting on were:

• an accumulator involving either Newcastle to beat Brighton on 2 September 2023 or to beat Burnley on 30 September.
• an accumulator including Newcastle to beat Brentford on 16 September.
• a single bet on Newcastle to beat Manchester City on 27 September.
• an accumulator including Newcastle to beat West Ham on 8 October.

It was also confirmed by the commission that Tonali took part in an FA training programme about betting in August, nine days before his offences began, but he had not fully understood the content because of "his English being extremely limited".
 
The player will now be available for selection from the third game of the 2024/25 premier league season onwards and the challenge now will be to get the player ready both mentally and physically and while all indications are that the player is coping well with the former, it may take a while for him to reach peak match fitness; something both the player and Howe will be well aware of.
 
The return of Tonali to first team action next season will be a welcome boost to Eddie Howe and together with the inevitable quality additions to the first team squad that will come in during the summer everyone will be hoping that the club will be better equipped than ever to compete at the highest level. 
 
It is something of a miracle that Howe takes his team into the final four games of the season sitting in sixth place and very much still in the mix to gain a European spot next season given the injuries that have at times decimated the squad this season. 
 
Howe will once again call upon Emil Krafth to deputise for the injured Fabien Schar in the centre of defence and it is to his credit that Krafth has not let Howe down when called upon since returning from serious injury problems of his own. An injury that kept him out of the squad for 12 months.
 
With Kieran Trippier and Matt Targett both unavailable for selection Tino Livramento is expected to continue in his favoured right back berth with Lewis Hall again slotting in at left back
 
Another player who has stepped up following injury is Elliott Anderson, and he too has proved that he can handle it on the premier league stage slotting in alongside Sean Longstaff and Bruno Guimarães on the left side of howe’s preferred midfield trio formation.
 
And finally upfront Howe has plenty of options in the final third, with Callum Wilson now fit and available for selection, joining Harvey Barnes, Jacob Murphy, Anthony Gordon, and top scorer Alexander Isak to give Howe some formidable firepower as the chase for maximum points from the final four games commences.
 
The match Referee is the much-maligned Anthony Taylor. His Assistants are Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn. The Fourth official is Tom Bramall. The VAR is John Brooks and Assistant is Nick Greenhalgh. Best of luck to John and Nick
 
And a quick reminder to those travelling to Turf Moor. They don’t operate the quickest of turnstiles or security checks so get there early to avoid the inevitable congestion.

Eddie Howe served up a tactical masterclass at St James’ Park on Saturday afternoon as his side swept away Tottenham Hotspur in a style that this fixture has come to expect of late; while the Spurs head coach was left to wonder whether their performance was really as bad as the colour of their kit suggested.
 
Goals from Alexander Isak (2), Anthony Gordon and Fabien Schar will grab the headlines, as will the manner of the victory but it was on the tactics board that Howe dominated the latest media darling of the premier league, Spurs antipodean head coach Ange Postecoglou.
 
With multiple treatment tables now occupied by the walking wounded at Darsley Park, some may say that Howe had no option but to ring the tactical change bell given the personnel he couldn’t call upon, but Howe has rarely deviated from his preferred 4:3:3 formation all season and when he has, the success rate has not been high.
 
However, with a lack of fully fit fullbacks on both flanks and the availability of some pace and athleticism in the midfield area and upfront Howe opted to play a 3:4:3 formation with Murphy and Anderson providing support both defensively and in more advanced positions when in possession Newcastle had two capable athletes who adapted well to the role. 
 
And with Dan Burn playing on the left side of the back three and Emil Krafth on the right; both players knew that they could rely on the support of Anderson and Murphy respectively when needed.
 
Sean Longstaff was given the task of tracking an ever more frustrated James Maddison in an almost man for man role that seemed to suit his game far better than the sit and hold role that he has been accustomed to of late and with Bruno Guimarães freed up to just keep the ball moving and unleashing the ever-dangerous attacking force of Gordon Isak and Barnes Howe figured that he had the right blend to match up to Postecoglou’s resurgent Spurs side and boy was he right.
 
On a day when the possession stats counted for little, Newcastle set about pressing Spurs whenever they had possession while remaining in a shape that frustrated and bewildered the North Londoners; Howe’s team simply swatted away anything their opponents had to offer – which quite frankly was little – while producing some scintillating attacking play matched by clinical finishing.
 
And there were so many positives from a Newcastle point of view to take out of the game. 
 
Bruno produced another assured performance to not only orchestrate matters but also defy the odds by avoiding the dreaded 10th booking that would have brought a two-match suspension – a tightrope he has walked for the past 11 league games. The Brazilian is unplayable when he is in this sort of form and his sublime skills are now being matched with a mature presence on the field and Eddie Howe and his backroom team must be delighted by that. He is simply irreplaceable in this set up that Howe has created.
 
Elliott Anderson must also be singled out for praise having slotted into the team at a time when his strength and determination has been sorely needed following his extended lay off with a back injury. Anderson is a special talent and someone that hopefully has a huge future at the club and will become a regular feature in seasons to come. His work rate yesterday and the way be linked up on the left with Harvey Barnes was a joy to watch and with Barnes showing that he too has strength and power to track that left hand side both in an attacking and defensive sense and the positives of this partnership were duly noted by the watching faithful.
 
And let’s not forget about Isak and Gordon. Their pace gave the Spurs defenders an afternoon they will soon want to forget. Romero and van De Ven in particular were made to look ordinary as they were turned inside out by the attacking duo; and it is more good luck than good management that the scoreline didn’t benefit the two wearing the black and white stripes even more.
 
Also deserving of a shout out is Fabien Schar who scored a fine header from a corner in the 87th minute to round off a great day and banish the personal disappointment of last weekend’s goal that he had chalked off by a ridiculous VAR decision.  
 
Speaking after the game Eddie Howe reflected on a fine performance saying: "Tottenham are unique in what they do, and we felt we needed to change to give ourselves the best chance of what we wanted to do. I thought tactically it worked, it was a really good delivery from the players, they always deserve the praise for the execution. Our concentration levels were really good."
 
Howe also singled out Elliott Anderson after the game: "I think the emergence of some of the players people wouldn't have thought would have played will hopefully serve us well for the next few years. Elliott Anderson was excellent; he's been trying to burst into the team and stay in the team."
 
Spurs Head Coach Ange Postecoglou meanwhile has been playing play down the expectation of Champions League football at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next season and with fixtures to come against Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester City, then perhaps he is on to something!
 
And finally, a huge shout out to our main sponsors Sela, who handed over shirt sponsorship for the game to the RNID (Royal National Institute for the Deaf) to promote the support it provides to those in the community with hearing loss or impediment.
in support of the charity Sela produced a home shirt to be worn by deaf supporters that incorporated haptic technology to allows the wearer to experience through feelings and sensors the atmosphere being generated through what they see happening on the pitch and feel part of the occasion inside the ground like never before.
 
Such new technology can only improve the matchday experience for supporters with hearing impediment and Sela says that it hopes that its actions will inspire football clubs across the Premier League to improve accessibility. Well done all.

Newcastle Utd are back in home action on Saturday lunchtime when they face Tottenham Hotspurs in a fixture that could go a long way to defining what we can expect in the run in towards the season finale with European places up for grabs.
 
Newcastle currently sit in 8th place, thirteen points adrift from Spurs in 4th and separated with Aston Villa, Man Utd and West Ham currently sitting in berths that offer the possibility of European football next season. 
 
Thirteen points may seem to wide a gap to bridge with only seven games left but when you drill down and see that Spurs still have to face off against, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City, a chink of light for those below them starts to appear.
 
That is why, in some quarters the more optimistic are looking at this fixture as a six pointer for the magpies and a springboard to go into their final six games with something to chase and plenty to play for.
 
Howe’s injury table gained a couple of new squatters in the shape of Lewis Hall and Joe Willock this week and he didn’t sound too optimistic that either player would be available for selection. 
 
And speaking to the press on Friday Howe had this to say regarding Willock: "Joe has been to see another specialist to check on the progress of his Achilles which has been problematic for him. It's been a difficult injury as there has been a few complications.
 
"The feedback was positive generally in respect that it is healing. But it will fluctuate from time to time. There will be moments it won't feel so good.”
 
"For Tottenham, I probably think he won't be available. There's a chance he will be available for the rest of the season but that is unclear. We need to make sure the long-term prognosis is positive and that might mean a short period of rest."
 
Howe also addressed the absence of Lewis Hall saying: "Lewis has a tightness in his quad. No muscle pull directly but enough to see him miss training this week. He's a doubt for the game."
 
With these two adding to the long-term absentees Howe really is down to the bare bones and may be forced to call on young Alex Murphy as defensive cover. Murphy was on the bench last weekend against Fulham but was not called upon, as Howe opted for the experience of Paul Dummett when replacing the injured Hall in the dying minutes as Newcastle saw out the final few minutes of the game. 
 
However, Howe may see the youngster as a better option to counter the pace of Timo Werner and Brennan Johnson who operate on the wide berths, feeding passes into Spurs main striker Son Heung-min and the deeper lying James Maddison.
 
Another change from last weekend could see Howe unleash £145m worth of talent in the form of Barnes, Isak and Gordon from the start, rather than holding Barnes back as an option from the bench.
 
Sadly for him there will be no return for former magpie Fraser Forster this time round as he is ruled out through injury; as too is Ryan Sessegnon. 
 
The match Referee is Tim Robinson, and his Assistants are Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn. Fourth official is Oliver Langford and the VAR officials this week are Stuart Attwell and his assistant Sian Massey-Ellis.
 
And for anyone interested in stats, heat maps, kilometers ran and passes and tackles completed, there is an interesting piece on the premier league website that focusses on Bruno Guimarães and why he is one of the league’s best all-round midfielders. 
You can find it here - https://www.premierleague.com/news/3961571
 
 And remember; its a 12:30pm KO 

In terms of European competition qualification Newcastle Utd find themselves featuring in another ‘six pointer’ when they face Tottenham Hotspur in the Saturday lunchtime 12:30pm kick off courtesy of TNT Sports.
 
Last weekend’s away win against Fulham, alongside the home win against West Ham Utd and the point gained – or was it two points dropped – against Everton, Eddie Howe’s squad now find themselves back in the fight, sitting in 8th place; thirteen points adrift from fourth and fifth place berths currently occupied by Tottenham and Aston Villa respectively. 
 
However, with only two points separating them from Manchester Utd and West Ham Utd, a European place remains well within touching distance.
 
So, for those who are starting to see the season as somewhat a failure after the high of finishing fourth and qualifying for the UEFA Champions League last season the message is; have patience and let’s see where the last seven games of the season take us.
 
Home fixtures follow against Sheffield Utd and Brighton while visits to Crystal Palace, Burnley, and a rearranged trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester Utd await Howe’s squad before the season comes to a conclusion when they face Brentford at the GTECH stadium.
 
Spurs still have to face Arsenal, Burnley and Manchester City at home and have visits to Chelsea and Liverpool and Sheffield Utd while Villa have visits to Arsenal, Brighton, and Palace as well as hosting Bournemouth, Chelsea, and Liverpool. 
 
West Ham Utd meanwhile face visits to Crystal Palace, Chelsea, and Manchester City and well as hosting Fulham, Liverpool, and Luton Town.
 
And when you add to the mix the fact that Villa and West Ham are both involved in conference and Europa league games respectively – Villa face a quarter final tie against French side Lille while West Ham come up against runaway Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen in their quarter final Europa league tie - additional games for both teams could well be a possibility.
 
So, there is a lot of football to be played between now and May 19th to keep Newcastle supporters engaged before the final premier league positions are known and next season’s European places allocated.