Amanda Staveley got things done and still gutted she is no longer at Newcastle United

An ideal time in the heart of the festive season to get a snapshot of views from Newcastle United fans on how they think things are going.

So we sent out various questions to a small number of regular/irregular contributors to The Mag.

Asking these Newcastle United fans some of the important questions of the day.

As well as some with a seasonal twist.

Here we have David Punton giving his answers:

What would have been a perfect Newcastle United Christmas present to unwrap?

I’m writing this in aftermath of the 1-0 defeat at Manchester United, so I’d have to say I’d love to see our fluency come back. The energy and the high press.

I remain firmly of the view that this team is a lot better than it’s showing and that at some point they will click again

It really has to because I’m starting to genuinely feel slightly twitchy about our manager.

Hoping that 2026 will see start to climb that league table.

In 2025, what have been your five best Newcastle United moments?

1 – Winning the League Cup. A first domestic trophy for 70 years. Historic. Seeing off Liverpool in a nail biting final, but one we thoroughly deserved to win. The feeling at full time was such pure elation.

The semi-final needs a mention too. It looked like we had a mountain to climb, yet over two legs we took Arsenal to bits. I was in sheer disbelief we came through that tie.

2 – The League Cup trophy lift. Tears. Seeing our players go up to get that cup after so many years of false dawns and those Mike Ashley years, it was something that we can cherish. It ought never to be taken for granted. As times passes it will sink in more what they achieved.

3 – The League Cup parade. Around 300,000 people in the city centre. A sea of black and white. It was a day where you had to pinch yourself. One of them you really needed to be there.

4 – Champions League football. Not to be sniffed at. Winning a cup followed up by sneaking into the premier European tournament yet again. We’ll miss it when we don’t have it.
5 – Beating Benfica. Some payback for the 2013 Europa League games. We played so well against them, it was a brilliant night against Jose Mourinho’s men.

In 2025, what have been your five worst Newcastle United moments?

1 – Isak saga. Appalling behaviour from Isak. Hero to zero. All he had to do was stay committed until a fee was agreed.

Instead he goes AWOL. Totally unprofessional from a player who had been hailed a hero. So much for all that ‘alreet wor kid’ on the Town Moor.

In my humble opinion, Virgil Van Dyk tapped him up on the pitch at Wembley at full time – though I can’t prove it, he was seen whispering in his ear.

2 – Losing down the road. What a pathetic way to lose on Wearside. An own goal from our centre forward. It was a freak moment but we played terribly and didn’t get going.

3 – Away form. A huge concern. Once such a good attacking side on the road, now scared of own shadow. It needs sorting out.

4- Summer transfer window. The whole window, with no sporting director, felt a hard slog. Will we ever be able to get a transfer done quickly? Hopefully this new DoF, Ross Wilson, can address that.

5 – Lack of apparent progress on new stadium / training ground. The new CEO seems to have kicked the new ground into the long grass, something Howe lamented himself. Don’t expect any news any time soon. Being a host venue for Euro 2028 seems to have muddied the waters.

One of the first acts of new Newcastle United CEO David Hopkinson, was to come out and announce that the club aren’t anywhere near deciding what will happen regarding a new stadium or expanded St James’ Park, never mind cracking on and getting it built. This despite the NUFC hierarchy having repeatedly in the past having indicated that an announcement was imminent. Your thoughts?

Huge disappointment. When you see what other clubs have achieved, most recent examples being Spurs and Everton.
It’s when you see these new stadia that you realise we probably do need new facilities.

As I said above, it’s going to be a while for us. There is maybe a hint there that redeveloping the current St James’ Park might be back under consideration.

That’s an idea I previously supported, before seeing Everton’s ground.

If you’re a St James’ Park purist then staying and adding an extra tier on the Gallowgate is music to the ears. It would look stunning, but the rest of current ground, in my view, would need completely refitting to modernise it, for example bars, toilets, food outlets and even new seats.

The answer we seek is a long away off.

Building on Leazes Park, mark my words, will face massive local opposition.

If you could guarantee five NUFC players to be fit for the rest of the season (including all those currently unavailable), who would you choose and in what order?

Bruno. Thiaw. Wissa. Joelinton. Tonali.

If you could invite three current Newcastle United players to yours for a social gathering at Christmas, who would you invite and why?

Dan Burn, because he’s the local legend, a great bloke and you can see he’d immensely funny to chat with. Want him to take me through that cup final goal.

Kieron Trippier. I would have to say Tripps, as he’s a great lad and a football man who I’d like to chat to.

Nick Woltemade. Love that zany German. He’d be a laugh, and it would be an opportunity to say don’t dwell on that Sunderland game and what happened. Keep moving forward and improving.

A knock on your door on Christmas Day, your place beautifully Xmas decorated, roaring fire, table laden with more food and drink than anybody could eat and drink. You open the door and freezing cold, snow bleaching down, which three cold and starving Newcastle United connected characters (past or present) would you still turn away?

Mike Ashley. He ruined the football club. It was a nightmare 14 years. Two relegations and what seemed to be asset stripping. Just a club with the pilot light on.

Steve Bruce. Recent utterances about how hard done by he was at NUFC are as astonishing as they are untrue.

Alexander Isak. Just cannot forgive him for the way he left. A hero from the League Cup final and now his scoring moment is tainted, for ever.

A bonus fourth one…Kenny Dalglish. A legend at Liverpool, but as NUFC manager he got is terribly wrong. This is the man who single handedly dismantled the best attacking Newcastle side I think I’ve ever seen. It was staggeringly bad what King Kenny tried. He alienated flair players too. His tactics were dour. He was the wrong fit. Okay, he got the win over Barca but that’s as good as it got. The 1998 FA Cup run was decent but the way he set us u in the final was abysmal. There seemed to be no game plan that day.

Assuming you don’t think that position has been reached already… what would it take for you to think Newcastle United needed to consider replacing Eddie Howe?
Unless the board do something drastic, I think the club would have to be in the bottom three for the change to come.
However, in the weeks ahead their resolve could be tested.

I’d say, be careful what you wish for.

If you were granted three New Year’s wishes to come true in 2026…

Get to the League Cup final again.

Win the home derby.

Have decent summer transfer window.

A poll on The Mag recently asked Newcastle United fans whether it would be success or failure, if this 2025/26 season ended with United mid-table in the Premier League, BUT having won the Carabao Cup again and reached the last 16 knockout stages of the Champions League. The vote ended up 60% of fans seeing that as success and 40% thinking failure. Your thoughts?

Success. Having tasted the trophy success in March 2025 my immediate thought was ‘can we do this again’.

Getting into the top four is very hard. The Premier League is so tough. We were bound to have a season where we couldn’t hit the same heights.

The thought of a knockout tie in the Champions League would also be really exciting.

What are your best ever past Newcastle United Christmas time moments / memories. Could be any kind of memories – matches, presents, whatever?

Christmas 2001/02 season. Bobby Robson had us purring. Wins away at Arsenal and Leeds Utd sent us top of the pile. That period always stands out in my memory as it was the moment the side Robson built really started to click.

Another festive memory that was a giggle was Mark Hughes losing his temper in the technical area and throwing his jacket up in the air. Lol.

What are your worst ever past Newcastle United Christmas time moments / memories. Could be any kind of memories – matches, presents, whatever?

It was just before Christmas 2014. Sunderland at home. That really stung.

Obviously it takes a ‘little’ bit of imagination but if there was a scenario where on the last day of a Premier League season… a Sunderland victory (against whoever) would mean Newcastle United qualified for the Champions League instead of Europa League BUT also meant the Mackems won the Premier League. What would you want to happen?

Happy to take one for the team here. The answer is exactly the one they’d give if it was the other way around. There is just no way I’d want them winning the title.

In your lifetime, the five people associated with Newcastle United (anybody, on or off the pitch, inside or outside the club) who you would like to say thank you to and why?

Kevin Keegan and Bobby Robson. Both managers are rightly revered on Tyneside. They created something special, lifting the club up to where it belongs during their respective tenures.

Eddie Howe. He has to be on the list. The fella from Bournemouth who won us a trophy, something that eclipses what KK and SBR managed. I’m always cautious about managers getting statues, but if I met him then I’d day a huge thank you to Eddie Howe. Maybe he really deserves one.

Amanda Staveley. Still gutted she left the club. This is the woman who never gave up, ensuring we were finally rid of Mike Ashley before laying the foundations for what eventually led to a cup win. If she could come back in some capacity I’d take it. She’s been a big miss. Great communicator and she got things done.

Rafa Benitez. Rafa’s 3+ years at United brought some cheer amid deep gloom. Some of the football was occasionally flat but he was given very little resources to work with. I’d thank Rafa for staying when we went down and getting us promoted straight away. It’s not easy to bounce back and he pulled it off when many were saying that it was going to take a few years to sort out and he might not adapt to the style of the second tier. He then kept us up and did his best to hang on for the takeover that never came.