This was my best ever Newcastle United Christmas present…

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 Matt Busby said to Joe Harvey… giving his answers:

What would be a perfect Newcastle United Christmas present to unwrap?

A ticket for the League Cup Final with our name on it, playing against an eminently beatable Chelsea.

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

The final whistle at Wembley
Dan Burn’s header at Wembley
Our second goal at Wembley
The night before the League Cup Final
The night of the League Cup Final

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

Only one that truly stands out and it was losing at home to Everton, not just because our abject performance meant that in the end we were forced in a roundabout way to celebrate a Man Utd victory, but because against my better judgement, I went to the game whilst my beloved whippet took a serious turn for the worst and later that night had to endure a trip to the emergency vet where she was euthanised. A truly rotten day.

To lighten the mood, the other was around 0600 on the day of the League Cup Final. The hangover I woke up to was the worst I’d experienced in over two decades and for a horrible few moments, I did wonder if I would be able to make the trek across London later in the day. It was that bad!

Of course I managed it, and the blessing was that I didn’t consume any alcohol before the Final, keeping my faculties intact and not needing a comfort break every ten minutes, being able to savour every moment.

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?

It’s a puzzle because I think we’ve all been guilty of thinking that away from the PSR constraints, money is no object to the PIF. So why the reluctance to announce anything in this respect?

Are they really in it for the long haul?

They surely understand that a bigger stadium will help close the commercial gap that Mike CAshley did his best to make a chasm during his sorry tenure.

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?

Guimaraes
Tonali
Thiaw
Hall
Miley

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

I’m going away for a couple of days and they’ve got an appointment at Old Trafford the following evening so it isn’t going to happen.

If you could also invite three other football people, who have no direct connection to Newcastle United, who would you invite and why?

I just said, I won’t be in.

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?

If I was in and one of CAshley, Westwood and Michael Owen knocked, they’re not getting past my new whippet who would be instructed to savage them.

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?

Sir Edward has loads of goodwill in the tank. He isn’t even doing a bad job this season!

For some fans to even consider calling for his head is baffling, considering what he’s achieved in such a short space of time. The team would need to regress massively for his position to be under threat. I have no idea what that looks like and in the modern era, goodwill can quickly evaporate, so you just don’t know.

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

Redundancy, a trophy for NUFC and for my lad to get through his studies. Not necessarily in that order!

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, because let’s face it, we have always wanted to see Newcastle United lift trophies.

Now we’ve got one on the shelf, are we content with going without so we can prioritise finishing top four or five? Is that what it’s been reduced to? Seriously?

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

Santa bringing me the yellow and green Bukta kit in the late 70s will take some beating.

Match wise, some decent trips in the mid to late 80s spring to mind, the 1-1 at Anfield in ’85 after we’d beaten them at home earlier in the season, which was followed by a 2-2 draw at Hillsborough on Boxing Day (Beardsley on the score sheet in both).

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

A recent one was sitting in a beachfront bar on Boxing Day 2012 in Saint Maarten, surrounded by Mancs (or more to the point, folk cheering on Manure), leading 3-2 at Old Trafford and conspiring to lose 4-3, Chicharito scoring at the death.

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?

That’s easy. I’d prefer to be in a competition we have a great chance of winning.

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?

Only two. Eddie Howe for delivering us a trophy and King Kev for making us believe.

Please use the comments section below to give your thoughts on how you would answer any of the questions above.