The most important game of Newcastle’s season didn’t go the way of the Magpies on Saturday, with Manchester United beating Manchester City to win the FA Cup. What does missing out on European football mean for Eddie Howe’s side?
Newcastle’s financial blow and fresh contract doubt
A testing season for Newcastle finished in frustration and disappointing fashion on Saturday when Manchester United beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final, pushing the Magpies out of the European picture for next season.
The Europa Conference League isn’t what Newcastle were aiming for at the start of the campaign but it’s still a major blow to miss out – from a football and financial perspective.
This season, teams who qualified for the Conference League pocketed north of £2.5m for just making the group stages – and that figure rose with every win. Had Newcastle managed to go all the way in the competition next season, they’d have been between £12m and £15m better off, based on this term’s prize-money structure. That’s without taking into account the extra matchday income and commercial deals.
Chief commercial officer Peter Silverstone recently told of how European qualification is “really important” and makes a “big difference” when it comes to marketing and sponsorship.
For two Newcastle players in particular, missing out on Europe is likely to severely impact how their summer and future plays out. Eddie Howe admitted new contracts for Paul Dummett and Matt Ritchie likely hinged on European qualification. On the back of Manchester United’s cup win, the pair could well have now played their last game for the Magpies.
Newcastle are obviously the club who Shay Given are most closely associated with in the North East, having played more 400 times for the Magpies, but the keeper also represented Sunderland early in his career and had a short but impressive loan stint at Boro in 2013.
He’s kept an eye on Boro’s fortunes since and it’s in Given’s department, between the posts, where Michael Carrick has some interesting decisions to make this summer.
The return of Sol Brynn and Zach Hemming gives Carrick some welcome dilemmas in an area where Boro look particularly strong.
As reported by the Northern Echo earlier this week, St Mirren have already given up on re-signing Hemming after his impressive loan, and quickly moved on, landing Brentford’s Ellery Balcombe.
Both Hemming and Brynn, on the back of his impressive loan at Leyton Orient, are now hoping for a chance at Boro, and while Given fully expects Dieng – a keeper he rates highly – to be No.1 next term, he had a message for the returning loanees.
“For me age is just a number. I went to Newcastle at 21 and Kenny Dalglish gave me the shirt and said I trust you, you can go and play at that level,” he told the Echo.
“For me, age, goalkeeper, centre-half, centre-forward, it doesn’t matter. If you’re good enough, you can play. That needs to be their mindset as well. 23, 24 for me is a great age to be playing regularly in the Championship.
“I definitely don’t look at that as an issue. I do think with Carrick, if they’re good enough, he would play them.”
Given believes Boro are in safe hands with Carrick and expects his former side to challenge for promotion next term.
He said: “As a player Michael always came across really level headed and I think it’s the same as a manager. There’s a calmness. And I think with the owner as well, there’s a lot of faith. They didn’t go up this year but he wasn’t under pressure. I think there’s a real feeling that he’s the right person to get them back to the Premier League.”
Sunderland farewell
There was a farewell at the Academy of Light this week, with Karen Casey – PA to the head coach and directors – leaving Sunderland after 10 years at the club.
She was a hugely popular member of staff and will be sorely missed at Sunderland’s base.
Former Sunderland kitman Ste Aziz described Karen as the “heartbeat of the place”.
Writing on X, Karen said she’s made “loads of lifelong friendships and wishes everyone at SAFC nothing but the best”.
It’s 100 days since this week since Michael Beale was sacked and we still don’t know the identity of the new head coach.
We now know the next boss won’t be Danny Rohl or Bo Svensson after this week’s developments. And there’ll likely be at least a bit more Will Still clarity in the next week, for Norwich are expected to name their new boss after David Wagner’s sacking.
Still has held talks with the Canaries, but Nordsjaelland boss Johannes Hoff Thorup and Pascal Jansen are also said to be in the frame.
