Season 3 - Have We Figured This Out?

We come into this section of the season knowing this is where we fell apart last season and we're trying to avoid that this year and put ourselves in a good position to go for Champions League football through the league places by the end of the season. November and December have been pretty busy with the schedule but having more options to pick from in each position is certainly keeping fitness in check this time round. We have finished our Europa Conference League league stage in this chunk of fixtures as well as played our quarter final in the Carabao Cup on top of 9 Premier League games. So with there being a fair few games to go through, let's get straight into it.

The Matches

Newcastle 3 - 0 Wolves

We start off with a very convincing win against a high flying Wolves team in the league where we have completely outplayed them and despite some poor finishing again, we still manage to bag a fair few goals when we did hit the target. We took the early lead when Wirtz won the ball in an attacking area and played it through for Isak to finish first time in to the bottom corner. It didn't take us much longer to add the second when Pino laid it out wide for for Frimpong who played it into the box to find Wirtz, who turned his defender, created some space and fired past the keeper. The rest of the first half quietened down at that point and we went into the break at 2-0 up. They believed they had one back when Doyle played it into Cunha on the edge of the box and his low effort beat Vicario, but the offside flag went up and ruled it out. Just as the game was coming to a close, Frimpong and Wirtz played with the ball a bit in the corner on the right hand side before they laid it into Kuol who then passed it across once more for Bruno who was able to smash it in off the post from the edge of the box to add a third. A very nice win to start off November.

Newcastle 6 - 0 Levski Sofia (Europa Conference League - League Stage)

Once again we were able to show how strong of a team we're going to be in this competition with a very comfortable and resounding win. It was a very one sided affair where Sesko and Kuol really showed their class with the pair of them putting in a 10 rated performance. We got started when Miley played the ball over the top for Kuol who is able to head the ball back across goal where Sesko is able to get his head on it and knock it in. Those two linked up again for the second when Kuol won the ball back on the half way line and played a one two with Sesko to release himself down the right, where instead of being greedy he cut the ball back across the box for Sesko to run on to and finish for his second of the game. Shortly before half time, Kuol found himself with space on the right wing again and this time his pass was to the edge of the box where Bueno hit it first time into the bottom corner to make it 3-0 at half time. Immediately from kick off in the second half we were able to win the ball back and hit them on the counter attack, where Kuol received the ball with plenty of space on the right once again and this time he was able to play the ball in to Sesko for a tap in for his hat trick. That was Kuol's fourth assist of the game. As we hit the hour mark Bueno made a surging run into the box where he was brought down and the referee gave the penalty straight away, Sesko stepped up and just smashed it straight down the middle for his fourth goal of the game. The final goal came when Moore was able to switch the play to Klemens on the edge of the box who had plenty of space again and his low effort found the net to round off a simple 6-0 win.

Newcastle 4 - 1 Liverpool

Up next was a far tougher opponent but the first time we see the benefits of being able to rotate our players in the midweek games as our team was much fresher than Liverpool who had played in the Champions League midweek as well. We was also helped by the training on finishing and composure starting to show fruition as this time we had 14 shots and 10 of them were on target, whereas in the past that has been probably 2 or 3 on target out of the 14. We got the opener when Wirtz took a short free kick to Pino who was able to lay it forward for Isak to hit first time from close range and make it 1-0. We thought we had a second when Gordon received the ball out wide and slid it through for Wirtz who's effort beat the keeper but the offside flag went up and ruled it out. In the second half though we took over and got our second as Pino was played through on the counter attack and he lobbed the ball over the top for Gordon who cut in on his defender and found the bottom corner. Wirtz was really controlling the middle of the pitch and for the third he decided to spread it out to the right for Pino who once again was able to find Isak in the box who beat the keeper for 3-0 and a hat trick of assists for Pino. We rounded it all off when Frimpong brought the ball forward down the right wing and cut it back to Wirtz on the edge of the box who hit it low and hard to beat the keeper and get a deserved goal for himself. Just as the game was coming to an end Mac Allister did smash one from long range to beat Vicario and get them 1 goal but another comfortable win in the end.

Nottingham Forest 1 - 3 Newcastle

We then had a very exciting attacking game with Nottingham Forest where both teams seemed to leave defending to the goalkeepers and both teams created chances galore. Fortunately for us Vicario was on form and our midfielders were able to show our strikers how to finish to get us the win in this game. We took the lead when Guehi played it forward to Miley who let it run to Gordon, where he then got down the left of his defender and was able to cut it back to Wirtz on the penalty spot to have a simple finish. There was then lots of missed chances and at half time it was only 1-0 but it was pretty obvious there were more goals to come. It was us who got the second when Klemens played it out to the left where Hall had space to run in to, he then played it in to Gordon on the edge of the box who whipped in a cross to find Wirtz again who just got on the end of it and watched it bounce in. We got our third through a poorly cleared corner that fell to Pino on the edge of the box, and his first time volley went clean through and straight into the roof of the net to make it 3-0. They again got a late one back through Richarlison curling it into the far corner from inside the box but it was too little too late.

Ludogorets 1 - 4 Newcastle (Europa Conference League - League Stage)

Next in the Conference League for us was the other tough fixture we expected to have, however we once again shown our dominance and had a comfortable time of it despite an early scare. The cup team are really playing their role this season and if it carries on we're going to start getting some headaches for who we should be selecting in the starting 11. They took the early lead when we struggled to clear a corner and they took a shot from the edge of the box that found the bottom corner. We had to wait but the equaliser came in the 37th minute thanks to them having a complete mix up. Their defender tried to play it back to the keeper from within the 6 yard box but Sesko was stood between them and was given the easiest tap in he'll ever get. A few minutes later we took the lead when Barnes received the ball from Lewis-Skelly and was able to find the net with a long range effort. It didn't take long for the second half to continue since we took the lead, Klemens sent the ball out to the right for Kuol who was able to turn it round the corner first time for Bueno who composed himself and beat the keeper with a low shot to make it 3-1. Tonali came on and played it forward in to the box where Bueno was able to find space and fire on the turn to make it 4-1 and see out a comfortable game. With these being one of the big teams in the tournament, it's starting to add belief that this team can win the whole thing quite comfortably as long as we hold our nerves in the knockout rounds.

Newcastle 3 - 0 Brighton

Back to the Premier League and this was a game that should have only been 45 minutes long. Again we're seeing improvements in our shots on target to shots in total ratio which is promising whilst our defence is really starting to shut teams out. We took the lead nice and early when Frimpong found Pino inside the box who took a shot only to find it blocked, but the rebound came straight to Gordon who hit it on the volley first time and found the back of the net. Hall then took a corner from the right where Diomande met it at the near post and his header beat the keeper a second time. Then the third goal came as Gordon was sent down the left wing by Hall, and instead of crossing it he decided to cut it back to the corner of the box where Bruno was able to rifle it into the far top corner to seal the win. The only disappointing thing was the second half just died and absolutely nothing happened but comfortable nonetheless.

Leicester 1 - 2 Newcastle

We then had a midweek Premier League game and so we decided to test out the cup team to see if they can do it in the league and not just in the other competitions. It meant the game was far closer than we would have liked but some more strong performances from them and we got ourselves yet another win. We got the lead when Bueno slid it through for Kuol who ran through and then knocked it across the front of goal for Sesko to tap in. They are starting to become a bit of a partnership in the attacking areas this season. We had to wait for our second but it came just after the hour mark when Espart played it into Sesko who was able to spin his defender and release Kuol behind the defence, he ended up at a tight angle but his effort was good enough to beat the keeper and make it 2-0. They got a late one back when Livramento was beaten in the air and the header beat Vicario to make it 2-1, then Harwood-Bellis nearly gifted them the equaliser with a really poor pass, but fortunately for him Sildillia was able to get back and get the block in just as they were shooting and save the winning streak.

Newcastle 4 - 1 Chelsea

Another strong team in the league next and despite the amount of chances being even, it was once again our newfound finishing ability that made this so comfortable in the end. We took the lead early on when Hall whipped in another corner to the near post, this time being met by Guehi and his header beat the keeper. We got the next goal when Gordon was able to bring the ball forward before switching it over to the right for Pino who chested it down and then hit it low to beat the keeper again. Gordon again proved to be the danger as he broke down the left wing again and this time played a low cross which the defender and keeper made a complete mix up about and fumbled the ball straight to Isak who had an open goal to tap it into. Around the hour mark again we had a free kick from deep which Hall whipped in and Isak was at the back post to win his header and find the net for the second time this game. They got a consolation goal in the dying minutes of extra time when Caicedo had a long range shot that got deflected and beat Vicario but never changed the game from being comfortable for us.

Shkendija 0 - 4 Newcastle (Europa Conference League - League Stage)

We then had our fifth game of the Europa Conference League and it once again proved to be very straight forward as we're starting to look a little too strong for this competition. We took the lead when Bruno played it over the top for Barnes who was able to recover it before it went out, got his cross in which was met by Sesko for a strong header which opened the scoring. Sesko added his second when Livramento took a throw in on the right and got the ball straight back, he sent in a cross and again Sesko was able to win his header and beat the keeper. Bueno then swung in a corner from the right hand side and Harwood-Bellis met it at the near post to get our third headed goal of the game. This was over at half time but we carried on in the second half for more goals, and we got the fourth when a corner wasn't cleared properly and it fell to Barnes on the edge of the box, who hit it back into the crowd but it went straight through everyone and found the corner. We thought we had another hat trick for Sesko when Kuol played it through for him from the right and he found the corner but the offside flag denied him that and we finished another comfortable game.

Bournemouth 1 - 2 Newcastle

Back to the Premier League and the scoreline made this game seem far closer than it actually was. The only thing stopping us was another great performance by their goalkeeper, who is Ramsdale at his third club in this save now and always seems to perform against us. It really looked like the deadlock wouldn't be broken in the first half and was being summed up when Gordon released Isak into the box at close range but his shot was smothered and kept out. However just as the half was coming to a close, Pino and Frimpong broke down the right hand side with a string of passes between the two of them and eventually Pino played it to the edge of the box for Miley who finished for his first goal of the season. We got our second in the second half when Wirtz played the ball over the top from a deep position and Isak was able to bring it down and finish under the keeper to double the lead. Again we conceded a late goal, this time when a cross was met by Evanilson and his header beat Vicario but they didn't create anything else after that moment to take away our win.

Newcastle 8 - 2 P Ferreira (Europa Conference League - League Stage)

The final game of the league stage was next and we made sure we took the 6 wins from 6 games and a perfect stage of the competition. Once again Kuol and Sesko put in 10/10 performances and the pair of them are really making this competition their own playground. We took the early lead when Lewis-Skelly released Moore down the left wing and his first time cross landed perfectly for Sesko to finish for 1-0. Harwood-Bellis then recovered a corner and played it into Kuol inside the box who unselfishly played it over for Sesko to have a tap in for his second of the game. Livramento and Kuol then linked up down the right hand side and Livramento brought the ball in field, before laying it off for Miley who hit it from distance for our third. Kuol then breaks into the box on a bit of a run before he cuts it across for Sesko again to tap in his hat trick all within the first 25 minutes of the game. They got one back just before half time when a low cross was flicked in at the near post but the game already felt done. The second half was purely a repeat of the first half, and we got going when Harwood-Bellis was pushed whilst trying to win a header and we got the penalty. Sesko hit it with power and it was enough to beat the keeper who guessed the right way but his fourth goal of the game couldn't be denied. Lewis-Skelly was again able to get the ball down the left wing and into Barnes who broke into the box and beat the keeper for 6-1. They then got their second with an effort from long range which Caprile wasn't able to get near to but a minute later Kuol laid it off for Bruno on the edge of the box who hit a long range effort of his own to find the top corner. The final goal came when again Kuol was able to break down the right and essentially repeat the seventh goal, as he laid it off for Bruno on the edge of the box again and this time he found the bottom corner to round off and 8-2 win and our place automatically in the round of 16 as we top the league stage.

Man City 1 - 2 Newcastle (Carabao Cup Quarter Final)

Both teams went in to this with a rotated team, but it would appear ours has had the better practice from the Conference League compared to their backup players and we had control of this game for the most part. We took the early lead when Bueno threaded it through the centre of their defence and Salia sends it curling into the top corner to continue his scoring form whenever he gets on the pitch. We almost get our second when Bueno played it into Gordon's path but his shot was well saved and it remained 1-0 at half time. They managed to get an equaliser coming up to the 70th minute when Bobb sent in a cross and Doku was able to get up and win his header. However it was short lived as just a few moments later Gordon sent in a cross towards Salia who was unable to get a touch but he had dragged the defenders with him and Wirtz was behind in plenty of space to tap home our winner. We will face Wolves in the semi final as we continue our defence of the Carabao Cup.

Arsenal 0 - 1 Newcastle

Next in the league was a huge away match against Arsenal where we're both part of a group of 5 teams that are pulling away from the rest of the league. The game unfortunately didn't live up to the hype at all and ended up being a very cagey affair with very little chances for either team. So much so that the first half went by without anything happening at all. In fact it took until the 80th minute for the first major chance of the game to happen, where Kuol went running through and laid it across the six yard box for Sesko to fire in and give us the lead. We nearly stole a second when Hall got it out on the left wing and was able to find Barnes in the box but his effort went wide and we ended up winning 1-0. Once again the substitutions have made a difference and Kuol and Sesko playing together is proving a real goldmine for goals so far this year.

Newcastle 5 - 2 Man U

The final game of 2025 couldn't have gone much better for us, Man U are having a bad season and with their new manager Ange in charge they appeared to bring the Spurs effect with them. This game ended up being so easy in comparison to the Arsenal game beforehand and we just constantly found space to create chances and deserved to score the amount we did. We took the lead when Livramento played it up the line to Pino who beat his man and got into the box, before firing it under the keeper from a tight angle to make it 1-0. The second came when Tonali sent in a corner from the left but the header was blocked, whilst it was in the air Sildillia was able to get another head on it to knock it to the edge of the box where Barnes hit it on the volley into the far corner. The third came when Livramento sent in a cross which their keeper chose to come and punch clear, but he only hit it as far as Bruno who laid it off for Barnes who curled in his second of the game and gave us a comfortable lead. They did get one back when Mount found Fernandes on the edge of the box and his shot sent Vicario the wrong way. Just as half time was coming up they had a corner, which Guehi was able to win and head clear which fell to Pino. He then ran the length of the pitch before laying it off to the side for Barnes to smash in his hat trick in a devastating counter attack. The second half quietened down a bit but they brought it to life when they got their second when a low cross was tapped home by Semih. However we were able to restore the lead we had when we force the mistake out of them trying to play it out the back and their pass went straight to Barnes who just released it to Sesko who had plenty of space and he beat the keeper again to finish off a 5-2 win and a very strong performance to round out 2025.

Competitions

Premier League

So as we approach the half way point there is starting to be a clear top 4 which we are part of. Man City have finally dropped some points after winning their opening 9 games which has brought them right back into it the mix and now there's 3 teams on 46 points and us on 44 just behind them but all on different amounts of games. Wolves continue their great season as they're up in 6th and Man U have started to recover their poor start. The bottom 3 is now filled by Luton and Sheffield United who have just been promoted, and Burnley who survived last year at Everton's expense but don't seem to be doing much more this year.

Europa Conference League

As we mentioned we went through top of the league with a perfect record, with only Trabzonspor from Turkey matching us. However 3 of the top 8 are from Greece which has been quiet an interesting development. For me the biggest shock would be Molde from Norway not even making the extra playoff round. However our players are right up there currently with the stats as Sesko is currently the second top goalscorer with 15 goals and Kuol is the second most assists with 9 so hopefully as we go to the end of the tournament they can win those as well.

Carabao Cup

Our defence of the Carabao Cup has been a good one so far and we have Wolves trying to stop us making consecutive finals and we can't underestimate them as they have just knocked out Chelsea. In the other semi final it'll be between Southampton and Arsenal, so I think I can make a good guess as to which of those will be in the final if we make it through providing there is no real shocks.

Other

Youth Intake Preview

Each season we get a youth intake, where last season we were able to show you a couple of the players who look like they could have a future, however this year we are looking like we may have a few interesting players coming through as the youth coaches have advised it's an excellent 5 star intake with the 3 best positions being a goalkeeper, a defensive midfielder and a central midfielder for us. Hopefully we strike lucky and get some very high potential youngsters coming through this year.

Best Player of the Year

Just like the NXGN award for the best under 19 player in the world, there is obviously the equivalent of the Ballon D'Or within the game although instead of just the top 3, we get to see the top 50 in the world. This year it has been won by Haaland, who was able to top Mbappe and Nico Williams within the top 3. The rest of the top 10 were Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Saka, Kane, Salah, Camavinga and Bernado Silva. Quite Real Madrid heavy however three English players in there.

We did however get two players within the top 50, with Diomande coming 21st and Wirtz coming 30th, which when we consider their ages at 21 and 22 they've still got room to improve and I wonder if they can break the top 10 in future.

Next Time

Next time we have the January transfer window to go into which other than maybe some loan players going out from us, I am expecting to be a lot quieter this time however, you never know if we get some good offers for players we may end up with money to play with and replace people. However we will have to do all of this month without Diomande as he is away for the African Cup of Nations so it'll be interesting to see if that affects our form. Speaking of our form, we now haven't lost a game since the 26th of September and we've actually won 15 games in a row in all competitions. The other thing to keep an eye on, we know last year Pino set the record for most assists in a season at 13, well Kuol is already on 12 assists, any predictions for just how many he will beat it by at the end of the season? Is there any position you'd like to see new players in? Where do you think we will end up at the end of the season?