In the world of football, there are as many opinions as there are supporters. That variety of thought is usually what makes being a fan so engaging. We spend our weeks endlessly debating tactics, transfers, and team selection, only to set those differences aside on matchday to stand as one.
However, every so often, a sentiment surfaces that is so disheartening it makes you wonder if some people have forgotten why we watch this sport in the first place.
Recently, a comment from a fellow supporter stood out for all the wrong reasons following Newcastle United’s defeat to Aston Villa. The fan expressed a sense of total exhaustion, claiming they couldn’t wait for the season to end and, even more shockingly, that they “couldn’t care less” about European competition. Their focus was solely on domestic league headlines, dismissing the Champions League as a mere “money-spinning event.”
If that truly reflects the general mood of the fanbase, we might as well give up now. Since when did we become so entitled that a single loss makes us want to throw away the entire season? It is a strange time when playing against the best teams in the world on a Tuesday night is treated as a chore rather than a dream come true.
To put things into perspective, Newcastle lost on Sunday to what is currently the most in-form team in the country. Over the last four months, Aston Villa has been outperforming everyone, including the league leaders.
They had their own struggles with financial regulations and a rocky start to the season, yet they stuck by their project and climbed to the top. Why is it that when Newcastle faces similar hurdles juggling squad depth and financial constraints some fans act as if the sky is falling?
Just days before the Villa match, Newcastle delivered a masterclass against PSV Eindhoven. For context, PSV is a side that hadn’t lost an away game in nearly a year and had recently hammered Liverpool at Anfield.
Yet, apparently, these European nights “don’t count” because they are just part of a “money-spinning” tournament. It is baffling to hear this from a fanbase that spent decades praying for exactly these types of matches.
The reality of the Premier League is that on any given day, anyone can beat anyone. This season, in particular, has been one of the most unpredictable in recent memory. Even the traditional giants are stumbling.
This month alone, Liverpool has failed to beat the likes of Leeds and Burnley, while Manchester City has dropped points against Sunderland and even lost to a Norwegian underdog in Bodo/Glimt. We are not alone in our inconsistency.
Out of the twenty teams in the league, only three have won more than ten matches so far. This means that seventeen clubs, including Newcastle, have failed to win more than half of their games. If we are judging ourselves by the impossible standard of winning every single week, then every club in England is a failure.
When you look at the actual numbers, the “disaster” narrative falls apart. Under Eddie Howe this season, the team has played 35 matches across all competitions. They have won 17 and lost 11. That means the team has won over 50% more games than they have lost.
In a league where Newcastle has the eighth-highest wage bill and a significantly smaller squad than the teams at the very top, that is a solid foundation. We have seen moments of incredible character, such as the thrilling victories over Bournemouth and Leeds just this month.
This season isn’t a catastrophe; it’s a rollercoaster. And isn’t that what football is supposed to be? If you want a predictable, guaranteed victory every week, you aren’t looking for sport; you’re looking for a scripted movie. The joy of being a fan comes from the highs being earned through the lows.
The idea of wanting the season to end right now is nonsensical. We are currently in a position where a win against Paris Saint-Germain would put us in the last sixteen of the Champions League. Even a draw or a loss likely sees us move into a play-off round that we would be favored to win.
We are also looking forward to a fourth-round FA Cup tie and are still within striking distance of the Premier League top six. We are potentially only a few games away from another trip to Wembley.
To want to pull the plug on all of that because of a few bad results suggests a lack of perspective. If playing in the greatest club competition on earth and reaching the business end of domestic cups constitutes a “bad year,” then expectations have shifted into a dangerous territory.
We should be embracing the chaos of this season. We are competing, we are relevant, and we are playing meaningful games in late January. If any fan truly finds this experience so miserable that they want it to be over, they are going to find the coming years very difficult.
Success isn’t a straight line upward; it’s a scrap. Personally, I don’t want the season to end. I want to see how this story finishes, and I want to be there for every twist and turn along the way.
