Rafa Benitez for staying with us and Eddie Howe for making us what we are

An ideal time in the middle of the festive period to get a snapshot of what Newcastle United fans think about how they think things are going.

So we sent several questions to a small number of regular/infrequent contributors to The Mag.

I ask these Newcastle United fans some of the important questions of the day.

And some with a seasonal slant.

Here we have GToon giving his answers:

What would be a perfect Christmas gift for Newcastle United to unwrap?

A win and a top performance over Manyoo would be perfect.

What were your five best moments at Newcastle United in 2025?

1. Winning the cup was great. Literally amazing.

2. It was incredible to see the celebrations.

3. The way we swept Arsenal aside in the two semi-finals was epic.

4. Finishing in the top five was a huge achievement.

5. Every game we win. I just like having a team that can compete.

What were your five worst moments at Newcastle United in 2025?

1. Isak’s behavior in the summer.

2. The sale of Isak to THAT club.

3. Losing again to THAT club.

4. Losing to the Mackems.

5. I’m not even trying to beat the mackems.

One of the first acts of Newcastle United’s new CEO, David Hopkinson, was to come out and announce that the club is a long way from deciding what will happen regarding a new stadium or the expanded St James’ Park, let alone going ahead and getting it built. This is despite the NUFC hierarchy having repeatedly indicated in the past that an announcement was imminent. Your thoughts?

This is the worst possible news.

Worse than any defeat or bad league position. I can’t understand this.

This will hold us back more than any PSR or FFP.

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

I can’t believe I’m typing this, but Pope!

Tino, Hall, Tonali and Bruno.

Missing the full-backs was a huge setback.

We have a lot of wingers, but the engine room needs protection and Ramsdale is well behind Pope.

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

Bruno for being mental, BDB for saying thank you and Jacob Murphy for being such a top player and a funny guy too.

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

Mandy to thank you, Cloughie for being so funny and worth listening to, and Pep for talking about his views on the game.

A knock on your door on Christmas Day, your house beautifully decorated for Christmas, a roaring fire, a table laden with more food and drink than anyone could possibly eat and drink. You open the door and it’s freezing, the snow pales, which three cold and starving Newcastle United associated characters (past or present) would you still reject?

Isak, Ashley and Michael Owen. I might not dismiss them out of hand either.

Assuming you don’t think that position has been reached yet… what would it take to think Newcastle United should consider replacing Eddie Howe?

We need to see that we are making progress year on year and the investment in the team must improve results and performance.

If that doesn’t happen anymore, we should take a look. We are not at that stage yet.

If you were to grant three New Year’s wishes in 2026…

Win the cup again.

Close the top 5.

Hammer the mackems and THAT bat.

A poll on The Mag recently asked Newcastle United fans whether it would be a success or a failure if this 2025/26 season ended with United in the middle of the Premier League, BUT after winning the Carabao Cup again and reaching the last 16 knockout stages of the Champions League. The vote saw 60% of fans see that as a success and 40% as a failure. Your thoughts?

Winning the cup again would be incredible. That’s what we try to do every year, so it would be great to achieve it again.

Just like buses. None for years and then two at a time.

What are your best ever Christmas moments/memories at Newcastle United? Could it be all kinds of memories – matches, presents, whatever?

3-1 against the mackems. Beating them is always special.

My first Newcastle kit will always be high on the list too.

What are your worst ever Christmas moments/memories at Newcastle United? Could it be all kinds of memories – matches, presents, whatever?

I can’t remember. But losing a match is terrible.

For some reason I think of a 1-0 defeat at Chelsea.

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

Hahaha. No way! I don’t want them to win anything.

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

My father. He is the reason I am black and white.

KK for the hopes and dreams.

SBR for the pride.

Rafa Benitez for staying with us and Eddie Howe for making us what we are. A team that wins things.

Use the comments section below to share your thoughts on how you would answer any of the questions above.