30/11/2025
📅 NOVEMBER: The Month of the Maddening Magpie Swing! 🤪
The month in review! 🤔
November was a month of real swings. Looking to force a real kickstart to our season in the Premier League after an average month in October, where our Champions League form was the biggest positive to take. But November began in pure Newcastle fashion!
The Away Day Scars Return (Again)
⚒️ November kicked off rough; a 3–1 loss away at West Ham United, where Newcastle didn’t really find their rhythm and got undone by West Ham’s resilience. We started the game quickly and Murphy showed up again with a lovely finish from the outside of the box, setting us up nicely for the rest of the game. But that intensity from the start would not continue, as a goal from Paqueta and an own goal from Botman put West Ham 2-1 up going in to the break. And the second half was no better, with Newcastle posing no real threat and a disorderly fashion to their play. To put the cherry on top as well, Soucek pounced on a defensive error from Pope and made it 3-1, confirming a poor 90 minutes of football from the lads. A worrying performance, to a side which had been struggling to find their form and at the time, sat in the relegation places. The lads were made to look like they were the team facing a relegation scrap! A continuation to our dismal away form in the Premier League.
European Comfort and the St. James’ Park Fortress
🇪🇸 To St James’ Park next where we hosted our Spanish acquaintances in Athletic Bilbao. A complete contrast to our league form, where we comfortably won 2-0 thanks to an unbelievable header from Dan Burn in the first half and a well taken, comfortable header from Joelinton in the second half. We saw the game out comfortably and took all 3 points, boosting our Champions League standings in the process!
Groundhog day or Déjà vu!?
🐝 Just a few days later, we travelled to Brentford and to us fans, it felt like déjà vu, suffering another 3–1 defeat again to a Brentford side who were disciplined and found simple weaknesses in our squad and of course, the Bees were helped by a red card shown to Dan Burn in the 73rd minute. We looked to be in good standings when Barnes scored, but even with a 1-0 lead, it didn’t feel like a Newcastle side with confidence or threat and another goal was more than needed. The second half began and instantly, we could see where this one was heading! A Schade header and two goals from Igor Thiago after the dismissal of Burn sealed a comeback win for Brentford which again confirmed the dismal form away from St James’. Serious questions were needing to be asked of the team at this point. Thankfully, an international break came at a time where the lads needed to re-group and analyse where aspects of our play were going wrong.
The Defining Moment: Bringing Down the Champions!
🔵 Two weeks later and Newcastle hosted Manchester City thankfully at home. A game us fans were probably dreading at first but of course, still believed in the team. And in the end, Newcastle pulled off a gritty, gutsy 2–1 win. The first half being a heavily even game between both sides, but as the second half whistle went, the Toon were on it. Harvey Barnes and Bruno linking up nicely and a brilliant, composed finish from Barnes putting us 1-0 up. Ruben Dias then netted a messy equaliser which put City right back in it. But, only 2 minutes later, Barnes showed up again to put us 2-1 up, with around 20 minutes on the clock left to play. Newcastle then weathered City’s pressure and brought home all three points — a big confidence boost for the team and a rare win over City for Eddie Howe!
A Wobble and a Whimper
🇫🇷 The Champions League then came back around and this time it was a trip to Marseille. We looked to be in control of the game after yet again Harvey Barnes put us 1-0 up. But as the first half drew out, it felt like a repeat of the games at the start of the month. Our worries were then confirmed, after Aubameyang’s quickfire double put Marseille in complete control and furthermore, resulted in a win for the French side. Nick Pope making a 3rd mistake of the season, posing the question of whether or not Pope is our best option in the coming games for the goalkeeping position. He debate raged on!
The Grand Finale: A Statement Win
🟦 The month though of course ended on a massive high: a convincing 4–1 away at Everton, with Malick Thiaw scoring twice (including the season’s fastest-in-the-Premier-League). Add in goals from Lewis Miley and Nick Woltemade — it was clinical, confident and exactly what the Magpies needed. Ramsdale was brought in as the first choice for this game and even though he may have been beaten by a really clever, delicate finish from Dewsbury-Hall, I felt more confident having him between the sticks! My personal highlight; having Livramento and Hall back in the fullback positions, which offered us a more attacking threat as well as a more disciplined defensive line. We have missed those two, and it’s great to see Howe FINALLY playing Burn at his best position - centre back!
So overall, November turned out to be a slow start but over time the performances highlighted composure and intensity in the latter stages. After a shaky start with two defeats, the lads responded with back-to-back wins in the league: a hard-fought classic at home against a heavyweight in Manchester City, and an emphatic away thrashing of Everton. European football is looking steady and albeit we did lose to Marseille, I still hold out confidence we at least progress in the top 24, even push for a top 8 place.
Two questions for you, fellow Mags. What are your thoughts on November for us? And who is your player of the month? Leave a comment below and give us your opinions. ⚫⚪
Joe for Magpie 24/7
