This might just be the most magical night I've ever experienced as a Newcastle United fan...
We’ve been starved of truly magic moments for 14 years under Mike Ashley, but we’ve already made up for a good chunk of that since the takeover.
But Monday night was by far one of the best I’ve ever experienced as a Newcastle United supporter. Everything about it was just perfect.
Here are just some of the reasons why.
Wor Flags
Stunning. Spectacular. Breath-taking. Awe-inspiring. Just a few of the words I can think of to describe that incredible display on Monday night. I was speechless. The amount of coordination, funding, and sheer manpower that must have gone into that is crazy.
The return of Wor Flags is easily one of the best post-takeover events, but the team is pulling it out of the bag on a weekly basis. The star looked perfect, the East Stand United was incredible, and the dressing room photo flag brought the biggest smile to my face.
I’m so happy that Wor Flags has been recognised by the club and got the chance to meet the team recently. I’m itching for next season’s displays already.
The performance
Just wow. The best we’ve played in literal years. Howe has completely transformed the way we play since coming in and we’ve had more attacking, more entertaining football. But the team hasn’t look this unified for a long time – and that’s saying something.
We got into them. We went in hard and strong and we battled like we were fighting for our lives. Every single player on that pitch played out of their skin and it was magnificent. It was a bit tongue-in-cheek on Twitter, but I honestly would have happily given most of them 10 out of 10. Everyone was so good that it’s difficult to pick out the standouts. The goals were outstanding and I thought I’d ripped my throat screaming for Wilson’s goal.
Of course, Bruno is a tough, tricky, talented tyrant and he had Arsenal’s lives. Dinking a defender and picking the ball back up behind them had me wondering if I’d had a minor stroke on the night. How does he do it? Honourable mentions for:
- Callum Wilson – my god, have we missed him
- Miguel Almiron – for absolutely terrifying Aaron Ramsdale
- Sean Longstaff – for his best game in a long time
- Dan Burn – a brick wall at the back
- Matty Targett – dinking inch-perfect balls around for fun – get him signed up in the summer
- Joelinton – tough and unbeatable
- Krafth – making a very good case to be kept on in the summer
We’ll undoubtedly be moving some of the players who featured in the match on in the summer, and it’s going to be hard to see them go. We need to move on up and progress, but I love every single one of them.
The atmosphere
Atmospheres are back with a bang at St. James. We’ve got something to sing about again and boy, are we making up for lost time. I never thought I’d hear away chants sang from every corner of the crowd. The Callum Wilson song was borderline deafening after his goal.
We were bouncing from the get-go, buoyed by both Wor Flags and the way the team got stuck into the game immediately. Players were throwing themselves at Arsenal and tackling for fun and that always gets us riled up in the best way as a crowd. At times, it felt like the ground was literally rocking. There were smiles, laughs, and tears. It was magical.
The walkaround
Most seasons, we stay for this out of a sense of duty. But I don’t think I’ve ever seen St. James so full for a final home game lap of honour. We were vibrating waiting for the players, coaches, and owners to come out. The flags came back out. It was pure joy.
The cheers, the tears, and everything else as they all passed us was a sight to behold. My face hurt from smiling so much; my hands were red raw. It was punctuated with laughter – Kieran Trippier slide tackled every toddler on that pitch and he was clearly having a great time with them. Dan Burn’s tiny tot got a roar when she scored at my end.
The team photo on the pitch gave me goosebumps. It was the perfect end to my new favourite Newcastle United tradition.
Trippier doing captain things
While it was a touch disappointing to not see Trippier play at all on the night, he was still heavily involved. Every time he came down to warm up, he was barking orders to the players on the pitch. And they all stood up and listened. He and Lascelles beckoned Wilson over for an energy pack after they noted that he was flagging.
That’s real leadership. We’ve got some incredible contenders for captain next season and although I adored Wilson as captain on Monday, Trippier has to be number one.
The post-match atmosphere
Monday is easily the worst day of the week for the season’s final home game. But it didn’t stop us celebrating. As I went from one venue to another after 11pm, every single bar I passed was packed to the rafters. It was amazing to see so many people out on a schoolnight to celebrate.
Twitter has been a joy to behold too. The positivity, the outpouring of love, the memes, the videos, the photos. It was almost as good as the in-person celebrations. It’s still a sea of positivity and excitement a few days later. I can’t help but relive the match through Twitter at the minute.
And now, onto Sunday. Let’s end the season with a bang.
