It often feels like there is no middle ground at Newcastle United; there are no shades of grey, everything is either black or white.

Sunday’s gutting FA cup exit at the hands of Brighton has shifted the perception of the 2024/25 season as, for some, it teeters on either the edge of glory or the edge of failure.

Somehow, since then, it’s only got worse. Anthony Gordon will be banned for three games and Lewis Hall has been ruled out for the season, with murmurs around Sven Botman’s fitness also adding to the unease ahead of next Sunday’s final.

Burn addresses Newcastle situation 

Dan Burn could be the literal personification of this phenomena, as he is often simultaneously praised and lambasted for his performances in the same game. A vital part of the squad and an almost ever-present this season, the lad from Blyth has been speaking in the aftermath of Sunday’s defeat.

The 6’7’’ defender raises the fact that the squad knows ‘inconsistences’ in performance have produced an up and down season but everything is still to play for in the final thirteen games of the season (12 league, 1 cup).

He doesn’t mince words either, he knows that the FA Cup exit is a ‘big, missed opportunity’ to achieve something tangible this season.

Burn also knows that United ‘need to improve’, but the race for European qualification via the Premier League is still very much on if the players can ‘click’ once again, as they did so effectively in November – December. Here’s what he’s said:

“As inconsistent as we have been this season, we are still in a good position for what we want to achieve.

“We are in the European places and although the league is so tight, we just need to put another run together, like the one we had over Christmas, to cement that position. 

“Then we have obviously got the [League Cup] final just around the corner too, which is a massive opportunity. We know that if we can just get that inconsistency together and click, we can be a really good team.”

“The fact we are seeing the FA Cup as a big, missed opportunity, just shows where the club is at. The gaffer has brought that in.

“I can’t comment too much on what went on before the gaffer came in with the different ownership, but I definitely feel as though there’s a real emphasis on the cups now, a real belief that we can get to the latter stages of whatever competition we’re in.”

“We want to get to finals and when you get to within a game of the quarterfinals, then go out in extra-time, it definitely feels like you have missed a chance to potentially do something special [in the FA Cup].”

Still so much to play for

Ultimately, the equation is simple, if United lift the Carabao Cup on 16^th March this season instantly becomes the best in the club’s modern history.

Next Sunday’s game has gone from an uphill task to a huge ask given the injuries and suspensions, so there has never been a more important time for staff, players and fans to unite.

Beyond that, as Burn says, there is still lots to play for in the league, with a return to Europe in our hands if we can just click back into gear and put an end to our inconsistencies.

That will be a tough task without Lewis Hall and no Anthony Gordon for the next three games, but we have to believe.