Not even 48 hours on from Newcastle United’s victory in the 2025 Carabao Cup Final and most Geordies are either: still drunk or recovering, as the dust settles, and the weight of history has been lifted off the club and the fanbases collective shoulders.
From San Diego to Melbourne, back to Tyneside and beyond again, there has been a lot of love for Newcastle United’s thoroughly deserved dispatching of the champions-elect on Sunday and the ending of 70 years of hurt. Although, it seems that that spirit failed to reach a certain ex-Man Utd player.
Scholes’ clueless comment
Speaking on the latest episode of The Overlap, Paul Scholes, when asked whether Eddie Howe deserves to be lionised on Tyneside, simply responded with a derisory: ‘It’s only the League Cup, f***** h***, everyone tries to get knocked out of it all year.’
Now, whilst the framing of the question presented the idea of an Eddie Howe statue, something which I personally feel is a tad premature, Scholes’ lack of understanding of the context of what Sunday meant for generations of Newcastle United supporters highlights just why you should take no notice of anything he says as a pundit.
“Eddie Howe… Does he deserve a statue?” 🤩
With silverware secured, is Newcastle’s gaffer heading for legend status at St. James’ Park? 🎖️ pic.twitter.com/PBgG2AwGnZ
— The Overlap (@WeAreTheOverlap) March 18, 2025
It will clearly be poorly researched, poorly conceived and poorly presented. His words aren’t worth the breath with which they are spoken. (And yes, I realise the irony in writing this article in response to worthless words, but howay.)
Context is everything in discussions around how people react to events and situations; a Man Utd fan with decades of success behind them probably does consider the League Cup small time (although I’d kindly remind Scholes of how it was their only trophy two seasons ago) whereas a Newcastle United fan with nothing to celebrate for 70 YEARS will undoubtedly cry and feel numb with a feeling they have long been without.
You often find the same dismissal in historical contexts, with say the witch trails, when modern observers look back and say how could the people then be so barbaric, when in the context of the time the fear of witches was very real as were the threats they posed to your way of life.
Historical allusion aside, clearly, Scholes does not wear bitterness well as his team struggle against relegation and will end the season with a well-deserved nothing to show for it.
Perhaps, a kinder fan would ask Scholes to cast his mind back to when he was 18-year-old and his club broke their 26-year duck without a league title (1967-93) after watching a precession of Liverpool title wins and to consider how he felt, a meaner fan would kindly ask that he stops sucking on his own daughter’s toes (allegedly) as it clearly does funny things to the mind.
Who gives a 💩 about him, just stop watching the overlap which has become nothing more than an extension of MUTV.
We won a cup who cares what others have to say
Absolutely glorious(Quote)
Perhaps he should have been as vocal on the inadequacies of his friend Steve Bruceless
MorpethMag(Quote)
Fantastic player ! Absolute bellend out of football ! As a pundit hes hopeless his co pundits have a 1 way conversation with him everytime hes on the box he looks and acts like hed rather be anywhere doing anything than what he is doing ! Nobody cares what he says on the telly so why bother with what he says off it ! People used to say shearer was mr boring ! Hed rather be painting a fence than getting caught balls deep in a ladyboy or something wow ! If only we coukdve seen what the future held with paul scholes ! Who cares ?
Andrew Aslam(Quote)
“…..when in the context of the time the fear of witches was very real as were the threats they posed to your way of life.”
Wow – that is definitely the most amazing, totally unrelated to football comment I think I’ve ever read on a football blog! What’s more it begs the question as what threat these poor women actually did pose to “your way of life” back then? Maybe Jonathan could expand for us, or should I address him first as “Witchfinder General”?
The Panther(Quote)
Total load of old bullxxxx he was a good player when he hung his boots up he also have hung up his hatred of anything other than Manure.
Sid Moffett(Quote)
He clearly missed out that on the way, we beat 4th placed Chelsea, 3rd placed Forest, 2nd placed Arsenal and Premier League leaders, Liverpool.
RexN(Quote)
Ginger bellend!!!
Was he saying the same 2 year ago when Man U beat us in the final???
No I think it was a “productive season “ for the red tossers as they qualified for Europe. AGAIN!!!
Should take a leaf out of Neville’s book who at least praised us
Not sure who knows less
ginger or Simon Jordan!!!
Kev mitch(Quote)
Should have asked him about being photographed sucking his daughters toes!
Steve(Quote)
Thanks for proving the point I was making Panther.
To us, witch trials are horrific hunts and persecution of innocent women, although 20% of those accused were men, because in our modern context we have moved on from believing in spirits, the devil, god (although this varies) and have science to explain disease and death.
To contemporary Puritans; they considered witchcraft and the trails of those accused of it, as necessity to the health of their provinces. In fact to most Puritans to deny the existence of the devil, was to deny the existence of God.
My point: context is everything.
Jonathan Young(Quote)
Yes Jonathan, but to use the act of burning people alive or hanging them due to a percieved lack of belief in God in a contextual comparison to what Paul Scholes said is quite a cross-reference!
Your first football-related paragraph was quite sufficient to make your obviously correct point.
Incidentally, the first witch known have been executed in Salem, Massachusetts was one Alse Young. Any relation?
The Panther(Quote)
Anyway, back to Scholes’s comment – you can guarantee that this win will be remembered by football fans a lot longer than many of his regular wins, just as Wimbledon, Coventry and Wigan winning the FA Cup and Oxford, Swindon and Luton winning the League Cup still are in comparison to yet another regulation Man United win.
Football folklore is full of moments like ours on Sunday – Burn’s story , the long wait etc. Scholes’s trophies were just nes of many, not remembered. The effect just wasn’t the same. The same applies to Andy Murray winning Wimbledon in comparison to just another Djokovic win, or England winning The Ashes in 2005. Or Emma Raducanu. Everyone remembers victories like this. Let us enjoy it.
The Panther(Quote)
By the way, I recently watched an old documentary about the witch hunt in Britain. I was struck by the naivety and stupidity of the scientists who spoke in it. They discuss people of that time from the perspective of a modern person, even though these are completely different worldviews. But even these scientists admitted that the executions of “witches” were not on a mass scale. The most brutal persecution was not of “witches,” but of Catholics. However, I think there was a political reason behind it. The authorities were trying to eradicate the religion of enemy countries. That’s why the executions were cruel and public, meant to intimidate. And the topic of the “witch hunt” was likely amplified closer to the 20th century, when the campaign to discredit Christianity began. Religion was portrayed as ignorance and barbarism
hmd(Quote)
#boycottoverlap
Henock nufc(Quote)
Scholes sucks .., literally 😂😂
Mike(Quote)
Can’t believe the reaction to this mind.
We’ve won a cup for the first time in 70yrs and you can let a throw away comment like that get under your skin … YOU SHOULD STILL BE PARTYING MAN 🖤🤍🖤🤍
Sharpy17(Quote)
He was as quiet as a mouse when he played, but now he’s found his voice and I for one can’t wait until he loses it again! As the saying goes, “those who can, do, and those who can’t, teach”.
He may have been a good player and he was further appreciated because of his perceived shyness. Now he is only notable because he’s a bitter gobshite who can’t see any joy in others’ pleasure.
Too many former players these days see themselves as experts. Well my own definition of an expert – ‘an ex is a has-been and a spurt is a drip under pressure’ fits Mr Scholes perfectly! Shut the f*** up!!!
Geoff Boots(Quote)