It has been a season of many mixed feeling’s for the Toon army – having appointed Steve Bruce during the summer of 2019 after the departure of the much loved Rafael Benitez, there wasn’t much expectation on Tyneside towards Bruce and where he could take the club this season.
All in all, it has been a mix of ups and downs for the Magpies – new signings have either shone bright or dimmed in the darkness, and after a midtable finish alongside a moderate cup run, the news of a new takeover from a Saudi Prince seemed like all was to change at St James’ Park, and the Newcastle fans would finally see the back of Mike Ashley.
Since the news broke, however, negotiations have collapsed and Newcastle are looking at another season under the influence of Ashley and Bruce.
With all that being said, Steve Bruce has achieved some great results this season, and Newcastle’s overall finish isn’t as bad as some may have expected – so let’s take a look at the best and worst of this season…
Player of the Season – Allan Saint-Maximin
This decision was a tough call to make, with Jonjo Shelvey having a great season for the Toon – but the impact that Saint-Maximin has had has been astronomical.
With three goals and four assists from his 26 league appearances for Newcastle this season, the Frenchman has been a breath of fresh air in the attack, and a great replacement for Ayoze Perez who left for Leicester.
An average match rating of 7.29 on WhoScored, the winger has been a top performer for the Magpies this campaign and deserves the title as their player of the season.
Goal of the Season – Matty Longstaff vs Manchester Utd, Oct 6th ’19
There is nothing better than seeing local lads turn out for their club on the big stage, and Matty Longstaff alongside his brother, Sean, have done just that.
It was the latter’s stunning strike against Manchester Utd that was my goal of the season for them – having been played the ball back towards the edge of the Utd box by Jetro Willems, Longstaff hit a thumper of a shot on his right foot, drilling the ball low to the bottom left-hand corner of David De Gea’s goal, albeit doing this on his Premier League debut for the club.
All in all a great goal from a promising young talent at Newcastle.
Breakthrough Player – Matty Longstaff
It’s him again! The youngster made his debut for the club this season against Manchester Utd – you know, the one where he just casually scored that goal of the season we just discussed?
Since then, the 20-year-old has made nine league appearances for the Toon, and has shown fans what they could expect from him in years to come. Longstaff has made it clear that he is gunning for that permanent spot in the Newcastle lineup, even if that means taking the place of his older brother Sean.
Either way – he has deserved his chances that Bruce has given him this campaign, and he’ll be looking forward to building on this form come September.
Flop of the Season – Joelinton
The Brazilian forward joined Newcastle for just shy of £40 million during the summer 2019 transfer window, and it most certainly hasn’t been money well spent.
Mustering just two goals in 38 league appearances, Joelinton has failed to impress the Newcastle faithful and leave his mark on the league during his first season.
There have been positive glimpses of the 23-year-olds ability – his hold up play can be exceptional at times, and his aerial ability isn’t to be questioned – but his finishing capabilities are nowhere near up to par for a £40million striker.
Either way, there is hope he can improve and show his ability at its best next season.
Defining Moment – Saudi Takeover Bid
In January of this year, it was reported that negotiations between Mike Ashley and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) had reached an ‘advanced stage’ – leading to many raised eyebrows of Newcastle fans as to what this could potentially mean for the club, but the news could not have come at a worse time.
Bruce has recorded some great results prior to the announcement, a 1-0 win against Chelsea on the 18th January being the pick of the bunch – but after the announcement, the club only managed one win in five before the season was postponed due to COVID-19, highlighting how much the news of the takeover and Bruce’s swift replacement would affect the team.
Luckily for the magpies, the club was already in a positive position amid the table, as even after the resumption of the league in June, they never managed to find their form from the first half of the season.
Signing of the Season – Allan Saint-Maximin
An easy decision all told – the Frenchman joined the club for £16 million in August 2019 from French outfit OGC Nice, and has been a superpower in Newcastle’s attack with his blistering pace and dribbling abilities.
Saint-Maximin appears to be one of those rare players that somehow manages to look as if he’s faster with the ball at his feet rather than without, a technically gifted player with a fantastic headband to match that the Toon have enjoyed watching this season, and will look forward to seeing more of next campaign.
Hit Expectations? – NO
This is actually something that could be extensively debated – did Newcastle hit their expectations or not? It’s hard to say.
I’m sure the fans would have expected a top-half finish in the Premier League this season, and that is something they did miss out on, finishing 13th on the table.
For this reason alone I am saying no, they did not hit their expectations – their form dipped drastically at times and the forwards did not score the number of goals that were expected of them to win games. The club did enjoy a good run in the FA Cup making the quarter-final and were unlucky to be drawn against Manchester City and lose in the fashion they did.
The Magpies will be putting all their focus on next season and will hope that the proposed takeover will sorted out sooner rather than later.