Christmas bells are starting to ring, and we all know that when Christmas Day comes along, the Premier League table is more or less set in stone. As the clock ticks slowly to December 25th, it's finally time to ask the question: what can Newcastle realistically hope to achieve this year?
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We're 10 games into the Premier League season, and Newcastle have won 3 games and sit 13th in the table. Of these 10 games, only two have been against the traditional 'Big Six', and while no one expected a clean sweep of the remaining fixtures, the fact that there have only been three wins IS a head scratcher.
Maybe nothing is more emblematic of the head-scratcher this season has been, than the West Ham game over the weekend. Before the players stepped onto the pitch, the odds were not in West Ham's favour: although the Hammers were playing at home, they had yet to win a single home game since the start of the season.
When Jarred Bowen hit the post at one end, and Joe Murphy scored a beautifully clinical goal for Newcastle about a minute later, it looked like West Ham's woes would continue, and Newcastle would - for the first time this season - win two games in a row.
That, in fact, did not happen. While the brilliance of Paqueta's 25-yard equaliser cannot be denied, the goals that followed were simply down to Newcastle errors. We watched in frustration, time and time again, as the Newcastle players seemed to lose their heads once the ball was out of their possession. Basic defending was forgotten as the formation vanished, lines were blurred, and players seemed to run into themselves, all while creating the space West Ham needed to capitalise on.
Was this the same team that beat Tottenham just days before in the Carabao Cup? Was this the same team that weathered the Fulham storm? It didn't look like it. And maybe that is why I am left scratching my head when I ask the question: what should Newcastle's silverware hopes be in the 2025/26 season?
On the one hand, I see moments of team brilliance and clinical play from players like Woltemade (who has landed perfectly on his feet in arguably the world's toughest league). On the other hand, I see losses to a West Ham team currently embroiled in a relegation battle. If the results were all bad, maybe the problem would be easier to diagnose, but Newcastle seems to be stuck in the dreaded grey area, almost like receiving a stocking on Christmas morning filled with coal and gifts; the question still remains, have you been naughty or nice?
Newcastle won't drop out of being silverware contenders
But an answer must be found, if Newcastle is to progress, and progress it must. When the Saudi's bought Newcastle in 2021, the loyal Toons who had watched their club go from the highest highs to the lowest lows, saw an opportunity for their dreams of glory to be realised - and not just realised, but sustained.
Winning the Carabao Cup against the would-be Premier League Champions last season was great, but it was supposed to be a great start, the platform on which this season and subsequent ones would be built, not a lone trophy to be boasted of in years to come. The fans want more, and they should.
As always, every time a team is underperforming, the first question to be asked is about the manager. And although the Toon Army has been patient and supportive since Eddie Howe first took over about four years ago, the once quiet and sparse whisperings of #EddieHoweOut, are beginning to grow louder and more sustained.
That being said, there is a rift in the fanbase, with some fans feeling Howe deserves their continued support, and others feeling he has taken them as far as he can. And while football fans are very reactionary, the question of whether Howe is the man to take Newcastle to the heights of glory the Toon Army aspires to is a valid one.
In football, time is of the essence, and when a new manager comes in, the clock on progress, is wound to zero. A new manager means new coaching staff, a new style of play, and new players. New players need time to adapt to the difficulty of the League, and to develop a new rhythm with each other, and this is a process that is rarely instantaneous and more often than not, takes years.
But maybe the #EddieHoweOut crowd are being rash and hasty, and the success of Newcastle's season so far, is just a matter of perspective.
Maybe the truth of the matter is, ten games are not enough to judge a team, especially when that same team is sitting pretty in the Champions League table above teams like Real Madrid, Liverpool, and Barcelona.
So what can Newcastle hope to achieve this season? We're definitely not at the point where we could discuss a potential title charge, and the current form does not look like a top-four finish is promising.
But the Carabao Cup may yet still be retained, and although the FA Cup rounds are yet to start, nothing is stopping Newcastle from being competitive in that - the beauty of cup decisions is that form doesn't matter so much, and a team struggling in the league can still excel. So while Newcastle's PL form is far from enviable, all is not doom and gloom.
To the eternal pessimists, it might be time to stop crying 'Ba, humbug!', like Scrooge, and learn an important lesson from the ghosts of Football Past, Present and Future: the tide is constantly turning, trophies may be won unexpectedly, and seemingly sure titles may be lost. The truth is, you never know, and predictions hardly come true.