Power battles, rows and £150m warchest - the inside story nufc's historic season

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe started the season by drawing a line in the sand after surviving a turbulent summer, which meant that the 2024/25 campaign began in earnest with work to do.

It was a ridiculous scenario for a man who steered Newcastle from a near-certain drop in the Championship just two years earlier - and looks even crazier now. But after failing to make

Europe with a seventh-place finish, the arrival of sporting director Paul Mitchell and performance chief James Bunce raised questions on the fluidity of the backroom team. In pre-season,

Howe, linked with the vacant England post last July, said from the club's German base: "So, as long as I am happy, feel supported, feel free to work in the way that I want to work,

I have not thought of anything else other than Newcastle." He then went on to talk about "boundaries" but after getting through pre-season, an intense summer window would

follow. Only William Osula came through the door at £15million and free transfer Lloyd Kelly arrived through the door to bolster a squad that had already lost Elliot Anderson and Yankuba

Minteh. In the months that have passed, Howe has gone from a figure whose control on transfers, and even the team's style of play, after historic quotes from Mitchell, was being

questioned to a manager who can almost walk on water. Mitchell had said in an older interview with The Athletic: "I like my teams to be a reflection of me; I’d like to say hard-working,

a level of humility, controlled aggression, and the potential to add physicality." But Howe was keen to stress that his staff would maintain their diligent duty of care when selecting

tactics. What happens next will be interesting with Howe surely due a spell of picking and choosing some of his own targets. He got it right with so many before a director of football was

even in place, but surely his work with stars he inherited, such as Jacob Murphy, Joelinton, Fabian Schar, and Sean Longstaff, has earned him a rite of passage. The talk is that a

collaborative approach will continue with money to spend from the powers that be and Toon chairman Yasir Al Rumayyan delighted with the job back at St James' Park. A STERN STARE FROM

PAUL MITCHELL DIDN'T MAKE FOR GREAT VIEWING AT CRAVEN COTTAGE The former Monaco supremo stared blankly towards the pitch as Newcastle were beaten 3-1 by Fulham on a humid late summer

afternoon. If there had been any doubts over Mitchell and Howe's rapport levels from a cagey pre-season, the former Wigan player did little to cool them down by stating that the

club's recruitment policy was "unfit for purpose". A Press conference confession from Howe after the window had shut resulted in the head coach admitting he'd not spoken

to Mitchell. If things had threatened to get spiky after Mitchell's appointment suddenly it felt like a political battle was about to play out. But Howe stayed calm and defended his own

signings before Mitchell arrived and bearing in mind the ex-Bournemouth boss had operated recruitment during an uncomfortable spell in which Dan Ashworth had been and gone at Benton, to

have the likes of Kieran Trippier, Bruno Guimaraes, Alexander Isak, Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento all on board was impressive enough. But as Newcastle ended October in 12th spot after a 2-1

loss to Chelsea, all was not looking rosy in the garden and a man with a reputation of hiring and firing looked like he was in the centre of a tough narrative. THE FIRST STAGE OF RECOVERY

AS HOWE HITS BACK IN STYLE Howe had made a strange comment at Everton after the 0-0 draw when asked if he'd miss visits to Goodison Park. He referenced Everton's new Bramley-Moore

Dock would be another tough place to go "if" he was still manager. But October proved to be a big turning point by the end of the month with a crucial 2-0 win over Chelsea in the

Carabao Cup keeping the season alive and the road to Wembley open. Howe would hit back at critics, and there were a few rounding up, by beating Arsenal 1-0 thanks to Alexander Isak's

first half goal in early November. Signing off before the international break with an important victory over Nottingham Forest at the City Ground kept Howe's tormentors at bay. Mitchell

would break his silence on his relationship with Howe but insisted there were no issues at a fan event at the STACK. But a horrendous home display against West Ham on a late November night

at St James' Park, followed by a draw at struggling Palace turned the heat back on Howe and Mitchell. Even a rousing 3-3 draw with Liverpool did little to lift spirits as a season

without European football that was supposed to allow Newcastle to focus on the Premier League was not unfolding the way many anticipated. A STORM HOVERS ABOVE ST JAMES' PARK After

Newcastle survived Storm Darragh in early December, they failed to survive the sting of Thomas Frank's Bees at the Gtech Stadium in a 4-2 loss. It resulted in Newcastle slumping to 12th

place in the Premier League and Bruno Guimaraes admitting Newcastle had "became a mess". But the rest of December would sweep away any doom and gloom and leave Newcastle fans in

no doubt who the main man was at St James'. The banners came out in support of Howe and wins over Leicester, Brentford in the Carabao Cup, Ipswich, Aston Villa and then Man United to

round of 2024 in a healthy fifth place. Beating the Bees at St James' Park on a night in which Sandro Tonali netted twice sealed a place in the semi-finals of the League Cup for the

second time in three years. Wembley was again in sight as Newcastle stepped calmly into 2025. HAPPY NEW YEAR INDEED Having put on a superb display at Old Trafford thanks to goals from

Joelinton and Alexander Isak at the Stretford End to wrap 2024, Newcastle started the year in style with a 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur to stay on track as Anthony Gordon and Isak secured

three points. Days later, the journey back to North London to face Arsenal at the Emirates could not have been a better night with a comfortable 2-0 victory over the Gunners putting one foot

back at Wembley. Were there bumps in the road in early 2025? Undoubtedly with home defeats to Bournemouth and Fulham again demonstrating a transfer overhaul was needed on Tyneside. But as

the window slammed shut with Newcastle short-handed after the cash exits of Miguel Almiron to Atlanta United and Lloyd Kelly to Juventus, Howe was getting results with no new faces and a

weaker squad. If anything he was working miracles. WEMBLEY WAY BECKONS AGAIN It felt like it was too easy in the second leg against Arsenal as Newcastle sailed into a 4-0 aggregate lead with

more than half an hour of the tie to go, but here we were! The road to Wembley was open on two fronts after a 3-2 win at Birmingham City on a dark and wet day in the Midlands but talk of

treble success was starting to erupt. Yet if Newcastle needed to be brought down to earth they hit the hallowed turf of the Etihad Stadium with an almighty thud as Man City hammered United

4-0 with January signing Omar Marmoush's hat-trick demonstrating the difference between a side that can spend in a PSR-dominated world and one that can't. Newcastle again bounced

back with a 4-3 win over European rivals Nottingham Forest, but February defeats to Liverpool and Brighton in the FA Cup at the last-16 stage suggested that the Carabao Cup was the best

chance of glory—the only problem was that the Magpies were going in against treble-chasing Liverpool. To complicate matters Anthony Gordon's red card against the Seagulls ruled him out

of the final showpiece against the Reds. ON THE MARCH - AS GEORDIE FOLKLORE IS WRITTEN A week of focus in March began with a trip to the London Stadium to face West Ham. Newcastle had made

plans to stay outside of central London for the Carabao Cup final weekend, but needed to get back on track against the Hammers. They did so with a minimum of fuss too as Bruno's goal

just after the hour secured three big points and hauled Newcastle into the top six. What would happen six days later at Wembley would be magical. This would be Newcastle's day for

Wembley at once and after Liverpool started the game looking uninterested, United took full control when Dan Burn's flying header turned him from the local lad from Blyth to a black and

white legend. It would take a second goal from Isak to seal the win but even a late consolation from Liverpool could not dent the dream day. Newcastle had ended a 70-year domestic trophy

drought and immortalised themselves into club and city folklore. As 300,000 greeted them for the open top bus parade and subsequent airing of the trophy on the Town Moor, Newcastle had ended

years of hurt. But as the celebrations died down, Howe called for a booze ban and total focus on the run-in. LIFE IS PUT INTO PERSPECTIVE AS EDDIE HOWE IS LEFT HOSPITALISED The head coach

had guided Newcastle to important wins over Brentford and Leicester to guide his side back to fifth place into what was by now a Champions League place. Yet a bout of pneumonia would leave

Howe in hospital and Jason Tindall in caretaker charge. Speculation of how long Howe would be out for swept around the city as the boss recovered in the RVI. But Tindall insisted the show

must go on with wins over Man United and Crystal Palace taking Newcastle to third. A 4-1 defeat at Aston Villa ended Newcastle's great run of results but Howe stepped back into the

dugout gingerly against Ipswich to lead the team to a 3-0 win. ONE LAST PUSH FOR NEWCASTLE The month of May started with a 1-1 draw at Brighton with Isak's last gasp penalty securing a

point. But many had predicted that it could all boil down to the home game against Chelsea. In a tense battle goals in the second minute and injury time from Tonali and Bruno pulled off a

2-0 win. Defeat at Arsenal a week later meant that the runners-up spot was off the table. CONCLUSION The Magpies staggered over the finish line after a 1-0 defeat against Everton on the last

day of the season. But the truth is they got what they deserved regardless of a favour from elsewhere. The final outcome is a place in the Champions League and the Carabao Cup. It is the

best season of the modern era and Howe has eclipsed Sir Bobby Robson and Kevin Keegan. But he did it by showing true class and dignity in a season that started with the potential for

political meltdown.