2024/25:
Tigers trip confirmed

From NUFC, Friday:

Newcastle United have announced a pre-season friendly with Hull City at the MKM Stadium next month.

Eddie Howe's side face the Tigers, who finished seventh in the Championship last term, on Saturday, 27th July (2pm BST).

Tickets go on sale at 2pm (BST) on Monday, 1st July to 2024/25 season ticket holders with 60 and above away points. Points will be reduced daily at 2pm, excluding weekends - subject to availability.

Ticket prices are as follows;

Adult (23-64) - £15
Senior (65+) / 16-22 Years - £7.50
Juniors 11-15 Years - £7.50
Juniors (2-10) - £3.50

Please note this fixture is all ticket, therefore there will be no ticket sales available on the day of the game.

Babies/toddlers under the age of two years old will not be admitted to the stadium as they are not deemed able to occupy a seat which compromises the stadium’s safety certificate.

Unaccompanied children/young people under the age of 14 years will not be admitted into the MKM Stadium without a person aged 18 and above. Tickets will be in the form of paper.

Following supporter consultation, there will be a limited allocation open to season ticket holder ballot for those who do not meet the away points threshold. This ballot will go live after the final points drop and will be open for entry for 24 hours.

Supporters will be asked to input card details. If they are successful in the ballot, payment will be taken and the season ticket holder will be notified by email. Those that are unsuccessful in the ballot will not be contacted and will not be charged.

Please note all tickets are for the sole use of the supporter making the purchase under their Newcastle United supporter number and are strictly non-transferable. There will be random spot checks at away stadiums throughout the season and failure to produce appropriate ID matching the purchaser supporter number will result in removal of your loyalty points and/or your season ticket being voided.

The remainder of United's pre-season programme, including home fixtures, will be announced in due course.

This will be Newcastle's ninth visit to Hull's current stadium and their fourth kickabout there: 

Toon @ KCOM/MKM Stadium:
(PL games unless otherwise stated)

2018/19 drew 2-2 Joselu, Perez FR
2016/17 drew 1-1 Diame (lost 1-3 pens) LC
2014/15 won 3-0 Cabella, Ameobi, Gouffran
2013/14 won 4-1 Sissoko 2, Remy, Anita
2008/09 drew 1-1 S.Taylor
2008/09 drew 0-0 FAC
2007/08 lost 0-1 FR
2003/04 won 4-0 Chopra 2, Shola, Cort FR

Jacob Murphy, Jamaal Lascelles and Sean Longstaff remain in the first team squad from the 20 players who featured in 2018.

Internationals:
Three Lions giveaway

In addition to their club-specific hats, Football Bobbles also boast a selection of England headwear in their catalogue (NB: other countries are available).
  
We've purloined a Shearer 92 bucket hat from them to give away and to be in with a chance of winning it, simply email your answer to the question below to [email protected] with the subject Hats:

Which future Newcastle United left back lined up with Shearer on the occasion of his England debut against France at Wembley in February 1992? 

Closing date is 11pm on Friday July 5th. No age limit, open to anyone on the planet but delivery must be to a UK address. One entry each please per person.

Shearer 92 bucket hats are reversible and made in Portugal exclusively for Football Bobbles. They are available to order online here

Internationals:
Copa clash tonight

Two Magpies are at the Copa America, with Paraguay and Brazil both in Group D and meeting in Las Vegas overnight (2am BST).  

Miguel Almiron (Paraguay):  
Fri 28.06.2024 Brazil (n) Las Vegas

Mon 24.06.2024 Colombia (n) lost 1-2
Miggy made the starting line-up in Houston, Texas but was subbed in the 59th minute with his side two goals down. They got one back but couldn't find an equaliser.

Tue 02.07.2024 Costa Rica (n) Austin

Bruno Guimaraes (Brazil):
Fri 28.06.2024 Paraguay (n) Las Vegas

Tue 25.06.2024 Costa Rica (n) drew 0-0
Bruno played the full game in Inglewood and almost broke the deadlock in added time but fired narrowly over the bar.

Wed 03.07.2024 Colombia (n) Santa Clara

Internationals:
It's a knockout!

Our quartet of Euro 2024 participants have all made it through to the last 16, with Fabian Schar first up on Saturday in Berlin (live on BBC1). 

Sunday then sees Martin Dubravka facing Anthony Gordon and Kieran Trippier in Gelsenkirchen for a place in the last eight (live on ITV1).

Ties:

Sat 29.06.2024 Switzerland v Italy (5pm)
Sat 29.06.2024 Germany v Denmark (8pm)
Sun 30.06.2024 England v Slovakia (5pm)
Sun 30.06.2024 Spain v Georgia (8pm)
Mon 01.07.2024 France v Belgium (5pm)
Mon 01.07.2024 Portugal v Slovenia (8pm)
Tue 02.07.2024 Romania v Netherlands (5pm)
Tue 02.07.2024 Austria v Turkey (8pm)

Selected venues:

Anarchy Brew Co will have the England game on two giant screens in their tap room off Benfield Road. Nearest Metro Walkergate. 

Book online here, via @anarchybrewco or by calling 0191 389 7580 before 5pm on Friday. 

Wonder Bar in The Gate offer free entry to all ties. Advance booking is advisable here

Market Shaker in the Cloth Market also offer entry free of charge for the England game - first come, first served, details here

Six former Magpies remain in the competition: Ivan Toney (England), Matz Sels (Belgium), Gini Wijnaldum (Netherlands) and Joselu, Mikel Merino and Ayoze Perez (Spain).

Coral price the Euro 2024 victors as follows:

England 7/2
Germany 9/2
Spain 9/2
France 11/2
Portugal 13/2
Netherlands 12/1

New customers receive a £40 bet when staking £5 here (T's & C's apply). 

2024/25:
Stiffs get Stags,
Bantams & Millers

Newcastle U21s are one of 16 Premier League clubs entering this season's EFL Trophy, aka the Bristol Street Motors Trophy.

Thursday saw the group stage draw staged, placing the Magpies in Group H and lining up away ties for them at Bradford City, Mansfield Town and Rotherham United.

Match dates and order of opponents is tbc, but the opening ties are expected to take place during the first week of September.

This will be the eighth time that United have entered the Trophy, but they've failed to win a tie in any of the last five seasons.

Sky Sports will televise all ties in this competition live in the UK next season. 

Update:
Teenager linked

Wednesday brought claims that Newcastle were close to completing the signing of 19 year-old Serbian Miodrag Pivas. 

The defensive midfielder was pictured on Tyneside ahead of a proposed switch from Serbian Super League side FK Jedinstvo.

2024/25:
Pre-season musings

Update: contradicting the information from Leeds United about a blanket fan ban for German pre-season games, Notts County confirm that they've taken 300 tickets for their meeting win Germany with Duisburg in a 3,000 capacity ground.

Earlier: Newcastle's pre-season schedule remains shrouded in mystery aside from the two games in Japan and one at Hull, but an update from Leeds United from Tuesday could be telling.

The Whites are set to play a number of friendlies in Germany, but have advised supporters that: "any friendly matches played in Germany have been ordered to take place behind closed doors."

They claim that this is a blanket ban by German authorities, rather than something specifically related to Leeds United fans.

There was speculation that Newcastle would visit Germany this summer as part of the new adidas kit deal and play at least one game.

A further complication is an unverified claim that the terms of Sandro Tonali's ban mean he can only feature in friendly matches behind closed doors. 

PS: There's still no word of opponents in the Sela Cup at SJP, with a claim that a Spanish club are lined up as yet unconfirmed.

Online searches reveal that La Liga sides Athletic Bilbao, Girona, Rayo Vallecano, Sevilla and Valencia all have pre-season fixture elsewhere that weekend. 

Competition:
Anarchy winner

Thanks to Anarchy Beer Co. we had a mixed case of 12 beers and a Euro T-shirt up for grabs in a free-to-enter competition.
 
We asked you to predict the final score in Tuesday's England versus Slovenia clash - and four of you correctly said 0-0.

A random selection then produced the entry from John Robson as the winner.

Update:
Carrick confirmation

Following recent claims in The Chronicle, Newcastle United have confirmed a change to their Academy staff, U18 coach Graeme Carrick leaving the club.

Tempted back to his native Tyneside in August 2022 from a role at the FA, Carrick has left to join the first team staff at Championship side Middlesbrough - who are managed by elder brother Michael.

Update:
Transfer clamour

While the current transfer window concludes on Friday August 30th, an upsurge in deals is anticipated before the end of the financial year this coming Sunday, June 30th.

Pressure on clubs to comply with the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) is forcing them into finding creative accountancy solutions that don't always make sense in pure footballing terms. 

Links abound, with a rush involving Newcastle hitting social media on Saturday, including claims by Yankuba Minteh's agent that a permanent transfer to an unnamed club loomed.

The omission of Kieran Trippier and Miguel Almiron from recent kit launch images was interpreted in some quarters as confirmation that they would be sold during this window.

However the complicating factor of both playing international football may have removed the chance of striking deals for either player before next Sunday. 

And among claims and counter-claims, the £100m release clause in the contract of Bruno Guimaraes is also reportedly due to expire before the end of June (the exact day is disputed).

Rather than further pollute the airwaves with speculation, we'll continue to note any transfer rumours here as we have since 1999 and report any concrete news on the main page.

Nippon 4:
Call me

Ahead of United's first games there in almost 30 years, our Japan correspondent Simon Moran recalls life as an exile in the pre-internet age online here

2024/25:
Saints up first

Newcastle's Premier League season begins with a home game against newly-promoted Southampton on Saturday August 17th.

That game wasn't selected for live UK TV transmission and has a 3pm kick-off.

Fixture list is online here 

Notes: 

Dates and kick-off times are subject to alteration, aside from the Southampton home opener and the final day fixture round.

Re: rescheduling, the PL are "committed to giving supporters a minimum of six weeks’ notice on UK broadcast selections until December 2024, and five weeks’ from January 2025 until Matchweek 37."

They've now also published "windows" during which those changes will appear, rather than specific days as in previous seasons:

Aug/Sep: 18th June to 5th July
Oct: 22nd July to 19th August
Nov: 2nd to 13th September
Dec/Jan: 16th September to 14th October
Feb: 14th November to 9th December
Mar: 2nd to 24th January
Apr: 27th January to 28th February
MW35: 17th to 21st March
MW36: 24th to 28th March
MW37: 31st March to 4th April
MW38: Following MW37

The mid-season break has been removed.

For the ninth time in ten top-flight seasons, Newcastle kick off with a home game, while their season ends on Tyneside for the first time since 2020.

Both meetings with Liverpool are scheduled on Wednesdays but we'll face Everton home and away at the weekend. Scheduling our Goodison visit ahead of an international break means that it cannot be on the Monday. 

The only obvious change required due to PL sides playing in Europe is October's visit to Chelsea, assuming they win their two-legged Conference League playoff tie in August. 

All PL festive games are listed under the following three dates: December 26th, December 29th and January 4th. Regardless of that, games will move for TV transmission and be scheduled throughout that period with the exception of December 24th/25th.

The FA Cup Final is on the penultimate Saturday of the season; with no PL games on Friday May 16th or Saturday 17th. All games that weekend including our visit to Arsenal are listed as Sunday 18th. It's feasible that one or more games could be Monday 19th.

Aside from the FA Cup Final as explained above, the only time that PL games are scheduled on the same weekend as an FA Cup Proper round is the Semi-Finals. We're due to host Ipswich Town that weekend.

That means that those PL sides who fail to reach the Quarter-Finals face being idle for over two weeks in mid to late March. 

2024/25 season Magpie Mover tickets are on sale to season ticket holders here. The price remains £25, more details here. 

NB: ST holders must be logged on to their NUFC ticket account on order to purchase Magpie Movers.

Due to transport funding restrictions, NUFC members cannot purchase Magpie Movers. 

White here, White now:
Len remembered

Coinciding with the thirtieth anniversary of his passing, a special charity edition badge from Magpin celebrates the great Len White.

The badge is on sale here now and at the request of Len's family, all proceeds will be donated to the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.

Although still omitted from the club's hall of fame, Len's place in Newcastle United history is beyond doubt; his tally of 153 goals exceeded only by Alan Shearer and Jackie Milburn and making him a worthy edition to the Geordie Legend badge series. 

Signed from Rotherham United in 1953, the Yorkshire miner served the Magpies until 1962 - injury limiting him to 269 games in our colours and depriving him of the England caps many observers had predicted.

2024/25:
NUFC membership: further information

2024/25 season memberships are now available, with two adult options: The Mags and The Mags+

Pricing for the standard membership remains at £37, with the new plus option £47. The latter includes various off-field benefits, but access to match ticket ballots and resale is the same for both options.

Season ticket holders will hold the same membership advantages as The Mags this season, aside from access to match tickets via ballots etc.

Season ticket holders can upgrade from The Mags to The Mags+ membership upon payment of £10.

A Junior Mags option is available while the international scheme has been discontinued.

There's no mention of any cap on membership numbers this season and details of how the ticket ballot process will work are yet to be disclosed. 

NUFC membership press release

NUFC membership pricing/benefits

NUFC membership FAQs

Incoming:
Our Kelly 

Newcastle's first senior signing of the current transfer window is Lloyd Kelly, who will formally join the club on Monday upon the expiration of his Bournemouth contract.

The 25 year-old Bristol-born player who arrives on a free transfer signed a five-year deal and takes squad number 25. 

Kelly is reunited with his former Cherries managers Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall at Gallowgate and coach Graeme Jones.
 
The left-sided central defender played the first of 48 games for Bristol City in 2017, making a £13m switch to Bournemouth ahead of the 2019/20 campaign - and a home debut during Newcastle's 4-1 win there.

141 appearances for ex-England U20 and U21 international Lloyd while at the Vitality Stadium include 54 in the Premier League (47 starts).

Old boys:
Unlikely lads

SJP old boys with new clubs/jobs include:

Craig Bellamy (Burnley Interim Manager)
Adam Campbell (Hartlepool United)
Luke Charman (Hartlepool United)
Stephen Clemence (Barrow Head Coach)
Ryan Donaldson (Blyth Spartans)
Cameron Ferguson (Inverness CT)
Dan Gosling (Westfield)
Jamie Holmes (North Shields)
Jack Hunter (Hartlepool United)
Dan Langley (Morpeth Town)
Michael Newberry (Cliftonville)
Ben Pollock (Chester)
Dylan Stephenson (Dagenham & Redbridge)
Jude Smith (Carlisle United)
Lewis Suddick (North Shields)
Ben Tozer (Forest Green Rovers)
Kell Watts (Cambridge United)
Callum Williams (Tow Law Town)

Ex-Magpies looking for new clubs include:

Mehdi Abeid (Istanbul Basaksehir)
Chris Basham (Sheffield United)
Ciaran Clark (Stoke City) 
Shane Ferguson (Rotherham United)
Dwight Gayle (Derby County)
Paul Huntington (Carlisle United)
Kazenga LuaLua (Charlton Athletic)
Jonathan Mitchell (Harrogate Town)
Josef Yarney (Tranmere Rovers)

Off-field departures include:

Habib Beye (Red Star Paris)
Emre (Ankaragucu)
Steve Guppy (Nashville SC)
Kevin Nolan (West Ham)