Newcastle United

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Newcastle United fan and comedian Jack Robertson joined the Total Sport podcast to discuss his memories of Miguel Almiron, after his £8m move to Atlanta United.

Asked to pick out his favourite memory from Almiron's time at St James' Park, Robertson said: "His first goal in the PSG game is an obvious one, even though it wasn't the most extravagant thing.

"He was just so quick getting there and seeing us score the first goal in a game like that was such a relief. He was the perfect player to do it because he really represented how far we had come at that point.

"When he first came here, I remember him getting thrown around because he was so small. I used to think: 'How is that happening?' and I thought he wasn't going to fit in, but then he did."

Newcastle lost at home to Fulham on Saturday and Robertson reflected on a "dicey but natural" season for Eddie Howe's side.

"I think some fans get too scared and too worried. It's so funny because the standards have gone up on all sides but I'm someone that feels sorry for the runts of the pack.

"When we are losing, I think: 'It's all right - we aren't in a bad spot'. I definitely don't get as nervous now when I look at the fixtures. It is nice to look at the games and think we will give everyone a match'.

"We are just about gripping on to Alexander Isak for dear life, but it has been so nice to see that elevated level of class in the games. That's what I'm watching it for, to see Newcastle be a real competing team up there and be world class."

Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds

Let's be realistic.

Instead of setting sights high only for dreams to get dashed, we want to know what the minimum requirement is for Newcastle on deadline day.

Be as specific as possible and tell us what will ensure you are satisfied come 23:00 GMT on Monday.

Let us know

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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Newcastle United and Fulham.

Here are some of your comments:

Newcastle fans

Peter: Newcastle lacked ideas and the players looked as though they thought they were entitled to win. Maybe that's not the case. Sometimes they need a plan B and greater depth in the squad. Both Bournemouth and Fulham out-muscled Newcastle. More time in the gym needed?

Richard: This keeps happening, doesn't it? And at St James' Park too! That's about 12 points dropped against sides we should either be beating easily or at least grinding out a result against. But, unlike some, I have absolute faith in Eddie Howe to sort it. If it's not something he can remedy, then I doubt very much it's anything within his control to fix in the first place. He is too much of a professional to say out loud that we need freshening up, but we really could do with some new faces.

Pete: Newcastle gave the game away. We should have had it dead and buried. Unlike the Bournemouth game, we weren't beaten by a better team. Instead, we lost a game that we could have and should have won.

Krish: We are making life hard for ourselves by not getting results against teams like Fulham or being up for the fight. They had our numbers by flooding the wings with pace and power. I feel like we need to get Wednesday done and out of the way.

Fulham fans

Guy: Great display and I'm so happy with the bounce back, getting our first win at St James' Park since 2009. Keep it up like this and I will be booking my tickets to obscure Slovenian football teams come August.

Chris: What a win at that ground! A great performance in the second half, with both strikers on the scoresheet and another assist from Robinson.

Charles: Whatever Marco said to them at half-time obviously worked. It went from watching an amateur team to watching prime Barcelona. I reckon if we can force teams more and exploit mistakes then we can have another late European push.

Iain: Most Fulham fans will not be surprised at this result. If they had a reliable striker, they would be in the top four comfortably. They have lost and drawn games they should have won and, invariably, it is always against the teams well below them in the table. Fulham have a long history of doing this! Quite how getting a recognised and experienced striker was not top priority in this transfer window is baffling.

Watch highlights and analysis from Saturday's six Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Bournemouth 0-2 Liverpool

• Wolves 2-0 Aston Villa

Newcastle defender Lloyd Kelly is closing in on a move to Serie A side Juventus. (Chronicle), external

Meanwhile, Galatasaray have expressed an interest in signing Magpies full-back Kieran Trippier. (Mail), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Sunday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

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Newcastle manager Eddie Howe has been speaking to BBC Match of the Day about the defeat: "I don't think we played particularly well. We got ourselves ahead, we conceded a couple of poor goals, we never got full control of the game like we wanted to do. Very disappointing overall.

"I thought both halves weren't perfect for us. In the first half, we got the lead but we rode our luck at times. I don't think we ever got control like we wanted to. Overall, I didn't like the feel of us and I feel we can do a lot better.

"It's the second home game in a row where we haven't performed and that's a huge frustration for us. That's two back-to-back games where we have been nowhere near ourselves. We just have to hold our hands up and say we didn't perform. Athletically, we weren't ourselves and all these things contribute to a disappointing day."

On whether home form is a concern with a game against Arsenal coming up: "I think the whole atmosphere and feeling will be very different on Wednesday night, but it's another reminder that we need to be near our best to win games. It's another example of the quality of Premier League teams."

Hear more from Howe on BBC Sounds

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Newcastle have lost consecutive Premier League home games for the first time in over a year (since January 2024), recording as many defeats as in their previous 18 matches at St James' Park (W10 D6 L2).

Jacob Murphy has been directly involved in 10 goals (4 goals, 6 assists) in his last 10 Premier League games, contributing more than in his previous 28 appearances in the competition combined (8).

Charlotte Coates
BBC Sport journalist

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When the referee blew his whistle for half-time, Newcastle fans could not have been much happier as they were 45 minutes away from moving into the top four ahead of their semi-final showdown with Arsenal.

The Gunners make the trip north to St James' Park on Wednesday as the Magpies look to land another trip to Wembley for the League Cup final.

Was this the worst possible preparation for that? Quite possibly. For the first time in a year, Newcastle have lost two home games on the spin.

"It's the second home game in a row where we haven't performed and that's a huge frustration for us," said boss Eddie Howe to BBC Match of the Day.

Howe's side were well in control up until the half-time whistle and they Marco Silva worked his magic at the break, leading to Fulham flying out of the blocks for the second period and looking dangerous on the attack.

It looked only a matter of time before Fulham found their leveller and once Raul Jimenez had done just that, it looked like the game would go either way.

You could see the disappointment on the Newcastle faces once Substitute Rodrigo Muniz turned in the winner as they knew this was three points that had slipped through their grasp.

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Newcastle's performance

What did you make of Fulham's display?

Come back to this page on Sunday evening to find a selection of your replies

Six matches make up Saturday's Premier League action and BBC Sport will bring you every kick.

• Nottingham Forest v Brighton (12:30)

• AFC Bournemouth v Liverpool - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Everton v Leicester City

• Ipswich Town v Southampton

• Newcastle v Fulham

• Wolves v Aston Villa (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

All kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here.

Fulham are another team I am finding very hard to predict, but Newcastle are a lot more reliable.

Yes, they were walloped by Bournemouth last time out at St James' Park, but before then they had won five in a row at home in all competitions.

Fulham are capable of causing them problems and showed that when they beat them 3-1 at Craven Cottage in September.

But I am going to go for a reverse of that scoreline here. Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon are in excellent form and they will make the difference.

Sutton's prediction: 3-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

A special episode of Football Daily has been released, as Alan Shearer sits down with Newcastle's in-form striker Alexander Isak.

The Swedish international explains why he's been scoring so many goals this season and also discusses his journey in football and how he grew up watching Spanish football.

He sheds light on his future plans in football and where he sees Newcastle finishing this season.

Listen to the episode here

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Newcastle and Aston Villa have both been fined for their actions in their Premier League fixture at St James' Park on 26th December 2024.

A statement from the FA reads: "It was alleged that both clubs failed to ensure their players and/or technical area occupants did not behave in an improper and/or provocative way around the tunnel area at half time.

"It was also alleged that the Aston Villa analyst and Newcastle United assistant manager acted in an improper manner during the same incident. Both clubs and Victor Manas admitted to their respective charges, and Jason Tindall denied the allegation against him.

"The Regulatory Commission imposed a £30,000 fine and warning upon Aston Villa, a £20,000 fine and warning upon Newcastle United, and a two-match ground ban and £4,000 fine on Victor Manas. The Regulatory Commission found the charge against Jason Tindall to be not proven, and he will face no further action."

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As I said on last week's Match of the Day, I feel that Alexander Isak has put himself into the 'world class' category now, with his performances for Newcastle over the past two seasons.

Along with Mohamed Salah at Liverpool and Manchester City's Erling Haaland, he is one of the three standout forwards we have got in the Premier League.

Sure, the other two have done it for longer in England, but Isak got 25 goals in all competitions last season, and has 19 already this campaign so he is bang on target to smash that total this time.

He's like an assassin, the way he puts chances away, but what I really liked from talking to him is that you can tell he is still looking for ways to improve his game at the age of 25.

I asked him for his favourite, or best, goal that he has scored so far this season, and you will have to watch to find out which one he chose, and why.

What I will tell you is that it was different to my pick, which was his powerful header against Arsenal in November. I saw that as a bit of a throwback goal, the kind that I used to love to score, and it came from what I'd describe as a dream delivery, too.

There was no nonsense from the winger, Anthony Gordon, who just whipped the cross in and it is a fantastic ball - a nightmare for the defenders and goalkeeper but for a forward it was perfect - early, with pace and whip on it. Isak did the rest, and we are getting used to seeing that now.

Phil Cartwright
BBC Sport journalist

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Fulham (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Callum Wilson is closing in on a return from injury but the striker will not be involved against Fulham, while winger Harvey Barnes remains "two or three weeks away" from being fit again.

• After Miguel Almiron's six-year spell at the club ended on Thursday, Howe praised the departed winger: "A very special player and a very special person who will be greatly missed by everyone connected with us. He's a very bubbly and bright personality but, behind the scenes, ultra professional. He did everything he could to be at his very best every day and, from my perspective, you can't have enough of those players who set the right standards."

• Howe does not expect any other players to leave before Monday's transfer deadline. "Things can change, but as we stand at this moment I expect the squad to remain the same."

• On potential incomings: "Barring something huge happening, we didn't expect it would be a window we would recruit in. That's still the case - we're not actively looking to bring players in. Hopefully, the squad will be in a decent place if we can get Callum and Harvey back."

• On facing Fulham again after losing the reverse fixture in September: "It was a tough day - we didn't perform anywhere near where we can. It was a phase when we were struggling to reach our best form. In the Premier League, every team has really strong qualities and on the day they deserved to win."

• Newcastle's previous home game was their 4-1 loss to Bournemouth and Howe is keen to remedy that result: "We definitely had that feeling going into the Southampton game of knowing we needed a big response. The players gave that. But that was an away game and we're coming back to the same environment where we didn't perform. We felt we let ourselves down in that moment so it's an opportunity to finally put that game to bed."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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We asked how you were feeling following the news that Miguel Almiron has returned to Atlanta United after six years at Newcastle and asked for your standout moments from the Paraguayan.

Here are some of your comments:

Peter: Gracias por todos, Miggy! One of the most hard-working, honest players. I'll remember his smile most of all, and the celebration after he opened the scoring on that glorious night against Paris St-Germain.

Tim: A true club player who gave 110% in every game he played in. Scored our first goal in Europe in two decades and some other crackers as well in his time. He's had a good run and I for one wish him well for the future. A lovely lad as well. Good luck, Miggy!

Joff: Almiron epitomised everything that was exciting about the Toon team as it emerged from the doldrums of the Mike Ashley era. His effort and passion were on show every time he pulled the shirt on. We owe him. He will remain in all Toon hearts for a long time, in the same way as the likes of Nobby Solano and Cheick Tiote.

Ken: Only positive memories of Miggy. His work ethic was probably better than anyone, he was happy and always a smile and he scored some brilliant goals in our best season for years. The only downside was how some fans disrespected him on social media. It makes you ashamed of the fans at times. His love of Newcastle will ensure he will be remembered fondly and always be welcome in Newcastle.

Steve: Miggy let no one down, I just wished the club could have given him a final swansong this Saturday. He would have got the send-off with best wishes like no other. Will miss his smile.

Chris: Miggy was a real dynamo for us when we needed fighting spirit. He helped keep us up and always played his heart out. He loved Newcastle and we loved him back. I know we have to sell to move forward and I can only hope he is happy back in Atlanta.

Image source, PA Media

Former Newcastle United scout and Crystal Palace adviser Paul Montgomery, speaking to BBC Radio Newcastle, external about the Magpies' pursuit of Palace and England centre-back Marc Guehi last summer:

"Michael Olise had to go [from Palace] because he had a clause in his contract. I wish Newcastle had taken him - he is a special player.

"Palace lost him and also Joachim Andersen, because of his age and the way the deal was to Fulham. The last thing they wanted to do was lose Guehi, who is a super professional.

"Speaking to the chairman [Steve Parish], he didn't want him to leave and he said the fee was £70m because he didn't want it done. Newcastle were in for him, Liverpool looked at the fee and said it was too much, but Newcastle came back.

"What I said to Steve was: 'You wanted £70m, but hang on to him as much as you can, because you'll still get £50m when he's got a year left [on his contract] at the end of the season. You'll lose £20m but you'll gain £130m because you'll stay in the league'."

Listen to BBC Radio Newcastle's Total Sport on BBC Sounds

Newcastle United have held talks with 18-year-old Spanish winger Antonio Cordero over a free transfer when his Malaga contract expires this summer. (Mail), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport