Sutton's predictions: Brighton v Newcastlepublished at 11:13 4 May
11:13 4 May
Brighton got back to winning ways last weekend thanks to Carlos Baleba's brilliant late strike against West Ham.
The Seagulls beat Newcastle at St James' Park earlier in the season too, but that was before Eddie Howe's side hit their stride, and it is a big ask for Brighton to repeat that result.
Newcastle were just relentless in their win over Ipswich and another three points here would be massive in their bid for a top-five finish - I don't think they will get them, but we will see a few goals.
Howe hopes to use 'PSR to our advantage' this summerpublished at 14:00 2 May
14:00 2 May
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Newcastle boss Eddie Howe hopes the boot will be on the other foot this summer to "take advantage of other clubs" who will have to sell players to comply with spending rules.
Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) meant the Magpies were forced to sell Elliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest and Yankuba Minteh to Brighton to avoid a points deduction.
But this summer, they are in a significantly stronger situation and they should be able to retain and strengthen, while also demanding a decent fee for those leaving.
"The PSR deadline plays a huge role for clubs - both those clubs with PSR issues and those without - because those without may potentially look to try to sign players," said Howe.
"They [the owners] will look to take advantage of other clubs, as clubs did to us last year, quite rightly.
"It's a really interesting dynamic and one that we're really aware of and that we'll try to use to our advantage if we can.
"I can't go into the details of that, but no doubt we've got people at the club who are working very hard behind the scenes on it.
"We want to keep our best players, I think I've made that very clear. That's not just the wish from me, that's the wish from everyone at the club.
"I don't have a crystal ball. I can't sit here and say what's going to happen. I can only say what my determination is and it is to build a team - the best team possible. To do that, you can't consistently lose your best players."
Did you know?published at 11:27 2 May
11:27 2 May
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Under Eddie Howe, Newcastle United have won 27 Premier League matches by a margin of three or more goals. Since his first game in November 2021, the only side with more is Manchester City (38).
Howe on Joelinton's fitness, Willock and looming transfer windowpublished at 10:30 2 May
10:30 2 May
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Brighton (kick-off 14:00 BST).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Howe said it is unlikely Joelinton to play again this season, but he would not rule it out entirely: "He had a bit of discomfort in his knee last week before the game so he sought specialist opinion. The opinion was it was nothing serious but he needed a period of rest, so he's now in Brazil."
He described Joe Willock as a "like-for-like replacement" for the injured midfielder: "He's got goalscoring instincts, is an attack-minded player, very quick and athletic, a good ball carrier. No doubting his quality but he probably needs that run of games to be at his very best, so hopefully he can show that."
On Sven Botman's fitness: "He came through last weekend OK. He trained again this week and looks good, so it's been positive to have him back."
Howe said he expects the race for Champions League football "to go down right to the end", adding: "You look at the teams in and around us and it's full of top quality. We have four games left but we can only look at ourselves. You can't look at other teams and results."
Anthony Gordon's knee issues are "not too bad", with Howe adding: "He's had a full week of training and looks better physically. The main thing for him is to try to focus on his performance and be at the levels he has for the majority of the season."
He was asked about William Osula, who scored his first Premier League goal for the Magpies last week: "For us, it's about being consistent with our development of him. Not everybody has his ability and his attributes, so it's about honing those skills and making sure we continue to get him ready for the rigours of the Premier League."
On the upcoming transfer window: "Even though we haven't signed a lot of players in the past few windows, the work doesn't stop - and will never stop. I take more prominence towards the window opening so I am doing a lot of the work at the moment."
'Mbeumo would form good partnership with Isak'published at 08:49 2 May
08:49 2 May
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BBC Radio Newcastle's Steve Howey believes reported target Bryan Mbeumo could form a "good partnership" with Alexander Isak.
Mbeumo has been rumoured to be moving away from Brentford in summer, with Newcastle one of the teams linked.
The Cameroon international has 18 goals and six assists from 34 Premier League appearances this season, and has scored in both matches against Newcastle.
Speaking on the potential move, Howey said: "I think he's a very good player. He scores goals, his work rate is excellent. He creates goals as well.
"I think him and Yoane Wissa have a good partnership and a good understanding of each other, and I think he could have one with Alexander Isak too.
Newcastle will also not enter a summer-long pursuit of Bournemouth centre-back Dean Huijsen, 20, after learning from last year's failed attempts to sign 24-year-old England defender Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace. (i paper, external)
'I thought Miley might have been selected ahead of Willock'published at 11:08 1 May
11:08 1 May
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BBC Radio Newcastle's Matthew Raisbeck says he was surprised Joe Willock started ahead of Lewis Miley on Saturday.
Joelinton was not named in the squad against Ipswich, and it has been reported he could miss the rest of the season through a knee injury.
With four games left to play, his absence could be a huge blow for Newcastle in their pursuit of Champions League football.
On who should replace Joelinton, Raisbeck said: "I thought Lewis Miley might have been selected on Saturday against Ipswich. I'm not questioning the decision, but he's so highly rated and I think we all want to see more of him.
"I'm a big fan of Willock. We all want to see him get back to the level he was at two years ago when Newcastle got in the Champions League because he was terrific on the left side, going into the forward line. Because of injuries he's had a tough couple of years and hasn't really been able to get to that level again, which is a real shame.
"Willock will always be a goal threat, but could Miley help Newcastle in possession against Brighton?
"Sean Longstaff's last Premier League start was in December against Brentford. He's not a first-choice player anymore."
Who should start in defence for Newcastle next season? published at 17:06 30 April
17:06 30 April
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We asked for your views on who should be Newcastle's centre-back pairing for next season.
Here are some of your comments:
Peter: Sven Botman must return and knowing Eddie Howe, he would rather have a right-foot, left-foot combination. That means Botman and Fabian Schar or a new central defender.
Nick: First choice would be Dean Huijsen. I love Schar and Burn but we can't rely on ageing centre backs. With Europe next season, everyone will have their part to play. If at 100% strength, then possibly Botman.
Brian: Unless we get someone in to replace Schar, it is a choice between Botman and Burn really, and a fit and firing Botman will always get that call. But the three of them with two wing-backs worked really well earlier in the season, and the question then becomes, who do you drop further up the pitch.
Bill: I have a strong suspicion that the starting centre-back partnership next season will be Malick Thiaw and Sven Botman. Marc Guehi will probably still cost a little too much and probably wants to go to Chelsea. Dean Huijsen would be an option but I think there will be interest in him from elsewhere. Thiaw on the other hand hasn't really increased in value a huge amount since they last enquired.
Dave: Assuming Botman stays fit, then I would say he needs to get some more game time. I think Burn is having the time of his life on the left side of central defence. Schar is fantastic of course, but I do think we need another younger player to bed in to the squad going forward. A new right-sided defender should be on the summer shopping list.
Who should be the starting centre-back pairing next season?published at 11:57 30 April
11:57 30 April
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Former Magpies defender John Anderson spoke to BBC Radio Newcastle about Eddie Howe's centre-back options: "It's a nice problem for Eddie Howe to have. [Sven] Botman is a quality player, when he is fit and at his best he is very good.
"[Fabian] Schar and [Dan] Burn have had a good season together and individually. The only time they really struggled was against Aston Villa with the pace they have. They got in behind and caused them problems. We know there is a lack of pace there.
"Will they bring in another right-sided centre back? If they do that it will get interesting.
"Botman is the best defender they have got when he is fit and at 100% - he is quicker and younger. It will be interesting to see who the two centre-backs are at the start of next season."
Who would be your preferred centre-back pairing be? Is it two already in the squad or do you think a summer signing is needed - and if so, who and why?
Can Ipswich goal be the 'tip of the iceberg' for Osula?published at 08:58 30 April
08:58 30 April
Charlotte Robson Fan writer
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This weekend saw another win under Newcastle's belt - which is just what we needed after such a poor showing against Aston Villa.
Everything seems to be a bit more normal for us - we are third in the table with a few [tough] games to play. Is it really going to happen again? Champions League football at St James' Park? It looks increasingly likely.
If this season ends with us securing Champions League football and our first domestic trophy in 70 years sparkling in our cabinet then it has to be considered one of the greatest seasons of all time for Newcastle. Even if we do not get one of the coveted Champions League spots, it has to be up there.
The past weekend's game against Ipswich was what we needed - a big atmosphere, a big performance, goals from some of the fan favourites.
In particular, a goal from William Osula, a man we signed in the summer who has quickly made his way into our hearts by behaving, well, VERY enthusiastically when we won the cup (by the end of the celebrations he had many scarves around his head, covered in tinsel). I find this extra fun given he played very few minutes in that competition; he is just enjoying being there!
He has clearly made friends with the squad, and for him to get his first Premier League goal at the weekend was huge. He is also starting to look like an option for us on the right side of attack which is exciting - if Newcastle get back into the Champions League we need options and depth.
And nothing is better than enthusiastic options. My hope is this goal is the tip of the iceberg for this lad.
Every squad needs the fun ones - even better if they are class too.
'The referee had a nightmare'published at 13:01 29 April
13:01 29 April
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Former Newcastle United defender John Anderson lambasted the refereeing in the fixture between the Magpies and Ipswich on Saturday.
Anderson was critical of the decision to disallow a Bruno Guimaraes goal after the midfielder had turned his back on Town keeper Alex Palmer, who came to catch the ball, missed it, and the ball ended up going in off Guimaraes' back.
"The goal that was disallowed is an absolute joke. Guimaraes doesn't do anything, he just stands there. Keeper is expecting him to do something. All he [Guimaraes] did was hold his ground," Anderson told BBC Radio Newcastle.
"The referee had a nightmare. He had a nightmare for both sides.
"He was absolutely abysmal. He just lost the plot early on and never really got it back."
Simon: Another solid performance, bouncing back from last week's Villa game. A good team performance. Kieran Trippier is having a great spell of form and I'm pleased for Dan Burn and Will Osula in particular. Our final position is in our hands, but we are going to need top performances. Very happy with the way we are playing as a strong team.
David: I know we weren't firing on all cylinders but we still got the job done comfortably. Remember the days when, at this time of the season, we would be so pleased to reach the 40-point mark?
Steve: Great to see Osula finally get some game time. He is a player with a bright future.
Ozzy: Great to see Eddie Howe back, but you can tell by looking at him that he's not 100% yet. We got better as the match went on and we should have scored a few more goals. VAR was certainly wrong to disallow Bruno Guimaraes' goal in the first half, as the goalkeeper simply misjudged the flight of the ball and fell over. If we get points away to Brighton and Arsenal, then win both of our home games against Chelsea and Everton, it should be enough to qualify for Champions League. Everyone on Tyneside will be keeping everything crossed for the next few weeks.
Ipswich fans
Robert: Well the party is over and we are off to the Championship. Once again, a very lacklustre performance. We went down with a whimper and not with a roar. The stats say it all - Newcastle had 22 shots and Ipswich only had four. A very disappointing season, but what a wonder run with two promotions. The main worry I have for an immediate return to the Premier League is whether we will be able to keep our manager and buy players who can compete at the top level.
Dave: KieranMcKenna - lucky to go up, deserved to go down and, in my opinion, paid too much to get sacked.
Tim: What was Ben Johnson thinking when he committed a blatant foul for his second yellow? That killed the game for us. Our defence did well to keep the score down. I'm going to miss Liam Delap if he does leave - he was a handful for Newcastle with the few scraps he received.
Kevin: The game was quite good. Obviously, Newcastle had more possession, but Town had a few chances on the break. Everything changed after the sending off. Then it was down to the spirit of the players to basically keep the score reasonable against a free-scoring team. Yet again marvellous support from the Tractor Boys. We go again next season.
Bill: Pathetic performances over the season. They were bang average at best and over-hyped.
'Never any doubt' Howe would return with a winpublished at 08:09 28 April
08:09 28 April
John Bennett Final Score reporter at St James’ Park
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There was never really any doubt that Newcastle would welcome Eddie Howe back with a win on Saturday.
I spoke to Dan Burn and Nick Pope who both talked about the boost Howe's return after illness gave the squad going into the Ipswich game. Burn told me the manager said to the players earlier in the week that he would take it easy in training but that only lasted 30 seconds before he had stopped the session!
That just sums up Howe's personality and drive to make this team better.
After the game, Howe admitted to me that he was still lacking energy but he was very keen to thank the fans and everyone at the club for their support.
When asked if he had felt the love from the fans, Howe said he had, even if he was in game mode.
Newcastle are not back in action until Sunday, which will give him a bit more time to fully recover. But but with Champions League football in sight over four "cup finals" (his words), from what Burn was saying, Howe certainly will not be taking a step back in training.