Newcastle United fans demanding they are front of queue for Wembley

Wembley.

I am just laughing now at the thought of these Newcastle United fans.

The attention seekers who are demanding Eddie Howe is replaced because of his ‘failure’ this season, blink and the very same Newcastle United fans will be demanding they are front of queue for Wembley.

Yes, we are only 90 minutes (or 120 minutes, or 120 minutes and penalties…) away from a return to Wembley.

Newcastle United fans had a 23 year wait to return to Wembley (not counting obviously when Spurs were in between stadiums) in 2023 for the League Cup final against Man U, having last visited in 2000 to the old Wembley for that so unfair 2-1 defeat to Chelsea in the FA Cup semi.

This time it could be just the 14 months to wait, if having an April 2024 FA Cup semi-final to look forward to.

Yes I know there is the small matter of Man City to get past but that doesn’t change the fact, that by 7.30pm tonight, Newcastle United fans will be straight online looking at trains and hotels etc for a Wembley return.

That would of course also see us returning to that glorious situation that followed the defeat of Southampton back in Southampton 2023.

Which Newcastle United fans deserved to get League Cup final tickets for the Man U game at Wembley.

The answer of course is that in at least some small way, we all think we deserve a ticket. We have all followed NUFC for however many years and why not get our reward?

The amusing thing, for me at least, is that those who are embarrassing themselves demanding Eddie Howe should go, will no doubt suddenly become amongst those who see themselves as most deserving to be at the front of the queue to get tickets to see Eddie Howe’s boys at Wembley.

Who said fickle?

On the subject of tickets for Wembley.

I am not getting ahead of myself as of course we are likely to lose at Man City, though unlike some I believe NUFC do have a chance. As the bookies are pricing it up, they make Newcastle 5/1 to get through to the semis, a one in six chance. So we have a roll of the dice type chance.

However, I can’t help but daydream and just imagine how the debate will suddenly change, for the better AND worse.

All Newcastle United fans will suddenly be infinitely happier due to their team getting through to Wembley and any draw will be easier than Man City away.

However, for the worse, we will then be thrown into the endless debate of who are the best Newcastle United fans and most importantly, best entitled to tickets for Wembley.

Unlike all other major clubs, for that February 2023 League Cup final, the Newcastle United owners gave all the tickets to season ticket holders, apart from a small handful to members.

The likes of Man U and Liverpool encourage massive numbers of members and part of that relationship, is that those who are members are given hope of tickets for big matches, including finals, trips to Wembley and so on. It isn’t simply a case of allocating pretty much all Wembley tickets to season ticket holders.

With it having been 24 years since the last cup final, the reasoning as I understand it, was that the Newcastle United owners felt it fair to allocate all the League Cup final tickets to ST holders.

If returning to Wembley again after only 14 months away, I honestly can’t see any chance of the NUFC owners doing the same.

I understand there are around 32,000 season ticket holders but more than 100,000 Newcastle United members.

I honestly think there is zero chance that they would do the same again.

The membership scheme is key I think to the plans of the Newcastle United owners in growing the club and that membership scheme has proved an absolute joke this season. Some people paying £37 for their membership and getting absolutely no tickets in ballots for home matches, whilst the average is maybe one in five (20 per cent) success rate at best for most members.

If we have an FA Cup semi at Wembley, I think the choice will be either let all the season ticket holders have a ticket and give a handful (1,000?) to members for a one in a hundred (NO!!!!) chance of getting a ticket.

Or alternatively, allocate say two thirds of Wembley tickets to season ticket holders and roughly two thirds of them get a ticket, whilst the other third going to members and say a one in ten (SOME!!!) chance of a Wembley ticket.

The Newcastle United owners upsetting some season ticket holders, most of who are still on the ridiculously cheap Mike Ashley deals until end of next season.

Or alternatively, continue to treat the 100,000+ members as total fools?

Well, if any season ticket holder wants to chuck in their season ticket, there would be no shortage of takers. Though in reality, the owners would just add it to the supply of tickets match by match.

As it stands, those on the Ashley deals sitting in the Leazes and Gallowgate ends, the majority of season ticket holders as I understand it, are paying less than £25 per match. Whereas the owners bank over £80 for a seat next to them if it is somebody who is a member buying it and just going to that one match this season, paying £37 for a membership and then £44 (for ‘cheaper’ games) or £48 for more attractive matches (which has included Forest this season…).

So just ask yourself, are the Newcastle United owners more bothered about keeping people happy who are paying less than £25 a match, or the vast majority of NUFC fans who are members and who are paying £50+ up to £85 for each seat they have been able to buy?

As I say, this is why the likes of Liverpool and Man U, if they get to Wembley or other big matches, they allocate a large percentage of their ticket allocation to members. They HAVE to give them hope that if they keep paying their money and visiting Old Trafford and Anfield once or twice or thrice a season, they are in with at least a small realistic chance of getting a Wembley ticket in a members ballot.

So when Alexander Isak completes his hat-trick and NUFC are 3-0 up with 30 seconds left on the clock tonight at the Etihad, I will then finally relax and look forward to the ticket fight to follow.