Newcastle United are certainly one of the bigger clubs in English football, even if their critics, particularly those in red and white around the River Wear, love to say they are not. It might be true that they are not as big as their fans believe they are but then in fairness all clubs have supporters who border on the delusional.
The Magpies have a long history, having been founded back in 1881 (originally as Stanley FC), and in St James’ Park, they have one of the country’s largest football stadiums. The centrally located ground has a capacity of more than 52,000 and is invariably full to the rafters with some of football’s noisiest fans.
Those who dispute their claim to being a “big club”, whatever that really means, argue that Newcastle do not have the silverware to support such a claim. It is true that they cannot compete with the really successful sides such as Man United, Liverpool or Arsenal, or even the second tier of outfits which, historically rather than recently, include teams such as Man City, Everton, Aston Villa and Chelsea.
However, when we look at the broader picture, they are very much “Premier League” in terms of the trophies they have won. Only a relatively small number of clubs have won both the FA Cup and the top-tier title and Newcastle have won the former six times and the latter on four occasions. In addition they have twice made the League Cup final and also won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup back in 1969.
That said, big club or not, there can be no argument that it is a long time since they have won a major trophy. And we mean a seriously long time.
Newcastle’s Last Silverware
Ignoring the Intertoto Cup, which the Geordie faithful celebrated winning in 2006, and the slightly dubious honour of winning the second-tier title, as Newcastle did in both 2009/10 and 2016/17 (as well as a little earlier in 1992/93 and earlier still in 1964/65), it is a seriously long time since the Magpies had much to cheer. With Sunderland being absent from the top flight for some time they haven’t even had a win over the Mackems to celebrate but their wait for a major trophy goes back much further than that.
If we are limiting the discussion to the top-tier championship, the FA Cup, the League Cup, or any major European competition, one has to go all the way back to the 7th of May 1955 for Newcastle United’s last trophy of real worth. They beat Man City in the FA Cup final back then, almost 70 years ago, winning 3-1 with Magpies icon Jackie Milburn getting the opener in the first minute of the game.
There will be plenty of people alive today who were among the 100,000 inside Wembley that day. However, finding anyone who saw Newcastle during their last title-winning campaign might be rather trickier: the Geordies last won the league all the way back in 1927!
However, with the Saudi investment at the club there is hope that maybe, just maybe, Newcastle United can finally end their seemingly endless wait for silverware. But how realistic are their chances and which competition might they most realistically claim?
Could the League Cup be the One to Target?
Newcastle played in the Champions League last season but failed to qualify for European competition in 2024/25. They have started the current campaign solidly enough and after six games sit seventh but just a couple of points off a top-four spot.
Given the highly competitive nature of English football, some fans may feel that one of the lesser European competitions is Newcastle’s best shot at winning a trophy in the immediate future. However, it would be a struggle for them to win the Champions League any time soon, and so in order to win a European trophy they would probably have to finish fifth or sixth this season and/or next season, and then go all the way in the Europa League or Conference League.
That means there are a few hurdles to jump and at least almost two full seasons to wait. Optimistic Geordies will be hoping for silverware sooner than that and the EFL Cup could certainly be their route to glory.
Newcastle face Chelsea in the last 16 this term which will not be easy, but on home soil they will certainly fancy their chances. That said, Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs, Aston Villa, Man United, plus four other PL clubs also remain in the competition. It will be a tough task for them to win the competition in 2025 but with another season of development and growth, victory in 2026 certainly could be a realistic aim.
Or Maybe the FA Cup?
Over the past decade or so it has, arguably, been easier to win the FA Cup than the League Cup. Including Wigan’s win in the 2013 FA Cup final, seven different sides have won that competition since then. In the same period, just five teams have won the League Cup, with three dominating the last nine editions.
The Magpies have a good record in the FA Cup too, their total of six wins putting them eighth in terms of overall success. What’s more, they have made the final a further seven times, with only four clubs making it to the last two more often. Newcastle last appeared in an FA Cup final in 1999, losing 2-0 to Man United, whilst 12 months earlier Arsenal had beaten them by the same score in the showpiece.
Can Newcastle Win the Premier League?
Only seven sides have ever won the PL and three of those – Blackburn, Leicester and Liverpool- have just one success to their name. Newcastle have won the title before, though, as said, that was way back in 1926/27, their other three wins all coming in the first decade of the 20th century.
Right now, with City so dominant, and Liverpool and Arsenal doing their best to challenge the Mancunians, a Newcastle victory in the Premier League seems unlikely. However, Pep will not stay at Man City forever, and just as importantly, Newcastle’s Saudi owners are sure to pump as much money into the club as they are allowed to.
The Saudi Public Investment Fund has been open about their ambitious aims, but everyone accepts it will take time. Quite how long, nobody knows, but we would be very surprised if Newcastle do not win at least one of the trophies we have mentioned within the next five seasons.