Pod On The Tyne: an independent NUFC podcast

This week has been about the hardcore... we delivered a special tribute to the away end on our Extra Tyne feed last night (podonthetyne.supportingcast.fm).
It was about Newcastle's hardcore as well. Kieran Trippier and Dan Burn rolled back the years as starting fullbacks, Joe Willock bolstered the legs in midfield, and Eddie Howe's team outfought a Spurs team that, OK, may not have been the toughest nut to crack, but have some talent in their ranks.
New boys Elanga and, especially, Jacob Ramsey did their bit too, of course, but for old times' sake here's our traditional three-men-talking-about-football-for-45-minutes assessment of a big win in N17.

People are already calling it shambolic, a new low, embarrassing to see a man underperforming so badly... but, in Chris's defence it was supposed to be his day off.
Live from St James's Park (and central Halifax), we look back at a woeful evening when Newcastle threw away a leading position, equalised, then threw away a point.
Where do we go from here, other than to the Tottenham surgery... and can the attack-minded summer signings make some sort of an impact in the last three months of the season?!

Can you be dumped out of the cup in a semi-final? If so, that's what happened to Newcastle United at the Etihad Stadium, and thoroughly unceremonious it was too.
Needing to overturn a two-goal deficit, Omar Marmoush (x2) and Tijjani Reijnders instead gave Manchester City a five-goal cushion at the break. Despite a nice goal for Anthony Elanga and several more chances, the game had been decided almost before it begun.
We consider a miserable evening, which also included a hamstring injury for Anthony Gordon, and there's a pre-match discussion of the January transfer window and a disappointing few days for The Lasses.

Newcastle have an unenviable record at many of the Premier League's more illustrious venues, but Anfield stands with the best of them.
Could this time be different with Eddie Howe throwing a striker-free 4-3-3 curveball at Arne Slot and Anthony Gordon capping a positive start to give Newcastle the lead...
No.

Another trip to Paris, another 1-1 draw, but instead of deflation there was a sense of pride and encouragement. That was despite confirmation of a play-off place for Eddie's Mags rather than direct passage to the quarter-finals.
A back three and some interesting rotations made it look like the manager had at least one eye on the Liverpool game but they overcame an early onslaught from the European champions and some interesting decisions from the referee. By the end, Newcastle were ruing a big missed chance for Harvey Barnes that would've won it.
In this hybrid matchday/weekly episode we also look back at our live show, held at the Gosforth Civic Theatre on Friday, a great night with some very special guests.