Newcastle United

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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The Premier League has opened a Pandora's box of problems which cannot be closed. However well-intentioned, however morally upright they mean to be, the way the product is perceived around the planet by fans will be negatively affected.

This looks like a gigantic mess, but could also become a bit of a joke, especially if they attempt to rewrite history, and change the winners' names on the Premier League and cup trophies over these past 15 years. I wouldn't want the engraver's job.

I believe financial rules brought in to prioritise financial sustainability were also aimed at limiting the money being spent by the clubs, especially the staggering, ever-inflating sums spent on sometimes fairly average players. It could lead to a de facto salary cap, which many fans would approve of.

The long-term problem for the league is easy to see here: if the top players are then offered significantly more money to play elsewhere, they will be off before you can say 'man on'.

I always thought the Premier League had taken a huge risk going down this regulatory road. As with Manchester City's future, nobody knows what the real long-term ramifications will be.

I have a suspicion it could end up being the greatest own goal in the sport's entire history.

The big take: If City are cast out of England's top leagues, what might the owners do – hang around the lower reaches, or find something else? Wasn't there the idea of a Super League? Keep that thought in the back of your mind.

Pat Nevin writes weekly in the Football Extra newsletter. If you're outside the UK and would like to receive it, sign up here.

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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Most of the time it is not that big a deal if you go into the international break having just lost a club game if I am honest, as teams lose games frequently.

That is just the life of a professional footballer. You have to be able to cope with disappointment as an individual and as a team.

‌Admittedly, players will sometimes say that they want another domestic game quickly, but it is almost always specifically after a 'bad' defeat as opposed to just a run-of-the-mill loss.

‌However, if the team has genuinely played terribly, or lost a game they were expected to win comfortably, you will commonly hear the phrase "we want to have a chance to get back out there and put it right quickly".

‌Players who have had a stinker, even if their team won, might also want to get out again as soon as possible to put it right in front of their fans, or 'reset'. The 'reset' argument is just current football jargon to say, "we will try to get it right next time, and we blew it this week, sorry".

‌The international break can also have the beneficial effect of taking your mind away from a bad defeat. This is not to say that you don't care, it is just that you must compartmentalise your thoughts and feelings. Footballers are among the best at this.

‌You simply cannot go to play for your national team and spend the time brooding about what happened against Brentford last week. That way lies madness and another poor performance, only this time in front of the entire nation.

Pat Nevin writes weekly in the Football Extra newsletter. If you're outside the UK and would like to receive it, sign up here.

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Manchester City have responded to the Premier League's confirmation that the club has been found guilty of breaching 115 financial rules.

City have until Friday to appeal the decision but in a statement said: "Manchester City FC is both disappointed and surprised by the opinion of the Premier League Commission, that has been published today.

"The club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League and a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions, relating to this case. The club will therefore be relentless, and where necessary proactive, in any and all appropriate regulatory and legal forums.

"The Premier League process remains ongoing, with significant elements uncompleted. Manchester City FC will now pursue the appeal avenues open to it, on the basis that the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe.

"The club has diligently respected due process for eight years on the basis that the Premier League Board and Executive would behave as an independent, impartial and fair-minded regulator, free from partisan influence.

"The club is obviously restricted in what it can say further until all future proceedings are complete."

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Manchester City arranged "sham contracts" with a number of its commercial partners as part of a scheme to disguise secret funding of more than £830m, the Premier League says.

The League confirmed that City have been found guilty of all charges related to breaches of Premier League financial rules between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons.

An independent commission found that, during that time period, the club arranged the "sham contracts" as well as "relying on sham agreements to artificially inflate the club's revenues and reduce its costs".

The club continues to deny any wrongdoing and has until Friday to appeal.

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said: "The core decision establishes the facts of what happened at Manchester City during this period. It details how the club systematically broke Premier League Rules for nearly a decade.

"It also vindicates the Premier League's decision to pursue this case against Manchester City. While the process to date has been both long and difficult, the League has remained determined that the facts be established independently.

"It is a key responsibility of the Premier League to ensure that the Rules, approved by the clubs themselves, are upheld to protect the integrity of the competition. It is paramount that the League remains competitive and fair for all clubs and for the fans. We take that role extremely seriously.

"This disciplinary case, and this decision, are the most significant in Premier League history. There are elements of the case that remain to be decided, including, importantly, what sanction must follow for these breaches. Now we have the Commission's decision, we are committed to moving swiftly through the remainder of the process, to provide certainty for the League, our clubs and fans."

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Newcastle United left-back Lewis Hall is hoping to give a good account of himself during the current international break, after missing out on Thomas Tuchel's World Cup squad this summer.

The 22-year-old could make his fifth senior international appearance as England continue their Nations League campaign against Czech Republic on Tuesday, with Nico O'Reilly missing the trip to Prague.

"There is a sense of disappointment but I'm just looking to use that and bounce back now," Hall said.

Hall has already made his mark at club level this season, starting every game under new Magpies head coach Matthias Jaissle and making three goal contributions across seven games.

He added: "You're representing England - one of the best countries in the world - so of course it is a heavy shirt.

"Whenever you step on to the pitch, you have to be at your best and you have to be doing the right things because there is a lot at stake.

"Everyone who is in the squad knows how much it means to each of us to play for our country. It is always nice competition and I think it is healthy to get the best out of players."

Besiktas president Serdal Adali has vowed to sign Joe Willock from Newcastle in January, claiming the midfielder has already chosen a new home in Turkey. (Talksport), external

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Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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Unbelievably, sensible and well-informed people are seriously discussing Manchester City getting a huge points deduction or being demoted or kicked out of the English leagues completely.

‌There is also reasonable talk about them being sued by just about every other major club in the domestic game, and a few beyond that. That is before you get to the concept of titles being stripped and trophies retrospectively re-awarded to others.

There is still an appeal to be heard, but they have been found guilty already. Serious consequences must be considered. Following the draconian punishments handed to Everton and Nottingham Forest, among others, City might find they don't just have the book thrown at them, it is the entire British Library lobbed in their general direction.

Those other clubs cooperated in the process. City have faced more charges and they involve larger sums and over a longer time period. In short, things are not looking good for the club that dominated English football for almost a decade.

This may be the biggest story in the Premier League's history and it is going to run and run.

Other serious considerations will follow hard on the heels of the Blues' dilemmas – specifically what long-term effects will this have on the Premier League? They will not all be good ones.

Some reasonably argue that the financial rules City have been found to have broken shouldn't have been put there in the first place. They were brought in to safeguard the financial security of the clubs and the league, but try telling that to many City, Everton and Nottingham Forest fans just now.

Newcastle and Aston Villa have plenty of financial backing, but these rules have hurt their ability to grow and stay competitive with the legacy clubs. This all feels unfair if you are a supporter of those two.

The money that will now be frittered away by the English game on lawyers and legal fees is eye-watering, and it will grow exponentially as the litigation increases.

Pat Nevin writes weekly in the Football Extra newsletter. If you're outside the UK and would like to receive it, sign up here.

Newcastle United are keeping an eye on Rennes and Morocco defender Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal, 20, but face competition from Everton, Brentford and Hull. (Teamtalk), external

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We asked you to rate Newcastle United's start to the season and tell us what Matthias Jaissle should be focusing on during this extended international break.

Here are some of your comments:

Ray: Our points haul has been more impressive than our performances overall. However, a number of key players will soon be returning from injury, so I expect that we can maintain a mid-table position into the next phase of the season. The new young players all have positive attributes, especially Sean Steur, who looks to be a class above.

Dan: It's been a 7/10 start all things considered. We have nine players out injured, we've lost Bruno, Gordon and Tonali. I think we will be fine this season, but fans shouldn't expect massive highs. Shearer said it best - this season will be full of highs and lows.

Alvin: Mixed bag to say the least. The players are refreshed under Jaissle, as evidenced by the performances of Elanga and Wissa, injury and missed penalty notwithstanding. Hanging on to wins after dropping so many points from leading positions last season is also encouraging. But the team have given up lots of shots while creating very little - outperforming on both ends is great but unsustainable. Still, optimism is high that returning players (Burn and Joelinton, captain and vice-captain) will lift the team.

Toshi: Given the changes that happened - loss of Howe, the captain, the star number six and star winger - which are massive change, I think Newcastle are doing all right. The only really disappointing result has been Leeds. With the new younger squad and the new manager, there will be times when the tactics won't stick and we get overrun. Leeds saw an opportunity and rushed Newcastle into making mistakes. It's now time for Jaissle to train the shortcomings out of the squad and fix the tactics so Newcastle can go back to winning again.

Andrew: Solid start considering all the changes, young squad and injuries. Can see what the new gaffer is trying to do. We will have more results like Leeds as part of learning process but I'm optimistic about what's to come.

Atalanta and Italy defender Giorgio Scalvini, 22, is the subject of interest from Newcastle, Tottenham and Chelsea. (Caught Offside), external

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As we enter the season's first international break, we want to hear your thoughts on the opening five games in the Premier League.

It was a frantic summer and start to the season on Tyneside, as the Eddie Howe era ended and Matthias Jaissle joined amid a flurry of player exits and arrivals.

Jaissle began with an encouraging draw against Liverpool but the 4-1 defeat at Leeds United was a sore one for everyone connected with the club. He has picked up two wins and another draw in the other three league games, meaning the Magpies are in ninth.

With a relatively young squad with little Premier League know-how, Jaissle has a difficult start to life as a Premier League manager.

How do you rate the Magpies' start to the season and why? And what should Jaissle be focusing on during the extended break?

Get in touch with your views here

Former Newcastle defender John Anderson reckons the £23m paid to sign teenage midfielder Sean Steur from Ajax is "looking like a bargain".

The 18-year-old made 24 appearances for Ajax in 2025-26 and has started twice in the Premier League for the Magpies this season, impressing in Saturday's 2-1 win over Hull City.

"He is still a very inexperienced boy," Anderson told BBC Radio Newcastle.

"Yes, he has played games for Ajax, but coming to the Premier League, with the pace and physicality, is totally different.

"It would have been easy for his confidence to be knocked after the Leeds game.

"He wanted to show how good a player he is and that the Leeds performance was not going to affect him. He was absolutely outstanding.

"He looked well beyond his years and totally controlled it. He looks like someone with a huge future in the game.

"That £23m is looking like a bargain."

Hit play above to hear more discussion between Anderson and BBC Radio Newcastle's Matthew Raisbeck, or listen on BBC Sounds here

Chelsea forward Cole Palmer, Manchester United duo Kobbie Mainoo and Marcus Rashford, Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice and Newcastle defender Tino Livramento have pulled out of England's squad for forthcoming Nations League matches.

Everton midfielder James Garner and Nottingham Forest captain Morgan Gibbs-White have been called up by manager Thomas Tuchel and will join the squad on Tuesday.

Tuchel said on Friday that 26-year-old Gibbs-White, who has six international caps, was close to being included in the initial squad.

Palmer had been recalled by Tuchel after being controversially left out of England's World Cup squad, but has withdrawn with a minor injury.

Mainoo and Rashford were assessed by their club after being taken off in the closing stages of Sunday's 1-1 draw at Fulham.

Rice, who played the full game for Arsenal in their 3-0 defeat by Brighton, will also be unavailable to Tuchel, along with Livramento, who has been limited to three substitute appearances for Newcastl this season.

Like Gibbs-White, Garner - who made both his two senior England appearances in March - comes in after not being selected for the 2026 World Cup.

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

Here are some of your comments:

Newcastle fans

David: Newcastle did well to bounce back from the Leeds horror show and a win was truly necessary to steady the ship and bring back the confidence to the players in the depleted squad on the day. Onwards we go under the guidance of the very impressive new manager, who is getting us out of the rut we ended up in with Eddie Howe.

Christopher: Terrific fist half. Some inexperience showed in the second half but, overall, a very welcome and gutsy performance from a very young side. Best yet to come.

John: A big improvement on last Monday night's performance. The passes seemed more accurate and the commitment was back for the first half. The penalty miss was unfortunate, as was the loss of Steur. But the points are valuable going into the break, which would have seemed much longer with a bad performance.

George: A great reaction coming of the Elland Road defeat with an imposing start. Also great to see Willock back to his best - Jaissle will be glad to have a player of his quality.

Hull City fans

Mark: How we did not get anything from that game, I do not know, but the manager has got to start with some more of the new signings bceause some of the players from last season are just not up to the Premier League, I am sorry to say.

John: Hull City were caught napping for those early goals. But after we'd gone 2-0 down, we were by far the better side. We were unlucky not to equalise really. But we're leaving St James's Park with sky-high confidence. Nobody will want to play us and we'll want to play anyone.

Stephen: Apart from the disastrous start, the performance was not bad - in fact, we deserved a draw as a minimum.

Ade: Should have won it in the end after a shocking start. Not many teams will be taking the Tigers on thinking it will be a walk in the park now.

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Newcastle defender Lewis Hall has said the Magpies are "happy with the three points" from Saturday's 2-1 win over Hull City but added that his side "got a bit sloppy".

Hall put the hosts 2-0 ahead after just seven minutes but the Tigers came back into the match after that.

"We let them get back into the game, which we need to look at," Hall told BBC Radio Newcastle.

"It was a mixture of our own doing and a good finish from their guy. When the score is 2-1 you know where the game is going to go - it's just about the mentality.

"I liked to get involved in attacking play and I'm happy to have got a goal.

"It's always a nice feeling scoring, but doing it at home is a different feeling. Buzzing with that and all the family are here, which makes it special."

On the start to the season Newcastle have made under new boss Matthias Jaissle, Hall added: "Really positive. Apart from the slip-up at Leeds, we can be proud.

"We have started better than people would have expected. The mentality in the dressing room is really good."

Hit play below to hear more from Hall or listen on BBC Sounds here

Newcastle face competition from Barcelona for Djurgarden and Norway midfielder Bo Hegland, 22. (Football Insider), external

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Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer analyses how Newcastle unlocked Hull's defence in their 2-1 win on Match of the Day.

Ciaran Kelly
Football reporter

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Matthias Jaissle had made it clear to his players that they needed to take losing a duel personally following their meek performance against Leeds United. That message got through to his side on Saturday - in the first half, at least.

It was rather telling that Lewis Miley won the ball back high up the field in the build-up to Willock's opener, while Lewis Hall also dispossessed a blue shirt before doubling his side's lead just a few minutes later.

No wonder Jaissle was applauding such aggression as he walked down the tunnel at half-time.

However, by full-time, the German let out a relieved roar and clenched both fists following a nail-biting victory.

Jaissle was pleased with the "heart" his side showed to hang on but felt the nervousness inside the stadium after Newcastle repeatedly dropped points from a similar position last season.

"That's maybe somehow a trauma from the past that stuck," he said. "I hope we can change that mindset.

"The players told me already these games maybe would have ended in a different result. We tried to change this narrative, that belief also, and hopefully you can feel that in the next weeks and months that if something goes wrong, we are energised in a positive way and supporting.

"With a young squad, especially, this is really important."

Newcastle will need to find a way to control games moving forward, but a return of eight points from their opening five league matches is a good foundation to build on following a summer of huge change.

Newcastle manager Matthias Jaissle, speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "We showed an incredible reaction after the defeat at Leeds. The first half was excellent, we could have killed the game with a third goal for sure. We were totally dominant and then in the second half you saw the legs were getting tired towards the end - but we were also missing nine players today. I am really proud and I want to show them respect for what they did at the end of the game when it was tough. To defend their own box, everyone was committed and really fighting for the three points. This is something we can count on."

On his side's fast start: "As I said, we wanted to show the right reaction after Leeds and this is something we are very proud of - and we could deliver when it is needed. We wanted to also show a clear reaction in front of ours. Overall, when you see the 90 minutes, it was a deserved win."

On his start to life as Newcastle manager: "Overall, really satisfied. You see a couple of challenges already from the outside, and you also know there is a huge transition at the moment in the club. And in these circumstances, we are really proud of what we have seen so far from the lads, fully committed to the journey. Now it is time to reflect and also hopefully get some players back from injury."

Listen to Jaissle speaking to BBC Radio Newcastle here

Did you know?

• Newcastle have won three of their last four Premier League games against Hull (drawing the other), winning their first-ever home match in the competition against the Tigers.

• Lewis Hall's goal after just six minutes and 34 seconds was the earliest Newcastle have been 2-0 up in a Premier League home game since April 2023 against Spurs (Joelinton netting the second goal in the sixth minute).

Former Newcastle United coach Steve Stone on BBC Radio Newcastle: "Well, it's massive relief. The performance first half was terrific but you could see that Hull had something in them on the counter-attack.

"We mentioned just before half-time if they could get one back there'd be real problems but Newcastle didn't really help, the way they tried to control and manage the game.

"They were still trying to go for that third goal which is commendable but there's a certain way you can go for it, doesn't have to go forward every single time. They were causing themselves problems by doing that."