Newcastle United is gearing up for a grand celebration with their supporters following the triumphant Carabao Cup campaign.
The night of the victory over Liverpool saw a wave of celebrations, from jubilant gatherings in the North East to festive fervour around Wembley. The club has pointed out that March 29 will mark a special occasion in Tyneside for festivities.
Fans in Newcastle will get a chance to revel in the team’s first major domestic trophy in seven decades on home soil. This may recall memories of more challenging times, possibly including the contemplation of a parade.
Magpies legend Alan Shearer knows all too well about those times, as he twice took part in open-top bus parades without any silverware to show, following consecutive FA Cup final losses in 1998 and 1999, during which Newcastle finished 13th in the Premier League.
Shearer recounted to the Match of the Day’s Top 10 podcast how it felt to participate in such parades, expressing his embarrassment at celebrating without a win. Arsenal and Manchester United had each snatched the cup from Newcastle’s grasp.
“We did open-top bus parades after being beaten twice in the cup finals which make you think … how f—ing stupid is this?” he said, highlighting the loyal support in Newcastle. “It just shows how desperate the Newcastle fans are for success because there was hundreds of thousands of fans.”
Gary Lineker, hosting the podcast, concurred, noting that only in Newcastle would such enthusiastic fanfare occur despite not winning. Shearer echoed the sentiment, calling it “Unbelievable. I mean it’s absolutely outrageous. Hundreds of thousands of fans lining the streets. It’s like, ah, it’s embarrassing [to not have a trophy to show].”
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After some silverware triumph, once more fans will swarm the streets and pack the city for the club’s celebrations. Discussing his team’s festivities on Sunday, Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe shared his thoughts about what this milestone means to the club and its passionate fanbase.
“With such a long wait for a trophy, this will be a day that I’m sure everyone will never forget,” Howe expressed. “We will never forget it. I certainly won’t. I think there’s different ways to win trophies.
“Today we won it in the best way. We played a brilliant opponent, they’ve been the best team in the Premier League all season by quite a long way. And for me, we were the better team.
“I feel amazing, it is an incredible day. I was so, so pleased with our performance, it was not a lucky win, thoroughly deserved. I am drenched in alcohol from Joelinton and the rest of the squad, it’s a great moment, it is about embracing the success. We have to try and enjoy the moment and take it all in.”
