CHN End of the Year Awards: Most Interesting Storyline

It is the end of the Premier League season, which means its time to dish out some awards here at Coming Home Newcastle. If you are unfamiliar with what is currently going on here at Coming Home Newcastle, here is the breakdown: Throughout the next few days, our staff will be sharing our picks for various season long awards including our best players, most disappointing players, best signings, and many others. Feel free to disagree with us, in fact call us out on our BS if you hate our takes and tell us why we are wrong in the comments section.

Yesterday you heard our writer’s takes on what they thought were the club’s most interesting story lines, today’s article focuses on the most interesting storylines from the club this season. This season of course was filled with tons of drama from fan protests, to breaking our transfer record, a potential takeover and the potential end of the Rafa era.

Cameron Johnson - Rafa Leaving

It’s not often you see such a strange scenario. The Benitez-Ashley dynamic is very complicated and it is tiring. It is ridiculous that Ashley still owns the club and continues to impose his antics on those who care for it. It’s hard to explain the dilemma, and it will be even harder to digest when Newcastle implodes for no good reason.

Greg Troxell - Fan Protests

It [the fan protests] took up so much media attention, groups were formed, scathing social media wars happened. It was, at its purest form, the epitome of Newcastle United Twitter. But after multiple pregame protests, a failed stand-in, and a cancelled protest, questions remained as to why? Just as the team started playing well, the protests stopped. It took all of my attention for most of the season.

Bryan Nelson - The Almiron Transfer Saga

I could choose Rafa, takeovers, or other things that are mainstay stories. But I think Miguel Almiron was the most exciting. To have all but lost the deal but manage a last minute push to get it over the line was brilliant news. Not masterclass transfer work on Newcastle’s part, but one hell of a move to have made. It broke our transfer record, as well as actually filling a need we have with a player who can properly fill it. It was a blast reading about it, and following the bits and pieces that finally came together to form one of the most exciting days as a Newcastle fan. Breaking Michael Owen’s record.

Kyle (1LostMuffin) - The Almiron Transfer Saga

Following the smallest rumors of Atlanta United looking to sell Almiron, it was a thriller of a time during the January transfer window. Sitting and waiting for Newcastle to make a signing, any signing, it was nerve racking. The closing days approached, Newcastle tried to bring in Lukaku but he failed the physical. All hope seemed lost. “Ashley isn’t going to spend any cash this winter,” we thought, “Thisnerve-racking means Rafa is leaving and we’re gonna be relegated. But then, a light at the end of the tunnel. On the morning of the final transfer day, it was announced, “Record signing”, “Almiron to Newcastle”, “21 million pounds”. A rush of emotion hit everyone in the Toon and beyond. It was amazing! After all the months of rumors and rumblings from insiders across Europe and North America, it was an awesome feeling and a ray of hope when most of us had lost ours. It’s a feel-good story and it paid dividends.

Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images

Elijah Newsome - Fan Protests

From the formation of the Magpie Group, to failed sit-ins and walkouts, to the bizarre formation of the United Against Ashley movement, this season has largely been defined by fan protests for better or for worse. For the first time in a while the fanbase seemed like they were genuinely going to take action against Mike Ashley only for all of the efforts to be disappointments in their own regard. Debates over what to do about Mike Ashley got in the way of anything being done, and we now find ourselves as fans in the same position we were in before the season: waiting for the fat man to show some sort of ambition with this club we love so dearly.

Graeme Bell - Rafa’s Future

Rafa’s future, it’s dominated the season, will he? Won’t he? It’s all down to the club now (scary thought I know). Rafa has told them what he wants, it’s up to the club to deliver now. We’ve finally got a team and manager that care about this club, it would be suicide to let Rafa leave.

Ben Weiss - The Almiron Transfer Saga

I was ecstatic to see Newcastle break their transfer record that stood for over 10 years. Miguel Almiron is an exciting player that I can’t wait to see play next season. His injury before scoring his first Premier League goal was a real bummer but you can tell he is one electric player.

Well did you agree with our choices? What did we nail? What did we get wrong? Let us know in the comments below! Also vote on our poll for who you think deserves the award for being Newcastle’s best player!