Published: 22:15, 5 November 2025 | Updated: 22:19, 5 November 2025

The words of a haunting ballad, set to the melody of the House of the Rising Sun, drifted out of a shop selling Newcastle United memorabilia and down Leazes Park Road. Smoke billowed wistfully from a pipe above the door. Fans made their way past, towards the Gallowgate Stand, around the corner.

At Stack, in the lee of the hulk of the stadium that sits atop its hill like the city’s cathedral, there was a different kind of energy. 

The sound of White Stripes came from inside. ‘I'm gonna fight 'em off,’ they were singing. ‘A seven nation army couldn't hold me back.’ Supporters started getting into character.

It has been that kind of season so far for Newcastle. No one quite knows whether to shout or mourn. Whether to worry, or whether to party. Eddie Howe’s side has been ordinary in the Premier League and their performance in their defeat to lowly West Ham in London at the weekend left their manager in a cold fury.

They sit 13th in their...