‘Big game player’ 7/10 tops Newcastle United player ratings - plus one 5/10 goalkeeper

So the Premier League season has come to an end and Newcastle United have secured Champions League football. But for us journalists that means we can look, reflect and review a season which has obviously been one of the most memorable in Newcastle United's recent history.

Today we’re taking a look at our end of season goalkeeper player ratings which, for Newcastle United, is a really interesting one. Many clubs around the country will have had one goalkeeper playing the majority matches and he'll get the higher rating and the substitute keeper might not even get a rating at all.

For Newcastle, though, it's a little bit different because Nick Pope started the season as number one of course and he ended the season as number one but in the middle, maybe Newcastle's best period of the season, Martin Dubravka did play in goal and so doing these ratings has been really, really difficult.

Newcastle United - goalkeeper player ratings

John Ruddy and Mark Gillespie = N/A

Mark Gillespie and John Ruddy didn't play a game this season. They are big characters behind the scenes, Eddie Howe has praised them numerous times for their leadership, their experience and work on the training ground so they deserve an honourable mention here.

Odysseas Vlachodimos = 5/10

Odysseas Vlachodimos also deserves a mention and a rating. He did play 45 minutes in the Carabao Cup earlier in the season against AFC Wimbledon. That was all the senior gametime he had and so it is really hard to give him a rating because he did very little wrong in that game and he can't get a low mark for that.

He didn't have anything to do in that game but really his rating on the pitch is going to be very low but it’s mostly about his impact off the pitch.

Signing from Nottingham Forest in a deal just to allow Newcastle to pass PSR is huge and that contribution can't go unnoticed. That was a massive contribution to the not just the short-term future of this football club but the long-term future as well and so if his Newcastle career does end this summer having played just 45 minutes, his impact is going to be long-remembered well off the pitch.

Martin Dubravka = 7/10

Martin Dubravka, meanwhile, was really good for that period in the middle of the season when Pope was out injured. Newcastle don't win nine games in a row by fluke.

Dubravka didn’t have many bad games in that period and he kept a ridiculous amount of clean sheets in a row. Newcastle were just simply really good in that period and Martin Dubravka was a big part of that.

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He was very hard done by coming out the team, especially just after he signed a contract and of course he made what everyone interpreted as an emotional farewell at the Emirates Stadium in January when he was linked with a move to Saudi Arabia move. He didn't go and stayed in the team and continued putting in really good performances.

Nick Pope = 7/10

Nick Pope is a 7 out of 10 as well, there are no half marks, I'm not I'm not going to cop out in that way. Nick Pope, for me, he makes big saves in big moments - he’s a proper big game player.

The Carabao Cup final showed that and multiple times throughout his Newcastle United career. He's the man that you want when someone has a shot when someone's on the attack he's the man you want right in the middle of the sticks.

His imitations with the ball at his feet are clear and maybe the defence do look a little bit nervy with him in goal but for me he has been a 7 out of 10 all season.

Newcastle probably will look for a goalkeeper this summer. James Trafford of course has been linked, as has Joan Garcia, but I think if Newcastle start next season with Nick Pope in goal I don't think there'll be too many complaints.

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