NUFC receive seven-figure transfer boost ahead of summer window - was it worth it?

A farcical trip to Australia met a fitting end as Newcastle United’s ‘first-team’ were beaten 8-0 by the A-League All-Stars in Melbourne.

It was men against boys in every sense of the word given the majority of Newcastle’s actual first-team players had already flown home by kick-off at the Marvel Stadium. Eddie Howe named a starting line-up consisting of Under-21s players without a single Premier League start between them.

The end result was as close to a humiliation for the Newcastle youngsters as you could expect from a friendly encounter. It came just two days after Newcastle competed well against Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur to win on penalties following a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes.

Two meaningless games in many ways that neither Howe nor his first-team players wanted at the end of a gruelling 51-game season. But the second felt like a protest of sorts by Howe, who refrained from playing any first-team players due to fear of injury.

An understandable stance given the season The Magpies have just had and Howe’s job is to protect his players. But the youngsters needed more protection than they got on Friday as they were left without an experienced head to turn to.

First-team veterans Matt Ritchie and Paul Dummett were left on the sidelines for both matches due to their contracts expiring next month. Kieran Trippier, Elliot Anderson and Lewis Hall all remained on the bench for the All-Stars game after Howe named a near full-strength starting line-up against Spurs.

Perhaps mixing youth and experience evenly across the two games would have been more beneficial in hindsight.

The trip put Howe in a difficult position. But Newcastle leave Australia with a feeling the club have shown a lack of respect toward the A-League and travelling supporters in a much-anticipated game in the Australian football calendar, regardless of the scoreline.

The All-Star games have previously attracted Barcelona, Manchester United and Juventus, all of whom have played strong teams resulting in competitive games. Newcastle’s showing will only emphasise the gap between the club and those who have gone before, to an Australian audience at least.

Many back on Tyneside simply won’t care and will just be glad the season is over - why risk your best players in a pointless game after all? But for those who have spent time and money to see Newcastle in action only to be met by an Under-21s side - it may leave a sour taste.

A trip to Australia is a PR open goal for The Magpies with many ex-pats, obvious links to Newcastle in New South Wales and the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge - cousin of the Tyne Bridge. Instead, this feels like a PR own goal, albeit a financially beneficial one.

And that’s what all of this boils down to, money and Financial Fair Play. The fact the club felt the need to make a 20,000 mile round trip to play two matches just days after the end of a brutal season just shows where priorities lie at the moment.

Newcastle may have the richest owners in world football yet still everything the club does must be commercially driven as they battle Premier League Profitability and Sustainability Rules. This trip risked being at the cost of player welfare, but will ultimately net the club a healthy seven-figure sum to help unlock doors heading into the summer transfer window.

And in a PSR world, that’s all that matters.