Sky made official Newcastle United change that will anger Aston Villa fans - the reality is so different

It’s shaping up to be an interesting encounter after Newcastle pipped Aston Villa to Champions League qualification on goal difference on the final day of the 2024/25 season.

Despite Newcastle losing 1-0 to Everton on the final day, Aston Villa were also controversially beaten at Manchester United which denied them a top five finish and Champions League qualification. Villa felt hard done by with goalkeeper Emi Martinez sent off and Morgan Rogers seeing a goal disallowed that would have put them in front at Old Trafford.

It wasn’t to be, and Newcastle just beat them to the final Champions League qualification spot, which was granted due to the performances of the likes of Aston Villa in European competitions last season.

Meetings between Newcastle and Aston Villa have often been one-sided affairs in recent seasons, though which side comes out on top isn’t always clear. Newcastle have picked up 4-0, 5-1, 3-1 and 3-0 victories over Villa in the last three seasons while Unai Emery’s side have beaten Newcastle 3-0 and 4-1 at Villa Park over the same period.

Both Newcastle and Villa have finished in the top seven in the Premier League in each of the last three seasons, sparking a debate as to who the Premier League’s ‘elite clubs’ really are.

Ahead of the 2024-25 season, Sky rebranded the ‘big six’ as the ‘big seven’. The historic ‘big six’ of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur had Newcastle added to it.

It came after Newcastle finished fourth in the 2022-23 season and seventh in the Premier League the following season. The Magpies could feel that inclusion is justified given their league performances over the past three seasons, with only Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal picking up more points than them from the traditional ‘big six’.

A Carabao Cup win in March has only strengthened that claim. But many now view the ‘big six’ as a redundant term created by the likes of Sky.

The Gazette has launched a new WhatsApp NUFC channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates directly to your phone. Simply click this link to join our NUFC WhatsApp channel.

If Newcastle are named in Sky’s ‘big seven’ then Aston Villa certainly stake a claim to be included as well. Villa recently reached the Champions League quarter final and have finished seventh, fourth and sixth in the last three seasons.

Newcastle face Aston Villa on the opening day in a 12:30pm kick-off broadcast live on TNT Sport.

Newcastle United and Aston Villa have ended the ‘big six’

The progress of the likes of Aston Villa and Newcastle over the past few seasons has made a mockery of the ‘big six’ tag.

Only once in the last six seasons has the ‘big six’ made up the top six in the Premier League table. The ‘big six’ era is effectively over though it’s worth noting Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, Spurs and Chelsea are still the six clubs who generate the largest revenues, even if it doesn’t always translate onto the pitch.

Spurs for example finished 17th in the Premier League last season but won the Europa League while Man United have finished eighth and 15th in the past two seasons but have continued to win trophies and are historically one of the biggest and most successful clubs in England.

But now Newcastle and Villa have disrupted the established elite despite being held back by PSR rules that only popped up during the ‘big six’ era, once those clubs had already spent their millions without repercussions.

Brighton have picked up more Premier League points over the last three seasons than Spurs while Newcastle and Villa boast higher points totals over the same period than Manchester United and Chelsea as well as Spurs.

All the latest Newcastle United news straight to your inbox - just a few clicks away

Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery dismisses ‘big six’

Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery has been consistently dismissive of the so-called ‘big six’ during his time at the club.

“Now it is not a top six but a top seven, top eight or top 10,” Emery said previously. “There are a lot of teams capable of targeting those positions and I want to add Aston Villa into it too.”

And that’s the reality. Newcastle and Villa are upwardly mobile clubs despite the rules placed upon them, the ‘big six’ era is over and we can look forward to another competitive for the European places in the Premier League this coming season.

Your next Newcastle United read: The bizarre NUFC & Nottingham Forest swap deal that would break PSR