Pod On The Tyne capture the immediate reaction to Newcastle ending their trophy drought

New York Times

17-03-2025

56 years waiting for a major trophy. 70 years since their last domestic silverware. Five successive defeats in domestic cup finals.
After a lifetime of wondering whether the curse would ever lift, Newcastle finally ended their decades-long trophy drought on Sunday with a deserved 2-1 victory over Liverpool to lift the Carabao Cup.
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On the latest episode of Pod On The Tyne, Taylor Payne, Chris Waugh, Jacob Whitehead, George Caulkin, and George's brother AJ reflected on a historic night for the Magpies that will live long in the memory.
A partial transcript has been edited for clarity and length. The full episode is available on the Pod On The Tyne feed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Chris: George, you've just embraced your brother AJ. As I said before the podcast, the Caulkin curse is finally over!
George: I'm just trying to process it. We've spoken to Eddie Howe, who got emotional in the press conference you were in. I've spoken to Dan Burn and he said he feels numb trying to process what they've achieved and what they've done. Having focused so brilliantly on the match, it's very difficult to then switch off and take it all in.
But they've instantly become legends and that's the incredible thing. I said it at the final whistle and this is still what I think. I asked Dan the question, 'For all of his life, Newcastle have been famous for not winning and now they've won something, what are Newcastle United?' And he said, 'I don't know the answer to that except we're winners.'
Chris: Eddie Howe made the point that we couldn't just make it easy for ourselves. But until that moment when Federico Chiesa got the goal which was given by VAR, Newcastle seemed in complete control and never looked in danger. It looked like Newcastle might get a third rather than Liverpool score. For them to be that dominant against a team who have led the Premier League, beyond the fact they've just won something, the actual performance itself was impressive, wasn't it?
Jacob: This was 'cold'. I know that has negative connotations sometimes, but not in that way. It was just clinical. There was a level of control, knowledge and focus on what they needed to do, which meant they just delivered and perfectly executed what Eddie Howe wanted.
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George: It was white hot and ice cold. It had incredible moments. They made the right decisions and yet were absolutely ferocious in what they did. Again, the noise from the stands, the two parts of the club bouncing off each other, inspiring each other, getting noisier and noisier, playing with noise and singing with noise – it was perfect. You made the point, Chris, at the end of the game that Newcastle have beaten the entire top four in the Premier League to win the Carabao Cup. They've not done it the easy way, they've done it the other way round. They've been better in all of those ties they've played too. I've said it before and I'll say it again; when they're like that, Newcastle are unstoppable.
Chris: We have someone very special over video call here, hopefully, you can actually hear him…
Taylor: Christopher, what just happened?!
Chris: Are you in a drunken stupor somewhere?
Taylor: I'm in a massively drunken stupor. You're interrupting me in the middle of a game of darts. I don't think I'll ever forgive you for that. But at the same time, my word, what a day!
Chris: What was it like experiencing it with your family and your boys?
Taylor: It was the best experience ever, honestly. Everybody was feeling slightly nervous going into the game and then when Big Dan Burn nodded that ball in the net… oh my God. It felt like time stood still. I don't know how to describe it Chris, but I'm in bits here.
Chris: Did tears roll down that lovable face of yours?
Taylor: They rolled right down all of my cheeks… right down over my chins (laughs). Absolutely. I feel like I'm 18 years old again, it's given me a second wind. It's unbelievable.
Chris: In terms of the performance itself, how impressed were you with how good they were? Not just that they won something, but they've beaten that team so convincingly as well.
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Taylor: They went about it in entirely the right way. They pressed. They harried. Joelinton was an absolute colossus in that midfield, He was incredible. They just got amongst Liverpool and didn't let them settle at all. And my God. Dan Burn. He won man of the match and quite rightly so, he was unbelievable. He was just incredible. Everything that came his way, he got rid of it. And that goal… I'm never, ever going to forget that moment. That was incredible, it was just absolutely beautiful.
Chris: Just give us one last wail of delight before we leave you be…
Taylor: Arghhh!
Chris: Come on!
Taylor: Chris man, listen. We've won a trophy. Did you ever think in your wildest dreams that we would win a trophy? Because I didn't, and we have. I'll be honest I don't know what to do, I've never experienced anything like this. I feel like I should lie down but at the same time I feel I should celebrate, I don't know what to do.
George: You're asking Chris the question. 'Did you ever think we'd win a trophy?' Ten years ago, I told myself, 'Newcastle will never win anything in my lifetime.' And it made life a lot better at that point. It was like, 'Stop feeling that pain, stop having that horrible anxiety every time the cup comes around'. Because the club just weren't bothered, and it made life a lot better. It wasn't great fun, but it made life better. But for the last few years, we've had that desire back.
Taylor: George I've been with a lot of people today, my family and my boys who are diehard Newcastle fans and waited a long, long time for this. You could see what it meant to them.
George: It's everything…
Taylor: This hasn't been taken lightly. This is a big deal. The celebration police will be out and say, 'It's just the Carabao Cup, what are you getting so wound up about?'
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George: Listen to this, Taylor. AJ's here, my brother. I just want you to listen to the scene AJ describes right at the end of the match.
AJ: Alright, so we were all screaming for the final whistle, and it wasn't coming. But we were all very nervous and worried, and everyone was standing the whole match. Then the final whistle finally came. Everyone around me and everyone I could see just started crying instant tears.
There was a 70-plus-year-old man next to me who said he thought he'd die before this happened, he was just crying and we were hugging each other. Then my legs started to go and I started to shake. I texted George saying, 'I think I'm going to black out.' I almost passed out. I had to sit down and just collect myself because I was just crying and had so many emotions which just all came together at the end.
It was beautiful and it was amazing. Now it's happened, who am I now? I'm a fan of a winning football club, which is amazing. Am I even allowed to be a fan of a team that wins?
Taylor: You're a fan of a team that has won a cup and a trophy. That's it!
You can listen to full episodes of Pod On The Tyne for free on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
(Top Photo: Newcastle fans/Ollie Bellwood)