Newcastle United lose 8-0 to A-League All-Star Lineup – So what was the point of the fixture?

Newcastle United’s end-of-season trip to Australia was branded as a bit of a disaster when it was first announced. The idea, of course, was to increase revenue (around £1 to £1.5m) for the fixtures against Tottenham and the A-League All-Stars.

And while the game against Spurs was played like a Premier League fixture, though without some of the hard tackling and pressing. The second fixture was a much less glamorous affair.

Newcastle United vs A-League All-Stars – What was the point?

So, what do we think about what we just witnessed? Newcastle fielded a squad of academy players, plus third-choice keeper Gillespie. Trippier, Anderson, and Hall were on the bench but none of them featured.

The rest of the squad that played on Wednesday were all set home to rest or prepare for their international teams.

But the game had a purpose, it was to increase Newcastle’s following in Australia, but that team was an insult to those fans that turned out. Why would you watch that and say, “You know what, Newcastle are my Prem team”.

So who is to blame here? Eddie Howe clearly did not want to do either of these two fixtures, it was a decision by the board to increase revenue. Has Howe sent a message with that team selection or is it simply just the reality of playing two games in 3 days?

For us, the entire trip was a farce, and highlighted a bigger issue in the Premier League; FFP/PSR. That’s why this set of matches happened, and why it wasn’t done in pre-season like most teams would. I mean, Newcastle are even going to Asia for pre-season anyway, which makes this trip even worse.

At the end of the day, Newcastle fans in Australia have been cheated out of watching their team play. And Australian football fans have missed out on seeing a Premier League club play against their All-Star lineup.