Newcastle quickfire end of season review

The most significant moment of the season - good or bad - was...

The capitulation at the Nou Camp in March. Newcastle competed admirably in the opening 45 minutes against Barcelona, having previously come within seconds of a famous victory in the first leg of this Champions League last-16 tie at St James' Park. But what unfolded in the second half in Spain put a completely different complexion on it and left Eddie Howe's side with some lasting scars after a 7-2 hammering.

The season has been a success or failure because...

Newcastle missed out on qualifying for Europe in a campaign where there were a whopping eight spots up for grabs. The Magpies reached the knockout stages of the Champions League and a third League Cup semi-final in four years, but they lost far too many games domestically, so it has to be described as a failure.

The unsung hero of the season is....

Harvey Barnes. That may seem a strange choice - Barnes is Newcastle's second-highest top scorer in all competitions this season - but the forward does not always get the headlines. He has popped up with some important contributions throughout the campaign.

If there's a player or staff member with more to do in future it is...

Yoane Wissa. The striker has bagged just three goals since completing a £55m move from Brentford. A serious knee injury hardly helped him, following a disrupted pre-season, but there have been too few glimpses of the goalscorer who shone elsewhere last season.

The major club issue or talking point lurking is...

The huge rebuild this summer. After such a turbulent window last year, can Newcastle get it right this time around without the wages of the league's highest-earning clubs and any European football whatsoever? They certainly have to after this bruising season.

The reason for hope going forward is….

Newcastle finally have a stable executive structure in place following the appointments of chief executive David Hopkinson and sporting director Ross Wilson. Whether it is the forthcoming transfer window or progress on major infrastructure projects, the pair have to ensure the club quickly gets back on track.