'Madness': BBC Sport pundit has been blown away by Newcastle's injury problems this season

Unless Newcastle United manage to snatch European qualification in the last few games, this season is going to be remembered mostly for its horrific injury list.

Sure, there have been a few highlights, such as the 4-1 whipping of Paris Saint-Germain at St James' Park in our return to Champions League action, and the amazing comeback at West Ham last week, but mostly, it will be the Sandro Tonali suspension and the never-ending list of injuries.

Without those two huge factors, who knows where Newcastle would have ended up this season. The squad, while still a way off being title-contenders, looked strong enough to put up a fight, but a seemingly endless string of players succumbing to long-term injuries dashed any chances of seeing what we could actually do.

That being said, the Magpies are still in the mix for a European place, and got to an FA Cup quarter-final, as well as overcoming both Manchester sides in the Carabao cup and making a decent account of themselves in the Champions League despite failing to get out of the group.

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Michael Brown says Newcastle's injuries would cripple any squad

However, there's simply no getting away from the fact that in comparison to last season, this one has been a difficult one to watch.

Even former Premier League midfielder, Michael Brown, has told the BBC that Eddie Howe has done brilliantly to ride out the bad luck.

"The amount of players Newcastle have lost would cripple any squad.

"I was just looking at their injury list and it is madness. No manager can handle that.

"Certain things can happen in a season and they were dealt a really tough hand in the Champions League, but if they can finish in the top six then it will still be a really good season for them.

"They will probably have wanted more but I think we expect too much of this team.

"Newcastle were looking to recruit this summer and strengthen their squad anyway, but now they will have to do so.

"But they have financial restraints and there is lots of talk about players leaving for that to happen."

There's still plenty to play for

There is a lot to be said about Howe's resolve, especially as some corners of the fanbase began to turn on him.

That also has to go for the players too, some of whom played through injury just to keep the team ticking.

It has been a long slog, this season, but it's not over yet and Newcastle still have something to play for which, in itself, is a miracle.