BlueStar

There's a middle ground between "flaunting" your sexuality and not actively hiding it though, and it's that area that most heterosexual footballers can comfortably occupy and which homosexual footballers don't seem to be able to - a heterosexual footballer can say in an interview that they live with their partner Jane on a farm somewhere or turn up to an awards ceremony arm in arm with them without the expectation that it'll be front page news the next day and next time they step out onto the pitch they'll get a load of shit.

To the tune of Arsenal's "vieira" song Carroll broke his jaw He's eating through a straw Steve Tay-lor woooaaah Steve Tay-lor wooooaahh

Unrelated overhead air kick at the other side of the pitch.

Merlin was going a bit "hell in a handcart" earlier. And guess who's paying!

Statistically, if you take one of the lower estimates of 5% of the population, if all the Premier League teams are playing one weekend, out of the 222 players that make up the starting 11, there are 11 players, one full team, who are homosexual playing that weekend. Now, it's possible that gay young men don't tend to go into football as a profession as much (possibly because of the fact professional football is a pretty hostile environment to gay people) so the numbers could well be lower. But so low that none of those players playing on that weekend is gay? Even going on to include the high profile players starting on the bench for the top half clubs? I really doubt it like, there's no way there aren't high profile premier league players who are gay, for some reason they feel the need to hide it. And when I say hide it I don't mean that the alternative is to march onto the pitch with a rainbow flag shouting "gay rights now". There are lots of players who we know have female partners, whether it's because of media circus stuff like Rooney and Coleen or Cheryl and Ashley or more mundane stuff like program profiles "He lives in Essex with his wife, two children and four dogs and enjoys fishing." The BBC has an internal magazine called Ariel and they do profiles of people that work in the company, and in a similar way they did a profile of BBC Jane Hill in which she matter of factly stated her family situation in the same way, that she lives with her partner Sara and her dogs etc. The Sun's take on it was of course to splash across the pages "BBC Lesbian shock! Jane STUNS male fans by announcing she's a lesbian!!" and of course all the comments beneath the article were "Why's she flaunting it, I don't go around telling people I'm straight, they should keep it to themselves etc." The media and fan furore if it was a footballer who didn't hide his homosexuality in the same way would be off the chart, so I don't really think people can say it's not a big deal any more. It's hardly the 50s but there's still a way to go before people can just get over it.

Used to always be on our coach when I went to all the away games with me dad mid-90s. Used to say he got put in a home and they wouldn't let him out for the away matches because he'd get back so late so he'd climb out the window. Apparently he always waited by the tuinnel when Keegan was a player and gave him a sweet on his way off the pitch, which is why he got a seat so close when Keegan came back. Also was told never to accept a peanut off him cos he'd buy then with chocolate on, but cos he had nee teeth he'd suck them and spit them back in the packet. Of course all this was just stuff I heard on away trips, so it could be bollocks. There were always a group of lads who'd look after him on the coach and mash up his sausage and beans for him at the service station. They always had a crack with the away fans as well when they were helping him out the ground "This is what watching Newcastle does to yee, he's 26 this lad!" Was on his way out when I last saw him about 15 year ago so he'd have done well to still be knocking around now like.

Our number four does actually have his PCs and laptops linked together in his house.

Can recycle Nicky Butt's now he's finally faded away Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na Geordies going up, going up, Geordies going up Looking forward to being able to steal Chelsea's "That's why we're champions"

From his game and onwards he has just looked nervous and lacking in confidence, possibly completely overawed by his new surroundings. He desperately needs a goal to settle his nerves. Probably what Hughton was thinking when he brought him on against those lot.

Scunthorpe are seriously fucking gash, slightly disappointed it wasn't 10-nowt. No surprise to see they've got the worst goal difference in the league. Straight after the match I got to see a lad in a guinness hat proper chunder near Barker and Stonehouse as well, one of those ones where it explodes out of both nostrils as well

At the game, no exaggeration to say we could have been 6-0 up after 25 mins.

They could ask a Sunderland legend to wear a Newcastle shirt like... Uh... Well when I was in Shildon for the Whitley Bay match all the pubs were decked out in mackem shit, but some of them had a token toon spot on the wall and alongside each other were two mirrors, one with a picture of Shearer reading "Alan Shearer - Newcastle and England" and the other "Kevin Phillips - Sunderland and England" so I guess that's their equivalent.

Look north took a toon top to Sunderland and could only find one person willing to put it on.

Surely the main issue doesn't just boil down to numbers, it's if the penalties were valid or not? If one team gets 6 stonewall penalties awarded over 12 games and one gets four, of which three were clearly dodgy, which team has had the better treatment from the ref?

Talking of his shit current form, didn't Cappello say he'd only pick players based on form? Steve G shouldn't be anywhere near the starting 11 on that basis.

He's getting even more of a cunt now he's getting frustrated about being shit this season. Dirty tackles, worst diver in the league now Drogba's reigned it in, soft twat who makes a meal of every tackle, quickly becoming my least favorite player in the top four.

They can't use swirling any more now they've learned the FBI can just swirl it the other way.

Poor guy...

Bit of a paradox, first reaction gutted because he was taking them down, but then with Phil gone I guess I've not as much reason to want them relegated any more.

4,000 more than they've had for any other game there this season, imagine what it looks like the rest of the time.

Wonder how much they spent on that banner? Can't imagine any of our lot even bothering with an A4 print out to have a go at the Smoggies.

No virgins in the Boro section of course.

Boro with a big banner reading "Trophy Virgins" pointing to the Newcastle crowd

Lads in the stands in dust masks and gas masks, looks like they've not confiscated them this time.

Does it turn you inside out if you inhale it?