Benwell Lad

Crowd down 13,000 on their last home game. Must be losing faith in the new regime.

Holds them back so much as it is the reason a lot of people don't bother. Pretty sure that with a small neat non league/ lower league stadium they'd pull in a decent gate and have a good atmosphere. Makes it even more remarkable how well Watson and his squad are doing against the odds.

Claiming that a one off gimmick attendance, which was campaigned for on social media etc, is "magnificent support" is a bit misleading really. It's no different to the spike you see in a lower league team's crowd the week before they play a big team in the cup or a non-league club before a big FA vase game. The 8,000 who turned out for a midweek FA cup match at the SoL last month are probably more representative of their magnificent support.

No place in football nowadays for traditional Labour working class types, do as the Islington intelegencia decree or it's orf to the darts for you

Isn't there an unwritten rule in media and official circles that you just don't criticise Liverpool whatever happens ?

All conveniently forgetting that when they really needed support last season their hard core was down to about 15K and they weren't selling away allocations 2018ers

Wonder if any journalist or official will have the balls to present a case about the incredible penalty and sendings off statistics in games we play in ? Somehow doubt it.

they have had countless threads for over a month counting up the numbers for one crowd for one match so small time, It's a one off gimmick crowd which, like you say, they've been self obsessing over for weeks. Do any other clubs' fans have a month long wankathon when they get a big crowd for a Christmas match?

The atmosphere was actually good and noisy,especially in the second half, considering what was being served up on the pitch. I doubt it was even 5% but if it's audible then it's a story. Let's face it if some were stupid enough to boo Mitrovic then they're hardly going to be able to hold back at the final whistle of a 0-0 draw.

Mackems man :lol: All excited about winning a few games of lower league football but first time they face a half average side they get hammered. Our juniors shouldn't have any problems when they play their first team.

and they are playing our second team too Probably our third or fourth team actually

As they're no longer involved in the proper cup competition I think our junior team should forfeit their EFL match against Sunderland in the spirit of North East friendship and co-operation.

Most of those you listed are first team squad regulars? How many reserves or U23’s or whatever it’s called now is made up of fringe players and first team subs? Point was that once upon a time the "reserve" team was made up of the senior players who weren't first choice or getting a regular game. So that team above would have pretty much been the reserve team. I'd be very surprised if any of them featured against Sunderland as we will have a few first team games around that time and it will be a side made up of entirely academy U23 side that plays against them.

It's certainly gone way beyond fans just thinking their team is hard done by. A court of law would struggle to say there wasn't something bent going on when you weigh up the hard facts of the last few seasons.

Have to remember this is not our reserves who will be playing. Our reserves, or covering players, would look something like :- Darlow, Manquillo Lascelles Schär Sterry, Murphy Shelvey Hayden Atsu, Muto Joselu and that team would hammer any 3rd division set up. It's our academy development squad who will be playing Sunderland and even though many won't even recognise their names they would give most 3rd division sides a decent game.

Fuckin fewminn marra

This comment just sums up how much of a shit state of affairs the club is in when this hopeless cunt is sorely missed He's not hopeless - far from it. He's just not glamorous enough for some. The real point is that his presence has an almost catalytic effect on the defence as a whole in terms of overall cohesion, way above his individual merit.

To be honest when a very small minority of fans are attempting to influence a vast majority of match going fans, referring to them as shithouses, sheep and mongs (just three of the abusive terms used in the last few pages) and coming up with brilliant ideas like trying to demonise decent people like Lascelles, Shola and Moncur because they don't always see eye to eye with them is probably not a smart way to try and make them change their minds. It's also a bit hypocritical to freely abuse those who don't agree with them and then get upset when they are given abuse back.

West Ham are obviously a very talented team but one who came here on the back of a bad run. We needed to hurt them early to maintain their self doubt and low confidence, but as they grew into the game and started playing with confidence they were on a different level to us.

Please get well soon.

Did someone use a Martin Luther King quote on their twatter account ?

Pretty fair assessment. Was one of those where every time they went forward I was thinking they would score. Our line was high and they carved us apart at will with fairly simple along the ground through balls. Hoping we return to our usual solidity against Everton. Me too. But without a left back I fear for our solidity.

He's just not a left back. He's a squad filling right back who gets hung out to dry because our natural left back cover is even worse than play him.

They were good from the off and although we did ok first half they were always better. Manquillo at left back is a disaster though I actually feel sorry for the kid. He's probably ok as right back cover but at left back he's hung out to dry and the defence looks unbalanced and vulnerable.

TBH there was as much jeering when a few protesters came in on eleven minutes as there was about Perez. Neither should be taken too seriously as both were tiny minorities.