Benwell Lad

Seems they celebrate equalisers against Walsall like they've won the Champions League nowadays :blush: #ourfans

Not concerned about how it plays out with the 5 of them as over a season injuries, suspensions, internationals and different types of opposition forwards will mean they all contribute. In fact seeing Fernandez and Schär who would not have been in most people's starting eleven at the start of the season illustrates their value perfectly. When they're all fit it would be nice to have a decent cup run so they can all get the game time they deserve.

On paper Burnley's midfield 4 and front 2 looks reasonable for a lower half team, and certainly enough to have given us problems with three defenders out who would almost certainly have started against their front two. Once again a well thought out approach and tactical masterclass by Rafa was the difference, absolutely making the best of what he had at his disposal.

Like a lot of players you don't fully appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of their game until you watch them closely. I know a lot of mackems rated him but his ability to create time and space with a simple drop of the shoulder or feign is outstanding and his range of passing is very impressive.

Fuck me they'll be lapping up that old chestnut It's probably second only to "our fans" for being brought up on a weekly basis, despite the fact that north-west Durham has always been predominantly black and white and many other parts of the county at least 50/50. If that wasn't the case then why would they bleat on about it so much ? I live in North West Durham. It's 11 mile to St James' Park and 20 miles to the SOS. Why should i support sunderland? Like you say its mostly Newcastle around here. I love the way they have a habit of laying claim to whole counties, towns and districts. They are a bunch of utter fuckwits. The majority of people in County Durham would consider Durham or Newcastle to be the significant places close to where they live, for shopping, entertainment, travel etc. Sunderland is just an irrelevance to most people and that's what really riles them and why they bang on about it all the time.

Fuck me they'll be lapping up that old chestnut It's probably second only to "our fans" for being brought up on a weekly basis, despite the fact that north-west Durham has always been predominantly black and white and many other parts of the county at least 50/50. If that wasn't the case then why would they bleat on about it so much ?

Can't remember Spurs in the third division 10yrs ago. Charlie was sussed in the circles he once operated in a long time ago. His friendship with the Don has handed him a new, and very fertile it seems, field of gullibility to plough.

The old Dummett "is he too limited or a decent steady away left back" discussion. Whatever the answer we always look like a much better defensive unit when he plays rather than any of the current alternatives. We really miss him when he's out.

I don't really follow lower league football but I just heard they played a draw with Whickham. They'll get hammered when they play Dunston.

No way? Surely Gateshead and Blyth are the only NE clubs who play in the first round ?

Spot on Spot on. Are you sure? Sort of. Probably.

They could always try and suggest what they would do then? I don't see anyone doing that. They want a change at the top but aren't willing to do anything to achieve it? Maybe they think that it's ultimately going to take someone with enough money to sway the thick skinned, hard nosed businessman who currently holds the power? However an outsider's view of the club may not make it such an attractive proposition right now. If you feel that shouting at shops and boycotting home games (assuming you actually go) is the way forward then hey that's great, carry on doing it. suppose Ashley had an offer for the club that was around what he wanted but hadn't made his mind up. Do you think he would be more or less likely to accept and sell if there were protests and boycotts, or more likely to sell if there were no protests and the money was guaranteed to keep pouring in? Interesting question and the assumption would probably be the first scenario. I guess that's what must motivate the regular protesters. However in the case of Ashley I reckon it's only the filthy lucre which will count at the end of the day, he's always seemed pretty impervious to insults and protests to date.

Haway man, it's getting a bit hysterical, don't confuse "some" and "probably" with all and definitely IMO there's no difference between a real Newcastle fan who lives on St.Thomas' or one who lives on the other side of the world, in fact the staunchest supporters I know travel very long distances to follow Newcastle.

They could always try and suggest what they would do then? I don't see anyone doing that. They want a change at the top but aren't willing to do anything to achieve it? Maybe they think that it's ultimately going to take someone with enough money to sway the thick skinned, hard nosed businessman who currently holds the power? However an outsider's view of the club may not make it such an attractive proposition right now. If you feel that shouting at shops and boycotting home games (assuming you actually go) is the way forward then hey that's great, carry on doing it.

I don't think there are any supporters, attending or not, who don't think that a change at the top would be good for the club now. However many think that it will take a far more structured, intelligent and powerful approach than a few people shouting at Sports Direct outlets or boycotting a home match to make such change actually happen. It's probably also fair to say that being insulted by internet warriors or told what to do by the same odious, self appointed spokespeople who think they are above the ordinary fans because they can write a blog, does little more than put the backs up of the majority who feel they still want to go to the match to support their team. If you don't want to go to the match that's fine, if you do that's also fine, but insulting and shouting at people like some deranged fascist just because they don't agree with your point of view really isn't the way forward.

While you've got to admire those who are genuinely boycotting, i.e. actually have something to give up, again this looks like a lot of people who don't go anyway, some of who probably couldn't point at Newcastle on a map, asking "the sheep" to sacrifice what they've already paid for. Just a suggestion but why don't the protesters who have nothing to give up or boycott, offer to buy tickets off "the sheep" (at face value of course) and then not use them. Surely that would make them feel better about themselves and show that they are not just asking others to make a sacrifice on their behalf ?

It's getting to a point where it must be more than just coincidence or the "rub of the green".

......and for a touch more perspective, top earners in their league are on about 200K a year, they wouldn't be able to afford the likes of Ivan Toney and could only dream about signing someone as good as Adam Armstrong.

Apart from directly reffing your or your rivals team, who you support could theoretically impact on a lot of other situations when relegation and top end issues are coming to a conclusion at the end of the season. Sadly the only two consistently decent refs over the last few years have both supported Newcastle. Just get rid of them all, they wouldn't be missed, and bring in full time referees from abroad so there is much less chance of bias. The PL buys in the world's best players and coaches so why not referees ?

Too absurd to be entirely true possibly.......... We're only getting one side of the story so far and everyone knows The Don loves playing to the crowd.

Yet it's only a few months since we looked much better than them on their own ground and they've lost their best player since. What's gone wrong ? Leicester were on their holidays too. Little chance of catching Burnley or finishing lower than 9th. Yeah possibly but there were still a few to play and we were excellent. I was mainly replying to Ian saying they are much better than us. I don't think they are "much" better. Cue 0-3 defeat

Yet it's only a few months since we looked much better than them on their own ground and they've lost their best player since. What's gone wrong ? Diame, Perez, kenedy? Yeah we did have a few players right on top of their game at that time. Lejeune possibly the biggest difference of all, our defence was outstanding right then and imo he was the main reason for that.

Exactly. If it was as cut and dried as Sunderland are making out then of course the player should be made an example of. It does however all seem a bit hazy. Despite the club desperately needing them off the wage bill and seemingly unwilling to compromise it has been the indiscretions of the player that have resulted in a justifiable termination of contract. It all sounds a bit too good to be true, and as a few on here have alluded to, could the player and his advisers have been so stupid especially when they held the strong hand? We've really only heard one side of the story so far. There's potentially a lot of precedent here and if Sunderland do get away with it it will make things interesting in the future when teams suffer relegation, or successive relegations, and want to shed under performing high earners from the wage bill.

He's only entitled to sit on his contract if he actually bothers to turn up to his place of work. Football is no different to any other job, if you don't turn up for long enough, your employer is entitled (though not obliged) to sack you. I think the player has been amazingly stupid here if he's just not bothered to turn up to work for long enough to get sacked. Well first of all football actually is very different to any other (normal) job Of course that's not to say that should a footballer behave badly or be in breach of contract he can't be sacked. No one will know the absolute details of what has occured but it does smack of the club needing him off the payroll by whatever means they thought they could get away with. I'm no employment lawyer, but the part of this where he was allegedly told to take a month out to find another club, failed to do so and returned to Sunderland for them to tell him he wasn't fit, won't take much for his representatives to find loopholes in.