Benwell Lad

You had to be REALLY hard to wear the butcher's coat. It was one up from a black and white tartan kilt with Doctor Martens.

aye poor lad, got kicked to death, he never saw the great 90s team. used to stand right behind him in the scoreboard. CP you must have stood beside me as well, i hope you aren't the bloke who pissed in my mates pocket!! lol never pissed in a pocket, but a few times on them crash barriers, a lot easier than going to the bogs, which was no diffrence to the terraces when you got there. Miss the old -who man hey man who man, and pushes where you could end up anywhere. Roger Tames standing on the roof of the turnstile block in the Gallowgate (main stand corner) doing his bit for TTTV and having abuse sang at him. Modern day TV crews have it sooo easy !

versus Sgt.Peppers. Sure that's more 70's though ??

It was once a year on Sportsnight with Coleman and we never seemed to get past the 1st round which was a shame cos we'd have had an open top bus and civic parade if we'd ever won it. There was also that strange tournament held at Wembley, was it before a main event and 15 minutes each way or something ? Also remember a ZDS cup match away to Tranmere which was probably 80s, it was live on Sky when Sky was very new and finished 7-6 or 6-6 ?? Remember a live interview at half time with some pissed up Geordies who were down for it. Class.

Old journalistic and political trick. Introduce names or facts which support your position or argument knowing they're not particularly relevant to it and hope your audience is dumb enough not to see right through you. We seem to have it played on us more than most and often by people who should know better.

Where the f@ck did they come from ? Just looked at the table and they're level with QPR and Cardiff. Seems like we're playing two in-form teams in Swansea and them next. Should be canny matches.

A "fit" Barton could be the best player in this league.

The best goalkeeper in our league by a mile. Whatever division he's playing in I can't see a more consistent or better all round keeper right now. That said I really don't give a shit as England's loss could be our gain. There again the kid deserves some recognition.

One of the few things JFK got right when he told this excuse for a journalist a bit of truth. Personally I would have used the expression "pretentious tw@t" rather than c*nt though. Can't they just let us enjoy a season when we're actually winning and at least seeing a team playing with spirit and determination. It seems like other football fans are allowed to support the team on the pitch, but these journalists tell US we have to choose to support the ownership or not. Of course it will be tough IF we get promoted, it always is. Of course some of the players will not make an impact in a higher league but looking at some of the very average teams who are mid-table in this year's vastly over rated Premiership, the present squad would probably survive. Though mere survival would never satisfy us, promotion now seems to give us the best chance of a change of ownership and intoduction of a credible plan for the future, so we should roar this present squad (warts and all) to promotion and enjoy winning along the way. Whatever possible promotion may hold in store for us it will be a damned sight better than a 2nd or 3rd year outside the top flight.

Beaten 4-0 at home by Bury ! That's me finished. I'm NEVER going back.

Like Given, Beardsley left because he wanted to. He was offered better money and went to a club he thought was better than Newcastle. Thats what professional footballers tend to do. Ironically the player who really did not want to leave but was to some extent pushed out was Chris Waddle, and yet he seemed to face more animosity after his departure being called Judas etc.

Is that the MacDonalds World Cup, the Pepsi Cola World Cup or the Nintendo World Cup he was talking about ?

In fairness I think his recent interviews with Radio Newcastle were about as open as any club chairman could be but whatever he says he'll be criticised by most. It really has reached a point where he's damned if he speaks and damned if he doesn't and this is bound to lead to a reticence to communicate. Thet said the presentation (e.g. stadium sponsorship) leaves a lot to be desired.

I don't think he did a terrible job (ie that we got worse results with him than we would have with Hughton as caretaker), but nor do I think he was working under "impossible circumstances", unless you are talking about the inadequacies of the squad he inherited or the actions of his bosses. Even so I think that there are many, many other managers out there that had they been given the job when he was, we would not have been relegated. I hope he retires for his own sake. I am indeed talking about just that, plus the incredibly low morale of the club and the untimely heart problem. Apart from that he had it easy. I think the main point about Joe's appointment was at the time (post Keegan) no one would touch us with a bargepole and at least he had the balls to come into the cauldron and take the job on. He was never the man for this job long term but I always admire people who are brave enough to take on tough jobs and see them through, anyone can do it when the going is good and everything is plain sailing.

Probably will, cos he aint gonna find anyone who'll pay him more.

Still think he did not a bad job for us - under almost impossible circumstances. He seemed to lift the dressing room from the depressed state it was in - and his outburst at the press conference will be fondly remembered by many for years to come. Hope he gets the Scottish job !

I think it's about time the NUST came clean about Barry Moat as there has been an amount of innuendo and negative comments on here which would imply they really have it in for him now. What is it we should know about him that we don't already ? Is the reason for this negativity that their own campaign is lacking substance and credibility, so better try and discredit others rather than focus on themselves. Emotive though it is fellas, there really are much bigger issues at stake than what prefix St.James'Park may or may not have next season. We're waiting patiently for the "local businesses and institutions" to reveal themselves and hopefully add some substance, but in the absence of even rumours about who they may be, all we have had are the rather vague and clouded ramblings of the Jesmond Geordie who knows as much as my missus would about running a football club. Forget about Moat and other chancers lads, and concentrate on your own bid or you'll end up making Steve MacMahon's group look credible by comparison.

It was indeed. Me Grandad used to go to the match, or the reserves match as they played at SJP alternate Saturday's, and then straight across the road for the wrestling.

If I do it I'll go alone. No offence lads but it sounds complicated enough, without having 20 or 150 different stakeholders and opinions covering just one share. You'll need a commitee and president for each share judging by the diverse opinions on here.

You serious ? Alex is sorely missed, added something with his intelligence, wit and insight. Sadly theres a lot less of it on here nowadays. Back to DW - always looked good to have a couple of hard looking b@stards on our bench at intimidating away matches in Europe rather than scrawny charvas like Terry Mac.

I'm waiting with bated breath to see who the "local businesses and institutions" are who will be backing this scheme because so far, although well intentioned, enthusiastic and romantic, it really has been quite amateurish and very clouded in it's detail. I hope the heavyweights they are keeping under wraps can give this scheme some credibility and a solid businesslike basis. So far we have seen nothing other than the usual suspects, undoubtedly true fans, but the cynic in me thinks they will never be any more than that even if they switch their seats from the Gallowgate to the director's box. The NUST under any guise is still the often despised NUSC despite the new flash website and less profane manner. I hope something can come of this, but I fear the romantic notion of "Barcelona on Tyneside" would only have been achievable before we went down the path of becoming a public company many years ago. My feeling is that this valiant cause is doomed to failure, I hope I'm wrong and I'm looking forward to the already on board "local businesses and institutions" revealing themselves and giving the scheme a whole lot more substance.

I think once the protest songs have died down and hard headed figures take over this is a very sobering thought. There is a serious deficit in the club's operating budget and frankly we did well to retain the number of players we did post relegation when many clubs would have had to shed almost all high earners. Whatever anyone says about the FCB it does seem the operating deficit is being made up by himself at present and circa £20M p.a. would not be too far wide of the mark. Any new owners (the NUST or other) will have to factor this in and without a wealthy benefactor it could be quite painful.

Any alternative bid that was made would be a rival bid of course it would. However how that was perceived and dealt with would depend on the bid. If for instance Moat reappeared then, as far as Im concerned I cant see how that would change our plans as we know our model is better for the club. if however some massive businessman came in and said "Ill buy the club and give the supporters 50% for free" then obviously that would need to be viewed differently. It would still need to be assessed to see exactly what was involved. How? Does smack slightly of naive arrogance. I'm absolutely certain they do and it may well be, but this is the time for convincing potential subscribers/investors not themselves.

Any alternative bid that was made would be a rival bid of course it would. However how that was perceived and dealt with would depend on the bid. If for instance Moat reappeared then, as far as Im concerned I cant see how that would change our plans as we know our model is better for the club. if however some massive businessman came in and said "Ill buy the club and give the supporters 50% for free" then obviously that would need to be viewed differently. It would still need to be assessed to see exactly what was involved. If that's what an acceptable bid would require, then I don't think you are going to see any acceptable bids. We need businessmen running the show not lunatics. By lunatic I mean the benevolent businessman not the fans - just to be clear.

Usual array of professional Geordies jumping on a populist theme in the press, some of whom are known to like to see "all teams in the north east doing well" and would have been just as happy to make a quote for the Sunderland Echo. As they're all multi millionaires why don't they do something positive for the club and stadium they "love" and then maybe Ashley wouldn't have to come up with crackpot schemes to increase revenues ?