Benwell Lad

I was 19, and in the Army, Benwell Lad..!! Missed the games because I was 300 miles away...just as well. The 3-3 draw ended with John McNamee scoring and swinging on the bar(at the Roker end, I believe.. McNamee was a legend - we used to call him 'The Bear', and people like Keane, who thought themselves hard men, would have been terrified of him ; remember him scoring against Spurs at SJP in a draw once, and it was sheer brute force that got him into the box and getting the equaliser - their defenders were bouncing off him....!! Burton was the more skillful defender, and I always thought that he and Bobby Moncur were a really tough defensive pairing ; added to Frank Clark and David Craig, they were the best defence NUFC has had for 40 years...no surprise that we won the Fairs Cup with that back 4. As you say, great days...sadly, we are miles away from that now, and I don't imagine that either the atmosphere(being in the old Leazes End was fantastic, you swayed 10 feet every time a goal was scored), OR the special feeling of being a NUFC fan will ever return. Players were definitely tougher then and they got away with so much more, they had to be able to look after themselves as they couldn't just roll around on the floor and wait for video evidence to look after them ! Teams also had squads of about 15 players so they had to play even when recovering from injuries - not that that was a good thing - but today they take 3 months to recover from a groin strain ! There has been so much change for the better at the stadium, but like you, I feel sorry for younger fans who never experienced the ear splitting noise and atmosphere of the old Leazes End. I loved when we used to sing "you'll never walk alone" with the scarves aloft - nowadays the scousers seem to have a copyright on it !

It was in the 60s :-[ As a veteran of a few that 1-2 in the rain was the sickest I've felt, I wasn't there - which is even worse - but sat in a bar abroad getting phone call updates (must have been pre SMS days) We've been in worse situations but I can never remember a tenser one than yesterday - or maybe that was just because it was the present one and they are all just as tense ??

This is specially for the old gits on here. Last time the mackems did the double over us I was at both games, they beat us 3-0 down there and at home. I remember being in the unsegregated Roker End as a 10 year old with black and white scarf on - some mackem threatened me when I abused Bobby Kerr - I think he scored two that day. I was too young to go in the Fulwell end which was an unsegregated (50/50) battleground. I think the home game was Wyn Davies debut and I remember Niel Martin scoring a great header for them. I rememeber not long after that Ollie Burton or John MacNamee swinging on the crossbar down there after they'd scored (3-3 I think) Ah those were the days - not ! Any other OG's remember those games ?

I said in another thread :- "In fact I thought our 3 Spanish speaking players (and a certain Frenchman) played with an attitude yesterday that couldn't have been better if they'd been born and bred on Tyneside" I think Enrique has shown good character, he's a proper left back and we need a proper left back

Aye, he struggled in the air a bit but not many defenders can beat Jones to the ball consistently. Think his confidence just looks a little low at the moment, if we had a decent squad we could pull him out of the firing line for a couple of games to regroup. I think he has continued to show his class even when having a bit of a tough time and overall for a first season in English football has done very well indeed. He is also always there and seems to has a good attitude, when some "Johnny Foreigners" (and one or two fans favourites) seem to find any little excuse to have a spell out of the firing line when the going gets tough. In fact I thought our 3 Spanish speaking players (and a certain Frenchman) played with an attitude yesterday that couldn't have been better if they'd been born and bred on Tyneside.

Why? Because despite the current situation we're still a far bigger club than they are. Had he left for ManU, Arsenal or an equivalent foreign team he could have justifiably claimed he was going up in the world, but going to City proves it was motivated, primarily, by money. He has maybe 5 years left of his playing career. Honestly out of us and Man City who do you think are more likely to be playing in Europe/maybe winning things in the next 5 years? Right now? Probably them, but I don't think that was his prime motivation when he chose Citeh. I think it had more to do with money. Based on absolutely nothing. Apart from his agent/lawyer starting to agitate things just after Christmas and paving the way for him to break his contract and move to the "richest" club in the world. Of course his agent wouldn't be that interested in the money would he ? Anyway it's history now, we need to move on.

Why? Because despite the current situation we're still a far bigger club than they are. Had he left for ManU, Arsenal or an equivalent foreign team he could have justifiably claimed he was going up in the world, but going to City proves it was motivated, primarily, by money. He has maybe 5 years left of his playing career. Honestly out of us and Man City who do you think are more likely to be playing in Europe/maybe winning things in the next 5 years? Right now? Probably them, but I don't think that was his prime motivation when he chose Citeh. I think it had more to do with money.

Why? Because despite the current situation we're still a far bigger club than they are. Had he left for ManU, Arsenal or an equivalent foreign team he could have justifiably claimed he was going up in the world, but going to City proves it was motivated, primarily, by money. Cobblers. A far bigger club ffs. Aye and Nottingham Forest are a bigger club than Chelsea - that Drogba's a right mug. You think Citeh are a bigger club than us. I don't. He went there for the same reason Robinho and Co ended up there too. They're paying the biggest wedge right now.

Why? Because despite the current situation we're still a far bigger club than they are. Had he left for ManU, Arsenal or an equivalent foreign team he could have justifiably claimed he was going up in the world, but going to City proves it was motivated, primarily, by money.

The fact it's Man Citeh he chose to leave us for really blows away any moral credibility his departure may have had.

He was, he played 75 minutes longer than I'd have given him. Caulkin in the Times gave him 6 and Enrique 5. I'd be surprised by that assessment - if he wasn't a journalist !

You obviously weren't there. By the way is there anyone who plays for your club, or is part of your management structure, who actually lives in the sh*thole called Sunderland ? Nah didn't think so. They don't mind taking your money but they're not that fecking daft.

No you're not the only person. Not at all. Nor will it wash that he's left for a bigger club, Arsenal or Man Utd could be considered that but even with the Arab's billions Man City will never be bigger than Newcastle. It's money and nothing else. Thanks Shay - good luck.

The macums had their strongest 11 starting and their most expensive squad ever to pick from. Our disjointed - some not match fit 11 were the better side and if we had a real forward playing we'd have won comfortably. Bassong - superb - had Jones in his pocket and Enrique played with passion like he understands what the game meant, but all 11 played with great commitment even if some really shouldn't be in our starting side. We remain in deep sh*t - but if that's the best 11 the macums can put out then there is still hope. P.S. Chopra has gone right up in my estimation !

I used TRUE in capitals because it's obvious that there are users of this forum who are supporters of other clubs who masquerade as Newcastle fans and just like to stir things for fun - a bit like the idiots who text Setanta, Sky etc. NOT because other TRUE Newcastle fans may have different opinions to my own. I realise that people who's views and opinions differ radically are equally passionate about our club. We're all hurting. We're all entitled to our own opinion, but aside from that we have a great club to support and like you say today there is ONLY one enemy. It's a mentality we will probably have to take into the rest of the games this season as well.

I see. The Ashley apologists have been slagging off supporters who want the cockney mafia out all season. Now the reality of the fat mans gross incompetence is starting to bite you want us all to be united. I normally try to be polite, but please go f*ck yourself and try to stay away from SJP - which shouldn't be too difficult for YOU. You obviously don't understand the significance of who we're playing today.

Things are pretty bad at the moment and all our key players will be missing but let's not confuse Sundlund with a decent side. For most of the season they've been even worse than us despite having a huge expensive squad and all their off pitch harmony. Home advantage and an intimidating atmosphere could swing it for us.

nice sentiments, but they are an echo of the rubbish the mackems have themselves churned out over the years, as a pretty desperate bunch. It goes without saying that we want to beat our rivals, and there will be no middle ground on sunday, but we need more than a win against the mackems to stay up and sort this club out. I couldn't agree with you more, but please don't compare my sentiments to the inferiority complex that typifies the mackems usual rallying cries. I just want us to take a truce from the bitching until the real battle is over.

Oops ! He does put it perfectly - well done The Prophet. Anyway who cares - you can never have too many threads attacking the mackems before a derby game.

Right now we have to put aside the bickering, forget the sh*t season we're having and stop doing our dirty washing in public. Our depleted team has never needed support more than they do right now and on Sunday we really need to be the 12th man for them instead of a 12th man for the opposition. We need to show the mackems what REAL support is all about and make St.James Park the nosiest and most intimidating place they will ever visit, just like last season when they completely bottled it as they walked out to 50,000 people singing the Blaydon Races. Times are hard, people are upset and angry and the jinx on our club has never been more evident, but for the next few days and particularly on Sunday afternoon lets put the animosity aside give ALL players in black and white shirts 100% support and send those scumbags back to Wearside wondering what hit them.

In the context of having the balls for the job, sadly, he probably is.

I would imagine the "welcome" they will receive by arriving later could be worse than the effects of having to hang around SJP listening to their IPods for a couple of hours.

there's a few quotes from mort from around january which basically say that keegan is just the coach. i think he had some say in the targets but they were unrealistic so wise and the other two had to get the players in as the end of the window was getting nearer. Theres also quotes from Wise saying Keegan had the final say on transfers. Face it, the management structure Ashley put in place was/is garbage So why do you think Wise undermined him on the last day of the transfer window and not the first if this was always the case? For me, the explanation that best fits the information we have is that Keegan was jerking everyone around until someone finally lost their temper and told him to f*** off. Getting sacked with compensation was always Keegan's main objective, and he took advantage of it. An increasingly popular, unpopular theory.

I don't think he has disrupted anything, despite being blamed for just about everything which has gone wrong he has kept a professional silence and on the evidence of recruitment so far (albeit perhaps not enough) he seems to be bringing decent players and youngsters into the club. As someone who (like everyone else in Newcastle) once hated Wise and loved Keegan, I've got to say that whatever happened it's Wise I admire more now. Keegan had the backing and love of the fans and was at a club he supposedly loved and yet walked out on us (again) the moment there was an issue to be addressed. Wise despite having no popular backing has stuck to his job when frankly it would have been much easier for him to walk. Wise love him or hate him (and most hate him) was always a tough little f*cker and I quite admire that. He just seems to be getting on with the job he was contracted to do but will always be a convenient scapegoat for justifying Keegan's walk out.

Charles N'Z in Louis' in Jesmond. Paying him far too much if he can afford to eat in there !