J7

Went to a few American club shops last Autumn, Mets, Rockies, Broncos and Dodgers. Totally different experience to the mess that ours is. People were queuing up to get into a bigger shop than ours at Coors Field and the crowd was about half what we get.

I’d take a new stadium if only to improve the atmosphere and get people sitting with their friends and likeminded people. Though I’d still imagine folk complaining that they’d ‘always been 4th row back behind the goal’.

The back of Gallowgate is fairly good until the point where people start sitting. The back 3 or 4 rows. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see why the atmosphere is so poor overall though when you see the demographic of people around the front of the stands when the players are celebrating. It’s not their fault, but it’s never going to be lively when the average age looks about 50.

Why do you think it was ballot winners? Plenty of the season ticket holders near me leave early or are in the 40min pint crew.

I’ve been to plenty and had some great days regardless of the result. Again though, I don’t blame people for not going under Ashley. Don’t think it’s a ‘when we were shit’ argument.

*when Ashley owned the club. I don’t blame them.

When was this? ? Even in the 90s when I was at school it was all about scandals in Spanish holiday homes, going on the stock market etc etc

I couldn’t think of a better job. They’re at a low, a total shambles and the only way is up. He has almost a blank canvas and loads to spend. I’m not actually that arsed though. I’d like to think we’ll bring in the right replacement. We’ve shown that we want the right structure in place for the club, and that doesn’t end because one person leaves.

Horseshoe theory. See the likes of Russell Brand too.

Fully expect him to leave in the summer for a Champions League club. He would deserve it too given his level of performance. Like someone said, enjoy him while he’s here.

Huge potential long term ramifications from this injury crisis given what a midtable finish and no Europe could mean in the summer. So frustrating.

I’m a bit surprised we aren’t getting some lower value signings from abroad in tbh. Just seen Villa are spending £9m on a player from Red Star. I kinda thought we’d have been doing more of these kind of deals than we have.

Does anyone know what they’ll actually do? You have things like tenants groups for housing associations who go through politics and procedures and scrutinise things. They aren’t exactly representative of tenants. Maybe this is the same.

He’s on the train quite regularly from Morpeth for home games and I’ve seen him a couple of times when I bought tickets in the Platinum Club. Saw him at Leeds too when Shelvey scored. Suspect he’ll have the loyalty points anyway.

Anyone know the viewing figures for our game?

Well part of being a great manager is being able to turn round bad form and find solutions. If we were to sink to 17th (there’s almost no chance of that), then questions would clearly have to be asked. Don’t think it’s a controversial point.

He was unbelievable at the start of the season, but over the last month or so he’s been really poor. His discipline is appalling. How is he being allowed to just sprint off forward on seemingly every occasion. Don’t get me wrong, for a CB he’s generally good at it, but maybe once or twice a game if needed, not at every opportunity. Said to my mate before their second, wtf is he doing out at left back and it came back to bite us. Can’t always be expecting the team to rearrange itself to account for his runs forward or even just out of position when it’s happening so often. We’re on shit form, just get the basics right first.

The group of lads in front of me leave for pints on 35-40min and return on about 50min. There’s huge gaps well before half time, and it’s not the ‘day trippers’. Tbh, beyond the big games or when something exceptional is happening on the pitch, I don’t think it’s ever been as good as some seem to think it was. The whole top tier is family, the East Stand has never been loud and the design of the stadium hardly helps the atmosphere in the Leazes.

I’d like to think we’ll still go for Phillips regardless of Miley. The season totally collapses if Bruno gets injured.

I thought it was pretty shit last night in all honesty. Seen quite a bit of poor us, but if you play like that and allow more and more pressure, you’re inviting a mistake. I think you have to make at least some attempt to retain the ball. Game management was poor and is too often away from home. How many leads have we thrown away now, even before the injury crisis? Don't want to be too critical given all of our problems, and generally I still think we’re over performing, but it’s so frustrating to see us throw games away after such good work.

Someone else though I suspect there’d be similar complaints. This one even said they’d have preferred a smaller allocation. They’d all be better coming up with some better ideas to improve things as opposed to ‘go back to the way it was’ which is never happening.

I do have to laugh and one of the biggest toys out the pram superfans on Twitter saying he won’t be going to Sunderland because of the buses. Every moan and excuse under the sun regarding the away ticket situation this season. I remember this guy at a European away game years ago stopping fans selling tickets to a couple of my mates because he’d had some pathetic fall out with people in our group. They had to watch in the square. I’m a bit sympathetic to the arguments of some, like the buses etc, but not the entitlement of this guy who used to control so many tickets. Little empire of being the ‘go to guy’ shattered.

Did the bus a couple of times when I was young. Painful. Took a couple hours each way from what I remember.

Agree with this. It’s been a great two years of what feels like a constant upwards trajectory, but as a club we need to keep pushing for better. I’ve seen quite a lot of “we’ll be back”. But we’ll only be back if we continue to move forward on, and especially off the park. It won’t get any easier with still a huge income gap to the ‘big 6’, and Villa also looking like they’re going to be in the mix for a few years. Can’t stand still.

At fault, no, but again we hardly helped. Some gave up because of Ashley after years of home and away. Others got a season ticket a few years ago because they were cheap. I don’t think it’s a loyalty test or ‘those who stayed when we were shit’ (I don’t accept the premise) are generally any more loyal than those who didn’t.