J7

I had no idea how to find my seat, so hung off a barrier for the first half and stood on stairs for the second. Not sure if it was the bad organisation or the state I was in though. As for the toilets, didn't really think about it. Better than some of the Scottish lower league toilets anyway. ha

I spent more on the Wednesday night than the Thursday mainly because of the price of the pints. On the Thursday we had a couple pints from De Pub or whatever it was called, then just went and bought cans and a bottle of Jaegar. Ended up spending about 10euro after the first couple pints an still got hammered. Anyone else go to that Bombay takeaway round the corner from that little square? Worst bait I have ever tasted!

Was that the 'magpie ranger' guy from Sam Jacks? Not sure how he didn't fall out. People were shouting "jump, jump, jump" Desperate to be centre of attention the lad. Loved that little square though. Some laugh!

Sounds like our train as ours is from Berwick at 12.40

Heading off on the train at half 12. Cannot wait!

That's one of the only matches that springs to mind for me too. Weirdly for me as well, I've always been used to being just like one of the lads when I go to football, and that was the only time in recent history I can remember the lads all sort of moving around me to keep me safer in the centre. It didn't help that someone nearby had been hit and was bleeding, and the police point blank refused to offer any assistance. I was in the home end at Sunderland once and felt ok, but it was quite a few years back and I think tbh I didn't really consider what the consequences could have been. Wouldn't be in a hurry to do it again, having seen a bit more of the rivalry since then. The only other time I can remember really thinking "oh s***" was an away game at Birmingham when I was on my own and the group I'd been chatting to on the coach picked completely the wrong pub. It almost kicked right off but thankfully we managed to avoid major trouble. I was only about 18 or 19 then and would've promptly s*** a brick if the group I'd been with hadn't been so swift in getting out. At the match itself: generally always feel very safe. I forgot about a derby I went to in the Mackem end actually. My Mackem mate got me an another toon fan mate a ticket in the home end. Was right next to away end and it went mental when Dabizas scored. Was probably young enough at 17 for Berwick base mackems not to notice us and know who we were if they were close in the stand. But we did get the Mackem bus there and back. All the way back I was shitting it, think folk started to suss us out. Kept getting asked my first Sunderland memory an stuff. Made up some bollocks about Terry Butcher and Phil Gray. Was chuffed when we eventually got home. Was also funny listening to mackems, "would never say this in front of a mag, but I've been to Northampton in Dvision 3, and were fuckin shit!" I just stared out the window trying to keep myself from laughing or getting lynched.

Oh and once at Arbroath when I was about 16, it was a promotion game and fans were all over the pitch at the end. A policeman was trying to escort us away and i called him a biased cunt for some stupid reason. He threw me to the floor and thought I was going to get trampled on. My own fault really. ha

Only time ive felt 'unsafe' at a Newcastle game was Boro in the Championship. Didn't know where the police were leading us after the game, followed under the arch at the station an they all turned with their battons out. Shit myself! ha. The packed platform when the train is coming in doesn't exactly feel safe either tbf. But other than that only at Scottish games. Once went to Motherwell-Rangers before getting the plane to Zante and me an my mates were forced out of our seats by hooligans because of our English accents. Obviously thought we were Rangers fans. They were basically talking amongst themselves with threats to us and getting more and more lads to come and squeeze us out of the area. Just moved in the end as it wasn't worth the hassle. Other times were two fights watching Berwick. Clydebank fans charged through the fence once and there was a ruck at the back of the terrace next to me. Didn't really bother me and thought it was quite funny, but it wasn't really safe with Weegies going around looking for anyone to punch. A couple of times at Cowdenbeath fights have broken out too. Last one the game was stopped until the fights ended. My mate got smacked and knocked into me and we ended up rolling down the terrace. hahaha. A few times coins have been flying about all over the place too when anyone could have been hit, Arbroath and Stranraer mainly. Just made the games a bit more interesting tbh, but wasn't safe.

Will probably be all over MOTD2 for the country to laugh at.

Were these media whore cunts not aware we've already had a game since the 'name change'.

You can't be serious???

Are you his mother? He looks far from ready.

A christmas tree? Didn't that die when Venables left England?

I assume people are taking the piss saying Sammy. Thought he was pretty shit the other night personally. Did well with the goal, but the rest of the time his positioning was poor, and all he did was get the ball and run with it far too long, once or twice lucky to draw fouls from fumbling through a group of defenders when he should have released it earlier. Suggesting Obertan in the Premier League is equally ridiculous. 433 without a doubt. If he has to play 442 to accommodate Ba but damage the team as a whole, we only have Jonas and HBA. Obertan is terrible, and Sammy is probably League 1 standard. Needs to go on loan to somewhere like Hartlepool to prove he can play first team football and learn some discipline before anything here.

Have to say, love this competition. It seems wrong when we aren't in it. Like the season is missing something. The FA ,70 hardly even breaks up the league season much anymore either the coverage is so poor. It's hard to look forward to games when you know you're scraping about looking for coverage. The Europa League is far more enjoyable.

My thoughts exactly. Any player joining would be a disgrace in my opinion, and I mean that. Most normal people see a person before their colour. Seperating people by colour is ridiculous. What about other discrimination too? Hate this Rooney Rule or whatever its called too.

As amazing as Ronaldinho was, I'd put Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of him. That team would score 10 goals a game Good team, but I'd put Matthaus ahead of Redondo and Van Basten in a front two replacing Ronaldinho. At a time when Italian football was much more defensive and the off-side rule was in favour of defenders Van Basten was a fantastic player, such a shame he had to retire early. I would also rate Keane as the best midfielder of the Premier League years, Man U were so lucky to follow Robson with Keane. No luck about it. They bought him and developed him. Too much in football is put down to good or bad luck, or lady luck according to Souness. Ferguson has to be credited for the signing.

Love how you get one of them who can string a few sentences together, then loads of them copy the bitter rant and spread it about passing it off as their own. Haha

The whole loyalty points system is open to abuse anyway. It doesn't work very well. You see the people outside away games with a handful of tickets, and I mean 20+ handing out tickets to fans and taking money. If you had a season ticket and couldn't be arsed, or afford to go to away games, all you need to do is give these guys your season ticket number, they add you to their friends and family and order tickets from your season ticket to give to other people. You get the loyalty point and someone without loyalty points gets to go to a game by arranging it through the guy organising it all. I know people without season tickets, who hardly go to home games, but they still end up at Sunderland every year. I myself have applied for Brugge through someone else because I don't have enough points. Everyone will try to get to games however they can. If you can do it through one of the guys i mentioned, why would you bother your arsed building up loyalty points. I must have been to 40+ away games over the past few years, including Sunderland twice, but im just a simple club member. Not fair on people trying to do it properly, but thats the system so its open to abuse.

Aye, the white boards look shitted than your average shop front.

Wish they would just take the shit white signs down too, not needed even if they want Wonga showing, and appoint someone with a bit of an idea about marketing. The fonts, the colours, everything is shit, cheap and tacky.

There will probably be quite a few cunts in our ranks tbh. Doesn't mean they should be treating everyone the same though.

Probably get some kids to design it and it will end up totally shit.

Our commercial revenue is shocking compared to similar sized clubs. We arent a brand companies want to be associated with. That is Ashleys fault.

It will probably be used as an excuse unfortunately, but in my opinion it should have a positive effect.