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And I do think we can blame the decline of the club on it backing Shearer over Robson in their conflict...

No, the point is it was emblematic of the thinking that caused the decline of the club.

The original is much better than his effort. Not that I want it changed in the slightest, but if I did, I'd go for a more radical redo than his thing. I'm no expert in this stuff, but I don't understand why 'digital times' mean images need to be less detailed and more homogenous. And fuck it, if we're going to be the richest club in the world, presumably we can afford to stand out from the pack and develop imagery around aesthetic ideals and luxury, rather than being pushed around by marketing budgets and design graduates. Re Shearer's, on one hand, I agree with @manorpark. Respect to the owners for trying to clean the club and restore it to better times. I think they're doing their best. That said, I never thought Shearer's should've existed in the first place. It was a huge sign of the club going in the wrong direction fast at the time, with Freddie Shepherd clinging on to selling a fading cult of personality alongside Graeme Souness rather than developing the fundamentals of the club as Robson had wanted to. It was the kind of thinking that brought us Michael Owen and proper football. In a roundabout way it was one of the things that set us up as marks for Mike Ashley to later target. December 2004. Bad memories.

He was handy in his prime, but so was Peter Beardsley and there was no argument for bringing him in from Hartlepool in 1999. You have to deal with the here and now. Gallacher was alright, but extremely meh as a signing. Worked hard, filled a gap, provided an ethos. Retired 54 appearances after signing for us, having played for 4 different clubs and scored a total of 5 goals in that time. Tells it's own story. 'A damn fine player at the top level at the time' - are you sure?

Radically different price tag, but he reminds me of Kevin Gallacher being Bobby Robson's first signing. I seem to recall Robson saying he was one of his best signings, despite being barely remembered and hardly scoring. Wood has served a purpose. I don't think it's worth getting too passionate about the pros and cons of signing him. I will say, of the games I've seen, Everton was the first where his attacking performance directly let down an otherwise winning team. Not so much his finishing, but the lack of movement and unpredictability. Will be interesting to see what Howe tries when Wilson gets back. Partnership? To state the obvious, Wood ought to be preferably 4th choice next year. I expect he'll still be here, and will put in a respectable shift when called upon, as well as being a good training partner for the squad, which shouldn't be ignored as a quality.

Speaking as someone who basically checked out of football for 10 years until recently, he reminds me of a high quality Lua Lua. That's not the insult some might take it as. I've seen lengthy interviews with him where he talks about feeling solely responsible for making goals for the team due to (the lack of) what was around him. I respect that, and he was probably right to think that way. But he needs to grow out of that mentality for his own sake now. It looks like teams have gotten wiser to him, keeping a player trailing just behind him ready to snatch his inevitable cut back from his blind spot. I'd like to see him stop automatically progressing the ball forwards when he gets possession for a change and instead stay still and draw one or two players into a challenge, while his new teammates provide effective movement around him. We, and he, would benefit from it.

https://www.nufc.co.uk/news/latest-news/whites-delight-at-signing-new-deal/ Lot of insight from this kid on the impact Howe is having at the club, down among the youth ranks too.

Let's smash these fuckers.

If this ends up being a heavy defeat, which I think it could be e.g. 4-1, let's suck it up and move on. Would still have full confidence in us beating Everton.

As others have said, chill out. Have faith in the system, seeing as it's generated nothing but positives so far.

What sort of money do they cost? Could maybe sell them with proceeds going to raise funds for future displays?

I don't think there's any need for this kind of attitude, even if he's not up to it. There's a good feeling around the cub, we don't need the sourness, it feels totally small time.

Think that's a very good point. You can see in that highlight reel, one part where he passes the ball behind Joelinton, who was making a run, and Joelinton breaks his run and turns around to collect what he assumed was a misplaced pass - no mate, someone else was coming onto it and you should've kept striding forward into threatening space.

Finish reminded me of Thierry Henry.

So, is he starting today? In Howe I trust, but if we all agree he's going to get used during the busy fortnight coming up, today seems the safest time to blood him.

Only competition is Trippier, and he's only played 4 times.

People need to understand we have a shit squad who have no right to remain in the Premier League as it stands. This isn't a manager with an underperforming team, it's a disjointed, incoherent outfit by nature. January is the only hope of them staying up. Everything before that is just mood music. Might as well make the music sweet rather than sour shit in the mean time.

Feels more like a young Bobby Robson to me, in his style. He'll never embarrass us. Best I've felt about the club since somewhere between 2010 and 2003.

Oosh. Really doesn't feel like nearly 3 years since I put this up. Thought it was worth a bump. I encourage anyone and everyone to go along with their instincts and pull out from the club. For the good of the club, and the good of yourselves. Chances are you won't need to look back - if you did, it would probably be because the pollution had finally cleared away.

Anyone with Admin or Mod under their username still got a burning passion? Maybe we are just old... Although I don't think so - I think my feelings would have matured, but if I just was a bit past it I don't think I'd feel that tickle when I see Benitez wanting to visit local landmarks etc. I do think it's the corruption (financial, moral, whatever) that tells me to back off. Figures makes hell of a point though. 9 years of Ashley... There are hairy teenagers out there who really have known nothing else.

I know what you mean on the last point re foreign, but to go a little further, I know we both agree foreign anybodies can represent the club properly - Solano, Dabizas, even Benitez... just so long as they're not that Cockney scum we all hate like Lee, Ferdinand and Hughton of course. But it's more about the disconnection that is actively encouraged nowadays - the sit down, pay up and plug Wonga attitude. Know exactly what you mean. Think I must just have tried a bit harder than you! But yours is a nice story. I'm not up for coming along while actively expecting it all to collapse though. I don't demand success, but I do demand a little bit of hope for a happy ending, and I don't really see myself having that for years to come - by which time probably too much water will have passed under the bridge and I won't recognize anyone in the game.

Maybe kids will fix it? (congratulations by the way). Like Semtex says, you wonder if it's ageing, but my gut feeling says not. I don't strictly blame the rich disinterested players, because they've always been around - I think they're just people, some are good, some are bad. I do think football itself is gone though - even if Ashley disappeared tomorrow, at the end of the day the other teams we'd be playing and the (Premier) league itself are also run by tossers in the interests of anyone but us. Still... I would be happier if I didn't feel like I was missing out on something good

Yeah, you're pretty much spot on. Like you say, you're in or you're not, and that's why I called this thread Bystander. Was just a ramble, effectively containing different messages for different audiences. Some will remember me (hello Wullie ), some won't, some will care, some will wonder what the hell I'm on about. Thought the thread might create space for a different kind of conversation for anyone who's a bit off the beaten track. And as I said, it was partly just me giving a nod to people who are on the journey and saying enjoy the ride.

Hello Plebs, Long time lurker here. Why am I writing? Firstly to wish you luck and congratulate you on the time you're having at the moment. I was never Rafa's biggest fan in the past, but there's no question something special is going on here at the moment. I can feel my old optimism bubbling, but it's uncomfortable somehow. Here's why. I couldn't say I'm part of this club anymore. As I said to someone the other day, I hated Pardew before it was cool - the way he was appointed sickened me - and broadly speaking that's when I accepted I had to treat NUFC under Ashley, and football more generally, as it wanted to be treated - as an entertainment purchase. So I chose to stop being a customer, it was the only way the free market would learn. I didn't want to play a part in myself and others getting mugged off when - after we'd gone through the inevitable Pardew destruction - dreams were brought back to life in Division 2 and new heroes were found, as they are being now, before everything was once again shattered with the usual propaganda, accounting tricks and 'greedy cunt' drivel. It was meant to be a hibernation until Ashley left, but it turned out football wasn't that interesting without the emotional investment, and the upshot of it was that although I've kept an eye on things, I've pretty much lost touch and my opinions are based on mainstream opinions nowadays - probably wrong therefore. So, this post was largely prompted by the Rafa thread, but didn't seem quite right for it. It's not intended as a merchant of doom thing, warning you off enjoying this promotion season, because really half the point is that it's not my business now. I'm genuinely glad about this little miracle, it's the kind of thing you live for as a supporter, and I would've liked to be in it too, I'm just not going to be. It was weird losing a part of my life I'd had since I was 5 or so, the game is a culture, so you pretty much lose a way of talking to some people. Now, I wonder how many people are in a similar position to me, I'm sure there'll be a handful at least - people who didn't so much just stop going to matches but basically pulled out, people who feel the deal between football and supporters is broken, even if there are still good guys and moments in the game. Know anyone in a similar predicament?

Good sense says no but good sense is the enemy of the valiant so bugger it.