Mick

Three of those went to the Chelsea of the day, Liverpool, the team that basically turned up to win things. Do you think many of our players would tell Chelsea to take a hike if they came calling? My guess is that most of them would be off like a shot. I know Duff and Parker left Chelsea but they left a club to go to Chelsea in the first place. It's amazing how during those shit times we actually had players that the equivalent of Chelsea came calling at all. How many of our current players could hold down a position regularly for Chelsea?

Why? Are you on the lookout for one? I'd grassroots is on the lookout for one, certainly has something on his 'mind'. bluebiggrin.gif

Why? Are you on the lookout for one? We all get lonely sometimes. bluecry.gif It could come in handy the next time you decide to record something; you might discover you can reach notes previously unavailable.

Should that not be in the "introduce yourself to the forum" thread?

We don't need him anyway, those shiney things he collects aren't what they're cracked up to be, so I've heard.

Why? Are you on the lookout for one?

Yawnariffic tbh. If the thread doesn't interest you, don't post in it. Take no notice, it's not as if we've got a huge squad to write about.

Really? bluebiggrin.gif

Flintoff, start at 84 then increase it by 1 everytime he bans somebody.

I'm just glad to help. bluebiggrin.gif

:roll: They just did post, if they didn't post then Flintoff would never know they wanted them.

Of course one of the reasons will have been because they would do nowt in the league, I guess the same thing would happen now if it wasn't for such a high number of season ticket holders. Hmm, that's not saying much for the loyalty of the current support, is it? I mean, you're saying that you think over 20,000 people who currently go to SJP would desert the club right now? I doubt 20,000 would dissapear but I'm sure quite a few would go missing against the lesser club during a bad patch. I would think we would have lost 1,000's during the time Souness was at the club.

Of course one of the reasons will have been because they would do nowt in the league, I guess the same thing would happen now if it wasn't for such a high number of season ticket holders.

I do agree that they could have kept it, of course they could. At least now accounts are openly published, I don't think it was the case back then, if it was then they couldn't be seen as easily as they can today. I've said before and it may have been in this thread, that the old board appeared to be dodgy. I don't know if you remember but I couldn't believe attendance figures during the first season in which we had Keegan, they would publish the crowd figures and they would be low while I was getting crushed in the Gallowgate. I was in the Gallowgate against QPR and seemed to have more room to move then I did in games later on that season when they said we had a smaller crowd. I’m not trying to make the old board look good, I was one of those who stayed behind in the Leazes during our last game of the season before they pulled it down only to return for the first game of the next season to find where I stood had become a porta-loo and that the terrace was about twenty rows deep. The games I recall being crammed in were generally cup ties. Just been looking back at the crowd figures, the '74 FA Cup 1/4 final against Nottm Forest was just over 54,000. Interestingly the normal league attendance that season was ~27000. That's a lot of extra people suddenly appearing out of nowhere, who disappeared for league matches. I wonder why? Interesting, the figure I've got for that season is 32,467. I'll bet it's in the top 4 or 5 in the country although I don't know that for certain. Edit, I was probably wrong http://homepage.ntlworld.com/mickzoe/seasons/season%20summaries/nufc_history_1973-74.html Is that the best you can do in a serious debate? I'm disappointed. Honest. I know you like to come across with your buddies as a bit smug, but at the end of the day you don't really want to face up to the challenge of a debate with someone who was really there, do you, Mick? I mentioned the season Keegan signed as a player then you mentioned '74 and the average crown figure. I didn't remember too many low crowds around the Forrest game so went and found the figure and pointed out that it was higher than you thought, I can't see anything wrong with that, I'm surprised you find fault with it really. It wasn't as if we were arguing, at least I didn't think we were.

You're up to something.

Does this apply to the board's before Freddy? As someone once said "you can take a horse to water but you can't make him drink."

Back to the http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/1635/recordbp1.jpg Whatever. bluesleep.gif

I didn't. It is strange that if he had some sort of stake that he hadn't appeared as a board member. People like Forbes who owned 4% of the shares had a place on the board. Freddie must have had very few indeed if he didn't merit a place on the board. Clearly you know, and I am genuinely interested as I like to know how much the current board has put in. So when did he take put in his stake, and how much did it cost him ? And do you have any feel for how many shares (%) he had a hold of ? I've been looking all over to find that out, it's not readily available. A poster called Merlin (I think) helped track down shareholders for the Magpie Group, he might have the answer.

I do agree that they could have kept it, of course they could. At least now accounts are openly published, I don't think it was the case back then, if it was then they couldn't be seen as easily as they can today. I've said before and it may have been in this thread, that the old board appeared to be dodgy. I don't know if you remember but I couldn't believe attendance figures during the first season in which we had Keegan, they would publish the crowd figures and they would be low while I was getting crushed in the Gallowgate. I was in the Gallowgate against QPR and seemed to have more room to move then I did in games later on that season when they said we had a smaller crowd. I’m not trying to make the old board look good, I was one of those who stayed behind in the Leazes during our last game of the season before they pulled it down only to return for the first game of the next season to find where I stood had become a porta-loo and that the terrace was about twenty rows deep. The games I recall being crammed in were generally cup ties. Just been looking back at the crowd figures, the '74 FA Cup 1/4 final against Nottm Forest was just over 54,000. Interestingly the normal league attendance that season was ~27000. That's a lot of extra people suddenly appearing out of nowhere, who disappeared for league matches. I wonder why? Interesting, the figure I've got for that season is 32,467. I'll bet it's in the top 4 or 5 in the country although I don't know that for certain. Edit, I was probably wrong http://homepage.ntlworld.com/mickzoe/seasons/season%20summaries/nufc_history_1973-74.html

yeah, right. We are a joke club and the whole country was laughing when we signed Owen, Duff, Parker, Emre, Solano, Woodgate, Robert, Bellamy, Viana, Bramble, Boumsong, Luque, Carr, Jenas, Dyer...to name most of the big money buys, not to mention qualifying for the CL, winning in Rotterdam, playing in the San Siro, appearing in 2 FA Cup Finals, and qualifying for the UEFA Cup on many occasions reaching the quarter final and semi final. Oh yes, mackems and other fans everywhere all over the place were laughing their heads off .... to be honest I think if anyone is laughing, they willl be laughing at that utterly stupid statement you have made and your constant assertion that despite all of this, the club is no better than when we finished 20th, 10th, 9th, 7th, 12th, 11th, 9th, 15th, 15th, 15th, 5th, 21st, then spent 6 seasons in the 2nd division, then 14th, 11th, 17th, 8th, 20th, then 3 more seasons in the second division under a board you think is no worse than the current one. While selling all our best players, including future international players, and local lads to boot. An absolute hoot. I have no idea who would have taken the job before Souness, and neither do you, but I know that only 3 seasons before Keegan came, appointed by the Halls, Shepherd and Fletcher, Jim Smith was the EIGHTH choice, 7 others and a Geordie manager by the name of Howard Kendall all turned the job down. I also know one manager who turned the job down before Souness was offered it, and he turned it down because he thought it was too big and pressurised for him and backed out for that reason, and that reason alone. And this comment defies belief, I know what you say is true, but in view of this I fail to understand what your gripe is with where we are now in comparison, because that comment apart, more and more of your posts suggest you don't seem to really know. Hysterical, obviously you have no idea how much power a chairman has in any business, he has the casting vote in anything that goes on. Any decision that is made within the club is done with Freddy having the vote of two people, a board of directors with two members of the Hall family has less power than a board of directors with two Shepherds while one is chairman. The Halls might have the shares, but the Shepherds have the votes and that is the most important thing when decisions are being made. A majority of votes will only matter at an AGM, not day to day running of the club, surely you knew that. As for being 5th best, it's been done a million times, we're 5th best because we've averaged 9th (8. something) in the league while winning nothing, our highest league finish in that time was 3rd once, Sir John had us 2nd twice, something that Shepherd had been unable to emulate never mind better. You give a series of league positions under the old board yet Shepherd has beaten the best they did 3 times while having riches never before seen within the club, he had those riches handed on a plate, riches that he's squandered. Even without those riches we managed to win a trophy, something that we haven't done since, that doesn't matter because we had a great night in Rotterdam. You mention players and people laughing when we signed them, they probably were laughing when we paid something like £6 million more for Owen than our nearest rival bid for his signature. I can also tell you that they certainly were laughing when we got rid of Robert for nothing after paying over £9 million for him and almost giving Viana away and they pissed themselves when we got rid of Bellamy, especially due to the manner which his demise came about. Do you not think people are laughing at us about Boumsong and Dyer? They also had a field day when Shepherd and Hall made the headlines in the NOTW, the fans lost the seats for which they paid a bond, Bowyer fighting with Dyer, Player and manager calling each other liars, the chairman stating Shearer was going to knock 10 bells out of Bellamy then retracting it on the club website. Did you not know this, or do you bury your head in the sand? If we appoint such good managers, how come we fail? Who is to blame for this failure? Of course it's all bad luck, nothing to do with the directors who go from one type of manager to another. All out attack, boring football, sexy football, relaxed football, antagonist, every managerial change means a total rebuild of the team because the type of football the managers play is poles apart from the person in the job before him and that has been mentioned many times on here and elsewhere. My gripe with the current board is that they've taken the water out of the fans, they claim to be fans while appearing to put self interest before the good of the club. Freddy Shepherd doesn't seem able to walk past a camera without shoving his face in front of it and the club is being used to prop up a failing business for Hall while Shepherd sees his pension fund rocketing at the expense of the club. If you can't see what has become of the club then you need a white stick.

I do agree that they could have kept it, of course they could. At least now accounts are openly published, I don't think it was the case back then, if it was then they couldn't be seen as easily as they can today. I've said before and it may have been in this thread, that the old board appeared to be dodgy. I don't know if you remember but I couldn't believe attendance figures during the first season in which we had Keegan, they would publish the crowd figures and they would be low while I was getting crushed in the Gallowgate. I was in the Gallowgate against QPR and seemed to have more room to move then I did in games later on that season when they said we had a smaller crowd. I’m not trying to make the old board look good, I was one of those who stayed behind in the Leazes during our last game of the season before they pulled it down only to return for the first game of the next season to find where I stood had become a porta-loo and that the terrace was about twenty rows deep.

Nice change of direction by you, you've been telling us all how good Freddy has been as chairman, now it's down to the Halls that we’ve gone backwards. I can't accuse you of being a broken record this time as you've changed totally. I agree that the appointment of a good manager will turn us around again; the problem is that Freddy seems incapable of pulling that off. Under the chairmanship of Sir John we were the second team of most people, we were the entertainers. Under the chairmanship of Shepherd we're a joke club to most people and the effect on that is plain to see for all. When Keegan left we appointed Dalglish who was seen as a massive appointment although it didn't turn out that way, he wasn’t my choice but nobody can deny his standing in the game. Who were clamouring for the job when Sir Bobby was sacked? We had to appoint one of the few who were doing worse than the person he was replacing and you can't pin that one on Sir John, not the fact that the standing of the club was so low. Who were clamouring for the job when Souness was sacked? What was seen as one of the top jobs in football management is now a job very few want, those who want it are usually washed up has-beens or never have or will be's.

I did understand that he might have played a part but you must also remember that it was Sir John contacting Shepherd and telling him to talk to Douglas, not the other way round. Here's the quote. Sir John Hall was a family friend....he phoned up and said 'I know you've got shares in Newcastle, have a word with Douglas (Hall) something has to be done'...If we hadn't have agreed to the rights issue (the club) were in grave danger of a receiver being appointed.

quite amazing what you have to do to get a proper and full adult reply. Now I expect to be accused of "not answering questions, or misinterpreting others remarks" just because the factual information above doesn't suit Grass' ill informed soapbox rants. Still, you never know. In the meantime, see this. Looks like the Halls may still be selling, that should please all those who think they are bad for the club and have done and are doing a shite job. http://www.true-faith.co.uk/html/Features/hallornothing.htm Exactly. http://www.newcastle-online.com/nufcforum/index.php/topic,25924.msg490727.html#msg490727 Why do you keep banging on about Grass everytime you post? You seem to have an unhealthy fixation about him.