Wandy

Great news. It really needs to be the current Gallowgate and definitely NOT in Level 7.

Which goal are we behind, when watching it on the TV?

I'd say that most people of a certain age will naturally be feeling pessimistic about this game. The two finals of 98 & 99, in addition to the title collapse of 96, have left most of us who were around in that era with strong PTSD when it comes to the big crunch games. You can also add in the semi-final of 2000 to that mix too.

For 50 years the club has been one that continuously falls at the final hurdle. 1974, 1976, 1996, 1998 & 1999 have left us with something of a persecution/inferiority complex as a fanbase. If the new owners can get that gigantic monkey off our back we will quickly soar, but right now it still feels like one hell of a task to do it.

This is my 39th season of following NUFC and it feels like the biggest game of my lifetime. Almost too big. If we lose I will try hard to stay rational and reassure myself that we are only at the beginning of a great journey with people who are finally running the club properly. But yet another defeat would be gutting and there's no point in pretending otherwise.

3 minutes ago, triggs said:

Aye, always dreamed of my club becoming a proxy for a rivalry between 2 Middle Eastern states

Good stuff, cos that's what you are about to get. 

To clarify, I don't want Man U to get an oil takeover at all, but if they do then I don't want it to have any Saudi involvement as that *might* compromise us at some point in the future.

We need a strong performance on Saturday to get us in the right frame of mind for the final. We really don't want to be going into it on the back of a poor display against the Dippers.

13 minutes ago, Geordie Ahmed said:

The Saudi interest in Man-U is reportedly from private investors, so nowt for us to be worried about 

Yeah but my point was that if those private investors make a big success of Man Utd, might PIF think that there is no need for SA to own two PL clubs.

I hope that the Qataris get MUFC as it would just intensify the rivalry between the two nations and therefore the two clubs.

Looking extremely likely that Man Utd will be the next oil takeover as the Qataris have apparently put their bid in, and a Saudi consortium also about to hoy a bid in.

Must admit that them also having Saudi owners makes me a bit nervous for our own future. Would it be compromised? If Man Utd do better than us under a Saudi consortium then would PIF lose interest in us?

I want them back in League One, never mind the PL, and would happily never play them again.

As shit as they usually are when in the top league, it's killing their frail little egos not even being able to play in it, and its also hurting them that they don't even have the opportunity to take us on. The longer they stay out of the PL, the smaller they get as a club. And they know it.

7 minutes ago, STM said:

Let's talk about 1998 and 1999 finals. A couple of things have struck me, while looking back (I was 10 at the time).

 

1. Unfortunate that we were managed by Dalglish and Ruud for them games, as opposed to Keegan and Robson who were in charge either side of them.

 

2. Also unfortunate that we played 2 of the best sides the league has had in Viera/Adams Arsenal and then Treble winning Man United. As opposed to Chelsea, who won it in 1997 and 2000.

 

Can anyone recall expectations before those finals? It feels looking back as Newcastle were very much the underdogs to the champions. We also made some horrific defensive errors in both games. Goalkeeping was all over the place. 

 

I mean we had Laurent Chavet playing.

 

Can't help but feel that we are much better equipped, certainly defensively.

Both years it was a case of hoping for an upset, but knowing that this was unlikely. We were unfortunate in that we played the PL Champions in both games. We didn't lay a glove on either of them and they never got out of second gear to beat us.

This game should, in theory, be a lot closer. They are currently better than us in midfield and attack but the margins are a lot closer than they were back then. So while in those days a win was pretty much a fantasy scenario, this time we have a fighting chance.

1 hour ago, Paully said:

My mates have just had a call off the box office - 5 of them together were in period 4 and all missed out on the ballot - they've now got tickets so keep an eye on your phones for anyone unsuccessful!

A member of my family just got the same call and now has a ticket. I tried to get it off him but he's not having any of it. 

11 minutes ago, TomYam said:

My mindset on this subject hasn't changed one iota.

1. The ideal capacity would be about 70,000. 

2. The club would need to move in order fulfill its potential.

3. Presuming the arena site is a non-starter, then the club should pursue a move to Castle Leazes. About 300 metres north.

4. The remainder of Castle Leazes and the vacant footprint of St.James's should be incorporated into an extended Leazes Park. Perhaps the club could manage and maintain the park as part of the deal.

5. The city would get a stadium as good as anywhere in Europe and an expanded and renovated city park.

Completely agree with every point. 60,000 isn’t enough, 70,000 is the sweet spot but we could also fill 75k+ if we established ourselves as a club that wins trophies in every decade.

57 minutes ago, TheGuv said:

Yet ask any West Ham fan if they would rather move back to Upton Park.

 

Progress (in moving stadium) isn’t always for the best…

West Ham fans are only unhappy about the move because the design of the London Stadium is horrendous for watching football. A properly designed football stadium with a 70K+ capacity could still be a brilliant venue to experience a game.

1 hour ago, JonBez comesock said:

I don’t think we will outgrow anything over 62,000

 

it wasn’t that long ago we couldn’t fill our current stadium for champions league games under Bobby 

 

I think we have a good strong core of 35 - 40k supporters and then lots of hangers on 

 

 

You can say that for any club though, including Man Utd.

Watch these shithouses be the ones to end the unbeaten run and do the double over us. Would gladly take a draw to go into the final not on a total downer.

I'd also really love to beat them as, after the Mackems, these lot have taken our takeover the worst.

It's definitely the case that in the coming years we are going to have an element in our fanbase that is one of the worst in the country. Let's just hope that they are a very small minority and the majority can keep these tools firmly in their box.

However I do think that most fans now have their eyes and hearts on the final, so a performance like that tonight has got people panicking. Today was absolutely turgid but the nature of the performance was unlike any other we have seen under Eddie Howe. We were genuinely dreadful in almost every outfield position. Let's just hope it's largely down to some subconscious nervous energy leading up to the final because we couldn't string two passes together out there tonight, and if we do that again in the next two matches we will get mullered. 

I'm not that bothered about a top 6 finish compared to winning the cup so I'd gladly take one last heroic performance of the season to win the cup, and therefore sacrifice any kind of Europe-qualifying league position.

He is finished here, and is fast turning into one of the most overrated players to wear the shirt. His runs contribute nothing because the final ball or shot are absolutely shit and he regularly loses the ball or misplaces a pass. Will be playing for someone like Palace next season if he is lucky.

That was absolutely atrocious. 

What a shambles that was, easily our worst 45 under Eddie. They all look absolutely gassed.

24 minutes ago, Whitley mag said:

I’ve got great reservations about sweeping the current structure around to the Gallowgate end in its current guise, the Leazes isn’t conducive to creating any atmosphere in its current layout. I think they’re going to surprise folk here and try and build it from scratch again just NW of SJP’s current footprint. The East Stand just isn’t in keeping with what they’ll have in mind long term and I’m not convinced they can do anything with it either that’ll represent value for money. 
 

They’ll have plans for Strawberry Place but it’ll not end up being the Gallowgate extension.

Interesting thoughts, and yeah I agree about the accoustics problem of taking the current Gallowgate roof off and replacing it with Level 7 one, which is why I've stressed how important it is to make the Gallowgate a safe standing Kop end if they do simply extend the current design.

I would be amazed if they did completely build a new stadium more or less on the current footprint but I'd certainly welcome it if it gets rid of the East Stand problem. 

The real issue here is that they could spend £500m on extending the Gallowgate and coming up with a compromised solution for the East Stand, taking capacity to the low/mid 60K capacity...only for the club to even outgrow that within 5 or 6 years and they need to go back to thinking of building a new stadium again.

A new build would probably cost £1.5b+ so maybe they are thinking long term?

7 minutes ago, AJ9 said:

was I reading the other day they’ve approved a renovation of the Tyne bridge? Think it was on the guardian?

They have, but its been left rotting for so long that its going to take much more time, effort and money to fix it.

4 minutes ago, UncleBingo said:

Architecture is about the design and construction materials used in a building, and not the condition of something.

I agree that some of the buildings need a clean.....you should have seen it in the 70's before they started the Grainger Town Restoration project. 

Again, not disagreeing with that. But if something isnt done soon it wont be long before some of the buildings are looking like they did in the 70s. The city has a variety of nice archirecture but it needs some serious maintenance right now. The Tyne Bridge has been allowed to rot though so I'm not holding out much of hope of anything happening any time soon.

Its not just the buildings though. The streets are covered in bedded-in white stains which I can only assume is bird shite or flattened chewing gum. Whatever it is though, its just minging and its something that I havent really noticed when visiting other city centres.

12 minutes ago, UncleBingo said:

The state of the buildings has got absolutely nothing to do with architecture of the city, which is something to be proud of.

The city has been hung out to dry by the Tories for decades, not sure anyone is surprised by this.

 

It would be something to be proud of if it was in good condition, but it isnt. I agree about who is to blame for that though. 

2 hours ago, Wilson said:

 

Lose its originality and the Gallowgate/Leazes End to turn it into some kind of flat pack arena....  

 

God no. 

 

 

I was refering to Leazes Terrace, not SJP.

3 hours ago, TheBrownBottle said:

That’s having austerity govts not maintain the area to blame, not the architecture.  The stain that is Eldon Square should be sufficient proof of what happens when you chuck away your heritage.  Take the Georgian terracing away and what to you have?  Let’s be honest, not a lot of difference with places like Sunderland. 

Yeah I know it's the council and government to blame for the state of the city centre. Just making the point that the architecture within it is anything but beautiful right now. I obviously do not want to see Granger Town go as it is right in the heart of the city, but something has to be done to renovate it because its in an embarrasing state at the moment. Leazes Terrace though can go for me as it serves no purpose to the city, due to its location. It is absolutely not a tourist atttaction and nobody local goes anywhere near it except when going to the match.

1 minute ago, manorpark said:

 

I don't recognise any of that comment . . . 

I would like to know when that photo was taken. Not any time recently I bet. Next time you are walking up Granger Street take a close look at the brickwork. It’s absolutely filthy.