Vinny Green Balls

The difficulty is, if you come from a country where there are no local football teams or all you see are Prem/la Liga games, how will the team choose you? I always find myself rooting for one team when I watch football, even if I know absolutely nothing about the team. Maybe that's the same for everyone. For the record, I never like Barca (despite the fact that I really should for historic reasons) because I once saw a UEFA Cup (or was it Cup-Winners?) game against Villa in the 80s when they were unspeakably dirty, cheating bastards. One game was all it took. You can try to generalize about US sport, but just look at Cleveland. Haven't won anything in ages in any sport, but some of the Cavs fanbase is rabid. Then you come to the Browns, widely and fervently supported. When their club was taken away they managed to essentially get it re-started from scratch. My Italian club was Milan as a kid - absolutely no idea why but when they were fucking brilliant in the 80s I felt great. Was I a glory-hunter? No idea. I'm lucky in that my father was taken to Spurs by his Uncle Cyril as a kid, then he took me and we were close enough to walk to the ground. I'm proud of that, but am also proud of any Spurs fan who chose us (poor bastards). It's the old dichotomy, if you're from, say, Cleveland and are a Spurs fan then you're a brave, thoughtful man of taste. If you're an Everton fan then you're a misguided plastic. Yet Newcastle did somehow choose me. Kindred spirits, I suppose.

Please don't talk about the Boston Red Sox! They are owned by the same prats that own Liverpool. As a Baltimore Orioles fan and an NUFC fan, I've got enough reason to drive up there tonight and piss on their ramshackel dogshit stadium. I've been thinking about doing it a lot in the last 36 hours. Well, I am a Giants fan. I'm still in shock that we won the World Series. My ever-suffering chip on my shoulder melted, and I feel the more naked for it.

be an Earthquakes fan in the MLS, and before that in the NASL. I spent 9 fucking years going to games at Spartan Stadium when there were 6,000 of us, and when the Clash/Earthquakes were absolute dross in a shit league. Then we got good, we played exciting shit, we got a good manager in Frank Yallop, then a fantastic manager in Dominic Kinnear, and we move to fucking Houston. Then they bring the team back after I fuck off to Los Angeles, and although I still support them, the magic of 2001-2005 completely gone.

One thing that bothers me. I can't stand when people say that they are the best fans, the most loyal, etc. Fuck it. I won't deign to speak for anybody else. My love affair with this club is my own personal battle, and I won't pretend to know what other fans are going through. Saying that you're a better fan is just petty self-congratulation. It's fucking pointless. So I'd never go that far. I do believe, as I said earlier, that I have a bit more context than a "plastic fan", so the highs probably mean that much more to me

As an aside, I suppose that it is good for the NFL that two teams with fiercely loyal fan bases are in the Superbowl. Although in truth my interest has waned ever since the Oilers became the Tennessee Titans. Not that I liked the Oilers. In fact, I hate every Texas team. But the very possibility of an Oilers-Packers Superbowl was too fantastic, specifically because my loyalty to comedy trumps everything else.

It depends. Steelers fans would still support them even if Ben Roethlisberger slipped their wife a mickey. In fact, they would probably criticize the wife for complaining.

You know what? Fuck Ashley! He is not chasing me away from the club. I loved it long before some disgustingly fat twat in a Smith shirt took over. When this fucker dies on the toilet, I will still be around the club. This prick is not chasing me out.

As long as Pat Robertson continues breathing, the avatar stays.

If he went on to score 5-9 more goals, we would likely get as much. We are in a worse position without him, and still 15 games to go. Teams have gone on worse runs than picking up less than 10 points out of the last 15 matches. I don't see it happening. But as I said before, I don't like some asshole putting the supporter in this uncomfortable position, just wondering if we will drop like a stone now. How will Carroll's leaving affect the morale of the players? Who knows? But I am a lot more worried now than I was on Sunday.

My girlfriend is all right. She's fucking nuts...just like this club. But in some ways, I would gladly trade her in for a team competing for honors. I hope to god that she never discovers this site.

If it's a nominal risk i'll take my £35m and be on my way ta! yeah, take your 35 million, and leave the hundred thousand soiling their pants for the rest of the season. It's a slight risk for Ashley, but a much larger risk for us.

After a comment about Carroll, one of the players I used to coach tells me that I should support the Red Devils then. This is what drives me mad about being a football fan in the States. I can understand it on one hand becuase ManUre, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Spurs get more coverage than we do. But these same people have no problem switching allegiances. To me it defeats the very purpose of being a fan, which in some ways is like being a lover. You accept the idiosyncrasies and the bullshit, because of those passing moments of joy the person gives you. Shearer's FA Cup semifinal goal against Spurs in '99. 4-3 against ManUre. Those magical Keegan Years. The mini-Renaissance under Sir Bobby. Playing like madmen at the San Siro, and just missing out on the knockout stage of the Champions League. SBR sacked, Souness, Keegan forced out, Kinnear, relegation, Hughton sacked, Carroll sold - all the idiosyncrasies. But fuck it. The club is inside me. If the club eventually disappears into the lower divisions, these memories don't get erased. Switch my allegiances? Fuck off. Your moments mean much less, because a) they happen more often, and b) you haven't fallen into the abyss with your club, so you have absolutely no context.

think you are missing the point. Not many on this thread are saying that we are going to get relegated. Just seems to be a risk that is not worth taking, even if it is a somewhat slight one. I don't like people gambling the fate of my football club, because they are high-rolling cunts.

No, we won't likely go down. But what ammunition are you referring to, apart from Nolan? We have 5 hammers and one nail.

Unlikely we will get relegated. But why take the gamble? 14th-16th for me, although I wouldn't be terribly surprised if we finish 10th-11th either.

He didn't say which team. It could be Team Ashley for all we know.

Look, man, most would agree that 35 million is fantastic for a largely unproven striker who is still developing. That is not the point. He was scoring goals for us. And in the time he has been sidelined, yes we did better than expected. But apart from West Ham, we've scored 1 goal a game since he was out, and lost 4 valuable points at the death. Granted, we had a lot of 1 goal games anyway, but his abilities on offense and defense would surely have helped us in those games. The point is that there appeared to be absolutely no plan in place to replace him at all, let alone with quality. An at the death bid for a MIDFIELDER who left under a cloud to a club whose owner would love nothing more than to impale Ashley's babies? Come on.

a striker who can put the ball in the back of the net against opposition other than the mackems for one. Or is this the time where Ameobi becomes that 20 goal a season striker, instead of what we have become accustomed to: the 20 goal an epoch striker? We had a genuine chance of finishing top half with Carroll in the team. This squad may well surprise me (they already have), but now I would take 15th.

no, we certainly won't forget. But do you honestly think Ashley gives a shit whether we forget or not? C'mon, that N'Zogbia bid was one of his biggest pisstakes so far. I am in complete agreement with nufc.com on this one. Bid on somebody who you have absolutely no chance of getting 1) because of Whelan 2) and the circumstances under which he left last round.

They're all cunts. even more well said.

Well said, man. How many times are we going to be fooled by reassurances? When it comes to this, a few normally very intelligent poster suddenly experience a vacation of cognitive functions. It just shows how stupid wishful thinking can be. Hence a bunch of assholes making Rhonda Byrne a very rich Australian tart for her dogshit Secret.

Sadly, the summer is a long time away. These promises will long be buried when the transfer window reopens. I hope I am wrong, but the Ashely regime's track record suggests otherwise. I am a lot more shocked when on occasion they accidentally tell the truth.

It's very simple how it works. both are likely equally full of truths and mistruths. Watch a presidential debate. It's a matter of being selective with the data. I don't think anybody's intentions were constructively interfering with what is best for the club. I think Carroll was not unhappy to leave when he found out how much Liverpool was offering. He could have been pressured to leave. But forced out? I don't think so. I think the club was ecstatic to get that much for him, even though they didn't have a Plan B. The world is rarely black and white, even in the club's case.

I concede to Kazeiro's point. Battered wife syndrome.

Him being forced out doesn't quite add up to me. On the other hand, I think Pardew's story is absolute bullshit as well. As I said before, everyone comes out looking like an asshole. In summary, MA ---> Go fuck yourself DL ---> Go fuck yourself AP ---> Go fuck yourself AC ---> Geordie hero, go fuck yourself Duffel Bag full of cash ----> best of luck to you up front