bowlingcrofty

The thing is though if people want to do it, no one is getting harmed? It makes me think of the guys who lost there lives when I hear it which isn't a bad thing You see, it's almost impossible to come up with a good answer to this, especially a one which doesn't make me look like a heartless sod, but if you were to ask people clapping why they are doing it I bet they couldn't come up with a good response either. It's just an odd phenomenon. There's nothing technically harmful about it though, you're right. It's just something which really shouldn't be happening anymore. Especially since they wouldn't spend two years commemorating someone they actually knew that died. It's just Grief vampiring. Needs to stop.

Why would that have anything to do with this though?

A bit, but not much rose tinted stuff - look at how many of the KK promotion side went on to help the club finish 3rd in the following season in the PL...how many of the current side would remain automatic fixtures if/when we get promoted...? I reckon we would need at least 5 new players to get anywhere NEAR 3rd in the current PL....yes, the PL has more money in it now, but KK really didn't spend big until the close season of 94/95. As far as I can remember, the only 2 players he signed that were immediate first team fixtures in Summer 93 were Venison and Beardsley and both of them were a comparative pittance, even then. Venison came at the start of the promotion season. Thanks, I wondered about that but seeing as he did just highlights my point even more really...I know KK signed a couple of basically squad players(one from Millwall after Beardsley got injured at Liverpool in pre-season, one from Scotland, Alex Mathie I believe). I knew Beresford was signed before the promotion season but wasn't sure about Venison. Would that we could get away with such limited transfer activity now...! There were no transfer windows back then remember, so we added players through the season. Rob Lee came in reasonably early, we added Andy Cole and Scott Sellars mid-season.

Think we'll go something along the lines of: Darlow Yedlin Lascelles Clark Dummett Colback Shelvey Ritchie Ayoze Gouffran Gayle Main question marks being against Gayle and Ritchie, with Mitro and Atsu potentially in instead.

Diame could barely walk after 120 mins man. No way he starts.

Looks knackered. Wouldn't be surprised if he had a rest at Forest.

Won't play both the strikers (a) because we don't play that formation and (b) we have three games in 6 days

Only a handful of tickets left, will sell out tonight i'd imagine.

We've not let an opposition player score in open play in an away game (if you count headers from corners as a set piece!).

Probably helps that we're in the chanpionship and there's only one man and his dog on camera duty, so much harder to prove.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/newcastle-fans-hit-out-shambles-9322467 Nationals picking up on it now

Rafa'd

You do have the choice. Go to the games, earn the points, then unlock the prizes. Always staggers me why people have an issue with this.

You mean, for example, like the Barnsley game a couple of weeks ago?

No way he'd go to West Ham. After trying Inter, Napoli,. Real Madrid and Chelsea, he's finally found a club for him where he feels like he did at Liverpool. Genuinely think there's very few sides he would leave us for now. Probably a Liverpool return (not likely in the forseeable), a Valencia return and the Spain job would be the big ones.

Fancy he may give Mbemba a run out in this.

Bump

Aye, wish he was playing to increase the likelihood of a Colback/Tiote midfield on Sunday.

On the bench tonight

Kevin Phillips 61 10 Aug 1999 22 Feb 2003 Darren Bent 32 15 Aug 2009 01 Jan 2011 Niall Quinn 29 21 Aug 1996 09 Feb 2002 Kenwyne Jones 26 15 Sep 2007 09 May 2010 Jermain Defoe 25 31 Jan 2015 05 Nov 2016 Steven Fletcher 23 01 Sep 2012 01 Nov 2015 Adam Johnson 19 10 Nov 2012 06 Feb 2016 Stephane Sessegnon 17 23 Apr 2011 20 Apr 2013 Kieran Richardson 14 29 Dec 2007 04 Dec 2011 Fabio Borini 12 27 Oct 2013 07 May 2016 Good lord.

Good news

The only way round the people flogging them issue is to do a collection point at all away games where you have to show your ID to pick it up. I think England do this for their aways, but probably a lot easier/cheaper to do for their half a dozen away games a year compared to our 25 or so.

12,000 sold in the home end!

I thought a good offer from the club - instead of giving everyone 10% off their ST - would have been to offer a rolling 1% discount for every year you've renewed.

I've got a mate who whinges every year that he can't get a Sunderland away ticket. He says his 15 years of being a ST holder should get him loyalty points. He's only been to one away game in those 15 years - Souness' last game away at Man City haha! Thing is, i've got 15 years as well but also 120 loyalties, so why should he be on a level playing field? If you say, on average, you an away game costs you £100, that's £12k i've spent more than him! You can make the system as simple or as complicated as you like but the way it is now is absolutely fine. The more you go, the more you're rewarded. Simples.