Wallsendmag

No doubt about it, just not recently.

Thought he wound the clock back last night and that I was watching Shola Ameobi the way he was disinterestingly ambling around the place. If he's crocked he shouldn't be playing because he's been a waste of a shirt the last few games, and if it's an attitude problem he needs a kick up the arse. There's a lot of them clearly running on empty atm but at least they're still putting the effort in.

We sometimes let the small NE club keep the receipts to help keep them afloat so maybe not. I remember last year we let Benfield keep all the gate money from the Northumberland Senior Cup match.

They'd have charged £10 against any other team, like they have for every FA Cup 3rd game since that stadium was built and there still would.have only been 8k there. Piggybacking on NUFC for a quick few quid.

Tbf their owner has chipped in the majority of money for this "fan funded" display so he's been fleeced the most.

I was there that day as a 14 year old and it was an eye opener. A totally surreal experience. They weren't confident of selling out even though Roker Park only held 29,000 at the time so as well as giving us the entire Roker End which held around 6,500 they also gave us half the Clockstand Paddocks which took our allocation past the 8,000 mark. Outside was carnage. Sunderland fans being chased everywhere. It genuinely felt like a home game for us, it was totally bizarre. There was me outside Roker Park in my Umbro NUFC top and I felt 6ft tall and as safe as houses. Remember a Newcastle fan running onto the pitch just before Kick off with a stray ball from the pre match warm up and dribbling the length of the pitch with it before smashing it into the Fulwell End goal and gesturing to the mackems stood behind it. Other NUFC fans were scaling the floodlight pylons! We scored first and pockets of NUFC fans were celebrating all over the ground. O'Brien scored the infamous winner and again pockest of NUFC fans celebrating all over the ground. It was brilliant! We came out after the match and walked back to the car and didn't see a single Sunderland fan throughout the 20 minute or so walk.

Would tend to agree with this. I think priority for season ticket holders to go to away games started in the early/mid 90s when the season ticket culture in the UK really started to take off. I remember when we first got our season tickets back in 1991 there were around 4k ST holders so probably around 20% of the crowd. All your season ticket guaranteed you then was 23 League games and first refusal on our own seat for any home cup games. Fast forward 3 years to 1994 and around 98% of the home crowd were season ticket holders and we all got extra books sent out with our new season tickets every summer which we'd have to fill in and send off for away tickets. Away games don't particularly interest me these days. Been there and done it so it doesn't affect me but they should be looking after a broader spectrum of supporters. Maybe 50% of tickets sold to season ticket holders, 30% to members and 20% general sale.

Can't see it being more than 5,000 like but would be hilarious if we got 7k

I mean generally. He flaps at corners and crosses into the box. Puts everyone else on edge.

Yes but it's been mainly reliable defenders who've made errors. Dubravka hasn't played for years and looks rubbish. If rather take him out the team long term than Trippier.

Defence don't look like they have much confidence in him.

Let in 7 goals in 2 games and he's hardly been peppered with shots either. He's dreadful and his indecisiveness gives the defence the jitters. I'd play Karius on Wednesday. He can't be any worse.

Think it was a bit further out than that. Was just inside the box, probably 17 yards. Agree it's a bit harsh to blame him for it though.

He's hardly played so you'd expect him to be rusty but he doesn't exude the same confidence that Pope does. Flapped about at crosses and he could have done better, certainly with one, and possibly two of the goals. He's a decent mid/lower table keeper but we aren't a mid/lower table team anymore. I wouldn't be against going in for De Gea next month but I think his wages would be a problem.

Our away performances are a massive worry.

I'm almost 100% certain that every one of those teams have sold out every fixture they've played this season. The only way they won't all show 100% is because some of the capacities are a bit out. Man Utd can't get over 74k in any more for example.

That's subjective. I know of one bloke who famously once told me he'd rather watch Coronation Street than a football match who bought a season ticket in the summer when Rafa left and Bruce came in because his 7 year old lad asked for one and "for that price why not?" as they were cheap as chips in Level 7. Half the time I'm not sure he was even aware of the full time score but his Facebook photos at the match got plenty of "likes" so he was happy. On the other hand there was Keith Barrett. Obviously he got banned but even when his ban was lifted he refused to go back as he couldn't stomach what was happening at the club nor could he stomach the like of fight his fellow fans were putting up against Ashley and he'd have many a Facebook rant about that! Nobody is telling me that he isn't as loyal as that fan who bought a ticket for something to do, and there was many more like that! Admittedly I only went to 2 home games during whilst Bruce was manager (Leicester and Oxford) and on both occasions there wasn't a single song came from the home end, not even the Gallowgate, for the entirety of either match. That's something I'd never experienced. No encouragement for the team or anything. Don't think we scored a goal in either game which wouldn't have helped mind!

Aye I'd say the extra 22,000 Arsenal fans and the extra 20,000 (soon to be 25k when they expand to 60k) Man City fans who can now go along to support their respective teams when there wouldn't have been room for them at their old grounds will be quite pleased about their move.

We moved down to 8th biggest ground once Everton move into their new one. Must admit I did take a lot of pride in us having the 2nd biggest ground in the country (and filling it) for those few years in the early 00s. If they did press ahead with a new stadium in a favourable location it would be interesting to see what the "real world" reaction to it would be. I've seen the social media hysteria to it but talking to people at work the last couple of days, where I'm surrounded by almost exclusively Newcastle supporters, it'd be more positive than negative.

The thing about the Triggers broom joke was that it played on how thick the character was. All those different heads and handles, yet he thought it was the same broom when it wasn't. That's how I see SJP. Since my 1st game in 1984 it's a different stadium altogether, other than the exterior of the East Stand which is an eyesore anyway. The lopsided design doesn't hold the atmosphere in particularly well and never mind 10/20 years time, it's starting to look a bit dated now. I'd be happy to remain there if the only alternative was a move out of town but if we could get something on Castle Leazes or the arena site as a 2nd choice I think they'd be foolish not to press ahead with that, and I don't think these are foolish people.

We were charging more than that 20 years ago! I do wonder if they announced there was going to be 2 options on the table; A brand new 70k stadium was going to be built either on Castle Leazes or the current arena site with room for 55k standard season ticket holders and adult prices ranging from £300 behind the goals up to £700 for the best seats on halfway, and these prices would be subsidised by 5k business seats in the main stand and a couple of hundred executive boxes, plus many different lounges, ie things they could never really do with the current SJP or; we could stay put but standard season ticket prices would have to rise to £900/£1000 to make up the shortfall from the lack of corporate options and smaller capacity what people would go for. It's a no brainer for me but I wouldn't be surprised if the wider fanbase was largely in favour of option 2.

I had a look at Man City's season ticket prices. Adults are £285 in the family section, £185 for 18-21 year olds and £65 for U18s. Behind the other goal they start from £225 for adults and £110 for U18s. Even seats along the side are reasonable, ranging from £360 up to £620 for adults and £115 to £200 for U18s. This is to watch the best team in World football. Success doesn't necessarily have to come at a price* *Although maybe that's why they've had to cheat FFP

It was great up there, if you were up there like I was, but my dad sits in the Gallowgate and he reckoned you couldn't really hear us from there. Likewise you can't hear the Gallowgate from Level 7. I was up there v Chelsea last week and although you can clearly see the lads in the SE Corner going for it the noise just doesn't travel like it does in some stadiums. Honestly think, other than West Ham we have the worst ground for acoustics.

If I'm being totally honest I've never been a fan of SJP since the extension in 2000. I've been unlucky enough to be put up in Level 7 three times so far this season and it's horrible. You just feel so detached from it all and there's more atmosphere on the moon. At the Chelsea game a dad and lad next to us trying to identify various landmarks from over the East Stand roof instead of watching the game. Says it all really.

Aye would have been around then. Remember people being pretty excited about tbe idea of a new stadium back then. Middlesbroughs new ground would have been just about built at the time and Sunderlands would have been under construction.