Wallsendmag

If Benitez is still there, as unlikely as it is, I'll be getting mine back for next season.

Not really. Can't remember the last non Newcastle match I watched from start to finish. At one time I'd watch 3/4 live games a week. Went to the Rugby League Magic Weekend last year and I watch more of that these days than I do football.

Every single fan who attends this game should boo them onto the pitch, boo them off at half time, boo them back on for the 2nd half, then boo them off again at full time. Literally not one single bit of support or encouragement should be given to any of them. During the game a massive show of support should be given to Benitez with his name chanted throughout. He's the only one at the club worth bothering about and that should be made to be known on Sunday.

Remember being absolutely devastated as an 11 year old bairn when we were relegated in 1989. It really felt like the end of the world. 2009 was pretty bad but I consoled myself with the thought that we'd have some blinding away trips and would hopefully win a fair few games. Literally feel nothing at all this time round. In fact I'm quite happy that sunderland will just put us out our misery tonight. My main concern is who our manager is going to be. The league we'll be playing in is irrelevant compared to that. If it's Rafa there's every reason to feel optimistic. It'll be on his terms just like it was Keegans 24 years ago. And that revolution started in the 2nd division as well.

Everton fans detest everyone though. That's why they're known as the bitters.

Like I say they sit side by side at the Derby. Don't think there's much hatred there. Mackems love Allardyce yet he used to be our manager and there's genuine hatred there!

Yes my mistake. 95/96 was when we blew the lead at the top. 96/97 was the season we grabbed 2nd place on the final day.

He went to Chelsea though. There's more needle between Liverpool and Chelsea fans than Liverpool and Everton. They still sit side by side when they play each other. Yes they share a city but there's not really much of a rivalry there. Like I said on another thread though, he's too good for Everton.

They could round up 11 blokes out the pubs today who would give Everton a good game. They'll win no problem tonight. Relegation or survival doesn't matter all that much for us in the grand scheme of things as long as we can somehow persuade Benitez to stay. If he does I'll happily watch us tear up the Championship for a season, flush out the sh*t in the boardroom and on the pitch, getting some much needed confidence and a winning mentality back in the club and when we do return we'll be far stronger for it.

It'll be 20 years ti the day since we qualified for the Champions league by beating Forest 5-0 whilst the Mackems and Boro were being relegated. The town was absolutely jumping that night but now the shoe is on the other foot. They'll never qualify for the Champions league but they're small time and tonight will be celebrated just as much by them as it was by us all those years ago even though they haven't actually achieved anything other than staying on the Premier League gravy train thanks to keeping quiet about having a paedophile in their team. It's hardly owt to be proud of in all honesty.

Tbh I think he's far too good for a club like Everton. Still not quite sure what he's doing here though!

Seems that everyone in the stadium will be shouting them on tomorrow, including the Everton fans; https://www.grandoldteam.com/forum/threads/sunderland-v-everton.87950/

Pretty much this. We're a far bigger club than the likes of Sunderland or Norwich so neutrals will want us down as it's bigger news (forgetting the fact sunderland knowingly played a paedophile for half the season). It's the same reason why neutrals also wanted Leicester to win the league.

Having a disagreement on Facebook with some moron who says Benitez is part of the problem because we've only won 2 out of his 9 games in charge.

I could actually see us averaging near enough 50,000 in the Championship next season if he were to stay on. Could well be just over the 30,000 mark if he goes. That's how important he is.

I couldn't care less about being labelled a real fan or a part timer anymore. I had a season ticket for 24 years, did about a dozen away games every season and followed the team all over Europe but I haven't been to an away game for over 2 years and only went to 4 home games this season. There's no loyalty in football any more and that applies to me now. If I feel the team are doing well and deserve my support I buy a ticket and if not I don't bother. That's where I am these days and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Bringing in Benitez brought me closer to the club than I have been in years. I cared about results again and really wanted us to stay up. However I knew what was coming on Saturday and when the inevitable happened I've got to admit that I wasn't all that bothered which disappointed me a bit because I really thought I was getting the bug back. We now have a football club filled with sh*t houses from top to bottom. We have 1 diamond in amongst all that. If he leaves the club is basically not worth bothering about and that would have applied if we had stayed up. What a sad state of affairs.

I always maintained keeping Benitez was far more important than staying up or being relegated as long as one didn't lead to the other so for me I'd have rather been playing championship football next season with him than Premier League football without him. In fact in the unlikely event he remains in charge for next season I will buy a season ticket again but there would have been no chance of that if we'd have stayed up but brought in a different manager. Ashley needs to give him whatever he wants and hope and prey he gives us another season ahead of the better offers that will inevitably come his way because the Championship with another no mark manager at the helm doesn't bear thinking about.

Depends what you mean by compete. Sheff Wed cobbled a team together last summer and went from bottom half to the play offs. I've watched a bit of the Championship this season and it won't take much to at least finish top 6. It was an awful division last time we were there and I don't think it's any better now. Even Rotherham were tearing the league up for a 6-8 week spell when they brought Warnock in.

Despite all this rubbish about it being such a hard league to get out of I think it's still generally a poor standard. I look at Burnleys players and if they can win that league there's no reason why we can't.

Awful yesterday. If he's not scoring it's difficult to see what he brings to the team. We need a completely new strike force imo.

Hopefully a lifetime ban from football is on its way.

Have you actually taken the time to read the Papiss Cisse thread?

Don't forget they knowingly fielded a nonce for their own gain. Never forget that.

Alan Curbishley.