Dear Newcastle-Online,
I hereby tender my resignation as a supporter of Newcastle United Football Club.
As I type this it is 2:15am. I have been awake for a little under 23 hours and have just got home after driving 586 miles to take part in the protest today. On two occasions in the recent past I have told myself that I would never return to St James' Park. Today is the third. Three strikes and you're out. Although the reason for my decision, in stark contrast to the last two (unsurprisingly after the last two horrific home performances against Sunderland) this actually doesn't have anything to do with the actual football. This time it is because, in my eyes, Newcastle United is actually dead.
I am utterly ashamed of the people who go to watch the matches and no longer wish to be associated with them. Today I, and a good number of other people who volunteered to take part in the protest, were abused and threatened by their fellow fans. Some were even manhandled by club employees. I fully expected the club to be as difficult as they could be. Mike Ashley's regime is nothing if not ruthlessly efficient at putting down any form of discontent. So good in fact that they put even Stalin's USSR to shame. I wasn't surprised that they were confiscating banners at the gates. That is par for the course. What did surprise me was the attitude of the people inside the ground.
I stood for the best part of four hours handing out sackpardew.com posters. I must have given out well over 2000 on my own. Only once did someone give me any grief, ripping up the poster and throwing it on the ground in a self-righteous display of super-fandom. Everyone else who I spoke to was only too keen to take them. Good on ya, they said. Get him out of wor club. Give him hell today. Let's hope he goes after this. And so on. And so on. Etc. Etc.
So what the hell happened. Where did you all go? Without too much effort I managed to sneak in a large stash of posters and a banner. I handed them out around me. Again, people were taking them off me with relish. Five minutes arrives. I stand up, banner on display, look around me. Nothing. Nada. Sweet FA. All sitting on their hands. From where I stood it looked much the same story around the ground. A few people, particularly in the Strawberry Corner, displayed their banners but most did nothing. Then the abuse started. Sit down man. I cannit see. Sit down dickhead. Fuck's sake. I'll take that off yous. I'll deck ya in a minute. Charming people, one and all.
I've had a long time to think about this as my journey home took in no less than five 50 mph average speed check zones on the A1/M1 back to London. Today cost me around £100 in petrol, the price of my ticket, and at least £40 in food and copious amounts of coffee. It also cost me an argument with my wife and a sizable favour from my parents. The cost is, I'm afraid, just too high. I can't say I even watched much of the game with any degree of interest.
Over the last two years I've overcome a degree of personal issues and made changes for the better in my life. Tomorrow I start at University at the age of 33. I no longer feel that I have room in my life for the pain and hurt this football club causes me. Nearly five years ago I stumbled across this forum. At first it brought me closer to the club as I met real people and shared laughs, drinks and good times with them. Now I'd say these people are the only thing that keeps me going to the games. You know who you are and each and every one of you have been amazing. Newcastle United have been my only real weakness for some time. I don't smoke or take drugs (I'm not having a go IP before you start- btw, met your brother, he is class, great beard), I rarely drink, I've cut out a massive amount of junk food, a sex addiction would be nice but I think that ship has sailed. This club was my only real vice and right now I feel like, for the sake of my sanity, I need to give them up too.
This isn't some kind of flounce. I'm not deleting my account on here. I'll still be about from time to time, but I think I need to take a while to get on with other things. Mike Ashley, Alan Pardew and 50,000 idiots have killed Newcastle United Football Club for me and I hate them for it.
RIP NUFC.
Peace out. Much love to you all.
MKSC