LFEE

It’s quite an easy drive actually. Did it for the league game. You are off the M1 before it starts to build up for London. I set off around 8am from Gateshead for our 3pm KO and that was the Saturday before Christmas too. Just coasted all the way.

I wasn’t disappointed with that season also. Especially after losing Shearer and Ferdinand on eve of the season starting. Thought we did well after the gut punch of losing the league also. Just like this team has had to with PSG away and Chelsea away and the away draws all round. Nothing has been kind to us this season but as EH says and I agree with him. This season will make us all the stronger going forward. The only disappointment I have of this season is of the fans moaning about the season.

The opening vision statement is interesting and should be shared more widely. Especially those thinking they will bin of EH after this season. They seem to have a very sensible plan regardless of all the roadblocks getting chucked our way.

This… Not very patriotic at all but bonkers decision by whoever signed it off and would imagine most countries would have an issue with it. The price is sickening too.

Champions League football for first time in 20+years. First FA Cup QF in 20+years. Carabo QF. Still in a strong position to finish where I expected us to with a full squad never mind one decimated by injuries (6-8). What you unhappy about? UCL we were cheated out of qualifying for to an extent, Carabo we were a tired mistake in last minute from going to SF and likely final. FA Cup we were knocked out by the best team currently on the planet. I’ll be a bit disappointed if we finish 10th or below but still 10 games 1/4 of season to go.

Where are Hashtag based out of interest?

Yep. Whoever is promoting this game has given very little thought to if that is the case. Along with location and transport.

I don’t know. The way the season has went would be just our luck if he is.

We’ve got Murphy. Has looked good the couple of short appearances I’ve seen of him. Maybe we will just promote him.

Missed opportunity I feel. Club could’ve tested the waters with one or two coaches at a sensible price.

Opposite side though surely?

On a weirdly positive note. Might force the club to get a top end replacement WITH pace this summer. I knew he was done for the season as it happened. Hope he come back to his original self as he’s never been the same post first injury.

Was screaming for him to come off before the corner. Of course it him who then proceeds to jump to head the ball away and land on it again. Love the players commitment to the cause but they need to be a bit smarter and get the trainers straight on when needed.

Reading the last few pages. Never known so many worriers 🤣

Has the club not offered any travel packages for this fixture?

You name it we could host it with a new stadium. All UEFA Finals. Brazil friendlies. Final and later stages of any Euro’s. Don’t think so parochial. There’s a bigger plan to all this with the Saudis backing the ownership group.

A new stadium with purpose built acoustics not full will create a better atmosphere than a sold out SJP. I’ve witnessed that personally last summer in USA. They are building the new arena similar size due to land footprint. Lack of funding. Target audience of bands they are trying to attract which they could fill on a daily/weekly basis(medium) as they don’t have football as there main source of income. Its the bigger artists SJP could scoop up with a better acoustic and light set up during the early summer. Not to mention host various high profile sporting finals.

Yeah my thinking was to get a few out including yourself of course. Maybe arrange my infamous metro/micro pub metro station route or Tyne Valley trip and show off the wider North East.

I want Howe here as long as he has a pulse so you can’t claim that. There may be some of course but I personally think it’s mainly fans who have the believe and vision that this area can be as big as any in footballing terms. It would certainly silence those who say we are just a wee club up north when trying to convince players to sign when you’ve the biggest ground in the division regardless if you only fill it to capacity a dozen times out of 19-30+ games a season. You don’t have to fill it every game like I stated but you’d fill it more than 3 times a season. Football in general is only getting more popular. The amount of female friends and kids alone I have wanting to go who can’t compared to our last half successful/popular period (SBR) is incomparable. You’ve just got to look at playing fields at kids games etc how much more interest there is in football. Same with music these days. If someone as average as Sam Fender can sell out SJP 2nights and people demanding a 3rd night! We’ve no music venue big enough in Newcastle for the biggest artists hence why we get overlooked so much on their tours. All the while other clubs are laughing all the way to the bank each closed season. If SJP stays at 55-60k it’s the inevitable prices that will kill the demand for some and send them elsewhere instead of encouraging them in. Lets see what happens but hoping we have a new ground ready for 2028/29 season with SJP signing off with their 2028 UEFA commitments.

If anyone thinks we are going to extend the current SJP by 6-7000 and thinks those tickets aren’t going to be corporate I feel are being slightly naive. I also question why they think it would be sufficient. We’ve currently got 32-35k ST holders approx. On top 70-90k memberships with only 20% success rate per game approx. Only 2.9k away fan allocation. As it stands the club its between phase 1-2 and demand is already exceeds a 65-70k stadium before we are anywhere near buying any superstars. To quote Field of Dreams… “Build it and they will come”. It’s a once in a generation decision so make it as big as possible. You don’t have to fill the top tier every game. Football aside you’ve got a whole load of music artists who could fill it on their World tours. Extending it will only benefit the corporate waiting list we currently have who want boxes. Don’t have the figures but they will be prioritised over £37 members for sure. Fans forget players are that rich now they’d probably buy a box each for their families alone before local and international businesses waiting lists get shortened. For decades of me following NUFC I’ve always been of the mindset that the owners have always held this club back. Now we have the most ambitious owners in my lifetime its quite ironic it’s the fans that seem to be the shortsighted ones.

Drop me a message and will catch you at some point.

The UEFA automated system would still rule out all the goals @Optimistic Nut and I are wanting to stand. The rule needs to change also.

Daylight was the law for decades. Where you been?

Yeah but what you gain with the new offside rule you’d lose when they finally sort the handball rule out that’s giving teams so many goals on a plate.