gbandit

Great tunes

Begovic, there’s a name I’ve not heard in a while. Going to hop on Grand Old Team to read the fume at their line up

This lad’s thread had slipped onto the second page, not having it. Get yourself a goal tonight son

My wife got one two days ago

I’ve started checking our your fixtures so I know when he’s next on. Hope you lads manage to sneak a promotion in

I’d take a 6-0 win here, with Frank decking Dele Alli

Name one person in football that’s robbed a living more than Peter Walton

I don’t have a clue what’s going on over there and I haven’t read any articles in any detail so I’ve got fuck all authority to say anything. There might be complete truth to the information you’ve put out here or it could be somewhere on a spectrum from manipulated lies all the way up to truth. The point I’m making is that how much can you trust information if it’s controlled completely by the people in power?

You’re telling me there’s a difference between the media in KSA which I’m sure has complete independence and can say whatever it likes with impunity and the media in other countries? That can’t be right, something’s up here

Wonder which golf stars will take part in Eddie Howe’s super golf league npw again is it? Cheers lads

I like Tuchel’s response, but that’s after his owner has been sanctioned and forced out. Bit pointless to compare isn’t it? Such a load of fucking nonsense from some of these journalists, basically patting themselves on the back

Hmm, maybe it’s more like Bale. Less blistering pace than Bale but similar strides Edit: just looked back at some Bale dribbles and they’re not that similar actually

Hmm, not great news at all regarding Joelinton. Willock will be important though

Haha, yeah, not quite the same stride

He’s got an interesting way of dribbling, it’s not super tight to his feet and he takes long strides but still very effective. Can’t think who he reminds me of

I’m from Whitley bay, just interested if we’ve managed to get another lad up to PL standard after a set of near misses and failures in recent years

He was born in Whitley Bay, anyone know if his family are still there and that’s his main base?

Love reading about the way Newcastle as a city changed with the club’s fortunes. As I’ve gotten older and lived in different places I’ve gotten more and more pride in Newcastle as a city. Also nice to reflect on the positive impact that football can have in relation to Andy Cole and racism. Newcastle’s a lot more multicultural than it was twenty years ago and I think NUFC has helped a lot with people being more open to change

This guy was an absolute joy to watch, so technically good. He’s still only 25, we should make his club an offer

That could go either way like, could really motivate them or add the pressure if they’re already shitting themselves

Happy to have NWOAT shoved down my throat but I thought it would be useful to talk about people's feelings of distinct eras as a supporter of NUFC. I'm sure we're broadly in consensus over a lot of things but I'd love to hear others' memories of highs and lows or what they see as distinct eras of hope or despair. I think of an era as NUFC either being in the ascendancy or, as more has been the case during my lifetime, NUFC crashing and burning. I was thinking about myself and how I've had periods in my life where my support has been obsessive and times where I've tuned out and wondered what it's been like for others as well. Keegan Era (92-97) +++ Highs: This was the period in my life where football was the most fun, we would smash teams to pieces week-in, week-out and genuinely challenge for the title. I was just a kid and life was obviously simpler then because of that but I just look back at it as a time when football was less complicated too. Lows: There are several lows from this time, the ones we talk most about are Cole leaving, us losing our healthy lead to Man U in the 95-96 season, as well as Keegan leaving. I think for a lot of us on this board, this was the most heartbreaking time for us. I still go back and watch footage from this time on Youtube when I'm nostalgic. This was the era where football truly became a commercial juggernaut and heralded the beginning of the sprawling mess that it is now. Dalglish and Gullit Era (97-99) -- Highs: FA cup Final appearances, Barcelona win in the CL. Lows: FA cup final losses. The team being ripped apart and signings coming in and failing miserably, e.g. John Dahl Tomasson and Andreas Andersson. There were a lot of expectations at this time and because they were so high, it was pretty horrible how much we'd fallen since Keegan's time at the helm. Bobby's Era (99-04) +++ Highs: That 8-0 win against Sheffield Wednesday and feeling like we could be a team again. Everything felt different immediately. Having Bobby at the helm helped me feel proud of supporting NUFC again, we played quality football, could attract good players again, qualifying for Champions League Group Stage, UEFA Cup Semi-Final. Lows: Bobby leaving, our team fading towards the end of the era and the feeling that Shearer's time as a world-class striker coming to an end. Pre-Ashley Era (04-07) -- Highs: At the time it felt like a high when the club got sold, even though it turned out that we would go on to have 14 years of hell. A good second-half of a season under nice-guy Roeder. Lows: Crashing out of the Europa League against AZ Alkmaar. Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer getting sent off together, Souness being a sour cunt, not having any sense of identity as a club, signing over-priced players and has-beens like Owen. The club started to rot during this time. Pre-Keegan Ashley (07-08) --- Lows: Awful football, awful manager in Allardyce. I couldn't believe how bad we were. My memory isn't great of this time as I was abroad in France for a lot of this time. Keegan Era under Ashley (08-08) --- Highs: Keegan returning was one of the best periods of my life as a fan. I was living abroad in France in a small town where I only knew a handful of people. I was missing home a lot and Keegan returning gave me something to obsess over. Keegan turning us around and the hope that we would become a team on the up again. I was sure that we'd be a top 10 club again in the 08-09 season and looking back on it, this is something I'm now most angry about that Keegan came back under Ashley. If it had been someone else with ambition I don't necessarily think we'd have won something but it would have been an exciting time and I' sure we'd have become a top six club. Lows: Keegan leaving and the fall out from this was devastating. Seeing my hero crushed was awful but also realising that the dream of this new owner coming in and making us a decent club again was gone. That Hull game... Joe Kinnear... Relegation (08-09) --- Lows: A season of limitless lows, possibly the worst time as a fan for me ever. Kinnear sullying the club, the hope that Shearer would come in and change things, and yet we were awful under him. That game against Villa at the end of the season. It was the end of my final year at Uni and everyone was celebrating apart from me. Ashley lying about putting the club up for sale. The failed protests and fans just capitulating. Players like Alan Smith and Michael Owen playing for the club. Hughton Era (09-10)+ Highs: Seeing Carroll come through, seeing his name as a goalscorer week by week made me feel excited about the club. I didn't mind that we were in the championship, even though they weren't the best players, I really liked a lot of these lads; Enrique, Gutierrez, Coloccini, Carroll, Lovenkrands, signing Tiote. Promotion without any major stress. Signing Ben Arfa. I loved Hughton as a person and the players clearly liked him too. Lows: Hughton going, felt completely betrayed and made me hate Ashley even more than I thought was possible. Ben Arfa's leg break. Pardew Era (10-14)--- Highs: Finishing fifth, Ba and Cisse scoring some absurd goals, Ben Arfa generally, but specifically his goals against Blackburn and Bolton. Loic Remy. Pardew fucking off, I never thought he'd go. Lows: Despised the man, despised the football we played. Horrible transfer windows became the norm. Pardew freezing out my favourite players or not using them effectively. Pardew seriously damaged my connection to the club, felt like we had a politician running the club, Gavin Williamson essentially. Pre-Benitez Era (14-16)--- Highs: None Lows: Carver and his vile lips. Fans just turning on themselves and disconnecting from the club. I don't think this was the lowest time to be a fan, just a time where apathy became the norm. Benitez Era (16-19)++ Highs: Loved the man, felt pride in NUFC again, felt we had an identity on the pitch for the first time since Bobby essentially, even if it was too defensive for my tastes. He was the first manager since Keegan who really pushed against Ashley and as fans we had someone to rally round. You could connect with the club again through Rafa. Lows: Relegation, Benitez not being backed in transfer window after window and eventually him leaving. Knowing that our club was truly finished until Ashley sold up. Bruce Era (19-21)--- Lows: Awful time where I disconnected from the club completely and stopped watching our games. I didn't even read match reports, watch MoTD, and would just check the score. Bruce. Total loss of footballing identity and possibly the least ambitious time for us in my whole time supporting the club. PIF Era (21-now)+ Highs: Fuck off Ashley, fuck off Bruce. Eddie Howe coming in, the January transfer window, genuine hope for the club's future. Insane riches and resources, promises made about what our training facilities would become, the quality of players we'd be looking for over the next few years. The knowledge that we're going to attempt to become a club challenging for the top 4. Lows: Ashley being replaced by Saudi Arabia. Anyone have any significant highs or lows that aren't mentioned above?

Must say, not going to feel completely nerve-free until I see @Johnny’s team prediction

They might have a short spell at the start where they knock it about ok, but if they don’t get something early their arses will fall out. They have a toxic crowd, a shit manager and their confidence is shot after an awful run. It’s not going to take a lot for things to get toxic again on Thursday. We’ve been so solid defensively that they’re going to struggle to score so I’m seeing only a win or a draw for us here

Bed-wetter chronicles #33: After Newcastle had all but secured their premier league status, whispers of unease developed in the camp. People questioned what was going on with ASM, had he sold his soul to become half-man, half card-game? Returning to the Newcastle team like Gambit from the x-men but with his sights set on crushing Amanda Staveley rather than Everton’s crumbling defence. Elsewhere, rumours gathered pace that PIF were planning to sell NUFC to the Tiger King in an elaborate stitch up, with their heads turned by a club currently unable to be sold. Tune in for Bed-Wetter Chronicles #34 to find out what happens next

I didn’t mind a Viduka at all, Duff I never liked much and I genuinely did dislike him when he left us and celebrated like crazy when he scored against us. Owen, is probably fair enough actually, such a nonentity of a person. Who else was in that squad? There were some likeable players right, Enrique, Coloccini, Harper, Martins, actually had time for Guthrie too, Bassong