HaydnNUFC

I'm the most confident I've been all season that we'll do it. Yesterday was a must win game against a side who are now a top 4 rival at home and we won comfortably and should've scored more. Tottenham have been awful all season and yesterday has made me think we'll do the same to them when they come up here. If Spurs fail to win tonight, Liverpool fail to win at Chelsea on Tuesday and we beat West Ham I'll be thinking that it's a cert.

"They sing through that in a fuckin' hurry nowadays don't they?" - My grandad yesterday.

Love him.

Am half cut and in the bodega so pls bear with if I've missed owt out https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11661/11182061/west-ham-2-3-newcastle-magpies-end-nine-game-winless-run-to-move-out-of-relegation-zone

A Len White comparison is some vouch. Gutted there's no footage of him.

Me granda's first time seeing him, said he hasn't enjoyed watching a number 9 like him since Len White. Got his pace, ball control, dribbling skills and intelligence he said. Have to take his word for it given the lack of footage, but bliddy hell.

hahahahahaha GET IN MAN We were fucking awesome. They were fucking awful. Get that in the veins. Haven't seen me granda so happy and animated like, ever. 89 year old and joining in the chants that he knew, screaming at the ref and their players He's usually a really quiet bloke but he came out with some real corkers today, like. Emotions for me and me fatha all over the shop. Unreal.

Awh here, that is poor. NE31 not representing, fewmin.

Class away performance from Villa. Stark contrast to them under that fraud in charge of them early season.

I'd seen plenty once Howe had come in and it was clear we just needed signings in the January to up the level of quality in the side to execute what he was trying to implement at a good enough level. That game a prime example alongside Brentford, Norwich with 10 men for 80+ minutes, even some of the defeats which showed tactical improvements. Its why I found (and still find ) the calls for him to go on here post Watford (H) mental.

Absolute travesty we didn't win that game last season. We were by far the better side and they were fucking rancid. Hallmarks of us pre January last season, I guess.

Leicester have been wank for the better part of 18 months. Due to mates from down at my old uni I've watched a few of their games recently and fuck me, they're dreadful. More often than not its just Maddison and inshallah (even though its almost certain he's off in the summer) but if he isn't on it they're absolutely pathetic as an attacking unit. 0 shots in 45 minutes against a side that hasn't won a game this calendar year before today ffs. It's getting a bit toxic, the fans don't want him there. I'm surprised he's still there given their form post World Cup. Our easiest win of the season came against them on Boxing Day, had it wrapped up in the first 7 minutes.

Leicester, man. So fucking bad.

Palace 20 attempts to Leicester's 0. I don't get how they're so bad, amazed Rodgers is still there tbh.

Shearer and Wright are a given, so imo Carragher is the only mainstream pundit that gets us spot on regularly. Literally the only one, as Given isn't on enough imo. 1 out of however many is shocking like.

Those Liverpool, Man Utd and Arsenal away games will stand the test of time now the narrative has been built from their fans and managers and will be applied to us from here in on as if we always do it in every match we play. A bit like how the Man City game around Boxing Day 2017 was used as the main point of reference of us and how we played under Benitez in the wider media.

Rather play Celtic. Up the Éireannach.

The relentless bald pervert. Hope he's involved in a house fire.

Him or Longstaff. Longstaff despised Bruce.

Agree with all of that. Many of the clubs you've mentioned which have safe standing or areas where fans stand all game anyway however when they get ranked by neutrals for atmosphere rarely beat SJP. Ones I've spoken to and seen online anyway. Opposition managers have tended to agree as well. I digress, I had a deek at some old nufc.com match reports over the years to see what the craic was for things about the atmosphere: we have been complaining (maybe rightly) about the atmosphere for over 20 years now. 2023: "That lack of inspiration also seemed to permeate into the crowd today, with patchy outbreaks of support rather than a wall of sound." 2017: "Even in a season when the ground has been quiet, at times this was almost eerily silent." 2008: "Noise and support for KK was predictably good at the start but waned as the action became uninspiring." 2007: "Support to the home side - virtually non-existent." 2003: "For the most part the home fans sat quietly in the manner of attendees at a self-help group meeting waiting for their turn to speak." And this one, a bit of a longer one, but one that matches many what people on here are saying and matches how I feel.* 2002: "If we don't get 4th spot - which still looks an odds on bet that we will, every time I look at the fixtures and league table - then the blame needs to be shouldered by many, not least those who refuse to encourage the team on cold Monday night's when we're having an off day. Do you think the players are lying when they talk about being motivated by the crowd? Do you think they're just looking for an easy life when they suggest that booing doesn't help them? I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever that even after Fulham scored, the crowd could have lifted the lads to go on and win that game. Instead we threw away the alleged one-goal lead that our "magnificent 50,000 crowd" gives us. "We only sing when we're 3-0 down" should become our anthem. "We're Geordies we're mental, we're off our f***in' heads". Aye, because we never use our strongest asset when it's needed most - when the lads are having a bad day and when we need a lift from somewhere. Cast your minds back to Old Trafford and the semi-final against Spurs. The crowd won that game with the fantastic support that greeted Big Dunc's substitution. Singing when you're getting stuffed 3-0 at Highbury or 6-2 up against Everton is wasted effort. Save it for the remaining games, if we're struggling against Blackburn, West Ham, Charlton, Southampton or Derby. That's when the team needs to be encouraged not discouraged. St. James' Park gets more like Old Trafford every day. If we had a similar trophy cabinet then I could probably accept it but our club is nothing if we lose the unconditional support. Yes, I get frustrated and bad-mouth some players during the game but as much as I kid myself it's only me and the people around me who hear my rantings. It's just noise to the players. Shouting and bawling during the game is how I vent my anger and I won't applaud a performance that doesn't merit it - it's amazing how deafening silence can be at the end of a game. A chorus of boos is something different. It's been my belief for some time that the nation gets the media and politicians it deserves. Buy crap papers and they'll serve up more crap. Watch trashy telly and that's what you'll get. Moan that politicians are all the same and not worth voting for and.... you get the picture. I'm fed up of being told by SKY that we deserve something to match our tremendous support. As far as I'm concerned, the events on the pitch on Monday night matched our support perfectly." *Asterisking that as I do really feel that the atmosphere can and should be improved and agree that the club should say "like it or lump it, these blocks in the Gallowgate and more are going to be safe standing, if you don't want to be amongst it then move, if you don't move and request an alternative seat by XX/XX/XXXX you will randomly allocated an alternative seat elsewhere in the ground". BUT, I do think we're a bit overcritical of the home atmosphere atm. It's just like many other PL grounds, more up for games v top opposition than against Bournemouth and Palace. Reacts to events that transpire in the game. Kick off times affecting the volume. The ground has been brilliant this season v Man City and v Villa and was fantastic vast majority of the games under Howe last season. That seems to have been the case at SJP for over 20 years now going by .com reports; fantastic atmosphere v Arsenal on a Sunday 16:30 kick off but silent against Birmingham at 3pm or QPR midweek. Obviously we'd rather that not be the case but it seems to be par for the course across the league.

To play devil's advocate, that Man Utd video is a video of a dedicated singing section in the first game played at a full Old Trafford for the first time since COVID hit. Against Leeds, whom they have a bit enmity with. Quite the cherry pick. BTW I agree with what most are saying that the bulk of SJP are miserable and the atmosphere can be improved. The club need singing section(s) and safe standing, offer those who don't want to be part of it for whatever reason the option of picking alternate seats anywhere in the ground. But make them move if they don't.

Eddie Howe, what are you cooking?