HaydnNUFC

Bloody hell. I think I can remember it all kicking off regarding the minute but I've tried to blank out that second half of 2013-14, was an absolutely awful time to be a Newcastle fan. The bloke is still a weapon of the highest order. Also remember when he went to the police about GallowgateShots floating the idea of getting a Tiote flag made after he died to Wor Flags/Gallowgate Flags for no reason whatsoever as well. Plus the whole loser's mentality patter he came out with today or yesterday. Egos like his hamstrung any collective protest ideas along with the other bell ends unfortunately amongst our online fanbase, eg Wraith.

Was that Michael Martin, trying to organise his own walk out protest on a different minute after the original idea started to pick up traction?

If the vast majority of the fanbase were like you @Heron, myself included tbh as I couldn't be arsed with protesting after the dreadful uptake and stick me and my dad got for the late walk-in v West Ham in 2018 (still chucked my ticket after Benitez left), we would've been rid of Mike Ashley years before we finally were. Of that I'm sure.

Yeah, my dad and those who we go to the home games with who got a ticket said the noise was good throughout, they were in 139.

Not that it matters at all but they've went strong tonight.

I haven't read that, but if that's true that does throw into question why the hell Isak has only started 3 matches since he returned to full training on 2 January. My first and only critique of Howe since he's been in charge has been the handling of bedding Isak into the team post Christmas. Have to persevere with him now.

Isak one may well have been nicked from Spurs but at least it's something different. TBF, Isak has barely been on the pitch this season so I'm not surprised it's barely been trotted out.

Unfortunately I can't make the Sunday. We have plans that my grandad who's 89 next week is going to the match on the Sunday, be his first game for decades. He struggles to walk too much without being out of breath so we're having to plan well ahead, so the logistics are more than likely too tight I'm afraid. If it's definitely on the Sunday, maybe we could also do a May or summertime one? Only caught you very briefly in the Bridge Hotel pre Southampton and I was definitely half cut at that point would be great meeting up with everyone again soon though.

Agree with your post but this part is hugely spot on. I think myself and @SteV (correct me if I'm wrong) discussed on here at the back end of last season but football fan culture has changed, certainly since the 1970s and 1980s. Can easily be argued that that's for the better given the hooliganism that was rife in those days but the hostility from back then largely dissipated post Italia 90, certainly after the introduction of the PL. But as you say for away games now you get a lot of our lot, certainly since during the Ashley era when a lot of the hardcores walked away, who are Stone Island/CP Company wearing, drugged up lads who get more interested in winding opposition fans up or causing bother than they do supporting the team. Maybe a sweeping, incorrect generalisation from me but certainly from my generation it's what I see. On top of that as you mention which also affects our atmosphere is our songbook. Been saying it for a couple years now, it's absolutely shite. They're all sung at light speed and the same songs are on an ad infinitum cycle. 'Who's that team we call United' from the Benitez days has now been replaced with Bruno in the middle as the song that's trotted out every 10 minutes. The first songs I was ever told as a bairn by my fatha were songs from the 1970s when he started going to games; songs about Terry Hibbitt, John Tudor, 'we hate Nottingham Forest...' etc. No one sings them now, or those that regularly sing at games don't know those older songs. One thing I admire about Man Utd and Liverpool fans is they still sing about Cantona, Steve Heighway, Dalglish etc which we hardly ever do. Most fun I've had this season whilst supportingus was singing about Andy Cole, Coloccini et al when 0-4 up down at Fulham. Whinge over.

I've been to every home game this season, only 2 of which weren't in the same seat, and the best atmosphere by far this season was against Manchester City. Then followed by Chelsea, Aston Villa, Everton and Brentford. But I don't think this is a problem unique to NUFC, all English clubs' supporters have been trying to improve atmospheres at home games for a while now. See Arsenal's small ultra thing going on at the Emirates, Leicester's tifo mob, safe standing at Chelsea and Wolves etc. I think PL atmospheres are in the main poor tbh, there has to be the right circumstances for games to be bouncing ie expectations/being the underdog, hostility towards the opposition, hostility towards refereeing decisions or other events that transpire during the game, kick off day and time, the importance of the game etc. It's no coincidence that our best home atmosphere this season was against the league champions who we've struggled against for nigh on 15 years home and away yet were going after them for most of the game. On top of that it was a Sunday 16:30 kick off; a 12:30 Saturday or 14:00 Sunday kick off would not have seen that atmosphere be that good. However I do think that SJP can be improved regardless with suggestions such as safe standing in the corner/Gallowgate, but I do think SJP will suffer with the ground's acoustics even if it is brought in. Sound doesn't travel well from the Gallowgate to elsewhere in the ground due to the size of L7 compared to the East Stand and Gallowgate. I'd reduce the size of the family enclosure; the L7 Leazes Corner next to the away fans need a form of Strawberry Corner singing section there as well as the already existing lot in the Strawberry Corner.

Thought Murphy did really well when he come on, has done a few times as a sub this season tbf, but I don't want him starting games. I'd go with either a front 3 of Gordon, Isak and ASM or an attacking 4 in 4-2-3-1 of Gordon, Isak, ASM and Wilson. That's only if Wilson absolutely has to start.

Just speculation over his ankle and him going down twice yesterday I reckon. Looked no where near worse than the one that took him out of the 2nd half v Fulham, yet he still played at Palace the following week.

We're potentially going to have 5 home games between 30 April and the end of the season. Brighton game will be midweek around then and potentially Spurs too if they're in the FA Cup semi final.

Bottom line is we have to start winning games. Be a long shot at Manchester City but got to be getting back on track with Wolves (h) and Forest (a). Then a massive run-in, big home games against Man Utd, Spurs and Brighton. Also realised if Spurs get to the FA Cup semi final our game with them gets rescheduled which would result in us having 4 consecutive away games, no home games for almost a month.

Man City's first trophy was the 2011 FA Cup I think. Beat Man Utd in the semi final before getting a final v Stoke. It's like an albatross around our neck atm, winning things. Once we finally do it, which will come, we'll be reet.

He's definitely on some kind of gear there like but I can't help but like that. 8 year old at a cup final, man. When I was 8 we were losing 1-5 to Liverpool at SJP under JFK and getting relegated. Lucky bastard.

Apparently we've scored 2 goals from our last 100 corners.

I think the top and bottom of it is we're a good side between the boxes; we press well, keep the ball well and until recently have been defensively superb but we lack any real guile, ingenuity or quality in the final 3rd. The final ball has hardly ever been there post Boxing Day. Our wingers aren't good enough and we sorely lack the quality in midfield that allow us to control the midfield battle against the real top sides. That can only be rectified in the transfer market. Maddison would have been ideal in the offensive side of things (also would help our set piece issue) and for the midfield an upgrade on Longstaff. Both are musts in the summer. As well as all the other positons we need.

Isak with 1 or a couple attacking partners close to him I feel would give us a bit more against sides that sit deep; we saw glimpses of it against Fulham (h) when he came on and played with Wilson against a team who retreated a further 5-10 yards after their pen miss, we had a bit more impetus carrying the ball towards good positions around the box yesterday and I thought Isak and Maxi have linked up well against Liverpool and at Southampton in the cup. He just needs to be in the team from the start. So does ASM imo, Almiron's poor form has coincided with our poor form in front of goal. Something needs to be tweaked. ASM also I think will be useful at Man City on Saturday, he is at his best running at players on the break at the end of the day.

The system we play puts enormous pressure on Trippier to produce; Trippier goes forward and Burn shuffles into a sort of back 3 which means that our LW gets next to no support. If you look at our passing structure and emphasis on the flanks since Trippier signed it all goes through our right and through him. It worked brilliantly in the first half of the season but it's probably just been sussed by now as sides only have to shut down our right which since Boxing Day has been largely ineffective anyway given Almiron's predictability. Our system doesn't need to change completely but it needs a couple tweaks to get a bit of unpredictability back; Targett back in asap to gives us another outlet down the opposite flank, Isak to start games consistently and perhaps Gordon ahead of Almiron or ASM, but Almiron for me. Also need a different set piece taker to change it up a bit, teams only have to prepare for Trippier set pieces as no one else takes them on either side, Targett should help with that to a degree. Also, assuming that Joelinton doesn't get booked on Saturday, no other suspensions and no further injuries are picked up, Wolves (h) should be the first time in the entire season where we'll have a full squad to pick from. Which is canny mad.

5 past 8 at night on a Sunday, I'll sign up to my rivals forum to wind them up. Absolutely tragic.

He, along with ASM, has carried us through the shit under Stephen Roger and has been brilliant this season pre WC. But he looks finished. If he has to play, please play Isak with him, saw glimpses of promise with that today and v Fulham.

Think I might hold off making the pre Man City thread for a bit.

Aye, I have been thinking similar. I understood his bedding in of Bruno given we were deep in a relegation fight at the time, but Isak just has to be on the pitch. He's had 3 starts since his return from injury on 6 January, its now almost March.