HaydnNUFC

Bullied? When and against who? Bournemouth away is the only game since he's returned from injury (and only his 3rd start since his return) where he's looked noticeably poor though so were the entire team that day. When Wilson has been poor since the WC I don't think it's canny obvious at all why he's starting over our 23 year old £63m striker.

Like he was at Anfield? Wilson has been poor in all aspects of his game since the World Cup, even in cameos Isak has shown more.

First time I've been unhappy with a lineup this season. Wilson still starting is shite and ASM dropped whilst Almirón still starts after his ghosting performance last week also is too. Isak still not starting games is now getting to be a bit of a joke tbh.

That's shite, like. YANITED

Did well v Liverpool tbf to him, but him v Haaland. Christ.

Was the summer of the Championship season and Ashley then reverted to type in the January. IIRC Wullie called it.

Have felt that we would tbh, eventually. Want us to take the cup final result and all our frustrations out on Wolves a la West Ham (h) in 1996.

I think the context is hugely different though, we signed Bruno when deep in a relegation battle and the form of the team massively improved without him in the starting lineup so there was no need to change it. Once he finally got his first start at Southampton he was in the first XI ever since. We're chasing Europe now and the goals have dried up post WC. So have Wilson's performances by a long chalk. Isak returned to full training on the 2nd January, it's now March and yet he's only started twice.

Was wondering what game that was at so had a hunt. Was from Peterborough (H) in the Hughton Championship season. A quick look at the .com report: "Attendance: 43,067 including 2,600 visiting fans. Mike Ashley was in his usual Directors Box seat. Before kickoff, a presentation was made on the pitch to Magpies physio Derek Wright, marking 25 years of service to the club. And with this being the weekend of Remembrance Sunday, both teams took part in a pre-match minute's silence in memory of the victims of conflict. Protest was the order of the day, with the largest show of anti-Ashley feeling since the Hull City home game of September 2008 (which followed confirmation of Kevin Keegan's departure as manager). The pre-game demonstration outside Old Milburn Reception was smaller than on that occasion, but inside the ground the mood was more volatile than at any time previously. Stewards intervened to force the removal of banners in the Strawberry Corner, Gallowgate End Lower and Leazes Corner Level Seven sections. Slogans displayed: "Ashley Out" "NOT WANTED @ ST.JAMES' PARK", "St.Robson, St.Shearer, St.James" and "Fat Cockney Rapist". The unfurling of the latter caused most reaction from police, stewards and fans - with supporters split between those who thought it an apt description of the owner's behaviour towards NUFC. Others meanwhile - including ourselves - took exception to the terminology, if not the sentiment. From what we could see, stewards looked to be taking notes of seat numbers in the vicinity of the protests. It remains to be seen what - if any - action is directed towards those fans, but we're concerned about the interpretation of "involvement" here: if someone unfurls a banner in your vicinity, are you automatically presumed to be a part of the protest? Vocally, the support at 0-0 was tremendous and originated from home fans themselves, rather than being provoked by the travelling contingent - as has been the case in some games. Encouragement to the team and abuse of the owner was pegged at roughly 50/50, with a large shout of "Stand up for St.James' Park" echoing round just before the first goal - strongly supported behind both goals, but less so elsewhere. At 2-0 up the first banners started appearing and if anything the "get out of our club" refrains grew louder - more fans presumably feeling confident at protesting with the home side totally dominating proceedings. PS: it could be argued that the current security arrangements at SJP contributed to the problems inside the ground on Saturday, with the reduced stewarding and automatic ticketing allowing fans to take banners in. Contrast that to a number of away grounds this season - notably The Hawthorns on opening day - where similarly-sized items were confiscated from Newcastle supporters queuing to gain admission. "

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.