HaydnNUFC

Was the jacket.

In terms of stuff I'm after, but when I see them I can't afford them and when I can afford them there's none for sale, are the below;

Short/medium term it didn't, but without the mere presence of Benitez galvanising the fanbase again for a short time there's no takeover.

Both were around 11-25 years before I was born.

First half of that season however was arguably a better side that played better football than the 2011-12 side. Remember Palace away (on my 13th birthday that, fucking hell ), that West Ham away game (Cabaye's last game for us) was canny, finally winning at Old Trafford, Liverpool at home, Chelsea at home all being class games. However, after beating Stoke 5-1 on Boxing Day, we were 6 points off top, with Arsenal who were top at the time at home next. Then sold Cabaye, Pardew absolutely clueless on how to play any semblance of football without him and that second half of the season you've screenshotted happened. An absolutely depressing time. Other than my own personal nadir of Bruceball during COVID, as my first year at uni distracted me from it mostly pre-COVID, that second half of 2013-14 was the most miserable I've ever been as a Newcastle fan.

Most shirts pre 1977 didn't so they're mostly fine. But I have seen some 74 shirts with Bukta off centre on the shirt, so who knows.

These are just ScoreDraw shirts aren't they? As...

Loves the gear and hates Klopp. Starting to really take to the bloke, personally.

He doesn't. He remains on 6 in 182 appearances. Won the pen against Wimbledon but can't remember him playing at all this season aside from that tbh.

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11661/11006348/watch-newcastle-3-0-west-ham-match-highlights https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKlfp7Q5_E8

Can I just say how phenomenal that third goal was. The play to break out of their press and the transition...quality.

Magnificent again. Him in that role on the left gives us so much more balance.

Outstanding, again. What a player, man.

Faith restored for me, now. I wanted to see a performance in a tough away game to back up last week. We got that and then some. Onto West Ham. Get in, Edward.

3 trips to NG2, 8 goals and 3 wins. Them beautiful black and white bastards, man. Huge thanks to @Dr.Spaceman for putting up with me pestering him about my ticket.

Well, that depends on how Forest set up, really. If they allow us the lion's share of possession and counterattack on us, Longstaff in CM will be pointless as has been seen already this season in an away game where we had most of the ball (initially, anyway), where he was substituted and we went on to win the game at Wolves. Longstaff is useful in the games like last week but not in games where we need to break opposition who are sat deep down imo.

I'm ambivalent towards Jose, really. I really like the affinity he has for us through how he loved and admired SBR. I totally get that sentiment but if we're ever looking for a successor to Howe, Jose is not an appointment that progresses the club.

I don't for once really, but I do remember that handball and Cisse missing a glorious chance at Norwich. The mackem game I've probably blocked out the performance due to the nerves. The worst performances in that run were Southampton and Villa rather than those two imo.

Probably, yeah. But a big result of us going down was Benitez restructuring that squad with the Sissoko, Wijnaldum and Townsend money. His policy was affordable players or players with low release clauses that had played regular Championship football within the previous 3-4 years (as per Douglas' book). Hence many of those signings particularly the likes of Hayden, Hanley, Diame etc and the bids for Forestieri and Knockaert. But what it meant was we had a squad good for the Championship. And we've been lumbered with at least 3 players from that squad still in 25 man squads up until this season. We needed an overhaul which was obvious upon promotion which Ashley was never going to provide which was clear from the January 2017 window. But the squad that went down was a decent side as shown in those last 6 or so games and in patches under McClaren. If Benitez was messed around in his first transfer window after that mess of 2015-16 season then the pro Benitez-anti Ashley malaise sets in earlier. Where would that have left us? As if Benitez even just kept those better players we wouldn't have been fighting relegation under him like we were due to the squad not being added to/upgraded. That's Ashley's doing ofc, not Benitez'. Ah whey, the FCB is gone. Thank god.

We only lost at Norwich due to a handball in the build up to their stoppage time winner tbf. Quite a few refereeing decisions went against us all season that year, the Aguero offside goal at SJP probably being the pick of the bunch. That handball goal at Norwich doesn't get given and the Aguero goal given offside and we stay up with 4 points from those games rather than 1. I kna football doesn't work like that but y'kna.

Should've went after losing 5-1 at an average Chelsea. Had 2 and a half weeks until the next 2 games which were Stoke and Bournemouth. Often think about that as a bit of a sliding doors moment; had Benitez come in then, got us another 3 or 4 points (3 would've kept us up assuming we also still drew to the mackems) and kept us up, what would the years after had looked like? Would Wijnaldum, Townsend et al stayed? What money would've Benitez been able to spend? What kind of players could a Benitez managed Newcastle in the PL in 2016 be able to attract? Would Ashley have reverted to type as soon as we stayed up? Where would we be now? Interesting to think about imo.

Fuck sake. Only just found Disco's "big win for the Danish nonce" post to quote as that floated into the net.

My naive, young self went into that game optimistic about the season ahead.

They just don't convert enough chances. Similar story for them at Everton last week.