Wolfcastle

Absolutely right. People wanted Robert to work harder because it had to be possible. People want ASM to make the right decisions, play for the team more for the same reasons. Otherwise we just accept one being lazy and the other being stupid and that they'll never improve nor should we look to them to improve.

I was a Robert/Ginola/HBA defender but its only reasonable for fans to wonder if they'd be better off with someone more functional who is better for the team. At the end of the table were at and with the games tight as they are that's more pronounced than at the top where things can be indulged. Its not a witch-hunt on flair players but what's best for the team. Robert scored and supplied a ridiculous amount of goals that otherwise wouldn't have come. Really not sure ASM does. Nobody thought this about Peter Beardsley because of his attitude/workrate allied to his flair menat he was never a liability.

At least as good as anybody tonight I felt.

Still got us needing 6points. Got to be probable still. I just don't want 3 of them being at Burnley cos that will be like tonight, brutal game in a decrepit shithole with probably the same outcome. Change the title of this thread please, filled me with a nameless dread as soon as it stuck

There again people can argue that given how limited the team is can we afford to risk indiscipline that ASM brings as opposed to the less individually gifted Murphy/Fraser. Ie can we carry a flair player who is as likely to play badly as well but disrupt the team set up either way. I'd be happier to find out if we weren't still in a relegation battle.

We didn't lose a game after that Everton game without him mind and never looked like losing one either. Again that's the point people are making.

Basically said as much in my post like. Wilson's not scoring many from these great crosses either imho

Is that the one good game he's had this year? That's kind of the point. Leon Best scored 4 against West Ham in one game didn't he? Exceptions and rules.

Never thought he was going to be good so nothing's changed and can't be too angry. The most I expected was 5 headed goals and a threat from set-plays crosses and since we seem to only have Shelvey and Trippier capable of taking a set play or crossing I feel like I can't even judge him on the one thing I felt he'd bring to the table.

Plays bad more than he plays well I've always felt. Not having a go at him just at how massively over-rated he is by some people. Tonight was tricky because 10men is hard to judge against but we've played worse after he's come on these last two games not better as the conventional wisdom would assume. Though what options do we have?

I think the relative desperation lack of desperation was a factor. That X-factor you just can't coach. All things being equal like the first half I thought we were distinctly better than them, we are, part of why I'm so pissed off at it. Also at those horrible b8stards staying up.

Is that what the one at the Arsenal Liverpool match was about?

Games have a nervous/excited buzz hours in advance again. Don't know how it'll go. Not sure its late enough for a forget-the-past concenrated support by their fans just yet, so hopefully the usual quiet toxicity and a bit of toying. Don't want to go into this massive break stewing on getting nowt here.

That photo of Supermac reminds me of one of Ossie. Was a particular angle where me and me mam were visible in the background of that was used in the Pink that night. Was going to go into the Chronicle and look through their archives for it a while back. If anybody has that, it would be epic to me. Was one of the last games I went to with her. Cheers. Kinda like this but not quite.

Have vague memories of Mirandinha being in the same boat back end of 88/89. Whilst obviously our best player ability wise - the crowd were mixed between happy and peed off if he wasn't selected. Always some toxicity either way.

Just seen a report on sky that said he'd spoke to Chelsea fans, some accepted the sanctions, some never would but that all think Chelsea shouldn't be the only club. This isn't cleaning up football. This is punishing the dictator of a country via his business associates and other means for invading another country, committing war crimes daily and who needs to be deterred so as not to start world war 3/nuclear war. Any other oligarch football club owners with close ties to Putin should be punished in excactly the same way. But whatever people think of other countries, China, Saudi, UAE, Qatar, Iran - those countries have not done this, the idea therefore they should be treat as though they have, is minority report stuff. If they ever do, then they should be treat exactly the same.

Course not. The only similar player I can think of that never got it was Le-Tissier at Southampton. Far better players than ASM have had it - Gazza, Baggio, Yeboah, Beardsley with Liverpool/England, Liam Brady, Glenn Hoddle, Waddle, Gullit

We'd finished 4th and 3rd, they finished 6th and 4th in the previous two seasons, we had had higher gates (and had done for 10years and most of the century) and finished ahead of them more than they had us in the PL era. Also wouldn't be surprised if our turnover was higher. Certainly had been for most of the previous 10years. Personally definitely at the time didn't think of them as bigger than us. Arsenal, Man United, Liverpool, us (arguably) - Leeds were at least as big before they imploded. Then the rest of a stronger Europe?

Getting a late winner isn't he?

They weren't in the top 7-8 of football, they weren't even bigger than us at the time.

We had Ian St John moaning and lamenting us on commentary the first time we were in it. Must be a tradition.

Pre Ashley: life of being a football fan, good, bad, indifferent, on steroids as we went from our lowest ebb in 92 to nearly winning the league playing arguably the best football seen in this country (Alan Hansen suggested) just four years later. Got hooked/fell in love during our dark days 89-92, gradually fell out of love with football around the millennium and remained only interested in us then along came Ashley.Having expected nothing but 89-92 caliber memories the next four years were almost unreal at times. Ashley: A world where getting relegated and promoted meant nothing nevermind a single game, there were no ups and downs just melancholy nothingness defeating the whole point of being a football fan. Had him/us under him pegged very early on so couldn't enjoy any good because I knew it would be squandered.

Watch Atletico/Man U circa 91/92 and watch Bruce lose twice at the same time. Though that's probably too stimulating.

Have you always been embarrassed or is it just a new(castle) thing? Speaking as someone who genuinely did boycott that last world cup and didn't see anybody else doing that.

When we had Shearer in a lucosade advert set at St James Park, Dalglish calling fans up on a BT add and Tino turning into an incredible Hulk/rock lord combo and running around a town blasting nuclear footballs off buildings in his Newcastle shirt for some boot manufacturer - in the same season. Big time as owt. Almost didn't matter that Shearer was crocked, Dalgish dire and we'd sold Tino by the time the add came out ahead of the World Cup.