Wolfcastle

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.

Probably just shouldn't be allowed to be owned by anybody outside whatever country your team is in. Get no cultural differences that way. There again why just limit it to football or sport. Its the same tentacles in business and the same morals.

leffe186 (post on previous page)that's remarkably similar to me. Blackburn didn't sit well as opposed our more natural similar growth (15k in the PL v 31k in D1) and Chelsea finished off any last lingering love of football. Just didn't matter how well a manager did elsewhere, how many fans a club got - you couldn't compete and feared it was the start of a slipperly slope - but was assured by the media it was good for football (post ITV digital) and that the money would trickle down. We were the first victims of Abramovic, Chelsea instead of doing a Leeds, leap-frogged us into a champions league place - didn't matter how good Sir Bobby was or how much better our support was. Felt kinda futile. Then Ashley came along and inverted even the ability to enjoy ones own team in itself. Thus was conditioned to being numb when Man City were bought by even more wealthy owners. 'At least its Man City' I thought. Birmingham and Man City owners doing time, Russia, Qatar World Cups and all the rest of it, football was gone as any kind of moral entity, thought that was a given it was so seldom touched on until it was rediscovered (between world cups that 99% will indulge in) when it came to us. If we were the first I'd be against it but this is the game everyone else had just gone along with for the last 20years.

Could just say that by twelve men he was referring to Chelsea's vaunted support.

They're like that arsehole on Prometheus that has the mapping technology, an audio and visual link up back to the ship that has a read out of where they are within a structure and yet somehow (deus ex machina) get lost. They deserve to be killed by aliens. Same goes for the characters in that film

If we'd got a point or Watford hadn't won I'd have looked at this as a chance to toy with them in front of a nervous crowd. Too early for a rallying cry atmosphere and hopefully that s**t crowd will probably still come into effect. Need players back. One win and that should be us. Don't want to get sucked back in.

Probably Rennie sending Shearer off for nowt, which lead to Shearer being suspended and not starting against the mackems, which lead to Sir Bobby arriving.

Got to avoid defeat at Everton still.

Didn't want to predict our results so did it a different and I've got us needing 2points to stay ahead of Everton and Watford, 6 Burnley and 9 Leeds and Brentford. So presumably Norwich, Everton and Watford - if we don't lose to Everton.

Thats radge that. Why would it have to be enough to go down for it to be a foul, a short sharp yank would be enough to put someone off their kick/stride and be a foul.

There is that. Its things like this performance that make me more trusting that many of the wins. With what we had out today... the foundations are set.