Wolfcastle

If the league was its own thing, independent and independently thinking - they should be delighted at the prospect of having another mega-club on their hands, could have an actual big6 now instead the seat filling Spurs. The mere fact they'd turn that down or resent it screams corruption from an organisation that will not take 39th games off the table they're that keen for more money, more eyes on the product.

For the league cup I'd like to see teams that are in Europe not play in it. Think that would suit everybody because they don't want to and everybody else would fancy their chances then. Not feeling like there's any chance of winning it until the CL teams are out takes the edge off it for me. Internationally let the smaller nations play each and have the winners qualify to be cannon-fodder in the qualifiers instead of having multiple joke matches in every group that cost leagues blank weeks. Currently watching a compilation of Euro96 qualifiers and its just so much better than now. Basically the way it was, was perfectly fine and the reason why football became so big and popular. But you know the only thing that will get cut is the leagues.

Just as Cambridge's would be against us. For a big game. Then normality kicks in and the atmosphere against Accrington and Fleetwood balances it out. Exceptions and rules. They always go with exceptions. Like taking 16k to Man City for a final day game proves their greatness as opposed to averaging just over that at home oever a season.

Said it was a chance for him to showcase himself. I used to dread our good players being linked to top clubs when we were s**t (Watson, Gazza, Clark etc.) But some of these would hawk them now for the big-time rub they think it will give them. Someone mentioned small-time

re the "high bar" Gallagher: "I think this week they've reverted back to where they were earlier in the season" - what a coincidence. In other words just making it up as they go and getting decisions wrong then?

Its the referee and having to witness our players that's the downer. If I just seen the score it'd be boringly predictable. *but lets keep it like this eh PL instead of a competitive game.

The worst part about that and Everton is that's there's a chance. This was a write off, always has been since our respective takeovers 15years ago.

On dot.com "Newcastle have been the better supported club no fewer than 76 times, which is 56 more than Sunderland's 20." That was from 2009. So now Newcastle 87 mackems 20. *and two of those were because they had a bigger, less full ground and we were at capacity. Some of those 120 years even predated 1992. Must mean 1892.

I wish they'd appointed John Hammond then we can use the DNA from crystalised blue-arse flies to clone Shearer, Woodgate, Rob Lee and Gazza. St Jurrasisc Park I'd call it

Freddie Fletcher said we broke the record, I presume either for shirts sales or money made from them, in 1993 - if so then we outsold everyone. Remember hearing that we were second only to Man United and third in the UK behind Man U and Rangers in the mid 90s commercially, sort of thing you'd see on the season video installments or in the official black and white magazine the club did, probably again from Fletcher, but no can't confirm where without researching. There used to be thousands queuing around the city to get the new shirts and they did big launches for them. Can't remember if it was asics or adidas but trucks carrying them got knicked too. Was an absolute clamour back then and the media often picked up on how many of our fans wore the shirts which must have stood out compared to others.

Snap. Remembering braying the rim of the exit ramps on the way out to "toon toon" Beambacks at the platinum club too cause of the demand for away tickets. Remember the Bolton game in 95 they ran out of beer, was a sweltering night.

He got a raw deal and a lot of pressure being seen as the Cole replacement when he wasn't that kind of forward and then having Beardsley, Ferdinand, Shearer and Tino to fight for a place against. He had a cleverness about him that you thought could plug in well to our style.

SJH over-reaching. Didn't sit too well at the time though I still trusted them. Think that regime was just so driven they had to always be doing something.

Think Kitson is the only one we didn't make money on that Keegan bought and sold. (Sellars, Guppy evens) Even most that were sold afterwards Ginola, Ferdinand, Batty, Gillespie, Tino were either evens or a profit.

Freddie Fletcher "the sales of shirts have just been phenomonal. We broke the £8million record Christmas week and that was for the two strips that were launched on the first of May, which is just phenomonal"

Its on either the season video that year or the Back to the Top first part of the season video - Freddie Fletcher interview.

Agree fully. Even fringe players like Guppy and Huckerby came into their own, just couldn't force their way into our team. Looking back its frigthening to see our relative spend. KK's first summer we spent the same as the mackems - we blitzed the league they nearly went down to the fhird and a third of Derby's who did nothing. 17 clubs spent the same or more. 93 11 clubs spent the same or more (including two in the league below us) - only two finished ahead 94 9 clubs - including West Ham, Everton, Man City, Chelsea and Sheffield Wed who were looking at relegation. Under the PLC though Dalglish still spent a fortune in a small space of time, yes he sold players, but we always had under Keegan too. Speed, Hamman, Tomasson, Solano, Anderrsson, Pistone, Guivarch, Griffin, Hamilton, Dabizas, Charvet, Serrant, Brady was rougly £33million in a year and a half

Second only to Manchester United. Surprised me to learn recently we sold £8million worth of asics shirts from their release in May 93 until mid-December that same year, which I believe was a record and read a story where Spurs were laughed at claiming they could match the shirt sales we had with the first adidas kit. Have argued the same case elsewhere that when you look at what was spent - then what was made from player sales added to things like the tickets, bonds, shirt sales, merchandice it was a modest spend and nothing like Blackburn then or a Man City now. Because it went so well people forget we sold our top three goalscorers in the space of two years, Kelly/Peacock being replaced by Cole and Beardsley and Cole being replaced by Ferdinand and GIllespie. ffs we sold Ruel Fox for double what we paid for Ginola. KK deserves even more credit than he already gets for me in hindsight.

"Showed great character" - to win a header, tackle, score a goal - did it really!!? I think Jesus Christ has a great chracter but I doubt he'd beat a professional defender to get on the end of a through pass, round the keeper and have the composure to steady himself and finish past the man on the line. Doesn't make him a sh*thead though.

Its like that Groundskeeper Willie - Skinner scene on the Simpson's "Brothers and sisters are naturally enemies, just like mackems and Morecambe, or mackems and Rotherham, or mackems and Coventry, or mackems and Portsmouth, or mackems and Charlton, or mackems and other mackems" "You mackems sure are a contentious people" "you just made an enemy for life, it was obviously mags"

That goes for the East Stand roof, the entire club and its fanbase

Why are Cambridge fans more excited about an FA Cup 3rd round game against us than for their cup finals against sunderland I keep hearing about?

Never lost to them in the dark days - 1-1, 0-2, 4-1, 0-3 Keegan said the 0-2 was his best since taking over very unlike Newcatle considering they were on the brink of promotion to the Premier League and we were fighting relegation, allied with their barbaric football and our pretty, softer stuff - had a stuffing all over it.

David Kelly as half-time hero in honour of the last time we played Cambridge at home and he got that hat-trick after the fans demanded he get the spot kick - would be nice

The old Newcastle United signage popped up during the 93/94 season. Like the redesigned dug-outs and tunnel - there was always something going on then...bit like now *by Wimbledon in late October - so between Sept/Oct 93, probably round about the time Euro'96 was awarded