TheBrownBottle

Bugger - scratch what I said re Miggy

Our coach had a couple of windows put out. Exactly as you said, it just had a really nasty vibe from the moment the coach pulled in. I didn’t get the same feeling visiting Stoke after they left the Victoria Ground.

The international break timing could be good for us. Rest and also recovery from injury time for Gordon and Almiron. We should be pretty much full strength for April for the first time in a while.

He’s one of the very few who are likely to go who’d also command a decent fee (I would’ve thought c.£20-25m would be ok for him - maybe even higher). He looks like a square peg in a round hole but I’ll give the lad full credit - these last few games you can see that he’s trying to play a game different from his natural one; but it’s better for both parties that we sign someone more suited to that style of play and let him go somewhere else (hopefully abroad, but I can picture a Palace or maybe newly-promoted Burnley hoping the wedge over for him)

Yeah, he played LW for BR pretty much the entire time AFAIK.

I’ll have to take your word on that one tbf - I take zero notice of the Eliteserien and have no idea how that fan support would be measured. I also don’t give a shite if it is introduced in every other league on the planet - it shouldn’t have been introduced in England. Hopefully it will die in the same ditch as plastic pitches and the ZDS Cup.

It also doesn’t record the decisions which were wrong were VAR arbitrarily decided not to intervene. Remember, it is meant to be for clear and obvious refereeing errors - yet it’s use us so obvious arbitrary.

Which fans were demanding it? I’ve never seen a fanzine, a supporter group, or anyone I know in the pub demanding it. Most were either causally indifferent or firmly against it. The only fuckers who ever pushed it in my experience were the Keys and Greys of the world - and the rest were tiresome angry Twitter cunts.

The funny thing is that they’re the only one of the three North East clubs which have played in the top flight and have not really seen proper international class footballers in their side. The Smoggies (Juninho, Ravanelli, Boksic etc etc) and us have had our fair share - but how many Sunderland players in most of our lifetimes were first choice for an international side of any repute? They’ve no idea what a top-rank player looks like unless they’re playing for the opposition. And they don’t watch anyone but SAFC and NUFC on a regular basis. Their jealousy and belief that they’re our equals means that they can’t allow themselves to believe that Isak or Bruno are top-notch players. Of course O’Nien would have Bruno on toast. Of course he would.

Owe these now. I remember what happened in 96 after a Wembley loss

Four Newcastle fans in that photo

He was on £80k/pw when he first joined. I won’t say he stole a living - he didn’t take the piss - but he was thoroughly, thoroughly mediocre for the vast majority of his time in a B&W shirt.

The year before - 99/00 But you’re going back to 55/56 before that one - allowing for 3 points for a win, of course

Problem is, you’re setting the parameters of what is ‘positive’ and what is ‘negative’. The introduction of VAR has made a game which is not naturally stop-start a stop-start one; it has removed the implicit equality of the pyramid - i.e. all games played are under the same laws whether this a pub league or premier league game; it has removed some of the human element of the game; and it is has all been done at the behest of tiresome TV pundits and the outraged armchair brigade. It is a joyless, soulless introduction which should never have been allowed in the first place which has made match day experiences the worse and all so that the risks to the money-men of a key decision costing them millions are reduced. VAR’s introduction has everything to do with financial reasons and none to do with sporting ones. It’s utter cack and should be palmed off ASAP - and I don’t give a shite if it makes the referees calls occasionally more accurate; the Forest game was proof positive that the dozy gets are actually getting worse with its introduction and becoming more cowardly than ever. TL;DR VAR is shite

I love the circular Magpie badge. Personally, I prefer the city coat of arms but you can’t make coin off it. Ultimately though the club crest doesn’t really bother me too much one way or another - I’m ok with the current one, ok with it being changed.

Let’s be honest, living off three years in 160. Before Clough joined they were playing in front of crowds averaging under 10k. Clough and Taylor’s genius took a side which had spent the majority of the 20th Century in mid table in the second division and made them great. Post-Clough they’ve been shite second division dross again pretty much the entire time, other than one great year under Clark. Clough’s genius was in transforming clubs like Derby and Forest into winners - they’re not grandee clubs, and that’s the point of his legend. Historically, Forest are, on average, a higher level second division club with higher level second division attendances. edit: I’ll get even snottier Prior to Clough, they had 7 top half finishes in the C20th. They had 14 under Clough (every season other than that desperate final one). Cloughie was a football genius - Forest has spent the last two decades basically where they naturally fit best.

Likewise. I genuinely don’t remember them even calling for a pen

Just the once. 2000-01. Reidy’s sewpa dewpa seventh placers

Haha yep, I was laughing my cock off at some of them. Hidden now

I thought Murphy had the beating of him in all honesty. Eye of the beholder I suppose.

It’s a fucking bizarre decision, no two ways about it. The referees union all backing each other too. Going to TV to explain this stuff as well as VAR has just made things worse - at least in the past they’d get the benefit of the doubt. Now, they’re being exposed as fucking clueless

Yep, it’s fucking insane what these fuckers see. Can’t believe anyone who knows anything about football would think anything other than that was a deliberate play of the ball

The laws are the same as ever - the referees thought Felipe didn’t deliberately play the ball, and therefore the last play came from Isak. Useless cunts can’t even get it right with video replays.

I’m not orthodox … I don’t live by ‘the rules’

Fuck off Voldemort