With home support like this, what chance has anyone got of succeeding here?

[Dave]

From the end of NUFC.com's Portsmouth match report waffle:

 

Sh*t-stirring papers claimed that hundreds of fans had left at 0-3 and while that's just not true, the ease with which Newcastle supporters can be separated from their seats is becoming bewildering - turning up now seems to be enough of a gesture of support for many.

 

It's been obvious for some time that people's attention spans have now dropped to around 25 minutes per half, but tolerance levels now seem to be roughly akin to the average chocolate fireplace.

 

The only logical conclusion is that Allardyce has backed a loser by coming here and has failed already in the hearts and minds battle with elements of the rank and file.

 

Nine goals and nine points in our previous three home games counted for nothing today to those people, who seem to take a perverse pleasure from seeing us fail - and bring only poorly-masked contempt to the party. Surely you should be used to losing by now? Get over it - and grow up.

 

We're not in Europe, we're not playing wonderfully, we've not won a proper trophy since 1969.

 

But surely there's at least now the chance of seeing something turn around here and a club at least trying to re-invent itself, rather than spiral further into the pit that we found ourselves in last season.

 

At that point, any sort of hope had been almost totally extinguished and the name Mike Ashley meant nothing to anyone.

 

Had we not screwed this game up completely, a draw or win would have extended our unbeaten home start further - a start that's already one of our best this century.

 

Instead though, we lose and flavour of the month Mark Hughes is mentioned in connection with the job by the papers. After eleven league games the knives are out in some quarters for the manager and his team. Even by our standards that's mad.

 

Maybe we're totally off the mark though and the only way to ultimately move forward is to dispense with the last major part of the Shepherd administration and chop out Sam.

 

The big imponderable in all of this is that we know the script almost off by heart - that familiar circle of pressure, impatience and reaction.

 

People had the measure of hire 'em and fire 'em Freddy, but nobody yet knows how the new owner will react to being part of this boom or bust madhouse - least of all Allardyce.

 

With home support like this though, what chance has anyone got of succeeding here?

 

Fair?

[garth]

Absolutely spot on!

[Willow]

Absolutely spot on!

 

Yep, also this quote is key:

 

that familiar circle of pressure, impatience and reaction.

 

This has always been our downfall and certain members on this board should realise they contribute to it.

[Dave]

I think it's a little harsh on the SJP crowd, like.

 

On Saturday the crowd were fucking stunned; the wind twatted out of our sails inside ten minutes, followed by the game being beyond us in another couple. After the OG there was a brief period of encouragement but it was pretty obvious the game had gone, the truth being borne out with our pitiful attacking attempts. Quite simply, there was fuck all to cheer about.

 

Supporting the lads is all well and good - I was at the Everton game and after they equalised the atmosphere was electric, culminating in euphoria when we struck late on - but it's a two-way thing.

[Dave]

that familiar circle of pressure, impatience and reaction.

 

This has always been our downfall and certain members on this board should realise they contribute to it.

 

Hang on, you're suggesting we have influence? I'm all for promoting this place but don't be daft man.

[Guest marky555]

very good nufc.com comment....so so true

[ohmelads]

They have a valid point about football fans in general, but it is not a problem specific to Newcastle fans. Football fans keep a club afloat but they don't necessarily make it successful. Old Trafford has been home to the champions more often than not in recent years and their home support is pretty poor to say the least. In fact in many countries the champions have some of the poorest fans, it comes with the territory. Football fans are largely the same everywhere, some clubs' fans just happen to be a lot more frustrated than others and some clubs simply have a lot more to shout about. Newcastle is a club which has come close to success time and time again in recent years, a club with the resources to compete at a higher level and compete for silverware but for one reason or another it hasn't happened. It has got to the point where there is a horrible feeling of inevitability.

 

Souness and Roeder are hardly a hard act to follow, but the fact that either of them could have got us relegated given time is not lost on the fans and it has left many feeling nervous. Allardyce has come in and needs to convince the fans he deserves the time but after the two clowns we've just had in charge it is perhaps understandable that many are sceptical. The overreactions are cringeworthy but they are a small minority of fans. Unfortunately the media (and to an extent nufc.com, ironically) make it sound like a sizeable portion of fans are already calling for his head but this simply isn't true.

[Guest Ridzuan]

I agree with what has been said but I think others club are just like ours as well,but I dont want to talk about them.It always about being patient for the right results to come and nowadays,the Premier League is getting more and more tough with managers getting sacked everytime they didnt get a few good results.Its only like 12 11 games into the season and we already have 3 managers getting the sacked.But while the fans can only that much to support the team,the team itself must do its part to ensure that if we are not winning,at least we wont go down without fighting and last week wasnt one of the case.Big Sam and the players always come out and said this and that,but words are cheap and actions speaks louder than it.If last week performance hasnt done anything to the team yet,then Im afraid we are going for a tough ride this weekend.

[Guest SLK]

I don't think it has anything to do with being under pressure, non patient or over reactive...For god sake any team with such a poor showing and no fighting spirit against an OKish team would have got the same reaction by its fans and rightly so...Players need support, that is understandable, but by the same token, fans need ENCOURAGEMENT by the players too, it's a catch 22 I guess, however I believe the so called professional players need to show professionalism and a bit of fighting spirit and I'm sure they would see and feel the 12th player playing on their side and helping straightaway...

[Howaythelads]

Phrases along the lines of "it's always been like this" just aren't true. The phrase of "that familiar circle of pressure, impatience and reaction" doesn't apply until after the departure of Keegan, to be honest.  So I can only imagine that some memories are rather short, unless they don't really mean that "it's always been like this." After saying that, even after the Keegan times, Robson had 5 years because he was clearly doing ok, you simply can't stick with a manager who is obviously not doing a good job. Relegation lies down that road and the club can't afford relegation.

 

What really hasn't changed is that we've won nowt but the club as a whole has changed massively over the years I've been a supporter.

 

What we have now are a load of people who appear to be demanding success as though we have some kind of right to success. They may not think they're like this but they do create that impression when they get up and walk out when the 4th goal goes in, or they boo our own players or (according to some) even laugh at our own players. The club doesn't need this type of supporter but that's what they've ended up with.

[Elliottman]

to be fair, i thought consider we got battered the crowd were areet in my opinion. Ive heard less singing at games we have won.

[Elliottman]

Phrases along the lines of "it's always been like this" just aren't true. The phrase of "that familiar circle of pressure, impatience and reaction" doesn't apply until after the departure of Keegan, to be honest.  So I can only imagine that some memories are rather short, unless they don't really mean that "it's always been like this." After saying that, even after the Keegan times, Robson had 5 years because he was clearly doing ok, you simply can't stick with a manager who is obviously not doing a good job. Relegation lies down that road and the club can't afford relegation.

 

What really hasn't changed is that we've won nowt but the club as a whole has changed massively over the years I've been a supporter.

 

What we have now are a load of people who appear to be demanding success as though we have some kind of right to success. They may not think they're like this but they do create that impression when they get up and walk out when the 4th goal goes in, or they boo our own players or (according to some) even laugh at our own players. The club doesn't need this type of supporter but that's what they've ended up with.

Phrases along the lines of "it's always been like this" just aren't true. The phrase of "that familiar circle of pressure, impatience and reaction" doesn't apply until after the departure of Keegan, to be honest.  So I can only imagine that some memories are rather short, unless they don't really mean that "it's always been like this." After saying that, even after the Keegan times, Robson had 5 years because he was clearly doing ok, you simply can't stick with a manager who is obviously not doing a good job. Relegation lies down that road and the club can't afford relegation.

 

What really hasn't changed is that we've won nowt but the club as a whole has changed massively over the years I've been a supporter.

 

What we have now are a load of people who appear to be demanding success as though we have some kind of right to success. They may not think they're like this but they do create that impression when they get up and walk out when the 4th goal goes in, or they boo our own players or (according to some) even laugh at our own players. The club doesn't need this type of supporter but that's what they've ended up with.

 

not sure if what you have said is 100% accuarate. I remember watching Warren Barton or Beresford (cant remember which) who said in Keegans days even if we won 1-0 the crowd were disgruntled. Now i didnt have a season ticket back in those days, so i can only go off this comments. But seems as thouh we've always been hard to please.

[NG32]

I sit in the Gallowgate end, behind the goal.  I never seen anybody leave when Pompy went 3 up,  however i did notice loads of people buggering off when the 4th went in.

 

 

A bloke two rows in front of me and about 10 seats to my left nearly exploded with rage when they went 1 up, he nearly had a heart attack 6 minute laters. 

 

If we are not winning some people in the crowd think we are shit, the club is shit and SA is a cnt.

 

 

 

 

 

[Crumpy Gunt]

Is there a set of supporters who have seen as many overpaid and underperforming players as us lot?

 

It doesn't take much to get disgruntled simply because it's the same old, same old!

 

Throw into the mix a manager who yet again can't get the basics right - playing players out of position, never his fault, poor tactics, etc and you can easily see how the natives become quickly unsettled.

 

Anyone else get the feeling we've been here before?

[NG32]

Anyone else get the feeling we've been here before?

 

[pinkeye]

Reading that piece on .com made me slightly depressed because sadly they have captured the mood amonst fans exactly.

 

I have only ever left one game before the final whistle and that was Birmingham when we lost 5 - 1 in the cup last year, every other game I have stayed to the end regardless.  Some people left their seats at 3 - 0 on Saturday but, that was probably just to get an early beer or something because I think most came back after half time.

 

Obviously once the 4th went in the ground emptied somewhat.

 

I found it very hard to get enthusiastic for the game as the second half ticked away and we looked less and less likely to score, I wondered to myself what the reaction would have been from the fans to a home goal with maybe 7 minutes left to play?  I doubt I could have celebrated with much enthusiasm.

 

The next game is an oddball as well, form book goes out of the window and all that, this is about pride, the pride of the team!  They need to show us that they are happy to play for Newcastle and want the same as us.  Beating the dirty mackems would help me believe again.

[brummie]

This isn't just Newcastle supporters these days, though, it is pretty much everyone.

 

When we got tonked 4-1 at home to Man United, I left almost 20 minutes early, and I wasn't even going to watch the rugby - that was more about traffic around Villa Park than anything else. 10 mins to go and I reckon there were 10,000 Villa fans left in the ground.

 

I think part of the problem is that, at some point in the 1990s, when football clubs became plcs and stopped treating us like supporters, all of a sudden we were "customers" because that suited their "mission statements" and business plans. We're now seeing people treat matches like a trip to the cinema or theatre - don't like what you see? Then walk out when you've seen enough.

 

The traditional bond between club and supporter is getting more and more eroded. When you're charging people 30 or 40 quid to watch a game, they're going to feel like they've bought the right to do WTF they want.

 

I'm not saying any of the above is right or justified or making any judgment on it, but the fact is that if things are fucked up now, they (the clubs) started it, not us.

 

[Guest alex]

Absolutely spot on!

You're posting that from Australia, correct?

[Skirge]

Even at 3-0 down there was still lots of noise, yeah okay its not like it used to be but its not as bad as they are trying to make out..

I think they are trying the guilt trip tactic to get some noise back.

[Guest alex]

Even at 3-0 down there was still lots of noise, yeah okay its like it used to be but its not as bad as they are trying to make out..

I think they are trying the guilt trip tactic to get some noise back.

You could be right there. I honestly don't think the crowd were too bad - certainly not under the circumstances. And I stayed until the end. To beat the rush.

[ChezGiven]

Absolutely spot on!

You're posting that from Australia, correct?

 

China.

[Skirge]

I left at 88 mins on the clock only because I had my daughter with me as my nephew had done his foot in in training and we have to walk up past the away coaches on the way home, I did'nt want her to have to suffer the smug pompey fans being divies.

[Mowen]

Even at 3-0 down there was still lots of noise, yeah okay its like it used to be but its not as bad as they are trying to make out..

I think they are trying the guilt trip tactic to get some noise back.

You could be right there. I honestly don't think the crowd were too bad - certainly not under the circumstances. And I stayed until the end. To beat the rush.

 

The crowd was OK, there was a lot of noise after we scored - more out of hope than expectation. Second half when everyone realised we didn't have the necessary quality to break them down it was all a bit subdued though. Used the same trick to beat the rush myself.

[ross magoo]

I'm not sure what we're being accused of here.

 

I've been to games when the atmosphere's been very good and other games when it's been not so good.  I wasn't there on Saturday but if the team were 0-3 after however many minutes it was then what do people expect? 

 

I hate the way people pontificate to other fans in this way.  It's usually just some preening, jumped-up, conceited tw@t on an ego-trip trying to say "I'm a better supporter than you".

 

If Allardyce had been punted on Monday morning it wouldn't have been because of the supporters, it would have been because Newcastle got beat 1-4 from Portsmouth.

[merlin]

I think it's a little harsh on the SJP crowd, like.

 

On Saturday the crowd were f****** stunned; the wind twatted out of our sails inside ten minutes, followed by the game being beyond us in another couple. After the OG there was a brief period of encouragement but it was pretty obvious the game had gone, the truth being borne out with our pitiful attacking attempts. Quite simply, there was f*** all to cheer about.

 

I agree Dave - unfair on the SJP crowd.

How many clubs with the amount of fans we have would tolerate all the years of failure we have ?

I am thinking of Man U, Liverpool, Arsenal in particular - I remember when we stuffed Man U 5-0 , there were 'fans' of theirs on 5 Live wanting Fergie sackedv- after all he did for them prior to that !

Now that IS fickle & knee-jerk, 2 words much over-used on this(and other NUFC)sites about fans who complain about poor performances..

 

Had we won the title in 96 and gone on to be a regular trophy-winning club, then I would say that the adverse reaction od supporters to results like Saturdays'(AND the week before at Reading) was unjustified.

As it is, I am not satisfied with the club's performances on OR off the field over the past 4 years and I am sure many thousands of others aren't either.

 

The booing should really have started a few years ago, and been aimed at the previous Chairman & management - they have failed to give the fans a club worth respecting, let alone trophies.

I actually expected a poor result against Pompey, so wouldn't have taken part in such a protest even had I been there, but I defend others' right to do so.

If fans put up with second-rate stuff all the time, there is no pressure on the club to change anything - the problem right now is that people thought the end of Shepherd and his regime would immediately bring an improvement in fortunes, and this is made worse by the relative success that teams like City have had this season.

People don't realise how bad things had become at SJP, and although Sven has done well, he had better youngsters to use in the first team as well as his decent buys - if I am honest, I would NOT have picked Sven in place of Allardyce, but then, we didn't know the club was going to be taken over - maybe Ashley would have wanted a different manager, but we all know the club has blotted its copybook big time when it comes to being an attractive destination for top managers.....

 

The next 4 games ARE critical, but once again, the options for the club's board are limited by past actions -

unless we drop into the relegation zone, no-one is going to sympathise if Ashley/Mort fires the manager.

 

Its tough for the fans, and they will endure more rubbish before things get better, but I don't blame them for letting their views be known - its their right as customers.

 

Supporting the lads is all well and good - I was at the Everton game and after they equalised the atmosphere was electric, culminating in euphoria when we struck late on - but it's a two-way thing.