A view from Serf Efrika - close to the bone

[Allmo]

Well, i guess ill break the mould and say i kind of agree with most of that statement. If anything, the actions of the NUSC have vindicated that article to a certain degree.

 

I feel the same way about the article. I do believe we have a 'role' in the club that is more prevalent than most, if any, others.

 

I'm stating to slowly regret my part in the anti - Ashley chants, not because of him, but because of how it makes people perceive us. If I was in a position to be able to by a club, and didn't support Newcastle or any other team, I'd probably try to stay well clear of us. I know we have the (ever decreasing) potential to become a great club if conditions allowed it, but the road to get there will be very tough for any potential owners.

 

I seriously think we've royally fucked up this time, everyone, the club and fans, which will take a hell of a lot to get out of. Most decent managers will now have set perceptions of the club and likely wouldn't touch it with a barge pole. Seven managers in 11 years (with SBR taking 5 of those years) isn't exactly a record that would sit well with good managers.

[Cronky]

It's a piece of journalism, so everything's a bit hyped up, but underneath there's a valid point struggling to get through. The fanaticism of our supporters is both an asset and a problem. It can create pressure on the players, manager and board which doesn't help.

 

As with all crowds, there's also been a tendency to pin too much faith on heroes. Over the last few years, Shearer and Keegan have been elevated to God-like positions which have distorted a lot of the club's thinking.

[TRon]

Never read so much s**** in my life. Ferk erf cants.

 

Which bits of it dont resonate with you?

 

Most of it.

 

The parts that other people have mentioned above. These show a basic lack of understanding of the club. He's been reading Louise Taylor's articles.

 

 

 

Whether these people understand the club isn't the point. Outsiders are only going to form a view from an outsiders perspect. The guy who wrote the article has an image of a disgruntled and demanding fan base, based on the tv  images of fans protesting and organising ongoing demonstrations.

 

The problem I have is that future investors are also going to be outsiders and I don't really want a negative view to be formed on the basis of what has happened with Ashley and Keegan.

[Neil]

It's a piece of journalism, so everything's a bit hyped up, but underneath there's a valid point struggling to get through. The fanaticism of our supporters is both an asset and a problem. It can create pressure on the players, manager and board which doesn't help.

 

As with all crowds, there's also been a tendency to pin too much faith on heroes. Over the last few years, Shearer and Keegan have been elevated to God-like positions which have distorted a lot of the club's thinking.

 

Which is why if those statuses, justifiable or not, are not put into context and not used in every single argument, Newcastle will struggle to truly move forward.

[Guest Gh0StFaC3]

Yet again, we're tagged with the "Newcastle fans demand success yesterday" line !

 

F*ck me!!  If this "journalist" could have read most of the posts on this forum alone, he would see that the majority were happy with the progress our club was making, right up until the transfer deadline passed!

 

Even then, all it would have taken was one or two additional players brought in at key positions & a certain Mr. Wise told to f*ck off in order to placate a manager that, at the time & especially in retrospect, was working miracles with the squad available to him.

 

None of us were predicting or "demanding" trophies after Mike Cashley bought the club... all we wanted was gradual improvement & an owner willing to support a manager he appointed in order to achieve it.

[BlueStar]

On the plus side, if the FA ever fine us they can hold a press confrence and claim diplomatik immunity.

[Cronky]

It's a piece of journalism, so everything's a bit hyped up, but underneath there's a valid point struggling to get through. The fanaticism of our supporters is both an asset and a problem. It can create pressure on the players, manager and board which doesn't help.

 

As with all crowds, there's also been a tendency to pin too much faith on heroes. Over the last few years, Shearer and Keegan have been elevated to God-like positions which have distorted a lot of the club's thinking.

 

Which is why if those statuses, justifiable or not, are not put into context and not used in every single argument, Newcastle will struggle to truly move forward.

 

I don't understand your point. Could you elaborate?

[Kitman]

He makes it sound like there's a new owner every year, each one hounded out by an angry mob waving pitchforks and burning torches.  How long were the Shepherds/Halls in charge?  Best part of 20 years?  I got the sense people were actually quite apathetic and demoralised until Keegan came along, and fairly supportive of Ashley until Keegan quit. 

 

 

[Guest The Libertine]

"The supporters of Newcastle United have effectively killed the football club they love because they demand so much so quickly that every owner, every Board, has consistently failed to deliver.  The supporters don’t want a trophy tomorrow: they want it yesterday. Their enthusiasm and passion for their club is so great that planning and preparation is impossible."

 

 

spot on. face the facts people.

[Kitman]

"The supporters of Newcastle United have effectively killed the football club they love because they demand so much so quickly that every owner, every Board, has consistently failed to deliver.  The supporters dont want a trophy tomorrow: they want it yesterday. Their enthusiasm and passion for their club is so great that planning and preparation is impossible."

 

 

spot on. face the facts people.

 

Not really

[Guest The Libertine]

"The supporters of Newcastle United have effectively killed the football club they love because they demand so much so quickly that every owner, every Board, has consistently failed to deliver.  The supporters don’t want a trophy tomorrow: they want it yesterday. Their enthusiasm and passion for their club is so great that planning and preparation is impossible."

 

 

spot on. face the facts people.

 

Not really

 

boycoutt innit. relegation innit. complete shambles innit.

 

again and again, innit.

[fredbob]

"The supporters of Newcastle United have effectively killed the football club they love because they demand so much so quickly that every owner, every Board, has consistently failed to deliver.  The supporters don’t want a trophy tomorrow: they want it yesterday. Their enthusiasm and passion for their club is so great that planning and preparation is impossible."

 

 

spot on. face the facts people.

 

Not really

 

boycoutt innit. relegation innit. complete shambles innit.

 

again and again, innit.

 

Precisely. Its so obvious that we're gonna get relegated now the messiah has left - the only action is to force the owner out, that'll guarentutee us safety.

[kingkerouac]

Absolute shit - so bad, in fact, it could've been written by Louise T.

We've only had three owners that I can remember, McKeag, Hall/Shepherd and Ashley. So what he was saying about 'new owners, year in, year out' was shite and South African shite, at that.

This guy is a 'sports' journalist. The guys who are intent on buying the club are obviously successful businessmen who will not want to lose money.

What this arseclag forgot to say was if they get it right and get the fans on their side it would be amazing. Not too hard that is it? keeping your fans happy.

[fredbob]

Absolute s*** - so bad, in fact, it could've been written by Louise T.

We've only had three owners that I can remember, McKeag, Hall/Shepherd and Ashley. So what he was saying about 'new owners, year in, year out' was s**** and South African s****, at that.

This guy is a 'sports' journalist. The guys who are intent on buying the club are obviously successful businessmen who will not want to lose money.

What this arseclag forgot to say was if they get it right and get the fans on their side it would be amazing. Not too hard that is it? keeping your fans happy.

 

Ok - so change the word owners with managers.

[Neil]

It's a piece of journalism, so everything's a bit hyped up, but underneath there's a valid point struggling to get through. The fanaticism of our supporters is both an asset and a problem. It can create pressure on the players, manager and board which doesn't help.

 

As with all crowds, there's also been a tendency to pin too much faith on heroes. Over the last few years, Shearer and Keegan have been elevated to God-like positions which have distorted a lot of the club's thinking.

 

Which is why if those statuses, justifiable or not, are not put into context and not used in every single argument, Newcastle will struggle to truly move forward.

 

I don't understand your point. Could you elaborate?

 

No. Because I don't have a clue what I was on about either! Few drinks may have been to blame.

 

I think my point was along the lines of Keegan and Shearer's statuses obstructing progress. The sooner Shearer is manager of the club and has a go at it and gets it out the way, the better. Does any other manager truly have a chance in the long-term otherwise?

[TRon]

Absolute shit - so bad, in fact, it could've been written by Louise T.

We've only had three owners that I can remember, McKeag, Hall/Shepherd and Ashley. So what he was saying about 'new owners, year in, year out' was shite and South African shite, at that.

This guy is a 'sports' journalist. The guys who are intent on buying the club are obviously successful businessmen who will not want to lose money.

What this arseclag forgot to say was if they get it right and get the fans on their side it would be amazing. Not too hard that is it? keeping your fans happy.

 

Maybe we should get Alan Oliver to re-write the article and demand the South Africans publish his version instead?

[Kitman]

"The supporters of Newcastle United have effectively killed the football club they love because they demand so much so quickly that every owner, every Board, has consistently failed to deliver.  The supporters dont want a trophy tomorrow: they want it yesterday. Their enthusiasm and passion for their club is so great that planning and preparation is impossible."

 

 

spot on. face the facts people.

 

Not really

 

boycoutt innit. relegation innit. complete shambles innit.

 

again and again, innit.

 

Of course that's happened every year since the year dot.  Only it hasn't, has it?  Still it's better copy to make sweeping generalisations about a club and its history on the basis of what happened to Ashley over a few days, on the back of what happened with one of the club's biggest heroes to many.  Innit.

[Guest The Libertine]

"The supporters of Newcastle United have effectively killed the football club they love because they demand so much so quickly that every owner, every Board, has consistently failed to deliver.  The supporters don’t want a trophy tomorrow: they want it yesterday. Their enthusiasm and passion for their club is so great that planning and preparation is impossible."

 

 

spot on. face the facts people.

 

Not really

 

boycoutt innit. relegation innit. complete shambles innit.

 

again and again, innit.

 

Of course that's happened every year since the year dot.  Only it hasn't, has it?  Still it's better copy to make sweeping generalisations about a club and its history on the basis of what happened to Ashley over a few days, on the back of what happened with one of the club's biggest heroes to many.  Innit.

 

scapegoat + kneejerk = results.

 

only it doesnt, does it?

[Kitman]

"The supporters of Newcastle United have effectively killed the football club they love because they demand so much so quickly that every owner, every Board, has consistently failed to deliver.  The supporters don’t want a trophy tomorrow: they want it yesterday. Their enthusiasm and passion for their club is so great that planning and preparation is impossible."

 

 

spot on. face the facts people.

 

Not really

 

boycoutt innit. relegation innit. complete shambles innit.

 

again and again, innit.

 

Of course that's happened every year since the year dot.  Only it hasn't, has it?  Still it's better copy to make sweeping generalisations about a club and its history on the basis of what happened to Ashley over a few days, on the back of what happened with one of the club's biggest heroes to many.  Innit.

 

scapegoat + kneejerk = results.

 

only it doesnt, does it?

 

Pretty irrelevant to the point in question, namely the massive generalisation regarding the supporters behaviour to 'every owner, every Board' in the article.  Are you talking about something different now?

[maze]

maybe a bit hyped, but I think there are some valid statement in there. Go back, what(?), 11 year or so and we almost won. We had a very good team with Batty, Ginola, Les, Shearer et al.  the Keegan "haters" can call me naive, but I support Keegan for walking out. Arguing he could have walked earlier is just as true (in many ways) as if you were to decide when to have the flu  (so, for most of us that would be never). I hope that some rich ass people buy us, don't have to be that rixh necessarily.. but enough to have at least some transfer budget to work on, next to a manager in full control of incoming and outgoing players. Bringing Keegan back is (in many ways) a good thing, unfortunately he has got this "quitter" reputation haning over him like a dark fog. But if Keegan gets back, I'm sure he can life the club up, cheer the local people up and even bring in decent players to build a similar sqd. to the 90s.

[Guest The Libertine]

"The supporters of Newcastle United have effectively killed the football club they love because they demand so much so quickly that every owner, every Board, has consistently failed to deliver.  The supporters don’t want a trophy tomorrow: they want it yesterday. Their enthusiasm and passion for their club is so great that planning and preparation is impossible."

 

 

spot on. face the facts people.

 

Not really

 

boycoutt innit. relegation innit. complete shambles innit.

 

again and again, innit.

 

Of course that's happened every year since the year dot.  Only it hasn't, has it?  Still it's better copy to make sweeping generalisations about a club and its history on the basis of what happened to Ashley over a few days, on the back of what happened with one of the club's biggest heroes to many.  Innit.

 

scapegoat + kneejerk = results.

 

only it doesnt, does it?

 

Pretty irrelevant to the point in question, namely the massive generalisation regarding the supporters behaviour to 'every owner, every Board' in the article.  Are you talking about something different now?

 

yes, changing the words "owner" and "board" to "manager", as has been mentioned before.

 

its all irrelevant anyway. any legitimate criticism of "the best fans in the world" will just get you abuse.

[Guest Howaythetoon]

 

“Taking into account the inevitable stress and strife, bearing in mind the public humiliation when their vision turns sour, as it will, this poisoned chalice of a club is not worth R4,2 billion.

 

The club is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it. There is no debt, there is a large fan base, the stadium already exists and there is genuine potential for huge growth. I personally think in the right climate the club is the most attractive option of any currently available.

 

but also because, by every measure, the product is continuing to boom worldwide. In terms of TV rights sales, TV audiences and merchandise sales, the FAPL has become the world’s favourite league.

 

That "boom" has reached its zenith, hence talks of a 39th game abroad and other crazy ventures designed to squeeze yet more money from the game. The global economy of the sport plus the lack of competition will see to it that the Premier League takes a hit in terms of both wealth and popularity. A good friend of mine works for Premium TV and he and his colleagues were in the North East last week to drum up extra business, to sell extra services to the clubs they already provide content to, only no-one was interested in doing any business.

 

the sports shop millionaire will not reflect on his period in charge at St James’s Park with any pleasure at all because he and his family are now hated — literally hated — by hundreds of thousands of disappointed fans.

 

And why is that I ask. If you're going to write that at least try and explain why or look into why he's hated.

 

What the wide-eyed South Africans need to understand, sooner rather than later, is that Newcastle United is different. This is not a normal football club with normal fans and normal ambitions. It is a social movement fuelled, inspired and ultimately constrained by the hopes and frustrations of the community.

 

No we are not different. You'll find every single club is the same, they all have a deep rooted belonging to the community and that community whether it be Newcastle or Leeds, will not be shy in letting their feelings be known when their club is being thrown into turmoil. Where Newcastle is different to most clubs is that it is a one city club and where fans are concerned, they have a different attitude to their club than others, i.e. Newcastle fans wouldn't think twice about letting their manager know how they feel during and after a match if they see some wrong in a selection, a decision, a performance or a result. Whether it be Big Sam (Liverpool at home), Sir Bobby (Wolves at home) or KK himself (subbing Martins). The depth of feeling for Newcastle United from fans isn't any different to how other fans feel for their club however, but we perhaps where our hearts on our sleeves more and most certainly get agitated more by goings on at our club. Why this is so I don't know although I have several theories that may explain a few things.

 

The football club is an institution so closely identified with the people who live in this proud, but economically and socially depressed area that whoever happens to ‘own’ the club according to the documents at Companies House, nobody will convince the hordes of supporters who wear black-and-white striped shirts every Saturday that the club belongs to anybody except them.

 

First of all Newcastle is not a depressed area, even when the area has been in depression the atmopshere generated by the people has always been nothing but a positive one. This is a happy city on every level except football. Secondly the rightful owners of any club are the fans. Newcastle fans are not the only true owners of their club, ask any set of fan who owns their club and the answer will be the same. This isn't a negative whatsoever. The only reason why fans are so angry is due to the mismanagement of our club. Run NUFC well and look to achieve success and we're putty in anyone's hands.

 

When you buy Newcastle United, you don’t buy an asset. You buy a burden, effectively a responsibility to give the self-styled ‘best supporters in the world’ the success they crave.  Many have tried in the past 50 years. All have failed. Newcastle last won the championship in 1926/27 and have not won a domestic trophy since the FA Cup in 1955. Year in, year out, successive owners have arrived with fanfare and failed.

 

A burden? Self styled best fans in the world? Crave success? Not true. No-one thinks we are the best fans in the world and no-one craves success. Indeed we have a morbid sense of perspective where success is concerned. Talk of trophies and the answer will be "trophies, at Newcastle? We don't do them. Next!" As for the club being a burden, tell that to Sir John Hall.

 

“The club has been called the ‘sleeping giant’ of English football so often that the question needs to be asked whether the giant is actually sleeping or whether it has in fact expired. Any self-respecting ‘Geordie’ will tell you, at length, that it is a disgrace that such a big club has not won more, and that the fans deserve much better, and that is the owner’s fault. Most youngsters growing up in the Newcastle area are not aware that ‘Sack the Board’ is actually three separate words until they are 11 years old.

 

What's with the 'Geordie' bit? f*** off patronising wankers.

 

“The words of Oscar Wilde were never more true - ‘Yet each man must kill the thing he loves,’ he wrote. The supporters of Newcastle United have effectively killed the football club they love because they demand so much so quickly that every owner, every Board, has consistently failed to deliver.  The supporters don’t want a trophy tomorrow: they want it yesterday. Their enthusiasm and passion for their club is so great that planning and preparation is impossible.

 

We want a trophy yesterday? No we don't. We've killed our club? See that stadium, we paid for that. We are and always will be the life and soul of NUFC. It is we that keep it alive.

 

“The South Africans may well take over and, amazingly, they may tempt the hugely popular Kevin Keegan to return as manager by giving him five percent of the club (overlooking his record as a serial quitter). There will be an initial burst of optimism, but it will end, sooner or later, in anger, bitterness and recrimination, because, in simple terms, the overblown expectations of the club’s devoted supporters are impossible to meet.

 

Serial quitter? 10 years at 2 clubs is more than some managers stay in the game. As for expectations? All anyone has to do here is run a club well and look to achieve success, never mind actually doing so for real.

 

Stick to rugby and racism S. Africa. You haven't a clue about football, much less Newcastle United and its fans.

[fredbob]

Did you type that with a straight face?

 

 

[Guest Phil K]

Theres negativity and then theres that pile of sh*te.

 

[Rob W]

aye HTT gets very down sometimes...............