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The CCC: first impressions


Keefaz

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The standard is not as good as I was led to believe. People thinking we are going to walk the league will be in for a major shock starting against Cardiff I reckon. They are a team in form with some good players, enjoying their first campaign in a new stadium. A couple of key injuries and we are shite again too.

 

We had a couple of key injuries in our last match and still won.

 

If other teams around us get a couple of key injuries then they'll be even shitter.  It's not like we're gonna be the only team in the league to get injuries.

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i went to the palace game and absolutely loved every second! seemed to be a great atmosphere amongst us lot and some good banter between the fans. love going to new grounds, especially the shite ones. much better than sitting in a modern plasticy stadium like the reebok or the emirates. you get the impression people care about their team much more, even if there are a couple of goons. based in the midlands in 3 weeks time and will try and get to the likes of sheffields, forest, derby, leicester aways and a home game if possible

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i went to the palace game and absolutely loved every second! seemed to be a great atmosphere amongst us lot and some good banter between the fans. love going to new grounds, especially the s**** ones. much better than sitting in a modern plasticy stadium like the reebok or the emirates. you get the impression people care about their team much more, even if there are a couple of goons. based in the midlands in 3 weeks time and will try and get to the likes of sheffields, forest, derby, leicester aways and a home game if possible

bit harsh calling therm shit grounds. give me grounds like that over SoL or the riverside any day.
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i went to the palace game and absolutely loved every second! seemed to be a great atmosphere amongst us lot and some good banter between the fans. love going to new grounds, especially the s**** ones. much better than sitting in a modern plasticy stadium like the reebok or the emirates. you get the impression people care about their team much more, even if there are a couple of goons. based in the midlands in 3 weeks time and will try and get to the likes of sheffields, forest, derby, leicester aways and a home game if possible

bit harsh calling therm s*** grounds. give me grounds like that over SoL or the riverside any day.

 

was only refering to selhurst park when i mentioned shit grounds, and like i say would rather selhurst than the emirates. never been to the others. very much looking forward to them. ive been to a fair few football league games and have enjoyed the lot.

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On a bigger scale the being in the Championship has been a bit of a godsend, it's allowed us to get rid of wasters who would otherwise be hard to shift if we were in the Prem,  our perfromances inthe league have galvonised fans and being in the Championship has perhaps got rid of an element of the crowd who were only interested in watching the Premiership and not Newcastle United. (20,000 supporters, the rest Customers).

 

I never thought I'd say this but i actually think relegation could be one of the best things to happen to this club since we appointed SBR, that is assuming we go up the first time of asking...

 

Thumbs up from so far.

 

Words fail me.

 

Indeed. We've not got rid of one waster we wouldn't have been able to in the prem, and have probably got lower fees than we would have done had we stayed up. The players who patently weren't good enough are all still here (with the possible exception of Duff - Owen doesn't count as he was off regardless). Our attendances, whilst still impressive, are lower than last season so you can't really justify saying the fans have been galvanised. Mental.

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Its more fun as, when the ref blows his whistle, players just get on with it. They don't crowd around him, or roll around like they have just stood on a land mine. Its more about the actual football that the play acting.

You haven't seen Chopra for Cardiff yet- got plenty of penaltys last year. Made their collapse at the end of the season all the more pleasing!!!!!!
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My first impression of the league is that its of an even worse standard then I thought and I was one of the people trying to tell people how poor it was before the season started.

 

I'm loving the CCC, mainly because we are going back up and are not staying here long. The standard is ridiculous, I thought it would be hard as fuck going up and we would get bullied out of every game. Even though we lost most of our so called quality players we are still winning games. We also seem to have a bit of luck on our side, i.e. winning the Leicester game, which in the Prem would have ended either 0-0 or 0-1.

 

Its not luck though really, its just the massive difference in quality between the Premiership and the Championship.  Even though we had five first teamers out and a reserve striker up front we had enough quality to have a midfielder who could waltz past Leicesters defence and smash the ball into the net.

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The standard is not as good as I was led to believe. People thinking we are going to walk the league will be in for a major shock starting against Cardiff I reckon. They are a team in form with some good players, enjoying their first campaign in a new stadium. A couple of key injuries and we are shite again too.

 

We've already had key injuries, in fact that's the only reason I've got any worries at all about playing Cardiff.  IMO with a full team we'd murder them.

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The standard of the teams is garbage tbh.

 

I reckon we're even worse than last year but we're now winning games because the opposition are so bad. It's fucking great in so far as we can play absolute dogshit and still win but I'm under no illusions as to what would happen if this squad were to get promoted and not strengthen. We're still awful and yet still a cut above the dross in here. 

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The standard of the teams is garbage tbh.

 

I reckon we're even worse than last year but we're now winning games because the opposition are so bad. It's fucking great in so far as we can play absolute dogshit and still win but I'm under no illusions as to what would happen if this squad were to get promoted and not strengthen. We're still awful and yet still a cut above the dross in here.  

 

I think if we do get promoted we'd be in a good position to rebuild the squad.  Our wage bill will be so low in comparison to last season, about half what it was once Geremi and Butt are gone (they're out of contract at the end of this season).  So we'll have a good amount of excess revenue to invest in players even without outside money from Ashley or a new owner.

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The standard of the teams is garbage tbh.

 

I reckon we're even worse than last year but we're now winning games because the opposition are so bad. It's fucking great in so far as we can play absolute dogshit and still win but I'm under no illusions as to what would happen if this squad were to get promoted and not strengthen. We're still awful and yet still a cut above the dross in here.  

 

I think if we do get promoted we'd be in a good position to rebuild the squad.  Our wage bill will be so low in comparison to last season, about half what it was once Geremi and Butt are gone (they're out of contract at the end of this season).  So we'll have a good amount of excess revenue to invest in players even without outside money from Ashley or a new owner.

 

Yeah, i think you're absolutely right. If we go up, and we've been taken over, the club will be fresh and could be built on very nicely. Which is why i'd love Shearer to come in, really. He'd be a long-term appointment, and in all honesty the whole 'unknown quantity' business with him sort of appeals. He'd be new and fresh, just like the club, and free to go in whatever direction he wanted. He'd have to be backed though.

 

Dealing with ifs, buts and maybes here... we just need to get promoted ASAP. The league is shit so we should do.

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I lurk around these forums, and listen to some dross but please...

 

Are there people really believing we're going to stroll the CCC? Come on, it's a fab start, but we all know our weaknesses. Teams have had to come to us and been swept away with the event of playing against us, but that won't last forever. The first time we get beat, every manager worth their salt in the division will be all over the tapes, working out how to nullify us and find our weak points. Hughton is an unknown quantity atm, so when he gets sussed we're going to find it a lot harder. We have less cover than our main rivals and still we've got 41 league games to go - more games still than we've been asked to cover in 15+ years!

 

Not only that but there is still a huge amount of uncertainty around the club and how it's all going to pan out. I hope when we do take a tumble a few people on here might wake up and take things more seriously.

 

I would say though, it's nice not going into a match fearing defeat; the CCC is actually a damn sight more fun to watch (with the last couple of games a prime example), but here's hoping we're not here next season...

 

Ben

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I lurk around these forums, and listen to some dross but please...

 

Are there people really believing we're going to stroll the CCC? Come on, it's a fab start, but we all know our weaknesses. Teams have had to come to us and been swept away with the event of playing against us, but that won't last forever. The first time we get beat, every manager worth their salt in the division will be all over the tapes, working out how to nullify us and find our weak points. Hughton is an unknown quantity atm, so when he gets sussed we're going to find it a lot harder. We have less cover than our main rivals and still we've got 41 league games to go - more games still than we've been asked to cover in 15+ years!

 

Not only that but there is still a huge amount of uncertainty around the club and how it's all going to pan out. I hope when we do take a tumble a few people on here might wake up and take things more seriously.

 

I would say though, it's nice not going into a match fearing defeat; the CCC is actually a damn sight more fun to watch (with the last couple of games a prime example), but here's hoping we're not here next season...

 

Ben

cheers ben....the thing is we were all told that instead of being swept away it would be their cup final and thy'd give it more than normal. also the problem managers have is that not only have oppo managers got to work out how to beat us,not many will have the players to do it.

 

the crunch will be how the players and fans reasct to a reult or two going against.

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If we don't end up in the six by the end of the season, we will only have one person to blame: Mike Ashley. I think our top 11 guys are far and above most of the teams that we'll come across and the only thing that is going to keep us from promotion (or at least a playoff spot) is injuries.

 

As for the quality of the games, if I could watch every game (or most games) I would be happy for us to play at this level forever. The games are fun to watch and I'm still enjoying every minute of being an NUFC fan this year, in spite of the turmoil and the lack of televised matches. Just wish that I could watch more.

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It's of a worse standard than I originally thought it would be, like most others. Can't wait for Sunday and the hectic schedule to resume, just hope the break will have helped rather than broken some of the momentum we have built. Loving it so far, but under no illusions that things won't get tougher.

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Guest Heneage

The standard of the teams is garbage tbh.

 

I reckon we're even worse than last year but we're now winning games because the opposition are so bad. It's f***ing great in so far as we can play absolute dogshit and still win but I'm under no illusions as to what would happen if this squad were to get promoted and not strengthen. We're still awful and yet still a cut above the dross in here.   

Never in the world. :lol:

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I lurk around these forums, and listen to some dross but please...

 

Are there people really believing we're going to stroll the CCC? Come on, it's a fab start, but we all know our weaknesses. Teams have had to come to us and been swept away with the event of playing against us, but that won't last forever. The first time we get beat, every manager worth their salt in the division will be all over the tapes, working out how to nullify us and find our weak points. Hughton is an unknown quantity atm, so when he gets sussed we're going to find it a lot harder. We have less cover than our main rivals and still we've got 41 league games to go - more games still than we've been asked to cover in 15+ years!

 

Not only that but there is still a huge amount of uncertainty around the club and how it's all going to pan out. I hope when we do take a tumble a few people on here might wake up and take things more seriously.

 

I would say though, it's nice not going into a match fearing defeat; the CCC is actually a damn sight more fun to watch (with the last couple of games a prime example), but here's hoping we're not here next season...

 

Ben

 

Well said. Bit surprised by some of the comments on here.

 

I don't think people appreciate how much just a few injuries will hurt us, or how limited our young backup players may be. I think we'll look very ordinary even in this division if you take a few of our better players out, and if anything happens to our only two centre backs, teams will target that as a weak area immediately. And up front, do we have a reliable goalscorer? Jury's still out on that one. Ameobi started brightly and then got crocked, as has happened to him a number of times in his career. The others are youngsters and Lovenkrands, while quick and lively, doesn't offer any guarantees.

 

A lot will depend on how the fans and more importantly the players react to a defeat or two on the bounce. That'll be the true test of Hughton as a manager as well, to lift the players and keep us consistent, and to grind out results when we're decimated with injuries (as, let's not forget, happens to us every bloody year).

 

Not to mention the January window and the likelihood of more departures. Does anybody seriously believe we'll not have a weaker squad in February than we do now? If Ashley wouldn't sign players in the summer then he won't in the winter either, you can take that almost as a given. More sales and no more signings and we could be limping towards the end of the season. It's vital we bag as many early points as we can.

 

We're not sh*tting on teams nor are we utterly outclassing them. We've had to grind out a couple of results already and it won't always go our way.

 

Our start has been good but I think a bit of perspective is needed, otherwise it's gonna be a shock to the system when we lose a couple of games on the bounce due to poor performances/tactics, bad luck or meeting in-form sides. One of the main reasons this league is considered tough to get out of is that there are only 2 guaranteed promotion places out of 24 teams, meaning you have to win nearly every week to make sure you're up there.

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the championship is a shit league, players are neither as skilful nor as intelligent as those in the top division, and also physically poorer as premiership players are bigger, stronger, quicker, more powerful and have more stamnia than their championship equivalents. the organisation at this level doesn't seem much different however, leicester played a solid game closing us down, trying to hold onto the ball and keeping a tight defence until they tired in the 2nd half. but even then it took a real wonder strike to clinch the points. I don't think we look like a focused team at this moment in time, we're only winning matches because we have better players. If we get into the top division the players won't have that advantage and we'll need a manager who can produce teams that are greater than the sum of their parts.

 

As i see it we look good for a promotion challenge but there are some worries - hughton is totally untested over a long period of time so that it an unknown, the takeover situation could come back to haunt us, Ashley's general idiocy could still ruin everything, we might lose players in January, we're NUFC and we always get more injuries than anyone else, and even if we do stay clear of injuries, with such a small squad we'll be bloody knackered by the end of the season which is when we might have to be at our best (play-offs). I think if we don't go up this season we'll see a gradual decline that could easily end up with us in League One.

 

we're also in a worse position to rebuild now than we were at the end of last season. a team entering the premier league with their talisman being shola ameobi is almost certainly going straight back down to the championship. in the event we go up we're going to need massive investment. if ashley is here that won't happen, and if ashley decides to try and sell up again next summer that probably won't happen either. In our case promotion wouldn't be the end of our troubles, but the start of the real challenge

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My first impressions are pretty positive: I've looked forward to matches; I've enjoyed actually being at matches; we've got some good results so far. Wouldn't for a second say it'll be an easy season though, with the squad being paper thin and many months of football ahead of us. Just hope we can keep up this winning streak for a bit longer.  :thup:

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Injuries will be a killer. We've still got to play three games before we start a premiership schedule and our main striker is out, this with even less players than we usually have which results in half a team missing.

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Just noticed the date - anybody else want to share in naming today Shearer day?!?

 

9/9/9

 

I'll toast the great man at the start of the second half tonight ;o)

 

Ben

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I remember only too well the feeling I had the last time we went down. It was was dissapointment at first of course, but then it struck me how we would be a big fish again in a little pond and we would win much more often. Saturday's were fuun again. And lets face it, it's not the taking part that counts, it's the bloody winning :)

 

The same feelings are coming back again now. It is way too early to get complacent, but I never bought into to the crap spouted about the CCC being a tough league. It's clearly not. But we do have a really tough game coming up on Sunday if we get through that unscathed then we'll be well on our way. The good thing for us is that really we haven't got significantly weaker since the start of the season, only Duff has left from that team that started against WBA, while our rivals haven't improved and in Boro's case have significantly weakened.

 

I still maintain that the only thing that will stop us winning promotion at the first attempt is ourselves, or namely Mike Ashley.

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