It's been an eventful one...

[JH]

From top four finishes to relegation despair.

 

FA and UEFA Semi Finals to crushing Cup defeats.

 

To Champions League football and

 

To management failures and unsung heroes.

 

From that 3-1 at Highbury and that 3-2 at Feyernoord.

 

To that 0-1 at Derby and 'that' day at Villa Park.

 

To Fat Fred and his endless cheque book, to Mike Ashley and his 'Cockney Mafia'

 

206 for Shearer, 26 for Owen.

 

Despair when Shearer retired, delight when Owen departed.

 

Kevin Keegan's return, Kevin Keegan's removal.

 

To Bobby, Souness, Roeder, Pearson, Allardyce, Keegan, Kinnear, Shearer and Hughton.

 

9 managerial appointments, 9 spaces in the trophy cabinet.

 

Some came so close, some were always too far.

 

From the brilliance of Solano and Speed, to the zimmers of Geremi and Butt.

 

To top of the table at Christmas, the power, the pace, the goals...

 

...to the Prozone, the long balls and negative tactics.

 

The comeback under Roeder, the damage already done under Shearer.

 

To Andy Griffin against Juventus, to Shola at Camp Nou.

 

The near-win at the San Siro, the heavy defeat at Old Trafford.

 

Mr Geordie bows out to cancer after five fights, a legend that will live on a lifetime.

 

Wonder goals against Spurs, Chelsea and Everton.

 

Spectacular misses against Fulham and Pompey.

 

To the millions that have walked through the turnstiles at St James Park.

 

To the tens of thousands that have travelled the World to follow the black and white.

 

To the Cult heroes - the Bellamys, the Roberts, the Beyes and Bernards.

 

To the flops - Jenas, Ambrose, Babayaro and co.

 

To good players who can't score goals, to poor players who can't stop scoring goals.

 

To Premiership promotion, to players that continue to bleed Black and White.

 

A club that stands strong despite the crisis and chaos.

 

Something that Mike Ashley still cannot knock down.

 

Here's to the next ten years.

 

[cp40]

A billion words posted on internet forums.

[Pilko]

A billion words posted on internet forums.

 

And a billion commas too.

[cp40]

A billion words posted on internet forums.

 

And a billion commas too.

 

 

and only took about 18 months,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[gray]

Doesn't rhyme