Has the passion gone?

[JH]

Feel so much apathy atm for a club that I've followed for so long.

 

Even under Shepherd when we had disaster after disaster with managers, I still looked forward to matchday, the buzz and excitement of going to the game or sticking it on the telly, the build-up, the feeling that anything could follow in the next 90 minutes.

 

And now...now, it feels like a chore. I dread a weekend where I have to go to SJP because we usually play poorly and I come away p*ssed off, ruining the entire weekend.

 

I don't care as much about missing a game for work, or because I'm going out, or whathaveyou. It's like there is no fight in the stands anymore, supporters have become inanimate robots just happy to churn out money without second thought. It doesn't feel like 'our club' anymore - there is nobody employed at NUFC that is fighting for the fans and trying their best to keep us on side.

 

It's all faceless, corporate, cockney nonense. And it feels like this was Ashley's plan all along - to squeeze every last ounce of fight out of the fans, out of the players and out of the club. We went up against him with the KK stuff and his response was to destroy everything that this club has ever stood for.

 

He's f***ed with the look of the club, plastering his cheap and nasty signage everywhere, he f***ed with the stadium name which has stood there for well over 100 years, he f***ed with our ambitions and reduced us to cheering end of year financial results being released.

 

What have we become man? 10 years ago we were coming to the end of a season where we finished 3rd and made the 2nd round proper of the Champions League. Fast forward to 2013 and we're hanging on by our dear lives to our Premier League status - makes you sick.

 

So the question is - has the passion of Newcastle United gone? Do we even care anymore?

[Disco]

No, we're just shit.

[gdm]

were you feelin the same this time last year?

 

Apathy goes hand in hand with bad results. what a shock

[SiLvOR]

I think personally the passion has faded somewhat. Last year brought me back quite a bit, because we had a good, likeable squad that was getting some fantastic results. This somewhat masked and almost distracted me from the things going on with the club, for example sports direct being slapped everywhere on the ground

 

However this season, I started off really passionate and losing would literally have me feeling moody for about 2-3 days afterwards , as the season has dragged on however, I've become more apathetic and disinterested. I use the phrase "dragged on" because it feels exactly like that. No enjoyment, just a mandatory task that must be completed. It's a very sad state of affairs and I do believe the passion has gone from the club, yes.

[Guest icemanblue]

No, we're just shit.

 

[Parky]

Society has changed imo and that has leaked into football. Bland manufactured mass culture and all the asanine shit that comes with it. Monkey see monkey do.

[SEMTEX]

No. We're just shit. For the most part.

 

It may always be different to how it was 20 years ago, but I don't think that's anything to do with passion.

[JH]

were you feelin the same this time last year?

 

Yes, and the bubble burst in the summer when we had a chance to really push on and improve the squad.

[SEMTEX]

I don't get to many games but there sure felt like plenty of passion before the last game of the season last year vs man city. Best atmosphere I've experienced and we lost!

[themanupstairs]

I think that in the first 10 season following our promotion back to the big time, the elation of the Keegan years, then the wonderful time under SBR, there was a general feeling that it was only a matter of time before we won our next piece of silverware. It felt like our time had come to compensate for all the years of hurt in relative oblivion.

 

Since then, all we have seen are the things that now typify NUFC. The terrible luck, the terrible mismanagement of the club (on all levels), the bottling of big occasions etc. That feeling of "it's our time" is gradually fading away as we come to the deflating realisation that there is a real possibility that it will never be our time.

 

So sad in a way, but NUFC will live on through it. We might post less on a forum, buy less merchandise and attend less games, but at the end of the day, it is a club which we all take great pride being associated with. Our club is quirky, and different. Our stadium is a thing of beauty, and our away support is practically unrivalled.

[gdm]

were you feelin the same this time last year?

 

Yes, and the bubble burst in the summer when we had a chance to really push on and improve the squad.

 

so with a chance of gettin in the top 4 and you didnt get excited? the games were a chore? you got no thrill out of beating Chelsea 2-0? thats strange

[Spider Jerusalem]

It's not just Newcastle for me, it's all football that I've lost the passion for.

 

For example, a few weeks ago I couldn't remember who won last year's Euro Championships.  Was it my mind playing tricks on me in my old age or was it that I honestly didn't care.  I've got ESPN as part of my cable package but the only match I've watched recently was the bumming by The Bindippers last weekend.  I've barely watched any of the Euro matches at all this season, preferring my XBox or repeats of QI on Dave over live football.

 

So yes, I'd say I've either lost my passion or I'm becoming more of an old curmudgeon than I was previously.  I'm going for the latter.

[Beren]

More disenchanted with the game as a whole than I can recall ever previously being. I felt good about Newcastle under Hughton, and we were a very average midtable side at the time, so I disagree with the "it's because we're shit" sentiment. Even then though, on a wider football scale, money still ruled the footballing roost in a particularly galling fashion (abramovich etc).

 

Didn't enjoy last season that much,  only the spectacular goals (which were plentiful tbh). This season has been nightmarish quite frankly.

 

The pride has gone a bit I think.

[JH]

were you feelin the same this time last year?

 

Yes, and the bubble burst in the summer when we had a chance to really push on and improve the squad.

 

so with a chance of gettin in the top 4 and you didnt get excited? the games were a chore? you got no thrill out of beating Chelsea 2-0? thats strange

 

Sorry, read your post wrong! Should have said "No, but the bubble burst in the summer"

[Superior Acuña]

Relegation and last year has surely changed us since Shepherd's time. Our s**** seasons under shepherd came after CL qualification, that's where we felt we should be and wouldn't put up with much less. But since we've dropped expectations so much that our first season back-up in 11th was a positive surprise, even moreso last season. We're still kind of shocked by last season's success and people have an affection and respect for those that acheived it, and people aren't really surprised/disappointed that we haven't matched it. And most the season we've only just been that couple of wins from getting into the top half. Through that we've accepted lower than normal and sleepwalked into a much worse situation than we realised.

 

I don't think there's much of a lack of passion in the away stands. People were defiant yesterday. I was disappointed in the Liverpool game, I did feel like a sore thumb standing and shouting for some passion from the players. And I think chants like ALAN PARDEW'S BLACK N WHITE ARMY don't necessarily show support for Pardew, but people feel that during the game the team, including manager, need defiant support.

[Parky]

I really miss England and never understimate the shitness of sub-cultures inc football abroad. England is the last place on earth passion will die for anything that is close to our hearts inc football. Europe is a wasteland mostly.

[Guest ItalianMagpie]

Well I do, no matter what league we're playing in.

It's true that I'm NOT looking forward to the weekend cause I know we're gonna lose and play shit football, I'm so used to this and so hopeless for something surprisingly different that I don't even enjoy the game and wish it's over as quick as possible.

And I obviously don't like how Ashley has been treating the club and the fans, but he still saved us from being the new Leeds and the new Portsmouth and I don't mind if we're not playing Champions League football as long as our finances are sound and we're not risking to burst like most of other european clubs.

You have to admit that while doing so he also built a more than decent side, so all in all he did a good job. His mistake, and it's a big mistake that's gonna cost us big time, was to appoint this fucktard and give him a ridiculous contract, and being apparently incapable of even thinking about getting rid of him.

[Big Geordie]

I believe that the fan base has been ground down since Ashley took over - expectations have been lowered, plenty of flim-flam coming from Llambias/Pardew and total toilet performance on the field for the most part of this season. Even after the defeats to the unwashed and scousers, there was more of a feel of resignation than anger, although we all know what the knuckle draggers did in town afterwards. I think in the main, most folk realize that Ashley will do what he wants and be damned to everyone else. Some of us made the choice some years ago (myself included) to turn in our s/t's. I was fed up and to be honest I had better things to spend my hard earned on, with a bairn on the way.

 

Times are now harder and I reckon for most, being able to afford to go to the match is a struggle - especially with the rubbish that is served up and the never-ending excuses. As it is, I believe Pardew will be in charge next season, come what may. He doesn't look like a man who is fearful of his job. Relegation will be paid for, by our 'top players' being moved on, and a promotion charge will be attempted on the cheap (should be go down, which I believe we will)

[gdm]

were you feelin the same this time last year?

 

Yes, and the bubble burst in the summer when we had a chance to really push on and improve the squad.

 

so with a chance of gettin in the top 4 and you didnt get excited? the games were a chore? you got no thrill out of beating Chelsea 2-0? thats strange

 

Sorry, read your post wrong! Should have said "No, but the bubble burst in the summer"

 

ah fair enough. tbh i'd go along with the people saying football as a whole.

[Guest Phil K]

Feel so much apathy atm for a club that I've followed for so long.

So the question is - has the passion of Newcastle United gone? Do we even care anymore?

Absolutely. Blame all over, players and manager, and Ashley

But Pardew has made a mess of everything all season. Thats where the fault lies.

Even when strengthened, the side slips dramatically when Pardew's influence begins to have effect.

Ashley won't get rid of him - for now anyways, its that idiotic 8 year contract. Couldn't fathom it at the time, if he'd done it two seasons in a row, maybe. But ANY manager can have a one off season.

And so it's proved. The fans can't see any improvement, only scrambling to undeserved safety on last day the best we can see.

And it's NOT good enough

[JH]

More disenchanted with the game as a whole than I can recall ever previously being. I felt good about Newcastle under Hughton, and we were a very average midtable side at the time, so I disagree with the "it's because we're s***" sentiment. Even then though, on a wider football scale, money still ruled the footballing roost in a particularly galling fashion (abramovich etc).

 

Didn't enjoy last season that much,  only the spectacular goals (which were plentiful tbh). This season has been nightmarish quite frankly.

 

The pride has gone a bit I think.

 

It's so much easier to be passionate and enjoy when things are going right - it shows a lot about how you react when things aren't going as well.

 

Under Hughton, although we weren't the best we had a likeable guy in charge with a hardworking group of players who weren't the best technically, but were always going to go that little extra mile on the pitch - that always made it easier to enjoy the games.

 

This season, the crowd at St James' Park has just been like one massive shoulder shrug and sigh, "oh well, we're going down again". The amount of people who just up and left when we fell against Liverpool and Sunderland was unreal - under Shepherd, we'd have been hanging from the advertising boards, baying for blood. It's as if we've reverted so much in a short space of time, that people have just had every last ounce of energy squeezed out of them.

[NG32]

 

I dont think the passion has gone, I think everyone tried to get on board with the plans for the club with what we thought was going to be a good few years of being stable. With all the tension and stress of previous seasons of the club lurching about...I think the just wanted to get on with the club being stablised and turned around into a challenger of sorts.

 

As for this season, I think everyone thought results would pick up and we would have generally be safe by now.  I think the lack of investment in the summer and the signings in jan had everyone being patient to see how things panned out. 

 

Its just finally panned out badly.

 

I also think alot of people recognise the club is in serious danger and dont want to rock the boat while points are there to be won.  I think it will change once the season is over and done with. 

 

 

If we do go down, im not sure if people/fans will have the stomach for an awful pre season like our previous relegation.  They'd want to see instant action and a solid looking plan for promotion.

 

 

 

[Stu]

We're all getting old.

 

Said by someone much smarter than me.

[Guest palnese]

We're losing and playing shite football - people are sick of it.

 

When we start winning again the "passion" will come back.

[Guest ItalianMagpie]

I don't understand how the passion can fluctuate according to results. You either have it or you don't, it doesn't rise when you win and fall when you lose. That's more Man City and Chelsea stuff

Then if you talk about passion for football in general I can understand and I also somehow agree that is weakening, but it's a totally different matter.