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Matt Ritchie (now playing for Portsmouth)


Fenham Mag

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51 minutes ago, TBG said:

With the need for a new stadium and players seemingly not moving their families, I wonder if we should be looking at building the stadium in the Midlands or further south

 

Maybe Michael Owen’s helicopter is available? 

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  • 3 weeks later...

https://theathletic.com/3484338/2022/08/07/newcastle-st-james-park-nottingham-forest/

Quote

Taylor’s camera is a thrum of clicks as Matt Ritchie walks past. As usual, Ritchie is early. “We have to be in for 1.20pm, but I like to take in what’s going on around the ground and visualise what part I’m going to play,” the winger says. “It’s really important to have that feeling of what it means to everyone. The overriding emotion is excitement. Matchday is what we do it for.”

Ritchie joined Newcastle in 2016. He was a mainstay of their promotion season and pivotal in keeping them in the Premier League. It was a rocky spell for the club, but Ritchie was part of a staunch and honest squad. As the club flailed, they dug in, bridging eras. He was the tone-setter, the radgie. “The anger is still in there,” he says, laughing. “I can channel it.”

“My role has changed,” he says. “I’m a realist. I’m 32. To have played the part I’ve played, I’m very proud. There were moments when it was hairy and it looked like we were going back to square one, but everyone together, pulling in the same direction, we managed to consolidate. All the other bits are falling into place.” Today, he is a substitute.

Newcastle’s unity is still a novelty. For so long, the club was engaged in weary warfare with itself, fans against Ashley, fans against Steve Bruce, everybody sniping. “Together, anything is possible,” Richie says and he is right. “It wasn’t a fluke that last season went the way it did. It was a lot of hard work. But everyone bought into it.”

This place, though, full and bouncing — and it soon will be — is an emotional assault. “You don’t get this everywhere,” Ritchie says. “When they roar, you feel that energy. Wor Flags deserve so much credit. The effect they’re having on the club — they’ll go down in history. This place will be famous as the stadium of flags. The noise, the hostility. They’re our tool.”

:love:

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  • 4 months later...
Just now, Newcastle Fan said:

Last time we discussed him here was August last year and it really should've stayed that way, i hope this is the last time we see him in our colors.

Thought he was one of our better players tbf, went on a good winding run and deliveries were pretty good.

 

Against league one thought he looked sharper than most. 

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Thought he was actually okay but that's against my ridiculously low expectations. One of the final parts of the 2016-17 squad that should've been moved on in 2018 or 2019 but was kept on and on and on with bumper contracts so Ashley didn't have to fork out for an adequate upgrade. 

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Just now, Ronaldo said:

He was actually decent tonight by his standards but it’s plain to see he’s got nothing left in open play and he knows it too. Trippier’s set pieces were far better, but that’s a given. 

I said in the match thread, but you can tell his technical side is still at a reasonable ability, it's just he doesn't have his legs anymore, which will always be his limiting factor.

 

Thought he was probably our best player from the first 11 today tbh.

 

When he does move on, he's probably the player from the Rafa Championship era, that I'll look back on the most fondly, the wee Scottish radge.

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He was excellent in the Championship but that was over nearly 6 years ago.
 

He symbolises the Ashley era perfectly unfortunately. Get back into / stay in the PL but who cares if it’s soulless, predictably uninspiring football that scrapes a place in the bottom half.

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I thought he was ok tonight.  It’s a shame that there’s a few of these players who were given ludicrous contract extensions by Ashley - if Ritchie had left around 2018/2019 he’d have secured a warm fuzzy place in the memory banks - not as a great player, but one who worked his balls off, clearly cared and got the club back to somewhere approaching where it belongs.  Instead, every passing season takes the sheen off that.  I doubt he’s too bothered by that, but it matters to me :) 

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  • 1 month later...

Think it's becoming more and more evident that this is the reason he tends to be be kept around, wouldn't surprise me if he becomes an Under-21 player coach like some clubs have.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I know he's well past his sell buy date at this point, and should rightly be moved on, but I still love this radge Scottish bastard, although part of me hopes he becomes the U-21 designated "Oldie"  for the reserves similar to what Ashworth implemented at Brighton. :lol: 

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1 minute ago, 54 said:

I know he's well past his sell buy date at this point, and should rightly be moved on, but I still love this radge Scottish bastard, although part of me hopes he becomes the U-21 designated "Oldie"  for the reserves similar to what Ashworth implemented at Brighton. :lol: 

Be ideal for it. Top pro and would keep the younguns standards up. Probably toughen them up as well

 

 

Edited by jack j

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