Do you plan to return to St. James Park when allowed?

[Minhosa]

4 minutes ago, B-more Mag said:

One of these days I'm going to make it over there and go. Hopefully Ashley's out by then, otherwise it's going to be a bit of a shit conundrum.

If it was me, I'd wait tbh.

[Guest HTT II]

25 minutes ago, Minhosa said:

Rafa's departure was the straw that broke the camels back for me. That was the day when he stopped pretending we were a football club and he confirmed that he's only interested in making up the numbers.

Appointing a man like Steve Bruce, with zero credibility, to take the reins was rubbing salt in the gaping wounds.

I was there at Fulham away and vowed not to return under Ashley.

As tough as it is not to be able to take my sons and immerse them in the culture/experiences I had as a kid during the KK years, I know I can sleep at night with a clear conscience.

I'm not funding the 17th place mission any longer.

I couldn't attend and support this ownership financially, morally or in any other way.

 Bang on, I vowed never to go again after Fulham away which I only went to say farewell to Rafa. 

[ToonArmy1892]

What has actually happened to our fanbase?

Why are we so meek and easily controlled now, unwilling to protest and defend our club?

I'm sure it hasn't always been that way, maybe i'm wrong.

Have we just been battered down too many times?

[astraguy]

5 hours ago, Minhosa said:

Rafa's departure was the straw that broke the camels back for me. That was the day when he stopped pretending we were a football club and he confirmed that he's only interested in making up the numbers.

Appointing a man like Steve Bruce, with zero credibility, to take the reins was rubbing salt in the gaping wounds.

I was there at Fulham away and vowed not to return under Ashley.

As tough as it is not to be able to take my sons and immerse them in the culture/experiences I had as a kid during the KK years, I know I can sleep at night with a clear conscience.

I'm not funding the 17th place mission any longer.

I couldn't attend and support this ownership financially, morally or in any other way.

I find it crazy that wasn't the final straw for all of the fan base as someone pointed out before the fans brought me into supporting Newcastle as i'm not a local lad but they are slowly pushing me away, this isn't the club i grew up supporting 

[ToonArmy1892]

I will always love the club the same deep down, but i used to look at our fans with fondness.

These happy clapper supporters going on like everything is fine, just happy to be back in the ground, willing to accept any old shite, it's just bloody weird. They might aswell be supporting a different club to me.

Don't get me wrong, it's not all fans, most on here totally get it, but it seems we are a minority.

 

[HaydnNUFC]

The will to protest has never been there and never really will be. Shame because in an ideal world nobody would go to games or give Ashley money until he sold. But the history is there to be seen; boycotts, protests, whatever, the appetite has never been there and never will be there.

[huss9]

protests need leadership and planning. 

hard just to expect individual fans to suddenly turn up at the ground and start protesting because of criticism online forums.

fans groups need to take the lead.

but after the lack of support in general for ashleyout and sackpardew i'm afraid people think its not worth the hassle anyway.

and you get a lot asking what are you protesting about? Ashley's trying to sell.

 

 

 

[GWN]

On 20/05/2021 at 21:14, ToonArmy1892 said:

I will always love the club the same deep down, but i used to look at our fans with fondness.

These happy clapper supporters going on like everything is fine, just happy to be back in the ground, willing to accept any old shite, it's just bloody weird. They might aswell be supporting a different club to me.

Don't get me wrong, it's not all fans, most on here totally get it, but it seems we are a minority.

 

A lot don’t want the aggro mate , they don’t want the threat of a ban from the club.I like others went to Rafas final game for him and him only.

I won’t pay to watch this shite because of Ashley’s NUFC and what it exists for, ive no idea why folk still go.They are my footballing love and always will be but not like this , not with Ashley , ever.

[Happinesstan]

On 21/05/2021 at 15:04, HaydnNUFC said:

The will to protest has never been there and never really will be. Shame because in an ideal world nobody would go to games or give Ashley money until he sold. But the history is there to be seen; boycotts, protests, whatever, the appetite has never been there and never will be there.

It was. You're just too young to remember.

[HaydnNUFC]

8 hours ago, Happinesstan said:

It was. You're just too young to remember.

For Newcastle fans gates have only significantly dropped when results are bad. 1977-82. 1988-1992. When protests have been organised they tend to drop on their arse. United Supporters for Change in 1989 called for a boycott of the Leeds match; 24,400 still went which was the 4th highest gate in the league that year, one of the 3 games above that was a derby. Spurs boycott in 2015 was a relative success, though quite a number still went. Wolves boycott in 2018 was cancelled. West Ham walk in in 2018 was pathetic. Arsenal boycott 2019 equally as pathetic. 

The ground has only been fairly empty when league position and results have been at their lowest ebb.

[Happinesstan]

5 hours ago, HaydnNUFC said:

For Newcastle fans gates have only significantly dropped when results are bad. 1977-82. 1988-1992. When protests have been organised they tend to drop on their arse. United Supporters for Change in 1989 called for a boycott of the Leeds match; 24,400 still went which was the 4th highest gate in the league that year, one of the 3 games above that was a derby. Spurs boycott in 2015 was a relative success, though quite a number still went. Wolves boycott in 2018 was cancelled. West Ham walk in in 2018 was pathetic. Arsenal boycott 2019 equally as pathetic. 

The ground has only been fairly empty when league position and results have been at their lowest ebb.

Boycott and protest are two separate things.

[ToonArmy1892]

12 minutes ago, Happinesstan said:

Boycott and protest are two separate things.

Eh?

I've been boycotting as a form of protest.

[Happinesstan]

Just now, ToonArmy1892 said:

Eh?

I've been boycotting as a form of protest.

Get with the context, daddyo.

[ToonArmy1892]

How is a boycott not a protest?

[Fantail Breeze]

On 20/05/2021 at 20:52, ToonArmy1892 said:

What has actually happened to our fanbase?

Why are we so meek and easily controlled now, unwilling to protest and defend our club?

I'm sure it hasn't always been that way, maybe i'm wrong.

Have we just been battered down too many times?

We’ve been conditioned.

Year on year expectations have been lowered by Ashley. Also supported by the media narrative.

That’s why you get people like Tubes saying “12th place is a good achievement with this squad”. Imagine saying that when David Moyes has just taken West Ham (the team we thumped on the first day of the season) to 6th place and Europe.

We also have a new breed of fans going to games. The majority of fans who were here pre-Ashley have given up. The majority of people still attending or voicing their support are probably young enough to not really know what life was like pre-Ashley. 

It’ll take years to recover from Ashley. Even if PIF get in control and spend millions. The retail, stadium, facilities, academies all need a tremendous amount of time and money.

[ToonArmy1892]

Yes, 25 year old fans, let's say they starting supporting NUFC at age 10, they've only known Ashley and us being shit, and twice not even in the top league.

Sad really, when i was 10 it was just as Bobby was coming in, so i knew us as a good team competing at the top and in the Champions league, so as such i expect more from the club.

Maybe the younger fans don't expect us to do better, even though they might want it.

Mid table is the best they know bar that one off 5th place.

Like you say, conditioned.

[astraguy]

Tubes as in Skysports ? Or a member on here? I haven't watched soccer am in over 5 years so no idea why he pops up same with talkshit or why anyone cares 

 

 

Edited May 23, 2021 by astraguy

[Fantail Breeze]

1 minute ago, astraguy said:

Tubes as in Skysports ? Or a member on here? I haven't watched soccer am in over 5 years so no idea why he pops up same with talkshit or why anyone cares 

@CalmintheChaos aka @Tubestationatmidnight

[HaydnNUFC]

4 hours ago, Happinesstan said:

Boycott and protest are two separate things.

The two aren't necessarily mutually exclusive. Many, especially on here, see boycotting matches as the only effective form of protest against Ashley. And boycotting matches for a particular protest against owners for Newcastle fans (or for most English football fans tbh) has never been something that they've done across their history.

Other forms of protest, ie holding up banners/signs, walk ins, sit ins, walk outs get either ridiculed from both sides of the spectrum or uptake for them in terms of participation is feeble. 

Obviously in an ideal world no one would attend matches until Ashley sold but it just won't happen, nor will a united, effective protest unless, as history suggests, results and league position or status turn. Its the reason why I just won't get wound up by match attendees or whatever, I've personally already accepted that that is how our fans are and for the most part always have been. We just need to wait it out until we're sold, whenever that is. It'll be grim but hey ho.

[Happinesstan]

5 minutes ago, HaydnNUFC said:

The two aren't necessarily mutually exclusive. Many, especially on here, see boycotting matches as the only effective form of protest against Ashley. And boycotting matches for a particular protest against owners for Newcastle fans (or for most English football fans tbh) has never been something that they've done across their history.

Other forms of protest, ie holding up banners/signs, walk ins, sit ins, walk outs get either ridiculed from both sides of the spectrum or uptake for them in terms of participation is feeble. 

Obviously in an ideal world no one would attend matches until Ashley sold but it just won't happen, nor will a united, effective protest unless, as history suggests, results and league position or status turn. Its the reason why I just won't get wound up by match attendees or whatever, I've personally already accepted that that is how our fans are and for the most part always have been. We just need to wait it out until we're sold, whenever that is. It'll be grim but hey ho.

In the 80s we protested because we were sick of the board selling our best players and pocketing the profits. We turned up in many numbers and hurled abuse at the directors box, refusing to leave after the whistle.

3 hours ago, ToonArmy1892 said:

How is a boycott not a protest?

There are many forms of protest. The protests in the 80s were not boycotts.

 

 

Edited May 24, 2021 by Happinesstan

[ToonArmy1892]

So what, boycott is a protest.

[Happinesstan]

Just now, ToonArmy1892 said:

So what, boycott is a protest.

A cod is a fish. So fucking what?

[HaydnNUFC]

2 minutes ago, Happinesstan said:

In the 80s we protested because we were sick of the board selling our best players and pocketing the profits. We turned up in many numbers and hurled abuse at the directors box, refusing to leave after the whistle.

There are many forms of protest. The protests in the 80s were not boycotts.

I know, a sit in at the Gallowgate at the end of a drab contest v Man United on TV was one such protest. A game at the end of the season v Millwall saw a guy laying a 'Sack the Board' banner on the pitch during the match. You'd never get any of that from our fans now though, it's mellowed. A lot of the diehards have chucked it and the ones who have replaced them see the most they can do is sing about Ashley being fat at the match.

[Happinesstan]

2 minutes ago, HaydnNUFC said:

I know, a sit in at the Gallowgate at the end of a drab contest v Man United on TV was one such protest. A game at the end of the season v Millwall saw a guy laying a 'Sack the Board' banner on the pitch during the match. You'd never get any of that from our fans now though, it's mellowed. A lot of the diehards have chucked it and the ones who have replaced them see the most they can do is sing about Ashley being fat at the match.

Aye. Just taking issue with you saying "we've never..."

 

Also. The TV coverage doesn't give you any idea of the venom and animosity, that day. 

 

 

Edited May 24, 2021 by Happinesstan

[HaydnNUFC]

Just now, Happinesstan said:

Aye. Just taking issue with you saying "we've never..."

In regards to boycotts, yeah. Protests such as the ones in that 1988-89 season, personally got no clue on the uptake. Probably more than the ones in the last 10 years tbf. So, aye.