General NUFC stuff

[jack j]

2 minutes ago, SteV said:

Yeah, it was PSG away she attended.

 

The club could really have helped her out by telling her to amend her statement a bit before it went public. Surely someone could have foreseen what the reaction was going to be?

Aye

Which was my original point. You'd think the club would have realised

They're either oblivious or not fussed

Who knows

[Fezzle]

8 minutes ago, SteV said:

Yeah, it was PSG away she attended.

 

The club could really have helped her out by telling her to amend her statement a bit before it went public. Surely someone could have foreseen what the reaction was going to be?

Yeah wasnt hard to see there would be an adverse reaction as it was worded

[54]

29 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

Is this just a stock comeback for any kind of reaction to things now? It's quite obviously a bullshit situation like, the animosity over it should be aimed squarely at the club rather than her, but the idea that a 'fan' getting on the club's advisory board having only started supporting the club from the takeover is a non-issue that no-one should care about is crackers.

 

 

 

See I think the reaction is crackers, and don't see the issue with it at all, she's an International fan who has recently starting supporting the club, who could advise on what drew her to support the club, as well as the various mechanisms that did so. If we want to grow our fanbase, then that could be something really useful and helpful, besides, why does someone's length of support matter? Its such an arbitrary thing. So long as they're a good fit for the role, who cares? So long as they're a devoted fan, who has the clubs best interests at heart, and the time and commitment to do the role then it shouldn't really matter? 

 

Ultimately this is a positive thing the club are doing, and people are getting outraged at one minor little thing, as apposed to seeing this as a step in the right position. 

[80]

6 minutes ago, gdm said:

I think it’s an issue but it’s not entirely surprising. She’s exactly the kind of fan the club are looking for. New blood. They have been very open about it really

 

how she’s managing to get tickets to psg etc when I can’t even win a single ballot is baffling mind. 
 

 

Precisely, she cannot have had anything like a representative experience of being an international supporter, whether old or new. So what can she contribute? Someone like a Mike or Kanji would have more to say about the historical challenges and opportunities for growing and maintaining this area. Honestly, @McDog would probably be a better candidate as someone who acknowledges he only got into it again recently. It's a very niche type of customer they're looking for... Small numbers of v.high disposable income people.

 

[SteV]

2 minutes ago, 54 said:

See I think the reaction is crackers, and don't see the issue with it at all, she's an International fan who has recently starting supporting the club, who could advise on what drew her to support the club, as well as the various mechanisms that did so. If we want to grow our fanbase, then that could be something really useful and helpful, besides, why does someone's length of support matter? Its such an arbitrary thing. So long as they're a good fit for the role, who cares? So long as they're a devoted fan, who has the clubs best interests at heart, and the time and commitment to do the role then it shouldn't really matter? 

 

Ultimately this is a positive thing the club are doing, and people are getting outraged at one minor little thing, as apposed to seeing this as a step in the right position. 

See that’s a balanced and fair opinion.

 

We know that kind of thing doesn’t exist on social media…

[McDog]

48 minutes ago, 80 said:

Precisely, she cannot have had anything like a representative experience of being an international supporter, whether old or new. So what can she contribute? Someone like a Mike or Kanji would have more to say about the historical challenges and opportunities for growing and maintaining this area. Honestly, @McDog would probably be a better candidate as someone who acknowledges he only got into it again recently. It's a very niche type of customer they're looking for... Small numbers of v.high disposable income people.

 

 

 

I heard a Mags podcaster talking about this yesterday, and you are correct I closely followed English football in the late 90's and early 2000's. I only picked Newcastle because I liked Newcastle Brown Ale. Came to really like the club and got some merch. Went 20 years not following in and started watching in August 2021. Had zero idea about the takeover talks and found out during a video conference with the UK team when someone cracked "I see you're wearing Saudi colours". I had on a Northern Rock shirt from 2009 that I picked up in August 2021 from Classic Football Shirts.

 

I will say, it's been great following the team again and I'd never switch my support as the team is something special even if KSA owns it.

[TBG]

A woman? At a football match? What next, driving licences?

[gdm]

1 hour ago, Fezzle said:

She has clearly stated all the tickets were in home ends

Where? I’ve only seen her bio where she says away at Chelsea & Leeds and at psg? 

[Kid Icarus]

1 hour ago, 54 said:

See I think the reaction is crackers, and don't see the issue with it at all, she's an International fan who has recently starting supporting the club, who could advise on what drew her to support the club, as well as the various mechanisms that did so. If we want to grow our fanbase, then that could be something really useful and helpful, besides, why does someone's length of support matter? Its such an arbitrary thing. So long as they're a good fit for the role, who cares? So long as they're a devoted fan, who has the clubs best interests at heart, and the time and commitment to do the role then it shouldn't really matter? 

 

Ultimately this is a positive thing the club are doing, and people are getting outraged at one minor little thing, as apposed to seeing this as a step in the right position. 

 

I think considering we're talking about a hundreds of years old sport where supporter's ties with their clubs are traditionally strongly built on history, tradition, loyalty, commitment, community and the whole 'what is a club in any case?' aspect, then the reaction is neither surprising or crackers, it's natural and completely justified. Particularly as that side of being a supporter is promoted and pandered to by clubs and the Premier League.

The club - and modern football in general - wants to have its cake and eat it. They want to push the idea above about what being a supporter is as part of their product that they can sell, while constantly undermining it.

 

So on one hand they can say ‘look what it means to these people in England, they’re so loyal and diehard, this is what it's all about', and it makes it a product worth selling (presumably because those things are actually meaningful to people, including those they're selling it to.)

 

But then on the other hand they'll completely undermine those values and cannibalise the product they're trying to sell by punishing those loyal, diehard, 'legacy fans' (to use their wording) in favour of the customers they're selling the brand to – “Come and see Newcastle's famous atmosphere! Watch the match from the seat where those who used to create the atmosphere once sat before we ousted them for you!”

 

The club is increasing encroaching on home fans, our away support, and things like this fan advisory boards with people who personify little or none of the traditional characteristics that supporting a club is about and being sold on. And just like tourists who visit paradise for the experience, the paradise dwindles and their experience and the local's experience is ruined by their presence.

 

And then when you say this, some people manage to get hoity toity about that view being seen as superfan-ish, snobby and gatekeep-y, what a joke. 

 

The club can try and attract whoever they want, but when it's at the direct expense of other fans who haven't just jumped on the bandwagon in the last 2 years, then it's obviously going to attract criticism and criticism that is more than warranted imo.

 

Our ire shouldn’t be aimed at people like this woman, who has fewer years supporting the club under her belt than some toddlers (let alone the fans here and abroad who have supported Newcastle for years and applied for the position) - from her perspective of course you’ll jump at the chance, who wouldn’t, but the club absolutely should be criticised for it imo.

 

This is not a blip in an otherwise faultless record, the club are trying to grow the brand and that’s essential and understandable, but they’re now fairly regularly doing it while specifically punishing those who have been loyal for years, and it’s not on. Even if it was argued for as a necessary evil I still think it’s unacceptable to do that.

 

It's bad enough that clubs and the media pedal this modern football stuff as no big deal and part of the game etc, but seeing fans excuse it and imo lie down and ask to be walked all over is even worse.

 

While the club treat existing supporters as both loyal family members and disposable customers depending on what they’re after in that moment, this is always going to happen imo, and the more supporters are treated like customers the more they’ll act like it. 

 

 

Edited January 9 by Kid Icarus

[SteV]

9 minutes ago, gdm said:

Where? I’ve only seen her bio where she says away at Chelsea & Leeds and at psg? 

 

The bio was just a bit misleading as she said ‘I went away to’, not really clarifying that she wasn’t in the away end.

 

Which is why I said someone at the club should really have helped her out with a bit of editing before it went public.

[54]

13 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

 

I think considering we're talking about a hundreds of years old sport where supporter's ties with their clubs are traditionally strongly built on history, tradition, loyalty, commitment, community and the whole 'what is a club in any case?' aspect, then the reaction is neither surprising or crackers, it's natural and completely justified. Particularly as that side of being a supporter is promoted and pandered to by clubs and the Premier League.

The club - and modern football in general - wants to have its cake and eat it. They want to push the idea above about what being a supporter is as part of their product that they can sell, while constantly undermining it.

 

So on one hand they can say ‘look what it means to these people in England, they’re so loyal and diehard, this is what it's all about', and it makes it a product worth selling (presumably because those things are actually meaningful to people, including those they're selling it to.)

 

But then on the other hand they'll completely undermine those values and cannibalise the product they're trying to sell by punishing those loyal, diehard, 'legacy fans' (to use their wording) in favour of the customers they're selling the brand to – “Come and see Newcastle's famous atmosphere! Watch the match from the seat where those who used to create the atmosphere once sat before we ousted them for you!”

 

The club is increasing encroaching on home fans, our away support, and things like this fan advisory boards with people who personify little or none of the traditional characteristics that supporting a club is about and being sold on. And just like tourists who visit paradise for the experience, the paradise dwindles and their experience and the local's experience is ruined by their presence.

 

And then when you say this, some people manage to get hoity toity about that view being seen as superfan-ish, snobby and gatekeep-y, what a joke. 

 

The club can try and attract whoever they want, but when it's at the direct expense of other fans who haven't just jumped on the bandwagon in the last 2 years, then it's obviously going to attract criticism and criticism that is more than warranted imo.

 

Our ire shouldn’t be aimed at people like this woman, who has fewer years supporting the club under her belt than some toddlers (let alone the fans here and abroad who have supported Newcastle for years and applied for the position) - from her perspective of course you’ll jump at the chance, who wouldn’t, but the club absolutely should be criticised for it imo.

 

This is not a blip in an otherwise faultless record, the club are trying to grow the brand and that’s essential and understandable, but they’re now fairly regularly doing it while specifically punishing those who have been loyal for years, and it’s not on. Even if it was argued for as a necessary evil I still think it’s unacceptable to do that.

 

It's bad enough that clubs and the media pedal this modern football stuff as no big deal and part of the game etc, but seeing fans excuse it and imo lie down and ask to be walked all over is even worse.

 

While the club treat existing supporters as both loyal family members and disposable customers depending on what they’re after in that moment, this is always going to happen imo, and the more supporters are treated like customers the more they’ll act like it. 

 

 

 

I appreciate that you spent time to write and articulate that post, but quite frankly I don't really agree, and I don't really want to get into a debate, as it's clear we both look at it in completely different ways. As personally, I just don't see a single thing wrong with it, and think its fine to have a newer fan on an advisory panel of nine. Clearly we have different views, and thats cool, you're more then entitled to yours as I am mine, and neither of us as right or wrong, but I just don't fancy getting into a debate about something I don't really feel that strongly about.

[Smal]

 

this one clearly indicated that she was in the home section for the away games.

 

I really don't have a problem with it. The rest of the 9 board members have been fans for most/all their lives who will be putting forward their perspectives. Hopefully they'll be able to get their points across on the ticketing issues. I don't think this one lady who's only been a fan for a couple of years is going to have much influence on ticketing etc.

 

[Guest reefatoon]

2 hours ago, Kid Icarus said:

Is this just a stock comeback for any kind of reaction to things now? It's quite obviously a bullshit situation like, the animosity over it should be aimed squarely at the club rather than her, but the idea that a 'fan' getting on the club's advisory board having only started supporting the club from the takeover is a non-issue that no-one should care about is crackers.

 

 

 

In what way will her being on the advisory board harm you (and others) though, to the point of people giving her grief (I know you haven’t, but people getting at her on social media like that is disgusting).

 

Also what is the cut off point, time wise for someone to be ok to fill that role at the club? She said she has been a fan for two years, which isn’t long enough. She obviously isn’t a stupid person if she is a lawyer and it’s fine to have a mix of old and new don’t you think? 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 9 by reefatoon

[joeyt]

Has she said any reasons why she supports us?

[Coffee_Johnny]

Just now, joeyt said:

Has she said any reasons why she supports us?

Two. Fabian. Schar. 

[gdm]

53 minutes ago, SteV said:

 

The bio was just a bit misleading as she said ‘I went away to’, not really clarifying that she wasn’t in the away end.

 

Which is why I said someone at the club should really have helped her out with a bit of editing before it went public.

That’s fair. I hadn’t seen that. Even more mental the club have put that out. It’s endorsing away fans going in the home ends

[TheBrownBottle]

2 hours ago, TBG said:

A woman? At a football match? What next, driving licences?

They’ll be wanting the vote next, too

[McDog]

8 minutes ago, TheBrownBottle said:

They’ll be wanting the vote next, too

 

 

Let's not get carried away here.

[TheBrownBottle]

If the club becomes successful a lot of people are going to have to get used to it - this woman will end up being representative of the majority of the support.

 

Im going to give her the benefit of the doubt and assume that she was prepared for questions coming her way online, and if she’s a representative then perhaps that’s to be expected.  It would be unpleasant to see her constantly having to fend off personal attacks from dickheads, though. 

[TheBrownBottle]

10 minutes ago, TheBrownBottle said:

They’ll be wanting the vote next, too

I could potentially live with it if their husbands can check and amend their votes before they’re cast 

[Kid Icarus]

1 hour ago, reefatoon said:

In what way will her being on the advisory board harm you (and others) though, to the point of people giving her grief (I know you haven’t, but people getting at her on social media like that is disgusting).

 

Also what is the cut off point, time wise for someone to be ok to fill that role at the club? She said she has been a fan for two years, which isn’t long enough. She obviously isn’t a stupid person if she is a lawyer and it’s fine to have a mix of old and new don’t you think? 

 

Ultimately it harms all of us because the more united we are as a fanbase, the better chance we have on the pitch. This is not the sole reason, but just one of a few things that's causing animosity within the ranks of our supporter base.

 

imo we're less united:

 

1. Directly, when existing fans are being replaced at SJP, at away matches, and in things like fan advisory boards by people who by default have demonstably less historical and emotional ties to the club  than those they're replacing. 

 

2. Indirectly, because as a result of 1, there's disharmony and resentment between fans and towards the club.

 

I don't know the cut off point, but I think it's fair to say that after the takeover happened is well beyond where you'd draw the line for where you'd reasonably expect existing fans to be pissed off about there being fan representation.

 

That sort of thing will always get people's backs up, regardless of whether you think it's a non-issue or not. It's like a realised football version of the 'immigrants get first dibs on council houses while our homeless veterans are at the back of the queue' for me. 

 

If this was the only case of 'a mix of old and new' I'd not think too much of it, but within the context of long-standing home and away fans missing out to these new fans, who in many cases are tourists and bandwagon jumpers, the ongoing cronyism with ticketing, and the worsening atmosphere and increase in resentment and disharmony amongst fans, I think it's worth adding to the pile as another own goal in this one specific area where the owners are attempting to improve the club. Imo they're on the wrong track and cannibalising one of the club's biggest assets, its supporters.

 

 

Edited January 9 by Kid Icarus

[Tiresias]

Just came into this. She obviously deserves no abuse. And I don't really know quite where I stand because I agree the transformation into a 'modern super club' is absolutely terrible, absolutely no aspect of the club won't be turned to be marketing fodder, everything about selling the club to new supporters, every player just an image to be sold and to sell lifestyle brands etc etc. It's why the takeover to me is a bit mixed, outside of my very real but mostly suppressed ethical issues i fear when we become like Man City, a total phony marketing machine disguised as a club where the sport is totally dislocated form any local reality. I have a little nagging feeling (and by the way I could be wrong, I wonder if i'll just say fuck it and love it all when we are winning everything) that maybe these are teh glory days? Last season may be the most fun it will ever be, rampantly overperforming scoring goals? Maybe nothing will beat this season when Dan fucking Burn scored against PSG? Maybe in the future we'll just be totally interchangeable anonymous players with massive media profiles going through the motions....

 

Anyway. Those are my worries, this does feel like the absolutely smallest least offensive thin end of this wedge and dear god everyone who feels the need to abuse the poor woman on social media needs to have all communication tools confiscated and locked away in a dungeon somewhere until they get a fucking life. 

[LFEE]

Let’s see how it all plays out with her. After all she’s representing the International section of the fanbase in theory. Maybe her application highlighted some qualities the club see as advantageous for that role.

 

Not sure if many on here complaining applied for any of the roles but it was basically like a job interview in written form. Put myself forward unsuccessfully so unfortunately no N-O influence this time round ?

[OCOCOL]

2 hours ago, LFEE said:

Let’s see how it all plays out with her. After all she’s representing the International section of the fanbase in theory. Maybe her application highlighted some qualities the club see as advantageous for that role.

 

Not sure if many on here complaining applied for any of the roles but it was basically like a job interview in written form. Put myself forward unsuccessfully so unfortunately no N-O influence this time round ?

 

Is Adam from Wor Flags not an NO poster?

[TheBrownBottle]

If the club are successful then the plastic glory-seekers will outnumber us all.  It isn't something which should be looked forward to, just an inevitability.

 

NUFC's international supporter contingent will become less interesting and more plastic.  I like reading about why some poor sod elsewhere hitched themselves to this club - it is always interesting.  Sometimes its a player (Shearer etc), sometimes they saw an actually good NUFC side play, sometimes its the atmosphere which the club has reputation for - sometimes like @McDog it is because they actually liked drinking Brown Ale despite it giving people a hangover before they've finished the bottle (I wonder if @McDog knows that Brown Ale is traditionally known as 'dog' on Tyneside  - perhaps that's the source of the handle on here?).  But the 'Penaldo' brigade will outnumber us all - the weird dick-measuring twats you see on twitter going on about 'small club' and 'oil club' and which trophies count and all that shite.

 

It all just seems far less interesting, and it is everything wrong with football, and at this point little can be done about it.