I think the article is written by a very self-righteous man who is desperate to feel a sense of vindication. 1) He mentions 'the supporters club' ... Which supporters club? There are a few. There are not however any links to statements which I can find (I'll happily read one if you can find it). The statement, if correct and legitimate, may have used out of context, for example: Question: Why do you think Robson was sacked? Supporters club Member: "Well we've got off to a poor start and maybe the chairmen feels recently he has lost the confidence of the players and the fans" Of course what I just wrote isn't factual, but its certainly plausible. I can safely say without hesitation that I was gutted when Robson left and said at the time it was due to the fact Robson spoke out about the attempted signing of Wayne Rooney (done above his head) when we had only just lost our best CB to Real Madrid. 2) The article is scathing of the whole country and the press suggesting that WE ALL like to look back at Robson with rose tinted specs, claiming we all loved him all of the time. It referenced his time in charge of England - I was only born in '88 so I can't really say too much on that... 3) It makes reference to the fact we booed when Shearer was left out...Errrm, yeah, he was our leading goalscorer, of course we wanted him to play. Are you telling me no Sunderland fan would question O'Neil if he left Fletcher on the bench? 4) He mentions Kieran Dyer being disrespectful...Whats that got to do with us? If a player is a cock, that's not a reflection of the fans! All in all, I think you're looking to find something in the article that is barely there in reality. Did some fans think his dismissal was a good idea? Probably, I know there's been Sunderland fans claiming they want O'Neill out - does that mean you all want him gone? No!
Nowt against it Tit. Two very good friends of mine are lesbians. I would be very content to sit in the corner & watch. A man shoving his cock up another blokes arsehole is a bit different imho like.
See mags, here's a good post, take note JWAG i have no need, nor desire to get into a dis-agreement with yourself.
Agree the second for Pienarr was ridiculous but it was more the case the QPR guy kicking thin air and totally missing the ball, the momentum of that made the guy fall over.
Hadnt read this, but fair play, a well written article, and as for the facts, they speak for themselves. Unless you are a hypocrit, or geordie.
What a bunch of whingeing pricks, wouldnt mind so much, If they posted the full comments, not just the parts that they choose to justify theire inane ramblings.
I know a couple of the extended of Sir Bobby and know for certain from them that he was disillusioned with the job toward the end as he felt unsupported and could not get sense from the right quarter to run the club as he wanted.
He pretty much confirms this in his book "farewell but not goodbye" to be fare. Not so much the disillusioned bit but definitely the lack of support at board room level. It's beyond belief how poorly he was treated by the board only four league games in. For anyone interested the book is a fantastic read
I wasn't being fair, as a final word lets just say his vision was not shared by the board or fans. For a man who had set clubs like PSV, Porto and Barcelona on their way dealing with numpties wasn.t worth it.
In fairness, I actually think (looking back) we had gotten a bit complacent as a fan base. Our squad then was fairly ridiculous in terms of talented youth, the season before Robson was sacked: Aaron Hughes (24 - been an ever present in the Premier League pretty much from the start of his career) Titus Bramble (23 - can be a liability, but as you know, when his concentration up, his ability is there to match it) Olivier Bernard (24 - could and should've been great, back injuries left him with a limp at the age of 32) Jermaine Jenas (21 - his career has stalled since joining Spurs, but the potential he had was immense) Kieron Dyer (25 - pace, vision and finishing ability - injuries are still plaguing his career) Craig Bellamy (25 - went on to play at the highest level, consistently, for years afterwards) James Milner (18 - enough said) Charles N'Zogbia (18 - has the ability but his attitude is gash) Not to mention Speed, Robert and Shearer (scored 28 in all competition in 2003/04) I certainly didn't appreciate the players as much as I do with the current set. It may be a little arrogant, but with us playing CL and finishing as high as 3rd (as well as having seemingly bottomless pockets) keep a single player happy, or worrying about squad harmony just didn't seem to have the same importance as it does now. Ask any Newcastle fan what Pardew's philosophy is and they'll tell you: building a tight knit squad of young, cheap players....I don't think it would've been the same in Sir Bobby's era, maybe I'm wrong, but that's how I remember it!
