http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/34520083 This is an article about Newcastle, and the way die-hard fans who have seen many glories feel about the club now. Please Wij, Sombrero &co., don't think I'm gloating in any way - my club is only GD away from the same sad predicament. What I want to highlight is what the two N.E. teams have been, and the sorry state it's come to now - for both sets of fans. When you think that 90,000+ people cram into St. James' and SoL every eight days, it's incredible. And I can't believe one of those fans deserves what we've got.
The two things I can relate to in that article is the reference to the more recent players who are held in awe through the cult of personality and got seen as the reason for going. In our day it was the team that drew the loyalty and the only way to see football, class or not, was to turn up to the ground whereas now the hype and statistics take away the pleasure for me. It speaks volumes for the man who has followed the team up to his 76th year but who has now called it a day, all respect to him for lasting out through thin and thinner. The sad part is that watching on TV is nowhere near being in the ground but sadly time and events have taken their toll. Last sad part is I can name all the players in the picture simply because I went to Roker one week and SJP the other, because that was where the football was.
Well in fairness mate, it always was about certain players to a point - Shackleton and Milburn are still remembered, etc. I agree about all the hype and statistics, and particularly all the referee knocking after three minutes of studying a video with five re-runs. You can name all the players in the photo? Oh, hang your head in shame mate. Oh dear, that's sad. What, you mean like Joe Harvey, Frank Brennan, Jackie Milburn, Ernie Taylor ... er ... no I've changed my mind. Maybe it's not sad at all, eh?
IMO - Everything changed in the 50's with George Easthams minimum wage introduction - money slowly started to drive the game - we are now on a fastly moving financial gravy training. My mam & dad used to go to Derby matches in 40 ,50 & 6th standing with the Newcastle fans - banter yes - violence - no . Seems football has also changed with our social state - but us fans are still hooked to our clubs - I 'll stop now getting very emotional about this - Big Sam to help ease our pain ??
Which is why I think it is very important to get the academy producing 1st team players asap. Players having come through the local system will be a lot more passionate about our club and know what the area is about than players who have come to us from other places. If out first 11 had even just 2 or 3 locally grown talent in it, then it would make a huge difference imo
While I agree the fall from grace does apply to us both (to a degree) I don't agree that outsiders see it that way. If it did apply to us both why have the BBC concentrated on Newcastle and said **** all about us? recent debates (Gary Neville for one) have been about the demise of english football outside the M25 and M60. Best supporters in the land? 50,000 turning up to watch monkeys? yet only 16,000 used to turn up to watch Waddle and Beardsley in the 80's? **** off with your biased journalism, BBC. you can't even spin a yarn. keep the facts or blind opinions out of your article if you're going to try and pass lies as truth. They're no different to any other group of plastic fans in England, UK, World. full of self importance and feeling hard-done by when they don't win anything, like they're ****ing entitled. they're not, just like the rest of us.
It never occurred to me before Nostalgic brought up his photo shout, but does anyone remember a player who played in three different Cup Finals with three different clubs? I'm not so sure I can. Talbot played for Ipswich and Arsenal, and Michael Thomas probably for Arsenal and Liverpool (not quite sure on that one) - but three? Errnie Taylor played in a final for Newcastle (1951) Blackpool (1953) and Manchester United (1958). Is that some kind of record?
I read ythis earlier and whilst a canny read, you had to chuckle at the '50,000 for a team of monkeys' part, cross referenced to 'crowds dropped to 16,000' part. the sentiment is correct and we do have 2 of the loyalist and largest 'hardcore' followings. That isn't close to 40-50k for either though, more like 20-25k, those who turned up for example after we last went down v West Brom, or who'd turn up for a Tuesday cup game. Let's hope Sam can start to turn the tide a little for us.
It's arrogant to think we're owed something for loyalty imo. Like living off the past like it entitles us in the future. What about fan in league two who've never won anything and never will. They don't piss and whinge about entitlement. They're still in it for the pure love of it, like we used to be, they're the proper fan who do deserve something. Personally I read that thinking 'poor me poor me,' 'I'm such a good a fan, I deserve more'. We're not as deserving as we think and I think it could be wearing thin for a lot fans outside the north east. It's a dog eat dog league. The past counts for nowt, every decision can be costly based on things in the here and now, not in 73. Ultimately this is the longest we've been in the top flight in most of our lifetimes. We're toeing the line but ultimately I think we don't even know we're born. We don't deserve better, we deserve what we're getting, because being a fan of your club means you're in it with your club, at least that's what I was brought up to believe. Mags? Couldn't give a **** about them.
Cracking post Funky. We can all have a bloody good moan about the running of the club, and much of it may or may not be justified. I guess many of us think we can do it better. Unless we're employed and involved 24/7 at the club, none of us really knows what goes on behind closed doors. It's too easy to lose perspective. But you're right, we're not yet a championship club, or a league 1 or 2 club. We have a great club, great facilities that will be the envy of many and we are still up there, inspite of ourselves, and we still have a great chance of pulling ourselves together and building ourselves a good future in the PL. This is our longest stretch in the top level, and the press and many others are still having a good laugh at our expense. But we are still there. So who's to say that we won't have the last laugh. I've heard so much negativity about Big Sam from mates who are Hammers fans, but I'm just really happy we've got a guy with loads of PL experience, who knows what it takes to survive in this, toughest of leagues. I've never felt so optimistic about the future as I do now. ps, Big Sam, (Mrs Big Sam), if you're reading this, don't let us down.
Cracking post back at ya fella. It does look bleak, we've toed the line off the back of so many mistakes but have hung in there. Sam has loads of the season to save us. And it only takes one good summer of well spent money to completely take off in this league. All this wound licking is depressing, the war has only just started. I'm well up for it as always
I don't know if anybody feels entitled to anything because of what they've done in the past. Every season is a new one. I think it's more that you miss success when you can remember having it, than if you support a club that's never had it. One of the old lads in that article can remember Newcastle going to Wembley three times in five years and winning the Cup every time. Obviously, he wants it again, and feels the club is slipping if they don't win another. A younger fan wouldn't feel that. There's no way, say Disco, is going to understand our feelings in 1958 - the club had never been relegated in their history! We were bitter, angry, and I swear if Alan Brown had ever walked down a dark alley, he probably wouldn't have come out without an ambulance. We absolutely detested the man. But younger fans are used to relegation, and they're not going to understand that. There's no right and wrong about it - the younger fan doesn't feel so let down because he hasn't the reasons to. Both sides are human.
