I know its abit old, but read it anyway.
3. NEWCASTLE UNITED
⢠American Comparison: The Oakland Raiders.
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If you long to wear old-school prison garb, then Newcastle is the team for you.⢠Nickname: The Magpies.
⢠In a Nutshell: They're named after a beer I actually like. What's better than that? Plus, these guys received more e-mails just about their wild fans than anyone else, including "their fans are like the Raiders [fans] times 10" ⦠"the most violently dedicated fans in the world and they never win" ⦠"you think Boston is a port city that obsesses over a team, go to Newcastle, there is no city more filled with more drunk (read, absolutely sloshed) college-aged kids in the world" ⦠"their fans are terrific: they are the most blue-collar, passionate, loyal, and drunk off their ass fans in the league that sing songs like 'Who the F*** are Manchester United.'" ⦠"they inspire such enmity in their rivals that I have been verbally abused no less than four times by strangers for wearing their jersey."
⢠Bandwagon Potential: Pretty low. Unless you're an ex-convict.
⢠Celebrity Fans: Tony Blair, Sting and AC/DC singer Brian Johnson. Three guys with a ton in common.
⢠Colors/Jerseys: Classic black-and-white striped jerseys that look like they were rejected from the Foot Locker headquarters. I can't decide if these are gloriously fantastic or unspeakably horrendous. It's really one or the other.
⢠Signature Player: Michael Owen, the England star who blew out his knee during the World Cup. Apparently, Newcastle is famous for spending money on guys who either crap the bed or have something horrible happen to them.
⢠Unintentional Comedy: During a 2005 game, two Newcastle teammates famously got into a fistfight during a game and both got red-carded. Now THAT, my friends, is a dysfunctional franchise. Here's the YouTube clip if you don't believe me.
⢠Sponsor: Take a guess.
⢠Stadium: St. James Park, which has been around in various forms since 1891. That's 115 years of dried puke.
⢠Vacation Destination: Not a complete disaster. One reader reports, "The city itself is a blue-collar town that has made a resurgence of sorts as a popular spring break destination. They are thinking about building UK's first Super Casino." Um, a super casino?
⢠Most Hated Rival: Sunderland, a team that can't even crack the EPL right now. That's a bad sign.
⢠Random Fact that I Found Interesting: Newcastle's No. 9 jersey is the most famous jersey in the EPL -- called the Shirt of Legends -- and was most notably worn by Hughie Gallacher, who led them to their last title in 1925, eventually departed the club under controversial circumstances and committed suicide in 1957.
Newcastle hasn't won the EPL since. Somebody get Dan Shaughnessy on the phone.
⢠Can't Decide if This is a Bonus Reason For or Against: According to the readers, "They have a rabid fan base from a depressed former industrial town where the accent makes fans' speech absolutely incomprehensible," which they call "Geordie" (like it's a real language). In other words, it's just like Rhode Island.
(Bonus reason to pick them: Did I mention they're named after a beer? As one reader points out, "There is no better way to announce your team allegiance during a match when you first walk into a bar; the bartender asks what are you having and you can proudly announce 'Newcastle.' Often gets a beer raise and nod of the head from the other Newcastle fans watching the match." Sounds like fun.
⢠Single Best Reason NOT to Pick Them: The tortured history. For instance, they famously blew a 12-point lead down the stretch in '96 that sounds suspiciously like the 14-game lead that the Red Sox blew in '78. I'd rather not go down that road again. But I'm going to make a more concerted effort to drink their beer.
Named after a beer?
) it would be a repeat of when they got us relegated. I remember he was smoking a Cigar (coughed on it) and poured Brown Ale on the ground to show how he hated Newcastle
