Standing Room Only (part two).

Posted on June 16th, 2009 | 21 Comments |

The glamour of it all.
The glamour of it all.
With the fixtures for next season due to be published tomorrow, it’s a nasty reminder that we need to be ready for battle to commence in just seven weeks time.

How scary is that? With a club up for sale, no manager, no assistant manager, possibly no first team coaches, all the first team squad currently up for sale, no preseason friendlies organised, no communication from the club, NUFC a national laughing stock, we really are up the proverbial creek without a paddle.

Still life in the Championship, should allow us to get our house in order away from the Premiership spotlight, although NUFC will always be a target for lazy journalists to fill some back page column inches no matter the division we are in.

So as you pour over the fixture list, having gotten used to trips to Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge and the Emirates, remember life is going to take on a new meaning from 8th August. For those who think the authentic football experience must entail watching from the terraces, have lamented the demise of the concrete crush barrier, who have pined for standing room only enclosures with not a seat in sight, well they’re back, yes, all your Christmases have suddenly arrived together. Not only will you be able to enjoy terracing at several grounds but some of it will be alfresco, open to the elements so you can really experience a trip down memory lane at a time when seats, catering facilities and a roof to stop the soakings each game were only a pipe dream.

For those who’ve been following the club before the early nineties, who’ve experienced life visiting the smaller grounds in the old second division: Leyton Orient, Leicester, Forest, Swansea, Cardiff, Cambridge etc this will be a trip down memory lane and for the younger or newer fans enjoy the experience…..

I remember visiting Leyton Orient’s ground one very cold wintery evening to watch the Toon. Leyton, in the old East End of London, the proverbial arm pit of the city, Beirut on a bad day, call it what you will. Wind swirling the papers and god knows what else around the terraces, the locals at home having a warm in front of the fire watching Eastenders rather than being out supporting their team, us soaked and half frozen with the cold penetrating the soles of your shoes so you can’t feel your feet, standing on the terraces, virtually no facilities, no hot drinks to defrost your bone marrow, wondering what had possessed you to be there when you too could be at home in front of the fire, Then you see the lads running out, you enjoy the camaraderie of fellow toon fans and united in a purpose the lack of facilities are forgotten. With several of the grounds Newcastle are due to visit having a capacity of less than 10,000, with terraces still in place, you’re going to be rolling back the years…. Enjoy!

NUFCBlog Author: geordie deb geordie deb has written 38 articles on this blog.

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Comment on this post

21 Responses

  2. deb – great article by the way.

    workey should have called added ‘new and improved’ instead of ‘part two’. Proof that sequels are better than the original sometimes. Of course the second writer was a much higher standard.

  3. it should be an interesting experience

    though i dont think any 1 will enjoy going to milwall

  4. beyethegreat says:
    June 16, 2009 at 4:12 pm

    “though i dont think any 1 will enjoy going to milwall”

    Beye, I’m sure that you will enjoy meeting all the friendly locals down there! :-)

  5. worky

    they have to be the friendliest fans in the world i cant wait to the welcome our fans are gonna get

  6. The mothers and toddlers are the worst. Giving it the hand signals and verbals. Proper potty mouths.
    The welcoming party at the local boozer looked like nice blokes too ;-)

    Good day out last time we were there though. Lee Clark and Andy Goal I do believe.

    Wasn’t overly impressed with the stone/glass/brick shower we got coming back through ‘the cage’ from the terracing to the car park.

  7. I had that ‘shower’ down at Stamford Bridge in the early 80’s, followed by a trip to hospital to get the pieces of glass taken out of my head.

  8. bowburnmag says:
    June 16, 2009 at 4:02 pm (Edit)

    “deb – great article by the way.

    workey should have called added ‘new and improved’ instead of ‘part two’. Proof that sequels are better than the original sometimes. Of course the second writer was a much higher standard.”

    Bowburn, you silver tongued Cavalier! :-)

  9. Wasn’t overly impressed with the stone/glass/brick shower we got coming back through ‘the cage’ from the terracing to the car park

    sounds nasty hopefully they are much friendlier than before

    is the area around millwall nice?

  10. we will not be going to millwall (hopefully!) they are still sampling the delights of league 1 :D

  12. beyethegreat says:
    June 16, 2009 at 6:31 pm

    “is the area around millwall nice?”

    Beye, great film Director, Stanley Kubrick thought that the area around there was a perfect place to recreate the Vietnam war! :-)

  13. My mates used to live in/near the Isle of Dogs. They lived in some pretty plush apartment where you could chuck stones at the Thames Barrier (but never get anywhere near it). Don’t ask me why but when you hadn’t pulled and it was 2am, it seemed like a decent alternative. Some places in Millwall you go to and others probably best avoided. In all honesty just like anywhere else but their hooligans haven’t got a reputation for nothing.

    It’s right near Charlton’s ground too.

  15. ‘I had that ’shower’ down at Stamford Bridge in the early 80’s, followed by a trip to hospital to get the pieces of glass taken out of my head.’

    Hugh not sure if it was the same game but i was at one game at Stamford Bridge where the same thing happened. The end of the ground opposite the old stretford end. On leaving you had to walk out of the ground through a type of alleyway with fences on both sides and the Chelsea fans used to lob bricks over from each side. I saw quite a few people injured and the windows on our fans coaches were smashed in the same day.
    Bad old days

  16. Deb, it could be.

    We lost 2-1 in the game I was at. It was ’80 or ’81 I think. ’82 at the latest.

    I went with a Chelsea supporter but of course we went in different ends.

    We were supposed to meet at a rendezvous point after the game but the police asked him what he was doing and his reply of “waiting for a Newcastle supporter” didn’t go down too well and he kept getting moved on under threat of arrest.

  17. Workey

    Thanks for rearranging the categories opposite. It was very disconcerting for me previously being adjacent to FFS – too close for comfort.

  18. Hugh – I can’t remember the score I’m afraid or even the year – I know it was early to mid eighties as I was a student nurse in London at the time and ended up practising my rudimentary nursing skills at the time on the toon fans who had been whacked on the head with bricks etc

  19. I wish I’d bumped into you. I could have done with some rudimentary nursing skills.

    As it was I went all the way back home (which was Bristol where I was a student at the time) before visiting the hospital where a nice nurse took to my head with the tweezers and got the glass out.

    It was the only time I’ve actually been injured at a football match (not counting getting bowled over by a police horse for no good reason once).

  20. workeyticket says:
    June 16, 2009 at 8:28 pm
    beyethegreat says:
    June 16, 2009 at 6:31 pm

    “is the area around millwall nice?”

    Beye, great film Director, Stanley Kubrick thought that the area around there was a perfect place to recreate the Vietnam war!

    i take it thats a no

  21. Well, less than 90 minutes to go before we find out who we play. I’m actually a bit excited. I think I’ve done a wee.