Toon v Leicester - MondayMonday evening sees The Blue Army of newly promoted Leicester City pay their first visit to St James Park since 2004. Having tasted life in Division one, they were promoted as champions at the end of last season and are now enjoying life in the championship.
Ex-Toon caretaker boss, Nigel Pearson, now the man in charge of the Foxes, has ensured a good start to the season where they remain undefeated in their first four championship matches. If they win tomorrow they will go top,giving them something extra to play for.
With Shola already ruled out with a foot injury,another local lad from Byker, ex-toon season ticket holder and Newcastle mad Leicester City striker Steve Howard is desperate to play in tomorrow night’s clash at St James Park. It looks as if his prayers will be answered as he is likely to be passed fit following a recent hamstring injury.
Leicester are hoping to play their on loan left back, Ryan McGivern, a seemingly talented lad signed on Friday from Man City, where he struggled due to the competition for places. A couple of other new faces, Yann Kermorgant and Paul Gallagher, two loan signings in the past week, will also be in contention to join striker Matty Fryatt who has scored three goals this season. (more…)
Same old Shola, always scoring. After planning a trip back home to coincide with the Sheffield Wednesday game I had my 16 year old daughter in tow. She’s much more of a rugby fan being an ardent follower of the Leicester Tigers but does harbour a small passion for the Toon that I have been trying to nurture for years. Her interest in football was reignited after meeting several of the Chelsea team yesterday in our hotel where they were staying before showing the mackems how to play football. So with her new found enthusiasm we set off for the match.
After buying the customary Mag and visiting the Back Page we took our seats in the East Stand where we listened to the usual banter and the never ending discussions regarding the takeover/non takeover. It seems Moat was at the game sitting next to Llambiarse again in the Directors Box while takeover discussions drag on.
The last visit of Sheffield Wednesday resulted in the famous 8-0 win when Sir Bobby was in charge but no one anticipated anything remotely close to that tonight. (more…)
Sir Bobby at the Freeman Hospital.What has struck me, and I’m sure so many others over the past few days is not just the huge deluge of tributes from professional footballers, managers, big wigs, journalists and commentators, but also the universal response and outpouring of love from fans of all clubs, demonstrating the immense affection and esteem Sir Bobby was held in.
However the stories that have driven home for me what a special man he was have been the tales from Joe Public, people such as the courier who went to deliver a parcel to SBR’s home had the front door opened by the great man himself and was invited in for a coffee and a chat about football that lasted half an hour, the ex security guard from NUFC who standing outside in the pouring rain while the players and Sir Bobby arrived for training found, five minutes later, Sir Bobby outside giving him a brolley to ‘keep you dry son’ while Sir Bobby got soaked himself. The stories are endless but make you feel proud of him and the values he stood for. I feel immensely proud that this great colossus of a man was associated with and shared our love for this club. (more…)
The famous drawl "Howay the Lads!" Today, as Americans celebrate cutting their ties with Great Britain after becoming an independent republican state free from British rule, wouldn’t it be ironic if some of their fellow country men were planning to strengthen their relationship with the Brits by buying Newcastle United, one of the nation’s most famous sporting institutions? As they wait for the outcome of the bids to be known do they have a grand vision already mapped out? Big plans to transform our poor bedraggled neglected club into an efficient, successful sporting colossus? If so I say bring them on. We so desperately need a bit of TLC. We need someone to put their proverbial arm round us and say you know what it’s going to be fine, I’m here now. I’m going to help you forget the hurt, the embarrassment, the anger, the humiliation of the past 10 years (give or take the small number of good memories) and turn those bad times into a positive future. I will make you feel good again. The cynics will say we’ve heard it all before, but an era with new professional owners and a decent level of investment will cause the champagne corks to be popping on Tyneside. (more…)
Ted Robledo. With the ship’s captain charged and then acquited of the murder of Ted Robledo, one of the famous Robledo Brothers who played in United’s 1951 cup winning team, no-one was to ever find out the truth of what happened to Ted that fateful night. It was 1970 when the ship set sail from Dubai enroute to one of the oil rigs in the Gulf where Ted worked after giving up football. Some claimed a fight broke out between Ted and the captain but people who knew the mild mannered Ted said that was totally out of character and they didn’t believe it. Despite several trips by his family Ted’s body was never found and the truth to this day never uncovered.
Born in Chile to an english mother and chilean father, the Robledo brothers found themselves moving to England as small children when their home sick mother moved back to the small mining town in South Yorkshire where her family lived. After playing amateur football while working down the pit, George signed professional terms with Barnsley in 1943 when he was 16. On the opening day of the postwar season George was to score a hat-trick on his league debut. (more…)
