Geordies, lets get ready to rumble! (with the media that is)After reading what I classed as quite hostile comments from Oliver Holt regarding Stevie Taylor’s antics trying to distract Paddy Kenny the thought crossed my mind, why is NUFC always a target for the media, and football fans in general?
Are we deserving of the abuse we get? Is the problem created by the Toon faithful themselves? Or is it just to shift newspapers? In the eyes of this blogger, all 3 have elements of truth. Let’s face it, over the years we haven’t endeared ourselves to other fans, with the sacking of many a manager (let’s not forget Bobby Robson; ever) Constant claims that we are a big club, refusing to play at Stevenage the first time round because at the time we were too good. The list goes on…
However I still grimace every time I switch onto Sky Sports after our latest scandal hits, as they always choose some brain-dead Geordie fan to artificially continue this persona that we are all living in a Shearer/Keegan wonderland. (more…)
French flair or English doggedness?How important is an English spine to a Football Club?
The thought crossed my mind the other day, after pondering the comings and goings from this transfer window:
“Just how important is an English spine to NUFC?”
Many sports pundits have criticized Arsenal over the years for a weak English showing in their teams, and cite this reason for the failure over recent years. On the same sort of note how will our recent shift to cheap foreign imports play out in the long run?
I have to admit, last year looking at the group of Carroll, Barton, Nolan and Harper (to name a few) I always felt that we would stay up. The guys had been through the relegation, bonded in the Championship and knew what had to be done in order secure our Premier League status. But now with the French Revolution going on with the club, how much passion and desire do these guys have? (more…)
Mike Ashley: Is it all that bad?Over the past few years of the Ashley regime the NUFC faithful have had good reason to become discontented. However after drifting into yet another football based discussion at work, I had to think to myself, IS IT ALL THAT BAD?
Before I even begin I will clarify, this is not a pro-Ashley post, I have little time for him personally. Yet I am still firm in the belief that I would rather have Ashley and his crew in charge than a certain Fat Owner we all seem to remember.
Yes he’s broken up level 7, sacked the king, got us relegated and hired a man who looks like a Badger (Llambias) But he has also set us on a sound financial footing for hopefully many years to come. OK he’s setting us up to sell for a profit as soon as he has the chance, but at least NUFC will still be around in a few years time.
Look at Everton, can you imagine the summer of discontent that they have had, not buying anyone, let alone loaning someone as their wage structure and stadium demands are slowly killing the club? To top all that off they sold their best player on deadline day without time for a replacement (Sounds all too familiar) (more…)
