Chelsea 2 Toon 1
Just when it looked as though we might get a point from London for a change... A inept display by a linesman ensured that no points where gathered. From the highlights (there is a misnomer) it looks as though the players showed a bit more heart... But to no tangible benefit - typically.
The old adage about "what goes around comes around" is proving itself again - we get a fluky win against Fulham and then get a bizarre decision at Chelsea which means that we end up with nowt. I suppose these things are supposed to even themselves out - but it doesn't feel like it at the moment.
As it draws to the end of the calendar year it seems appropriate to have a think about the good and not so good things that have happened this year....
Good things - Fat Fred Sheppard isn't on the TV, paper, t'internet (delete as appropriate) any more; Mike Ashley wearing his Smith shirt and getting the coach to the mackem game; Habib Beye looking like he could be a fine defender; ermmm.... that's about it - apart from Dyer leaving and West Ham becoming the Cockney Reject Mags...
Not so good things - Any game against Wigan (in any year), lack of heart by the team for games, lack of consistency, booing of the players (including Stephen Carr - he might be rubbish, but he's our rubbish) the poor atmosphere at SJP; mid-table obscurity (the only consistent); the lack of a left back (please play Charlie Zog on the wing); playing so many players out of position, Joey Bloody Barton, abject surrender against Liverpool.... I could go on but I'm getting more and more fed up...
So, the transfer window is about to open, a new year is about to start... What do I wish for?? Simple, a team that plays for the shirt, cares as much as I do about the results and gives me as a fan something to smile about.
Oh, and a cup run ....to Wembley would be good as well!
Sunday, 30 December 2007
Saturday, 29 December 2007
Newcastle United - Media misery foretold
Oh god.... Its happened again. Just in the same way that the knives where out after the Liverpool match for Allardyce (see Depressed ) its all started again. Two catalysts this time - the bloody awful game at Wigan and Joey 'bloody' Barton. The press frenzy has started again, pontification by mischievous Southern hacks who seem to love nothing more that to have a pop at us Northern oiks... Its wearisome in the extreme and lazy journalism... But then again when has that ever stopped the British press??
As for Barton - I've already said that he's the new Lee Bowyer... I was wrong. At least Bowyer seemed to have a modicum of self control. Barton appears to be lacking even that. His apologists seem to suggest that he was provoked... My advice Joey - don't be so stupid to put yourself in the position to be provoked. Don't go out in Liverpool, don't go out to clubs, don't go out drinking all day, and most of all don't be so bloody stupid.
I hope that if he's found guilty that his contract is canceled and he doesn't get the opportunity to collect any more of his obscene wages. I'm fairly sure that if I couldn't work because I was banged up then I'd get sacked... It should have happened when he attacked Dabo at City.... Oh, how they must be laughing now, whilst counting the £5 million that we gave them for him.
As for football - just the small matter of Chelsea away today. They haven't lost at Stamford Bridge since Ken Bates was in charge and had black hair... So, the signs aren't good.
More fun and games at the Theatre of the Absurd; roll on 5.45...
As for Barton - I've already said that he's the new Lee Bowyer... I was wrong. At least Bowyer seemed to have a modicum of self control. Barton appears to be lacking even that. His apologists seem to suggest that he was provoked... My advice Joey - don't be so stupid to put yourself in the position to be provoked. Don't go out in Liverpool, don't go out to clubs, don't go out drinking all day, and most of all don't be so bloody stupid.
I hope that if he's found guilty that his contract is canceled and he doesn't get the opportunity to collect any more of his obscene wages. I'm fairly sure that if I couldn't work because I was banged up then I'd get sacked... It should have happened when he attacked Dabo at City.... Oh, how they must be laughing now, whilst counting the £5 million that we gave them for him.
As for football - just the small matter of Chelsea away today. They haven't lost at Stamford Bridge since Ken Bates was in charge and had black hair... So, the signs aren't good.
More fun and games at the Theatre of the Absurd; roll on 5.45...
Wednesday, 26 December 2007
Sick of it
Wigan 1 Toon 0
This was truly awful. I've seen some poor games before, I've seen games where we showed no heart, where we were outclassed and games where we were unlucky. Today was none of these - the Toon were just rubbish. That's what makes it so damn frustrating - individually they should play well, players like Smith, Duff and Milner are all good players. They have just neglected to do so as a team. Today was the worst example of this - every player was poor and forgot to play as a team.
For a while we looked as though the defence was sorted, I feel much better when I see Faye and Taylor at the centre of defence and Beye is a class right back... but I wish that Allardyce wouldn't play N'Zogbia at left back... It's just plain wrong.
The crowd took voicing our displeasure to a new level - booing at half time was to be expected (if unnecessary) but the chant of "we're sh*t and sick of it" was a new one... and extremely heartfelt. Entirely directed at Allardyce. The "Shearer" chants were again directed at Allardyce and a plea for a change in the managerial seat.
I'm really not sure about kicking out the manager again - yet. What would be achieved by this? Unless Mourinho or Lippi is going to tip up at SJP in the next few days, then I can't really see the point in ditching the current incumbent. He may not be the most imaginative manager (dull would be another word) and he hasn't gone anywhere near getting the fans to believe in what he is trying to do. The problem is that we don't trust him. Whilst I don't subscribe to the excellent Billy Furious view that he is the devil incarnate - we can't see what he is trying to do. I just hope that Ashley & Mort don't follow the Shepard route and fire a manager without having a replacement lined up. Lets hope they have more sense than that...
But then again this is the Toon.
This was truly awful. I've seen some poor games before, I've seen games where we showed no heart, where we were outclassed and games where we were unlucky. Today was none of these - the Toon were just rubbish. That's what makes it so damn frustrating - individually they should play well, players like Smith, Duff and Milner are all good players. They have just neglected to do so as a team. Today was the worst example of this - every player was poor and forgot to play as a team.
For a while we looked as though the defence was sorted, I feel much better when I see Faye and Taylor at the centre of defence and Beye is a class right back... but I wish that Allardyce wouldn't play N'Zogbia at left back... It's just plain wrong.
The crowd took voicing our displeasure to a new level - booing at half time was to be expected (if unnecessary) but the chant of "we're sh*t and sick of it" was a new one... and extremely heartfelt. Entirely directed at Allardyce. The "Shearer" chants were again directed at Allardyce and a plea for a change in the managerial seat.
I'm really not sure about kicking out the manager again - yet. What would be achieved by this? Unless Mourinho or Lippi is going to tip up at SJP in the next few days, then I can't really see the point in ditching the current incumbent. He may not be the most imaginative manager (dull would be another word) and he hasn't gone anywhere near getting the fans to believe in what he is trying to do. The problem is that we don't trust him. Whilst I don't subscribe to the excellent Billy Furious view that he is the devil incarnate - we can't see what he is trying to do. I just hope that Ashley & Mort don't follow the Shepard route and fire a manager without having a replacement lined up. Lets hope they have more sense than that...
But then again this is the Toon.
Monday, 24 December 2007
Dear Santa
What I'd like for Christmas is.....
1. 3 points at Wigan on Boxing Day (I'm going)
2. A new left back to be found under the tree at SJP
3. A display of attacking, attractive football at Wigan (have I mentioned that I'm going?)
4. Michael Owen to come back to full fitness and to score 15 goals this season
5. Failing that.... for him to be lured away to a team like Portsmouth or Spurs and they can pay his extortionate wages and put up with him playing for England as his first priority.
6. For Oba to play as a centre forward
7. For Charlie Zog to play left wing NOT as a left back
8. For Mike Ashley to keep that smile on his face (he still looks like a kid in a sweet shop, wearing his favorite Toon top - gawd bless him).
9. For Titus and Sibbi to have terrible games on Wednesday (I'm going, you know)
10. Alan Smith to get his first Toon goal - sooner rather than later (Wigan, Wednesday?)
In fact if I get one of these I'll be suprised... But then again, I keep hearing that Santa is a Geordie!!
Have a Toontastic Christmas!
1. 3 points at Wigan on Boxing Day (I'm going)
2. A new left back to be found under the tree at SJP
3. A display of attacking, attractive football at Wigan (have I mentioned that I'm going?)
4. Michael Owen to come back to full fitness and to score 15 goals this season
5. Failing that.... for him to be lured away to a team like Portsmouth or Spurs and they can pay his extortionate wages and put up with him playing for England as his first priority.
6. For Oba to play as a centre forward
7. For Charlie Zog to play left wing NOT as a left back
8. For Mike Ashley to keep that smile on his face (he still looks like a kid in a sweet shop, wearing his favorite Toon top - gawd bless him).
9. For Titus and Sibbi to have terrible games on Wednesday (I'm going, you know)
10. Alan Smith to get his first Toon goal - sooner rather than later (Wigan, Wednesday?)
In fact if I get one of these I'll be suprised... But then again, I keep hearing that Santa is a Geordie!!
Have a Toontastic Christmas!
Sunday, 23 December 2007
Savage Amusement
Toon 2 - Derby County 2
Bloody awful - from a team who are so bad that the only have six points by mid December, the Toon managed to make then look like bloody world beaters. I never thought I'd be saying this, but thanks to Mark Viduka - it was only thanks to him that we managed to scrape a draw.
Shocking, disgraceful and woeful - and that was just the back four... The midfield was hapless and upfront we had a striker playing right wing, a left winger playing left back and a right winger playing on the left wing... confused? Well I was... If Allardyce is a tactical genius then I'm Rudolf the red nosed reindeer.
Only cheery thing this weekend has been the mackems loosing to Reading to a non-goal... Well, I laughed.
Bloody awful - from a team who are so bad that the only have six points by mid December, the Toon managed to make then look like bloody world beaters. I never thought I'd be saying this, but thanks to Mark Viduka - it was only thanks to him that we managed to scrape a draw.
Shocking, disgraceful and woeful - and that was just the back four... The midfield was hapless and upfront we had a striker playing right wing, a left winger playing left back and a right winger playing on the left wing... confused? Well I was... If Allardyce is a tactical genius then I'm Rudolf the red nosed reindeer.
Only cheery thing this weekend has been the mackems loosing to Reading to a non-goal... Well, I laughed.
Saturday, 15 December 2007
Thieves in the night
Fulham 0 Toon 1
By the skin of our teeth the Toon have pick pocketed 3 points from the Cottagers tonight. It wasn't pretty, nor exciting, nor fluent. But, we have 2 wins in a row in the Premier League for the first time in 2007. So, its job done to an extent... Just like watching Brazil -no, just like watching Bolton, definitely.
A couple of points about the game. Barton; I feel the same about him as I did Lee Bowyer. He's an odious man, and if found guilty of the charge against Dabo he deserves to be sent down and sacked from the club. I'd be surprised if that happened - his legal team will be too good for the Salford court and even if found guilty he won't get sacked, he's way too valuable to the club for that. However, it still doesn't seem right seeing him in a Toon shirt (in the same way that it never looked right seeing Bowyer in black and white). He scored the winner today, but it masked a poor performance (again) from him and in many ways he was lucky that the penalty went in.... I'd have been far happier if Jimmy Milner had taken it... But, Barton took it, scored and nicked the 3 points from the quite frankly hapless Fulham.
Secondly, we were awful in the first half, I can't express it any better than the wonderful nufc.com "two teams threatened to outdo each other in total mediocrity at the Cottage."
Dan? He seemed to quite enjoy it - time will tell... But for a while I thought that my worst fears (see below) were going to be realised. Still, he's witnessed a Toon win and maybe has become a fan.
By the skin of our teeth the Toon have pick pocketed 3 points from the Cottagers tonight. It wasn't pretty, nor exciting, nor fluent. But, we have 2 wins in a row in the Premier League for the first time in 2007. So, its job done to an extent... Just like watching Brazil -no, just like watching Bolton, definitely.
A couple of points about the game. Barton; I feel the same about him as I did Lee Bowyer. He's an odious man, and if found guilty of the charge against Dabo he deserves to be sent down and sacked from the club. I'd be surprised if that happened - his legal team will be too good for the Salford court and even if found guilty he won't get sacked, he's way too valuable to the club for that. However, it still doesn't seem right seeing him in a Toon shirt (in the same way that it never looked right seeing Bowyer in black and white). He scored the winner today, but it masked a poor performance (again) from him and in many ways he was lucky that the penalty went in.... I'd have been far happier if Jimmy Milner had taken it... But, Barton took it, scored and nicked the 3 points from the quite frankly hapless Fulham.
Secondly, we were awful in the first half, I can't express it any better than the wonderful nufc.com "two teams threatened to outdo each other in total mediocrity at the Cottage."
Dan? He seemed to quite enjoy it - time will tell... But for a while I thought that my worst fears (see below) were going to be realised. Still, he's witnessed a Toon win and maybe has become a fan.
Indoctornation
Toon v Fulham today - not particularly auspicious as far as the fixture list goes, but a big day for me in my fight against the red tide.
To explain, by a wonderful quirk my brother has also made his home in the North West, and he lives about 10 miles away from me. This means that I get to see him and his family on a fairly regular basis, certainly more often than I get to go and see my parents who are still in the NE. He has two children, boy and a girl and Dan is 14. Needless to say he's football mad and also needless to say, he has spent the last few years as a confirmed Manure fan. Its a peer group thing, and perfectly understandable. He hasn't had the guiding hand of his father giving him sage advice as to the rights and wrongs of this - my brother has always had a limited interest in football and was the typical glory hunter as a kid, he supported Liverpool because they won everything....
Dan and I always have had banter and he's been to a few Manure games on corporate tickets. Then a strange thing happened - he went to a Scout jumble sale, came home with a Toon top and announced he was converted. I've no idea how long this will last for, but needless to say I'm shamelessly going to exploit this. I'm planning to take him to an away game in the near future, if the passion and excitement doesn't hook him then I'd be very surprised. Also, as the Fulham game is live on TV tonight we are having a special Aunt/Nephew night and he's watching it with me.
So, firstly "Howay the lads" secondly, please don't let it be another of those dull 0-0's or even worse a 1-0 loss with the Toon showing no heart - for Dan's sake make it a good game!
To explain, by a wonderful quirk my brother has also made his home in the North West, and he lives about 10 miles away from me. This means that I get to see him and his family on a fairly regular basis, certainly more often than I get to go and see my parents who are still in the NE. He has two children, boy and a girl and Dan is 14. Needless to say he's football mad and also needless to say, he has spent the last few years as a confirmed Manure fan. Its a peer group thing, and perfectly understandable. He hasn't had the guiding hand of his father giving him sage advice as to the rights and wrongs of this - my brother has always had a limited interest in football and was the typical glory hunter as a kid, he supported Liverpool because they won everything....
Dan and I always have had banter and he's been to a few Manure games on corporate tickets. Then a strange thing happened - he went to a Scout jumble sale, came home with a Toon top and announced he was converted. I've no idea how long this will last for, but needless to say I'm shamelessly going to exploit this. I'm planning to take him to an away game in the near future, if the passion and excitement doesn't hook him then I'd be very surprised. Also, as the Fulham game is live on TV tonight we are having a special Aunt/Nephew night and he's watching it with me.
So, firstly "Howay the lads" secondly, please don't let it be another of those dull 0-0's or even worse a 1-0 loss with the Toon showing no heart - for Dan's sake make it a good game!
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