Fair play to the Paraffins from Albania on Wear (if I may strike a populist note for a second there, as there’s an unpopulist one at the end of this paragraph); since Martin Paradoxically O’Neill got the gig at SoS, they are a team transformed. Instead of wilting and hiding in games, they now get stronger the longer it goes on, especially when the fourth official holds the board up. Testament to this have been their last gasp wins over Blackburn, QPR and, most impressively, Man City. Six big points that show three things; firstly, Steve Brewse really is an incompetent clown who has seen his career peak and is now on an inexorably downward spiral, no doubt ending up at Chesterfield or Walsall by 2015. Secondly the Mackems are going to stay up, or that there is no doubt, and thirdly, as well as least palatably, Newcastle should start getting nervous about the first Saturday in March as it wouldn’t surprise me if the unwashed gain revenge for Ryan Taylor’s over the wall classic this time around. I’m not too worried about this myself, but then again I’ll be at Arbroath v East Fife and Dundee United v Inverness Caledonian Thistle that weekend, as I’ve started to wonder if it is a good idea for me to continue attending St. James’ Park as semi-regularly as I’ve started doing again.
One of the things I loved about the first few months of the season was the palpable sense of unity of purpose that imbued the entire Newcastle United family. I don’t include the alleged owners in that, but I do include the playing staff, supporters and indeed the local journalists of a black and white persuasion. With two of the three NUFC fanzines, in the shape of Toon Talk and Black & White Daft, reflecting a wide range of supporters and supporter opinion from outside of the narrow congregation of contributors to The Mag and their pals from the low-profile NUST, as well as the expanding and always intriguing Twitter community, it was truly excellent to see such innovations coming up from the ranks as the brilliant Darwen End Disco at Blackburn in the League Cup and the Cabaye “Dreamboat” tag being taken up in print, in reality and across all forms of social media. The scowling begrudgers may disagree, but the clued-up fans know fan more about this club than Del’s Boys ever will.
Except, except, except, I think the unity may be in peril. There were a few signs of it at full time in the Swansea game, when frustrations perhaps got the better of several dozen hotheads, who started booing at the final whistle. As I’ve said many times before, I’m someone who predominantly watches Northern Alliance and Northern League football nowadays, so the sight of top quality Premier League players is one that genuinely excites and entertains me, so I’ll cut this lot some slack in this instance, but I’m not so happy with certain others as unfortunately it seems for many other people, familiarity with top quality players breeds contempt; there can be no other explanation for the incessant whining of the gentleman who sits in P125 in Leazes Level 2 in the home defeat to The Baggies.
Having struck lucky via a Twitter buddy, I had a freebie for the West Brom game; the seat had a great view of an exciting but ultimately depressing game. To be fair Coloccini, Perch and, it has to be said, Tiote, were rubbish that night. However, not once did I boo or moan; I don’t sing the whole 90 minutes I’ll admit, but I get behind the team whenever I can, unlike the clown behind me. He whined, moaned, whinged and complained all the way through. Despite Ba’s two brilliant goals, we lost and that almost seemed to make his night. When Scharner’s shot hit the net for their winner, I left my seat, to watch the last bit downstairs. Immediately afterwards, I had a desultory pint in The Trent, but left after one as the moaning virus had spread there as matchgoers trooped balefully in. I took a taxi back to The Newton, where the whinging was worse, as it was by those who’d not even been to the game. Another pint and an early night, as I always factor Match of the Day out of the equation when we lose.
Considering I’d packed my season ticket in back in 2009 because I couldn’t bear the complaining that used to go on at the game, it simply reminded me that it wasn’t the defeat to West Brom I couldn’t handle, it was the defeatism of so-called fans. As a result, I knew I needed to take a step back from Newcastle United and from actually being at the ground, or perhaps I could consider not spending 2 hours in The Bodega pre match so I could cock a deaf one to the moaning minnies. Thus, on Boxing Day, I took in a couple of Northern League fixtures. While the wind-ruined noon game between North Shields and West Allotment Celtic that the home side shaded by 2-1, would be enough to turn you to drink, I kept out of licensed premises, all of which from the Top House to The Foxhunters were bursting at the seams with black and whites eager to watch satellite coverage of Newcastle’s trip to Bolton. Instead, I took in a thoroughly entertaining 1-1 draw between Whitley Bay and Benfield that drew 523 to Hillheads, but celebrated news of Ba and Ben Arfa’s goals wildly, if internally.
This long overdue win seemed to have been down to me blanking coverage of it, or so I pretended, so I was confident of our trip to Liverpool as it coincided with me heading off to Leeds to see the Wedding Present, meaning football would be incidental to the main focus of the evening. That said, I’d probably have ended up at West Allotment 2 Gilford Park 3 if there hadn’t been a gig to go to. As regards the Weddoes, I’d been looking forward to this gig for months as it made up for Ben not being allowed in to the Boro gig back in August as it was Over 18s only. Alright, so Newcastle lost 3-1, but it didn’t hurt as Gedge and the band were on stunning form as ever. Their new album is out in March and having heard half a dozen of the new tracks tonight and a similar number back in August, I’ve not felt as well prepared for one of their releases since George Best back in 1987. Honestly, I wish I had the wit and gumption to write a music blog; top ten albums and top ten gigs would be a start. Now there’s an idea.
So, what about the Manchester United game? Well, if it had been on the Bank Holiday Monday, it would have lost out in my affections to Benfield’s depressing 3-2 home defeat to Guisborough Town, a game I will return to in a few weeks to discuss less sporting matters. On the Tuesday, I had intended on taking in the Reserves versus Man Utd Reserves at Blue Flames, but that was called off because of a waterlogged pitch, which made Wednesday’s Northern Alliance Premier Division game between Whitley Bay A and Seaton Delaval Amateurs very uncertain. However, despite strong winds it was a dry day and so I passed up on a freebie in the Milburn Paddock at the Leazes End to take in the joy at Hillheads.
I did this not out of any love of either Alliance side, but out of duty. A year previous I’d knocked back tickets for Newcastle’s home game with West Ham on the same New Year Wednesday and we won that 5-0. Also, there was the memory of the last time we swapped our shirt sponsors mid-season; back in April 1991, Scottish & Newcastle replaced Greenalls in the battle of the brewers, but we lost 2-0 to Bristol Rovers in Ossie’s first game as manager. I didn’t want lightning to strike twice.
Mind, what a mug I looked when the Whitley Bay A game was called off because of high winds; of course the ticket had gone when I tried to find out if I could change my mind. Still, what the hell, we won brilliantly and if it for the greater good that I wasn’t there, then so be it.
However, if the weather means Percy Main v Blyth Town is called off on Saturday, I’ll think long and hard about the choice between West Allotment v Brandon and Newcastle v Blackburn in the cup.
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