bigchrissamba

You seem a good lad and i bear no ill will to you but fuckin hell man - he is gonna knacker your team Like he knackered Bolton right? I bear no ill will to any of you - but fuck me there's plenty on here who know fuck all about football. Oh, and this is highly unlikely to happen. Thankfully.

If he's so good, how come only shit clubs like Blackburn and Newcastle go near him? As a second thought in your case too. He's not amazing, but he did a bloody good job at Bolton. He's very good at bringing stability to a club in crisis...Bolton were dead certs for the drop, we were under Ince and you'd had a bit of a shambles of a season before you signed him. If he'd stayed he would've brought stability to your club too eventually. We weren't a shit side in the summer when we'd finished 6th, 10th and 7th successively but our board made an uncharacteristically awful decision in getting Ince in, Sam applied then and was knocked back (wouldve been a better choice than Ince but we had better options we shouldve picked then like ten Cate). And about the quality of the football..not great this season but needs must. But either way seeing your team winning and scoring goals using long ball tactics will always be more entertaining than seeing your team play aimless pretty triangles in midfield and lose games. Once your team is winning, then you can think about the football.

Top 10 form in over half a season since Sam arrived. After the start we had, we'll take that and it bodes well for next season considering we barely used Santa Cruz and can strengthen with the money from his sale over summer. The man did a great job at Bolton too. But no, because he didnt lift you above mid table in the 6 months he was there, and presided over a few poor performances from what was already a poor side, it was definitely the right decision to get rid...

..and 6 months was clearly long enough to fix a side which had only been 5 points from the drop the previous season. Thank god our club had some sense

You reckon it would have gone to the last day? Yeah, you were 11th and about 7 points from the drop zone when you got rid of Allardyce. I'm sure you would've been relegated WEEKS before the end.

We have our own set of circumstances and that defines us. We have a harder set of circumstances but we do fantastically well for a club with those circumstances. You're not the only special ones. Trust me you couldn't take our club out of Lancashire, it has a completely different atmosphere to Newcastle granted so maybe you have trouble seeing it. Sunderland are down the road, get massive crowds..not as big as yours but bigger than most, but you don't see the same hot air coming from their fans. If you were more successful than us then granted, you may be able to accuse me of an inferiority complex. But feeling an inferiority complex against a side regularly referred to as a "joke club" and a "laughing stock"? Can't say I feel that. You've nearly grapsed what i was saying, the comment about 'taking your club out of Lancashire' shows me you have some difficulty with higher abstract concepts. An eminent educational specialist this week just highlighted the research link between higher abstract thinking and over-use of the internet, which explains your "cliche bingo"-type thinking at the end of that post. Inferior to those clubs around you btw, like Spurs fans being inferior to arsenal needing to come on here. The clubs immediately around us are Burnley, Preston and to a lesser extent Bolton. No danger of an inferiority complex there. Bit further away are some real big guns, but although they take some of our fans they're not our fierce rivals like Arsenal and Spurs are so their success isn't a big issue to us. Pretty poor comparison really. Nice to see you're slipping in irrelevant comments into your posts to try and bulk your arguments up a bit...they may be clichés but they ring true. Other fans do have a good old laugh at your club. Alex - shockingly bad argument. You as a Newcastle fan should know this as well as we do. How many did you have when you were in the footballing backwaters? Did this change dramatically when you suddenly got promoted and did really well? Success changes the numbers you get pretty instantly, right now we're at a fairly standard level of crowds for the success we're having. If you won the league you'd suddenly have a hugely increased demand for tickets, if you spend a couple of seasons in the Championship I'll be very surprised to see you come close to selling out SJP.

We've been 10th in the league and 4 points off being 6th in the time since Sam took over. You've got half the points in that time. Hull have got about a third of the points in that time. It's over 17 games too, half a season so enough time to make fair judgements. We're down there mainly because of what happened before Sam. We were a top 10 team for three seasons before this and on current form we're a top 10 team now. It's been a while since you could call yourself a consistently top 10 side. So yeah, it's fair to say we shouldn't be lumped in with you. Far be it from Newcastle fans to be deluded and pick small periods from their past (90s era Keegan and Bobby Robson) as evidence they're some sort of beautiful footballing club. We know we are shit, your using Allardyce's selective, part-season ("picking small period") statistics (like he did here) to claim you arent. Isnt that the same logic you're complaining about? This is the second time i've turned your own logic back on you. Oh and for clarity http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackburn_Rov...C.#Club_honours is not quite as good as http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newcastle_United_F.C.#Honours is it really? Although neither are particularly impressive. They're very similar really, and we've been more successful this generation so that evens things out. And all that given the circumstances we described is a hell of a lot more impressive and is testament to how special our club is. 17 games isn't a small period. In that time we've gained form, lost form, got it back again, had injuries, had players come back just like any other club. It's the equivalent to around early December, and by then you have a fair idea of how the league's going to pan out (with the exception of extreme cases like Hull).

We have our own set of circumstances and that defines us. We have a harder set of circumstances but we do fantastically well for a club with those circumstances. You're not the only special ones. Trust me you couldn't take our club out of Lancashire, it has a completely different atmosphere to Newcastle granted so maybe you have trouble seeing it. Sunderland are down the road, get massive crowds..not as big as yours but bigger than most, but you don't see the same hot air coming from their fans. If you were more successful than us then granted, you may be able to accuse me of an inferiority complex. But feeling an inferiority complex against a side regularly referred to as a "joke club" and a "laughing stock"? Can't say I feel that.

We've been 10th in the league and 4 points off being 6th in the time since Sam took over. You've got half the points in that time. Hull have got about a third of the points in that time. It's over 17 games too, half a season so enough time to make fair judgements. We're down there mainly because of what happened before Sam. We were a top 10 team for three seasons before this and on current form we're a top 10 team now. It's been a while since you could call yourself a consistently top 10 side. So yeah, it's fair to say we shouldn't be lumped in with you. Far be it from Newcastle fans to be deluded and pick small periods from their past (90s era Keegan and Bobby Robson) as evidence they're some sort of beautiful footballing club.

Not really. You called our club shit, called out our support, I showed why our support is the way it is. You said we play bad football - I showed that we've scored more goals than you recently and done better for years so it's fairly safe to say we play the better football. You said we're a team of kickers, but look there you are next to us in the fair play table. Not you personally on all those counts obviously. Blackburn managed to sell-out when they were in the running for (and winning) the league in the mid 90s - yes? In your own time. Yes - team becomes the best team in the country, more fans want to come and see them. Shocker. Doesn't change the fact that our current attendances are fine for our circumstances, however much we'd like them bigger.

unless it was just outside Stoke, The point being that it is a one-club city, its natural catchment area is more unique, it does stand apart from everywhere bar Sunderland and Boro, it does have less competition than the north west etc which is why its a far cooler club to support than Blackburn, as all the geographical circumstances lead to a different relationship between the people of the city and the club. BigChris is basically trying to argue 'yeah well, you wouldnt be like that if it wasnt like that'. Which in my opinion (and i say this with respect) is a bit stupid. "Far cooler club to support" I think supporting a team like Blackburn where you can feel genuinely proud of our successes is cooler, but each to their own. I'm simply saying this in response to people saying we have shit support. So it's not at all stupid, it's a perfectly reasonable defence. I thought you were just complaining about the fact that your geography dilutes your support. Cant be that special a relationship. Its a birthright up here, clearly not where you come from, according to you. "Birthright" It's only a birthright because you're a one club city with no better options for miles and miles. You've still got almost nothing in terms of sucess. Both our teams do pretty well with our support I think, but we have very different sets of circumstances. People had a go at our support so I've been pointing out that we do alright with it. Not that hard to follow is it? You're born in Newcastle, you support Newcastle. You're born in Blackburn, you support 'insert any club within 100 miles'. Your argument. My argument: I'm breaking this down into really simple easy to digest bits just for you mate Football fans are the same mentality and breed most places. You're born in Blackburn or Newcastle (I was born in Kent for the record but moved to Blackburn when I was 5) you think the same as any other kid growing up. There's kids who support their local team even if theyre a non league side, there's kids who support their nearest league team, there's kids who support their nearest higher division team and then ones who supports the biggest team in the area. And then there's teams that support who their family supports. For miles and miles around, not just Newcastle which is a big city in itself but in all the towns around (I know there's a lot of countryside around there but theres about 2 million people in NE England who arent from the big three places) Newcastle are the obvious choice for those people. Not because you're a special club, not because there's some kind of bullshit "special bond" as you put it, but because you have the biggest and most successful (though not very successful lets be honest) club in the region. It's not something to be hugely proud of like you guys would have it...it's just the circumstances that have formed. In Blackburn, those kids who want to support their nearest Premier League side will support Rovers and we do get plenty of them and thats why we still get decent crowds given the size of town. But neighbouring us are Burnley, Preston, not much further is Bolton, Blackpool etc, and then we have the giants of Liverpool and Man U. So not only do we not get people from places immediately next to our boundaries supporting us nearly as much as you do, but we also have a bigger effect of those two drawing support away from our town. If your argument is that having huge clubs near you doesn't affect your support like another bloke did previously then that's a load of horseshit. The Man Utd and Liverpool fans massively outnumber the Arsenal and Chelsea fans up here, but go down to the Home Counties and I bet you'll see a higher proportion of Arsenal and Chelsea glory hunting kids than up here. Even then having Utd and Liverpool closer to you is much worse than the other two since theyve been historically more successful. Man Utd and Liverpool are both within 40 miles - similar distance between you and Sunderland if I recall rightly? So if they're close enough for us to be local rivals, theyre certainly close enough to get a substantial amount of support.

Not really. You called our club shit, called out our support, I showed why our support is the way it is. You said we play bad football - I showed that we've scored more goals than you recently and done better for years so it's fairly safe to say we play the better football. You said we're a team of kickers, but look there you are next to us in the fair play table. Not you personally on all those counts obviously.

No offence but you must be just a bit simple if that's what you got from my posts. The point was that it's daft when people criticise our support when we have very obvious reasons why we get crowds so low compared to the rest of the league. I saw some people slag that off before so that's why I took to task on that a bit. People only had a pop at your shit crowds because you and a few others only came onto gloat and wind us up tbf. It obviously irks you though. Nah one of you had a pop at our club so we registered and responded. I know it's your board and everything but someone linked us to it and we felt it needed responding to and we felt like defending our club. If I wanted to gloat and wind you up I could post some smart arse comment in pretty much every thread on the first page - trust me I've seen enough from casual browsing that I could easily have a pop at. Go ahead then It's obvious you're here on the wind-up. Always funny when the wums start to get angry though. If I wanted to go on the windup I'd start in the Shearer thread. But I'm not here to laugh at you lot, just defending my club.

unless it was just outside Stoke, The point being that it is a one-club city, its natural catchment area is more unique, it does stand apart from everywhere bar Sunderland and Boro, it does have less competition than the north west etc which is why its a far cooler club to support than Blackburn, as all the geographical circumstances lead to a different relationship between the people of the city and the club. BigChris is basically trying to argue 'yeah well, you wouldnt be like that if it wasnt like that'. Which in my opinion (and i say this with respect) is a bit stupid. "Far cooler club to support" I think supporting a team like Blackburn where you can feel genuinely proud of our successes is cooler, but each to their own. I'm simply saying this in response to people saying we have shit support. So it's not at all stupid, it's a perfectly reasonable defence. I thought you were just complaining about the fact that your geography dilutes your support. Cant be that special a relationship. Its a birthright up here, clearly not where you come from, according to you. "Birthright" It's only a birthright because you're a one club city with no better options for miles and miles. You've still got almost nothing in terms of sucess. Both our teams do pretty well with our support I think, but we have very different sets of circumstances. People had a go at our support so I've been pointing out that we do alright with it. Not that hard to follow is it?

unless it was just outside Stoke, The point being that it is a one-club city, its natural catchment area is more unique, it does stand apart from everywhere bar Sunderland and Boro, it does have less competition than the north west etc which is why its a far cooler club to support than Blackburn, as all the geographical circumstances lead to a different relationship between the people of the city and the club. BigChris is basically trying to argue 'yeah well, you wouldnt be like that if it wasnt like that'. Which in my opinion (and i say this with respect) is a bit stupid. "Far cooler club to support" I think supporting a team like Blackburn where you can feel genuinely proud of our successes is cooler, but each to their own. I'm simply saying this in response to people saying we have shit support. So it's not at all stupid, it's a perfectly reasonable defence. good point, suppose when you only have one or two they are easier to remember Better than zero eh?

No offence but you must be just a bit simple if that's what you got from my posts. The point was that it's daft when people criticise our support when we have very obvious reasons why we get crowds so low compared to the rest of the league. I saw some people slag that off before so that's why I took to task on that a bit. Post 104 - you're the simple one who doesnt even know what he is saying or arguing within minutes of saying it. Our support is bigger than yours, it makes us, in terms of numbers a much bigger club. Your response was the facile argument i highlighted above. Welcome to your arse, give me the plate back when you've finished. When did I ever say we were a bigger club? As I've said numerous times I've only been saying this because some posters called out our support.

unless it was just outside Stoke, The point being that it is a one-club city, its natural catchment area is more unique, it does stand apart from everywhere bar Sunderland and Boro, it does have less competition than the north west etc which is why its a far cooler club to support than Blackburn, as all the geographical circumstances lead to a different relationship between the people of the city and the club. BigChris is basically trying to argue 'yeah well, you wouldnt be like that if it wasnt like that'. Which in my opinion (and i say this with respect) is a bit stupid. "Far cooler club to support" I think supporting a team like Blackburn where you can feel genuinely proud of our successes is cooler, but each to their own. I'm simply saying this in response to people saying we have shit support. So it's not at all stupid, it's a perfectly reasonable defence.

No offence but you must be just a bit simple if that's what you got from my posts. The point was that it's daft when people criticise our support when we have very obvious reasons why we get crowds so low compared to the rest of the league. I saw some people slag that off before so that's why I took to task on that a bit. People only had a pop at your shit crowds because you and a few others only came onto gloat and wind us up tbf. It obviously irks you though. Nah one of you had a pop at our club so we registered and responded. I know it's your board and everything but someone linked us to it and we felt it needed responding to and we felt like defending our club. If I wanted to gloat and wind you up I could post some smart arse comment in pretty much every thread on the first page - trust me I've seen enough from casual browsing that I could easily have a pop at.

Yeah but there's more Liverpool and Man U tops in Blackburn than in Newcastle due to them being closer. Guaranteed. You'd find the same around other North West towns compared with other places. I'd rather be a Newcastle fan than a Blackburn fan That's real insight, right there. I'd rather be a Blackburn fan than a United or a Real Madrid fan, it's part of what comes with being a football fan you couldn't see yourself supporting any other team. I'd rather have Premiership football next season though.

No offence but you must be just a bit simple if that's what you got from my posts. The point was that it's daft when people criticise our support when we have very obvious reasons why we get crowds so low compared to the rest of the league. I saw some people slag that off before so that's why I took to task on that a bit.

Yeah but there's more Liverpool and Man U tops in Blackburn than in Newcastle due to them being closer. Guaranteed. You'd find the same around other North West towns compared with other places.

That's complete and utter shite. Of course them being closer makes them more likely to support them. Firstly being closer to a place makes it a lot easier to go to games and for the armchair fans being nearer gives them much more of an excuse. For the ones who support them because of it being in their family, people with ties to Liverpool and Manchester are much more likely to be found in the North West than in other parts of the country since its not exactly much of a move. Trust me, you didn't grow up in Blackburn, you don't know the sheer amount of kids who grow up supporting Man Utd or Liverpool instead of Rovers. I'm sure you get some in Newcastle too, but not as many I can guarantee you. Well I'd say it makes it more likely but it's much more to do with them being much more successful than you, don't you think? If it was all about ease of travel, they'd support Blackburn. Of course. But my point was that it makes them much more likely to support them than other fans in other parts of the country. There's two types of glory hunters - one picks the biggest and most successful club in vicnity, and ones that pick the biggest and most successful clubs in the country. That's why there's so many Man U/Liverpool fans here and before you start criticising our support you should think what yours would be like if you had clubs that successful around you. You're lying to yourself if you think it wouldn't make much of a difference. That's complete and utter shite. Of course them being closer makes them more likely to support them. Firstly being closer to a place makes it a lot easier to go to games and for the armchair fans being nearer gives them much more of an excuse. For the ones who support them because of it being in their family, people with ties to Liverpool and Manchester are much more likely to be found in the North West than in other parts of the country since its not exactly much of a move. Trust me, you didn't grow up in Blackburn, you don't know the sheer amount of kids who grow up supporting Man Utd or Liverpool instead of Rovers. I'm sure you get some in Newcastle too, but not as many I can guarantee you. Can't blame them for wanting to support a club that plays football. You haven't finished above us in years. You haven't scored more goals than us in a season in years. You're one place above us in the fair play league this year. You were only entertaining under 90s era Keegan and Bobby Robson. So tell me, as a Newcastle fan on what grounds do you have to make that comment?

That's complete and utter shite. Of course them being closer makes them more likely to support them. Firstly being closer to a place makes it a lot easier to go to games and for the armchair fans being nearer gives them much more of an excuse. For the ones who support them because of it being in their family, people with ties to Liverpool and Manchester are much more likely to be found in the North West than in other parts of the country since its not exactly much of a move. Trust me, you didn't grow up in Blackburn, you don't know the sheer amount of kids who grow up supporting Man Utd or Liverpool instead of Rovers. I'm sure you get some in Newcastle too, but not as many I can guarantee you.

You meant large enough. Your city is bigger than our town, I wouldn't say that's something to be proud or ashamed of.. Anyway I don't wish to take this discussion away further from the football, because as a Blackburn fan that's definitely where I'm in winning territory on here And if we talk about the places themselves we are. Of course a city's gonna have more to it than a town Bit of a no brainer really..

You're aware that Newcastle's not exactly a sprawling metropolis aren't you? Once you're outside the city, you're pretty much looking at a fanbase of livestock. A quick look at Wiki tells me Newcastle itself is 270k, Boro is 140k and Sunderland is 180k. It also says there's 2.5 million people in the North East of England. You may not be quite as big a club as you think you are but you are the biggest club in the region and there's a lot of people up for grabs. We're bordered by towns with Premiership/Championship sides and have Liverpool and Man U in reasonably close vicinity. Trust me if you had those two clubs within 40 miles of you (instead of Sunderland), your support would be noticeably lower. Like I said, we've scored more goals than you every season since 04-05. Passing the ball prettily with little end product isn't good football at all, I'd rather see my team score goals.