ToonMarshy

Slight tangent, but did anyone catch the radio 4 bit on this at about half 7 this morning? some economics professor defending mike ashley saying that "there needs to be places were employees are treated sub human because otherwise there'd be no entry level jobs - and dignity isnt a right everyone is entitled to" Boiled my piss i tell ya!

hell be off to villa man!

meh, his loss! not ours

Uh oh, theyve pissed off essembee

I know its the sun (eurgh) But this is one helluva headline! http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/7182472/Footballer-perv-Adam-Johnson-is-training-a-team-of-paedos-behind-bars-and-wants-them-all-to-wear-Sunderlands-kit.html

Looks like he's about to be out for another half a season.

wait. what?

Couldn't agree more. Of course this all hinges on us coming straight back up like last time and there not being any weird shenanigans upon re-entry with sales or contracts, but compared to the turgid couple of seasons and half of this one, even the 10 games leading to our relegation were on the whole infinitely more enjoyable and positive than anything i've felt from us for a long time. This is the first time for so long that there is somebody not only with a bit of a resume behind them being at the club - but with a goal and an idea behind them that they actually have the control they need to make steps towards achieving it. I wouldnt give a fuck what division we were in as long as that was the case, because 10 years of 'try not to get relegated and for the love of god don't win any trophies, just buy cheap sell high' had pretty much destroyed any real 'love' i had in football over the past decade. Of course there were still some great players showing up now and then (and being quickly turned for a profit) and the odd enjoyable match - and of course i still followed the games week in week out - but more from a point of routine than for any desire. When the club itself admitted there was no ambition, why the hell would any of the fans even dare to try and enjoy the football? I must admit in a weird way i almost feel sorry for Ashley. I genuinely think last season at the start all the spiel he gave about a top half finish, winning a cup, and spending money instead of making it, I think he genuinely may have at least 20% meant it. They just hitched their bets to the wrong horse in mcclaren, and stuck with ti too long and the rest of the season became unsuccessful damage limitation. The fact Rafa (who was under no obligation) has decided to stay on suggests all the noises he has heard and discussions he has had must have led him to at least partially feel the same way. I'm not expecting this season to be a 'walk' in the park, in fact im almost certain we will struggle, the championship has got a LOT more competitive and scrappy over the past 7 years, and i think our current squad genuinely needs a clear out and one or two heads brought in that can drag a game on its arse if it aint going our way - but christ almighty i can't wait. Give me a season with a goal, give me a manager with ambition, give me players that are there because they want to fight tooth and nail and win every game - not because they were paid an extortionate amount of money and had premier league status. GIVE ME IT ALL. Compared to the past 10 years of being nothing but a footnote and a 'newcastle circus' in the media, I welcome everything that's lined up for us.

SO you mean when we come up next season you are expecting to get relegated and stay out the prem for a bit? Not exactly a bright outlook mate! Cheer up! it's friday!

They are legitimately fuming - even without the appointment of Rafa I genuinely think it would have been worth going down just for the sheer amount of entertainment that has come from seeing seething basement dwellers, who quite literally have nothing more but maybe finishing in 16th above boro next season, going radge over how completely apathetic and casual 90% of geordies have been about the whole thing.

Winning his acca

I refuse to get carried away with this. (yay)

and theres 2, Watford and everton both forgetting how to play football, and we're off to the championship! howay!

was never a free kick to begin with xD christ almight the scrawny bastards

Norwich now level on points and goal difference after watford trying really hard to give them double figures

Fuck sake i'd forgotten about that bastard sitter, villa did fuck all the rest of that game either except look like they needed their arm bands. Eurgh, we definitely cannot lose to these tomorrow

The first villa game was shitshow enough this season when it probably shoulda been cancelled cos of the state of the bloody pitch, cant wait to see how much of a circus this turns into

Aye it's the chronicle, but looks like the villa lot are planning a 'massive release of energy' during the match by tossing a load of beach balls on the pitch. http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/aston-villa-fans-release-details-11287595 Guaranteed one of those fuckers deflects a goal in for em

Think its a bit of a false scoreline if i'm honest. Dont get me wrong its done wonders for goal difference compared to norwich after their run in with our red headed six toed neighbours - but it wasnt a comfortable 3-0 win. Two goals against knackered players in the death end of the match doesnt make up for the 40 minutes previous of still looking like we are about to fall apart at any moment, and any team that wasnt firing blanks would have buried about 4 of the chances they had in that time. Nice to get a win, nice to get a clean sheet - but i genuinely cant see anything other than the goal difference taking another 6 goal defecit tomorrow, and MAYBE scrape a draw out of either the pool or spurs fixtures.

Mike 'Star of the show' Dean in for the norwich game. Woof

It's alright lads, if we dont fancy giving darlow another chance - theres at least one fella who knows his way between the sticks.

what a day, when getting announced to the world that you were jacking it to beastiality isn't even the worst thing to happen to you,

errrrr....

Reet with ya, mate of mine who supports wants to go catch a drink and watch it down the pub- at this point im so sick of losing derbies i dont think i can put myself through another one - what a sad state of affairs

No but he is known to turn a blind eye to people not paying 5p for their shopping bags. Scoundrel