Tom_NUFC

I can't believe this fucking year so far. A fortnight ago, tomorrow (friday) My cousin's boyfriend arrived home from work to find my cousin collapsed unconscious. She was rushed to hospital in Leeds, and they found a blood clot in her brain. Then last Thursday, one of my aunts (on my Mam's side) died from a disease she'd been suffering from for years. Now tonight, I've just found out that my Cousin has died, and I'm just left feeling numb. She was 28, just under a year younger than me. In fact, there was only 2 years separating four of us, me and my brother and my cousin and her sister. We probably weren't mega-close because we live up here and they lived down on Merseyside, but we used to go visiting that side of the family 2 or 3 times a year, and we always stayed with them and because of the closeness in age, us 4 used to get on really well. And their mam, my Auntie Dot (not the one who died) and my Mam were the closest with each other (my Mam has 4 sisters and 2 brothers). I can't take it in. It was bad enough with my aunt dying, but as stupid as it may sound, she was suffering from a nasty disease, which was getting progressively worse and had got to a stage where we all knew there wasn't that long left. But my cousin, just came out of the blue, she was young and healthy, and then this happens suddenly. My mam is in absolute bits, I was sad about my aunt, but not devastated, as I wasn't that close to her. But hearing about my cousin, has really fucking knocked me. I'm just thinking of my aunt, who's lost a sister and a daughter in the space of a week. My cousins who've lost their mam, another cousin who's lost a sister, my two uncles, who've lost a wife and a daughter and my Grandma who's lost a daughter and a granddaughter. Life just fucking stinks sometimes. Sorry to put all this here, I just had to get it out my system, or something, I don't know.

Happy Birthday. Enjoy what's left of it.

I've seen it in a few places (outside of Indian restaurants). There's a offie on Chilly Road in Heaton that sells it. Sainsburys in High Heaton has it in and Morrisons in Byker does as well.

20 points I'm not sure. My dad's not a football fan, he doesn't hate it, but he's never really been interested. He wants to see Newcastle do well though, and he's not keen on Mackems. My Grandad (on my dad's side) was an NUFC fan and went to the three 50s cup finals, but he died before I was born, so that's not really the reason I supported the Toon. I supported them because I'm from Newcastle and thought that's who I have to support. How many points do I get for that? 20 points 10 points 25 points. 4 points I think I'm fairly knowledgable. I don't know everything, but I know quite a bit 79 points + whatever on section 2. And I believe I deserve points on that one.

Desperado is class. I like Belle Vieu Kriek as well. De Konninck, Cristal (from Cuba), Duvel is nice, but not so unusual these days, Lowenbrau Oktoberfest, Anchor Steam Ale.

I use Soccer 24-7. It's alright, but there are a few tossers on there, and I'm getting a bit sick at the moment, because like every bugger else at the moment they're slagging us of without getting their facts right.

heard that one years ago, only they were Australians and South Africans rather than Pakistanis and Poles.

from what's been said, it seems like a harsh decision. I hope the N-O admin see sense and unban you.

It does seem a tad strange.

But would he be the LW in the all time toon team? I prefered Robert tbh

His permanent spitting image head? Perhaps, or maybe his 'Cockney geeza' persona. I was put on the spot in the Backpage yesterday, by Sky filming for Soccer Saturday. I didn't even realise they were there and was saying something just because everyone was talking about it - next thing I know there's a camera and some bloke is asking me questions about Redknapp, and I'm saying he'll be better than Allardyce but there's something about Redknapp that I don't like, but I can't put my finger on it. Oh, I'm going to end up looking like a right idiot tomorrow.

I'm not sure about Redknapp like. He'd be better than Sam, but there's something about him that I don't like.

I did when it was my birthday on Tuesday... I'm not joking either!

good post. Lets hope so. Ashley seems to know what he's doing as a businessman, so I'm hopeful he'll make a better appointment than old idiot brain ever did.

He won't be allowed to manage at any other club. What makes you say that?

You know what? The media have decided that we all want Shearer.

I don't want him as an unproven manager. If he goes away, learns the ropes elsewhere and is successful then by all means bring him back at some point in the future. But right now, it's a hell of a big risk.

I do care if we lose. I would take less exciting football (although not as dull as Allardyce) if it meant winning something. I'm just idealist/greedy I suppose. I want to win, but I want to do it in style. We weren't winning many games under Allardyce though and just scraping the ones we did get against crap sides. The reason the football was dull was because we were shit. If we were a good team we would by definition be playing much more entertaining football. I don't think the team is shit, I think the problem was that Allardyce set up the team was shit. Players in the wrong positions, the midfield stifled of creativity etc. You have point though, if the players wrre playing where they should be and if the midfield had a bit of creativity in there - ie if Emre played more often, we may well see better football. But even so, Allardyce's so called success at Bolton still produced dull football.

I do care if we lose. I would take less exciting football (although not as dull as Allardyce) if it meant winning something. I'm just idealist/greedy I suppose. I want to win, but I want to do it in style.

Sky aren't saying it on the telly, but from what the Sky blokes in the Back Page earlier were saying, they reckon it'll be Redknapp.

OK, I would accept Mourinho, because he is a successful manager. But I really really think we should be playing good football.

I said what I've said on here a few times, that if you're going to give a manager time, you've at least got to see signs of improvement, and we haven't seen that. He started asking me about Redknapp, and i said I wasn't sure as there's something about him that I don't like, but I can't put my finger on it But that he'd be a big improvement on Allardyce. He asked me who I wanted as manager, and I said I honestly don't know, which is true. I said, I can think of a few managers I don't want, and said I don't want McLaren, and I don't want Shearer because he's unknown as a manager and would be a big risk, and if it went wrong, it'd be bad for the club and for him.

I was in town this morning, and another I've heard is McLaren temporarily, and then Mourinho in the summer. I'd be dead set against McLaren, even temporarily. I'm not sure about Mourinho, he gets results, and although his football is better than Allardyce's it's still not the prettiest. I'd probably acceopt it though. Anyway, it's just another rumour at the minute. I fear that I might have made an idiot of myself though. I went up to SJP to pay for the cup replay against Stoke. All the cameras were lined up along Strawberry Place, opposite the Gallowgate and the bottom entrance to SJP at the SW corner. I avoided them, and walked down to have a look in at The Back Page, which is a NUFC/Football/Sports bookshop just down the road from St James',and is owned by a couple of blokes who run the NUFC fanzine The Mag. I went in there partly because there were a few things in there I wanted to buy, and partly for a bit of craic about what was happening. Sky talk to them quite a bit, and unlike the Charvers who stand outside SJP, they actually know what they're talking about. Anyway there were a few people in and we had our say. I said what I thought, and one of the blokes goes "that's interesting, can we use you as a vox pop?" He was from Sky and was in interviewing Mick, the co-owner for Soccer Saturday. I was a bit reluctant, but eventually agreed. At least it's in the shop rather than up at the ground with the charvers trying to get on SSN.

It was always going to make us look bad. Nevertheless, I still think it was the right thing to do. But we've got to make sure that we really get the right person in, and not make a stupid/rash appointment. Because this has to end.

Reminiscent of Souness. I'm not sure what to think if it's Hughes. I know they're not having the best of times now, but he hasn't done badly. But then again, he hasn't exactly set the world alight either. I think we could do a lot worse, but I think we could do better as well.