Paphos People

Thank You and that' the 300 up !
Gary

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So close yet so far away

Another solid result for the toon this weekend.

I see a poor away defeat for the mackems was further soured by Darren Bent's mum being raciually abused by their own supporters - very poor show!

Yes a bad weekend for us Mackems.
Did the skunks have a game ?
Gary

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So close yet so far away

Not a game a such, more of a walk in the park....

Apparentley played off the park.
Gary

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So close yet so far away

Absolutely - the 3-0 scoreline gives the game away!

Your smugness knows no bounds but you know exactly what I mean.
Anyway why are we discussing your inferior football club ?
Gary

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So close yet so far away

I think it's probably because you're still obsessed with us.

Don't think so but you have been the source of much entertainment and guffaw these past few months.
Gary

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So close yet so far away

I hadn't realised what a rubbish run the mackems were on - only one win in the last 7 is relegation form

Meanwhile the mighty toon have racked up 7 straight wins, scoring 14 and conceding only 2. Normal service may be resumed even sooner than we thought....

Deluded.

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So close yet so far away

Only 1 win in 8 now, couldn't beat the bottom team at home, and some tricky games to come - the slide down the table continues....

Is Agent Bruce starting to show his hand??

Agent Bruce.....now that is original.
I'm not too worried tbh, we have hard games coming up as you say, but I think we'll have a strong run after Xmas and we'll finish 8th or 9th, not fantastic but progress none the less.
Gary

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So close yet so far away

Oh dear.

Now only 1 win in 9, only 34k turning up (10k less than Newcastle got hosting Watford) and the team being booed from the pitch...

Clever work from Agent Bruce - getting off to a decent start to get the fans off his back then slowly letting the rot set in - reminds me of good old Lawrie Mackemenemy!

Martin,

Can I suggest in the Season of Goodwill you be more sensitive to the Mackems who clearly have major problems (Geordie Manager determined to get them relegated, falling and booing crowds, and slowly dropping down the league, apart from the Manager sounds like the Boro!). However, even I do not think they will be relegated as the Premiership this year is very poor.

Best Wishes to you Discopants.

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Roger

"Be who you are, not what others want you to be"

Hmmm Roger wishing me well .
Yes I can't deny that in the space of a month our season has dramatically changed. Forget trying to bait me with this agent Bruce malarky it won't wash.
We will be okay but might have to drop a few more places in the PREMIER league before our fortunes change..
You would be better off assessing your own teams chances should you go back up than commenting on mine.........
or are you obsessed with us ?
For instance, do you think your current team is better than the team that took you down ?
Or is it just that Hughton knows more about football than Mary Poppins ?
I see your fixture against Cardiff at The SportsDirect Arena clashes with ours at home to Wigan. Northumbria's finest had to do something, so they moved your minor game forward to Friday and left us, the North East's premier club alone. Rather like Merseyside Police would act should Liverpool and Tranmere find themselves playing at home on the same day .
Tatty Bye
Gary

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So close yet so far away

Interesting question - we obviously lost a lot of players but we're certainly playing as more of a team now, seem to have shifted out the attitude problems and overpaid injury nightmares. I actually think our current team could probably survive in the Premier given some luck with injuries, but to do much more than that we would need to make a few good signings (a top goalscorer will be a massive priority)

As to the fixture changes, I've no idea what criteria Northumbria Police have used but it clearly isn't anything to do with the respective size of the clubs, as I can guarantee our crowd v Cardiff will be much, much bigger than yours v Wigan!

I don't wish to be drawn into a petty discussion with my new friend Discopants in this Season of Goodwill, so I will desist from any comment on the merits of our respective teams for the present (wait till the New Year though!). The Cardiff game is live on the box, hence the move to Friday.

However, I hope you will sympathise with me in that my Christmas Eve flight to Paphos was with Globespan. so now trying to re-book!

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Roger

"Be who you are, not what others want you to be"

Nightmare! BA won't be much use to your either!

I'll help have a look round for a replacement for you if you like - are you flexible on departure airport?

Martin,

Thanks but have managed to get re-booked with Easyjet from Manchester a day earlier the 23rd. Can't miss out on my Paphos "Fix"!

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Roger

"Be who you are, not what others want you to be"

Good stuff - was worried my Boxing Day dinner was going to be in jeopardy!

Roger, I wouldn't wish that on anyone so good to see you got your flights sorted. This crowd argument won't go away will it.
Martin it's the only thing you've got left to cling to. Now once again I will say, we as North Easterners know that Newcastle really is a city and Sunderland really is a town.
I don't care what figures you manipulate the population of Newcastle and Tyneside is greater than that of Sunderland and Wearside. Recently my club has served up dire football and had at least two embarrassing seasons in the top flight. Compared to that your club have been "flying"if you get my drift.
Given the recent performances of my club( by that I mean the past few years) then the attendances are very good but I do wonder why we are not topping 40k every game.I have always been impressed with the geordies attendances post Keegan.
That said our season's average will be over 40k and the next home game will be a sell out.
Northumbria's finest sided with the regions top club Martin,
Now get over it.
Gary

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So close yet so far away

So will you be tuning into the BBC Sunday lunchtime to watch some proper football Gary?

Would you prefer to see the smogs win?

It's on the telly isn't it ?
Yes I will watch it and yes I'd prefer the Smoggies to win.
Gary

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So close yet so far away

Thought you might! Hope you're disappointed...

So, let's review the weekend:

- mackem relegation form continues, only 1 win in 11 now. Turns out that only beating them by 1 goal is enough to get a manager the sack these days.

- 8 wins in 9 and 10 points clear for the mighty Mags, watched by a record Championship crowd of almost 50,000, despite freezing conditions, just before Christmas and the match live on the BBC.

Happy Christmas!

You know what? I think you'll win the Premier title next year along with the FA Cup and the League Cup and the following season you'll win the Champions League.
There.
Said it for you so you don't have to bother.
Gary

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So close yet so far away

As 2009 nears it's end let's take time to reflect on what a great time it was and ask ourselves how Newcastle United did not receive a special gong at the British Comedy awards.
Next manager ?

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So close yet so far away

Ah yes......the messiah cometh !

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So close yet so far away

My fave......Big Al and the also rans !

Gary

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So close yet so far away

The latest Middle Eastern Consortium to be taking over ?

Gary

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So close yet so far away

It was a great year for some !
especially after a Keiron Richardson free kick !!!

Happy New Year to you all.
Look forward to locking horns again next year !
We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when................................if you are lucky.............beware the (s) ides of West Bromwich and Nottingham.
Gary

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So close yet so far away

As it's the end of the decade, thought is would be an appropriate time to post my Newcastle XI of the decade:

Given

Beye
Woodgate
Dabizas
Bernard

Solano
Speed
Lee
Robert

Shearer
Bellamy

And is this is a mackems v Geordies thread, I've also selected my combined XI of the decade:

Given

Beye
Woodgate
Dabizas
Bernard

Solano
Speed
Lee
Robert

Shearer
Bellamy

Not sure about Woodgate as for me he didn't play enough games. My player of the Decade has to be Rob Lee, closely followed by Captain fantastic (the real one not the imaginery one!). However, agree with the rest. As a combined team they all seem to have played for Newcastle - strange that!

Martin - Joe is back in (from) Toon.

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Roger

"Be who you are, not what others want you to be"

I'm sure he'll be round soon for a good old moan - already had texts from him complaining about the flu he picked up in the UK!

He got it from a mackem in the Metro Centre!!!!

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Roger

"Be who you are, not what others want you to be"

I bet that's the closest he gets to SportsDirect.Com arena !
Gary

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So close yet so far away

14 games unbeaten for the toon now, boasting one of the tightest defences in the country.

Meanwhile our mackem brethren have managed only 1 league win in their last 12! Never mind, I'm sure they'll sort that out this weekend - who they playing?

Don't you be worrying about us Martin, I'm not.
Worry instead about the Baggies and Forest who could spoil your party.
BTW what was the attendance at the SportsDirect.Com Arena last night ?
Gary

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So close yet so far away

I'm waiting.............................................

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So close yet so far away

URGENT MESSAGE FOR AGENT BRUCE - You're making it way too obvious!

It was men against boys literally with 5 academy players in the team or on the bench. I have not yet commented on Steve Bruce but am losing faith in him. He said at the beginning of the season that he wanted to work with a small squad. Well why ?
His small squad resulted in him selecting 5 youngsters against the best team I have seen this season. Their confidence will be shot after that.
He will argue that he was without 8 first team players but he knew that was going to be the case and still didn't bring in any new faces and he's had 16 days to do that now.
This was supposed to be a season where we moved up the table and cemented ourselves in the Premier league. That is not going to happen. It's not as a result of today's result, which Sunderland fans had written off as a defeat in any case, I was aware several weeks ago that once again a relegation fight was going to happen.
He does have players close to returning but those players need to turn it on straight away before our fall turns really serious. We have some difficult games coming up too so that will please my geordie friends.
I was underwhelmed at his appointment tbh as he was not the " World Class" manager I was expecting, but I thought I'd keep schtum and give him a chance. His record as a manager is not impressive and he is a manager who regularly gets into relegation scraps.
It is a testing time for him starting right now.He needs to get his finger out of his fat arm-pit and get some results.
Gary

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So close yet so far away

Refreshingly honest appraisal there Gary! Have to admit I've never seen the hype with Bruce, and wasn't too keen when we were linked with him previously.

He's definitely got some work to do to turn things round, you're pretty much in freefall at the moment. Don't think there's much chance of relegation though, as long as Bent stays fit - there's a few terrible teams in the Prem this year.

Gary,

I actually felt sorry for you on Saturday - not expected to get anything out of the game anyway, but to ship 7 goals is not nice to bear. I agree with Martin, you won't get relegated, but the target this year is likely to be 40 +, judging things at the moment.

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Roger

"Be who you are, not what others want you to be"

We are no better off now than we were this time last year and we know how close we came to going down last year.
The point about Bent is so true, but what if he gets injured ?
Bruce needs to think about that and get in another quality striker just in case.
He also needs two competent full backs.
I could run rings round George Mcartney !
BTW I heard a rumour that Solano may be returning to you lot.
Gary

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So close yet so far away

Just been reading about that - hope it's true, he's getting on a bit but should still have more than enough class for the Championship!

Fits right into the Mike Ashley recruitment criteria too: i.e. free.

Not a bad result for you lot tonight. You can't throw this one away....................................................... can you ?
Gary

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So close yet so far away

Of course we can - we've thrown a lot better lead than this away before, and although we're unbeaten in 14 that's only 1 win in the last 5 now...

I still have mixed feelings about getting promoted anyway - it's utterly pointless unless we get rid of Ashley, and he doesn't look like he's going anywhere.

We were lucky to get a point and the lack of skill and creativity is a big worry. No sign of any signings either. Not happy!

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Roger

"Be who you are, not what others want you to be"

According to the on-line Chronicle it appears we have a deal in place for Danny Simpson - whether a Loan or permanent is not clear, but if so good news for us in the Championship. However, I have doubts about him in the Premiership.

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Roger

"Be who you are, not what others want you to be"