I have just been told that I have to make a trip with the bossess to edinburg this weekend!! This is so crazy but i like it. I guess my planned trip to the northeast come alot sooner than expected and free too! I will have to find my way to newcastle while they are at the golf course...but that's no big problem at all.

I have a day. Say i set off early in the morning and leave by 6, where can i go? i know for sure I'll be at SJP (a guided tour maybe), the club shop, training ground(?), what else should I not miss? Can someone please help. I sure as hell want to make sure i have everything covered....

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2000

Answers

surely not a Mag who's never been to SJP???

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2000

Blee, the training ground won't have anything going on with a match on the Saturday, but if you come down by train, take a stroll down the Quayside from the Central Station and have a wander (and wonder!) at the bridges and all the restaurants and bars. A leisurely stroll up the hill to Grainger Street will take you past the infamous Bigg Market and on up to the Gray Memorial. This currently has scaffolding round it (as does much of the Tyne Bridge) but the whole area around the Monument is fabulous for architecture. You might want to take a wander up Northumberland Street and enjoy all the folk in black and white shirts getting a bit of shopping done before the match. Make your way across to the stadium, pausing to catch your breath a few times as you try to take in such majesty ;-) and visit the club shop in the corner of the Gallowgate and Milburn stands. Unlikely to get a guided tour on match day, but pop into The Strawberry for a jar with the rest of the bbsers before the game if you fancy it. Can't miss us, we're to the left of the bar and will be wearing black and white shirts :-)

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2000

Gotta love those free trips, blee! Lunch(liquid or otherwise) in the Strawbeery is a must. Also make sure you take a walk down the Quayside. Lovely views of the Tyne Bridge..well, whatever you can see under the shroud. If your in Toon on a weekday and are into ancient buildings, go into the Castle keep. Fantastic place to wander around and really gets the imagination going. Also great views from the roof. Whatever you do, enjoy it!!

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2000

LR, according to some reliable sources, half the population in asia supports manure. You probably have no idea how big the english premier league is in this region - we get live matches and just the same, there's a manure shop and a manure cafe here. the manure supporters? well, they are just the same.....

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2000

Thanks a zillion softie and ciara. Too bad I will still be on the plane when the spurs match starts. I'll probably be there on a week day which means i'll get to go on a guided tour at sjp?

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2000

Should be no problem at all with tours. If the ground is good enough to be open for matches then I'm sure they'll be delighted to start the tours again as well. There are definitely training sessions during the week. You have to go down to the Durham County Cricket Ground at Chester-le-Street. The Club should be able to let you know when the Lads are training next week, or Steph, who has been getting down there a lot recently. It's also still worth popping into the Strawberry for a look at a pub filled with NUFC mementos and think of all the happy faces in their before a game and (slightly less often) after the match as well. If the Ground is a cathedral then the Strawberry is certainly a little church all by itself. Whatever you do, enjoy yourself!

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2000

Hey Blee..... :-)

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2000

The Strawberry is the chapel, Softie. ;-)

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2000

softie, do they actually lets you into their training sessions? you bet i'll be there at the strawberry. already have a pretty good idea how the place looks like...thanks to riks place.

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2000

There is a training complex at Chester-le-Street where the Lads do their thing. The training fields have fences around them but you are right up close and can hear what they say to one another (sometimes very rude to say the least!) and get to watch Bobby telling them what he wants from them. It's a great experience. They usually train from 11.00am - 1.00pm and then again in the afternoon sometimes, but check with the club first, they don't train every day. Look at some of Steph's training ground reports for details.

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2000

Actually the language has improved - must be since that nice Mr Howey left! ;-)

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2000

I'll check with the club before heading to the training ground, thanks. for all you know, I might just catch steph there.

Steph, what is your web address? love to read your reports.

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2000

blee,

A few more words of direction. The Toon training ground is right next to the Durham County Cricket Stadium at Chester-le-Street.
Follow the road signs to the Cricket Stadium and park in one of the pay car parks to the right of the stadium as you drive in towards it. The training ground is right behind the cricket stadium.
I hope you really enjoy your visit to the Toon.

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2000

Clarky, thank you too! you all have been just wonderful. thank you for all the suggestions and advice.

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2000

Benny, I don't think the Harry Potter fan realises you're from Singapore, were you involved in the S.E. Asia / Far East 'debate' with LR sveral months ago?

Send me an e-mail on my singnet account and I'll give you some tips on the Toon, I'm in Hong Kong so we can't meet up!

Bud.

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2000

Oh Bud..but I do..I do. I was just making a valid and factual point....just like you do when you diss all thos "manU" fans in KL , HK etc....what's the difference between them and Blee?

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2000

LR, that's a very simple question, the answer being:

BLEE IS NOT A GLORY HUNTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2000

Blee,

My training ground reports have dropped off the bottom of the bbs but if you go to Older Messages and then Uncategorized you can find them. Look for 'Pre-season training ground report' and 'Thursday's training ground report'. Halfway down the threads there are links to my web page and the photos.

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2000

LR, if you must know, i started supporting newcastle (and it's because of king kev) in '91 - ya the same season when we almost went down to div 3. i am not doubting the real manure supporters but I sure know of a number of present manure fans who just a few seasons ago were supporting the arse.

-- Anonymous, August 24, 2000

Bud...that is a bullshit answer mate...had NUFC a brrel full of trophies....Blee would then be seen as a GH....but only by sad bast*rds :-)

-- Anonymous, August 25, 2000

Blee...THEY ain't fans....don't worry about them. I'm not questioning your support..never have done..never will. Unfortunately I do use your circumstance to point out to the blind folk on here that not every NUFC fan is a born and bred 100 games a season miner ;-)

-- Anonymous, August 25, 2000

I also have friends in Newcastle who showed no interest in football whatsoever until we started doing well, at which point they 'claimed their birthright'. Do they qualify as glory hunters? At some point everyone chooses a team, even if it is just whether or not they choose to follow their local team or not to follow football at all, I guess its all just a question of what triggers your excitement about the game at some stage in your life. As a child I was regularly taken to see Barnsley and although I enjoyed football I never associated myself with that team (or any other). It wasn't until I went to uni in Newcastle in '87 that I went to a match and felt truly involved, really cared about the team.

-- Anonymous, August 25, 2000

LR, I agree with you 100%, Blee would be a "GLORY HUNTER", if WE had a $hitload of trophies and HE knew nothing about NUFC, cf. most of S.E. Asia and your 'fans'!

;-)

-- Anonymous, August 25, 2000

Hey Blee....you in Edinburgh for the EITF or what.

-- Anonymous, August 25, 2000

ITK, no I'm not there for the ETIF, whatever that is. We are there at the invitation of a Scots living here. We are also visiting some theme parks and resorts (official business not holidays). From London, we'll stop by Skegness (Butlin), North Yorkshire (Lightwater Valley) before heading up north to Edinburgh. I'll have to come back down to Newcastle next Wednesday (just for visit) before going back to Edinburgh and on to Copenhagen. It's a big loop and a bit of hassle. So does not qualify me a supporter?

-- Anonymous, August 25, 2000