Don't know if it's already been mentioned but the film of the book the Season Ticket is out Nov 3rd. You can find out mor on Virgin Net/purelybelter or something like that.

I hope it appeals to a wider audience than the book, although the cinema in Leicester where I saw the short was cracking up at a few of the gags.

-- Anonymous, October 09, 2000

Answers

I've taken this from the RTG, can you believe that some of the tossers on there are actually criticising Bobby for his actions. As one NUFC supporter has said, in a reverse scenario Monkey-Heed woudl have told him to f-off 30 times before he had a chance to take the shirt off

NEWCASTLE manager Bobby Robson threatened to bring filming to a halt on a major movie because one of the actors was wearing a Sunderland strip, it was claimed today.

The film, Purely Belter, is the story of two Newcastle fans and their desperate search for a pair of St James's Park season tickets. But the actors playing the lead roles are from Sunderland  and one of them, 16-year-old Chris Beattie, is a fanatical Black Cats supporter. When he turned up to shoot a scene at Newcastle's training ground in Chester-le-Street, he was wearing a red-and-white strip under his fleece top. But the football shirt could still be seen and, according to Chris and the film's director, it caused United bosses  including manager Bobby Robson  to see red. They say a directive came from the former England boss that Chris would have to take off the strip. Director Mark Herman  who made the acclaimed Brassed Off and Little Voice  told the Echo: "The message from the powers that be was that either the shirt left the training ground or the film crew did." Chris, from Grangetown, was about to change into the black-and-white tracksuit he wears in the film. He says he couldn't believe his ears. Speaking at Purely Belter's UK premiere, at the Leeds International Film Festival, he said: "I did it as a bit of a joke. I thought I might get told off, but I didn't think it would be Bobby Robson. If I met him again, I don't think I'd be too happy." He added: "I was standing up for my beliefs. If I support Sunderland, I have the right to wear a Sunderland strip  no matter where I am." However, a spokeswoman for Newcastle United said: "If Bobby Robson said that, it certainly would have been tongue-in-cheek. Mr Robson would never say anything like that." Chris and co-star Greg McLane, 18, from Roker, were among 500 local lads  many of them from Tyneside  who auditioned for the roles in the film, part of which was shot at the Stadium of Light. But Mark Herman was so impressed by them that he decided to cast the two Wearsiders  despite their Mackem accents. He says: "Chris and Greg stood out by miles. They hadn't had lots of experience but they were just so fresh, we had to use them." And he is delighted at the performances in the film, which was a hit at the world-famous Cannes festival and is expected to follow Billy Elliot, also filmed in the North East, into the box office charts. Mr Herman added: "It was a tough call for them. The whole film depends on their performances, but they did a great job." Purely Belter will be released on November 3.

-- Anonymous, October 10, 2000

Don't care how good it might be - makkems in the lead roles says it all for me. I just cannot believe they couldn't have found a couple of real mags if they'd tried. Definitely one to be missed, even just on priciple.

Having to sit through an hour and a half of stuff like "toop ints er lagerp leeze" would do my heed in.

-- Anonymous, October 10, 2000

The film was premiered at The Odeon in Leeds last Thursday and by all accounts is fair to crap. I should have gone myself but to be honest a film about football starring two Mackems and made by the director of Brassed Off sounded too horrible, and it was peeing down. I can't authenticate DB's report but I know a few people who went so I'll ask them what the Grangetown toerag really said.

-- Anonymous, October 10, 2000

I've said it here before, Season Ticket was a bloody awful book.

I said right from the start that it read as if it were written by a Mackem. There was a new 'Yoof' style late night programme on C4 a couple of weeks back and they interviewed Jonathan Tulloch who said that he was born in Carlisle of Sunderland supporting parents, he now lived in a predocminantly barbers pole area of Gateshead and he said that he had never actually been inside SJP on match day.

Even though I hated the book, when they serialised it recently as Radio 4's late book with Tim Heally reading it, I thought I would give it a go as he might be able to put some life into the story, I stuck it out for the whole two weeks (10 Parts) and still thought it was crap.......and that was with the whole Moors shinnanigans trying to get to Carlisle cut out.

As a glutton for punishment I will probably go and see the film, just so that if it is as crappy as I think it will be, then at least I can critiscise from and hiving seen it, rather than heard about it stand point.

Mind you, my copy of the book is still winging its way round the world. Two drops in Australia, one in Canada and last heard of heading toward Japan.......if anyone else want to recieve it in its mamoth world tour, send your address to my hotmail address below and I'll put you on the list.

-- Anonymous, October 10, 2000

Sorry ITK, should have told you. It's arrived in Japan, have read it and thought that the only accurate things were the weather and the fact that in Gateshead all roads lead to the metro centre and none of the footpaths do. But apart from that, well it was, well you all know. Like some of the comments in the back BTW from the world tour. Will be adding mine soon, when I've got some pics of me plus shirt plus book.

-- Anonymous, October 10, 2000

Have to say, the English have a weakness for imagining that just because something is raw, gritty and Northern, it is also good.

-- Anonymous, October 11, 2000

By 'English' Dougal, you presumably mean those south of Watford Gap. The 'Grim up North' films leave me cold. Brassed Off, Billy Elliot, Full Monty are all the same, reproduce a gritty deprived Northern town in a time of crisis (mass redundancy, Miners strike, whatever) and show 'ordinary' folk smiling through and cheerfully overcoming their problems. Patronising propaganda for the London media to lap up.

-- Anonymous, October 11, 2000

It wold be true to say that those that have been to Newcastle see it as a vibrant entertaining city, whereas those that haven't just associate it with the football club and grim!

-- Anonymous, October 11, 2000

Hmmm... I thought Brassed Off was good!

-- Anonymous, October 11, 2000

Why Geordie ya daft begga, It was nowt but a thinly disguised reactionary attack on the proletariat, rejecting class-based socio- political agendas in favour of brass instuments.

Red Dread :-)

-- Anonymous, October 11, 2000

I was going up to Newcastle a few weeks ago and there was this nobber with a mobile phone saying he was going to the Toon. "It's a filthy, boring shithole". This posh lass across from him joined in saying the lasses all wee in the streets and smell of sick. She then gave someone directions from the Quayisde to "St James' Palace".

-- Anonymous, October 11, 2000

Are you serious?? I hope you put on your thickest Geordie accent and wee'd in her lap! ;-)

-- Anonymous, October 11, 2000

Hear hear, Ciara.

-- Anonymous, October 12, 2000

Last year for the Great North Run I took 6 southerners and one Yank from the office up to Tyneside for the weekend (one of them actually did the run - got passed by an Orange half way through though), and there were some reservations, which soon cleared up as the (first) day progressed (or declined into drunken misbehaviour). Needless to say they were up for it again this year ("as long as we can watch some football" and "as long as the Wheezing Brummie does the run again") and we shall be taking our seats in level 7 of the Sir John Hall stand on the 21st.
BTW - DeB - how's the training gannin'? wheezing brummie now reckons he's up to 8 miles, 40 Marlboro Light and 5 Bitter shandies (serious training).
Oh and I can't stand the "plucky northern" films either.

-- Anonymous, October 12, 2000