I hope those two don't regard themselves as the voice of the Toon fans. Apparently the Daily Mail have picked up on this and I imagine many people are taking the piss right now.

This is one step too far for me and another high and f@@king mighty statement. I admire them for their coverage of all the matches and the quickness in which they get information but their opinion of themselves does them little favours.

These guys are up on a pedestal now, getting on Teletext and in the Ronnie, seems to have boiled their brains slightly.

It'll take a wee bit more than that to stop the less committed of our 44,000 season ticket holders ripping their renewal forms up. Whisper it softly, but if a certain team down the road actually get into Europe, one or two of the undecided may swap black and white for red and white, especially if the disparity in ticket prices increases.

-- Anonymous, February 15, 2001

Answers

Arse!

-- Anonymous, February 15, 2001

Tawk Sport had a "fans representitve" on there show on Tueesday - fortunatley it wasn't the hypocrite Kevin Miles but a spokesman for INUSA who hadn't even been to the game on Sunday but commenting on the performance.

-- Anonymous, February 15, 2001

I don't see anything wrong with that statement DeB. We have to realise that there are a number of fans and ST holders who are less committed than the rest of us. To them, football is an entertainment/recreation, alongside theatre, concerts, golf, sports club, holidays etc etc. Why shouldn't someone wnat to change one for the other if they are not (in their opinions) value for money?

The comment about switching sides is perhaps a little less credible. I dunno about the number of ST holders doon the road, but let's assume it's not at capacity, just like at SJP. So, if a ST holder from SJP decided to call it a day, but still wanted a fix, they could buy a ticket at SJP or the SoS.

Can't see any false logic in that. It's only the emotions surreounding being a supporter that cloud the issue.

-- Anonymous, February 15, 2001

If that's the case do we really want those sort of fans anyway? They pay the money for sure, but someone else could who failed to get a season ticket.

-- Anonymous, February 15, 2001

I doubt that anyone who wanted a season ticket failed to get one. The ratio is desire to see the team against means to pay for it and our lot stretched that to its limit and overdid it on the corporate and privileged sections. We charge a high price for some pretty atrocious old cobblers. Charity starts at home and I'm finding it pretty difficult to convince the Missus that my current fury and depression is worth £20 a throw from the family budget.

We have a very real danger of doing a Wednesday insofar as the supporters are getting restless at paying top-whack for shite. If sizeable numbers decide to cherry-pick their games next season rather than buy a season-ticket then the mortgage on the extension still needs paying and the useless, spineless, gutless, IMPOSTERS will still want paying. Tits up unless a firm hand is applied sharpish. If they think that means John Gregory then I will definitely not be renewing my ticket next season.

Other Softieless scenarios would be:

Marco Delvecchio as new striker
Franck LeBouef as new centre half

Hmmmm. I stayed off-line since Sunday as my mood was not conducive to social interaction and I think I may have come back too soon :-(

-- Anonymous, February 15, 2001

I share your sentiments about Delvechio and Lebouf!

-- Anonymous, February 15, 2001

And there was me thinking you'd gone to La Manga with the rest of them. Next time, count to ten..................................... .............million!

-- Anonymous, February 15, 2001

Couldn't even begin to talk about them without building up to a terrible rage. My language is pretty awful at the best of times - sorry, vicar, didn't see you there, I believe it's an Anglo-Saxon word - but even the cats were shocked. I think the bairn will grow up with an unaccountable feeling that there is something familiar about the name of one of the German players when they show clips of Euro96 before European Championships in the future....well they were, weren't they? Have to learn to do it like Yosemite Sam. Fragamburchem etc

-- Anonymous, February 15, 2001

Ya kna what it is De Builder, your 100% correct like.

The club has had enough with the News Of The World recently trying to influence our fans not to buy our strips and other shite and the sensationalism of the SOS or Toongate etc.

We just dont need Niall and Biffa trying to ruin our demand for season tickets, THEY shouldnt give cues out to sly Journos to sabotage our club again. Our demand is special, no other club in Britain(bar Man Utd) has it.

They have the power to glamourise the toon, to make our demand stronger, to put us in a better position, but they choose to give out a negative medium????

They have the power to make people want to buy season tickets in essance, which in turn means more revenue, and a better chance of Bobby signing quality players when they come along.

What worries me is that some of our more impressionable fans see them as the bible authors. On the other hand, this wouldnt worry me if they could be more positive when they come across these issues.

-- Anonymous, February 15, 2001

Nice to see the considered tone of the Soft One back on line.

-- Anonymous, February 15, 2001

I'm glad you posted that DB, I have every respect for NUFC.com but your posting makes me realise that perhaps my smaller site along with, Daily toon, Toonweb, etc should get behind the club a bit more and stay in sheck. We are fans of the club and should support them more , not try to pull them to bits all of the time. Ok so feeling is bad at the moment because of the poor performances recently, but it won't help things if we feed the tabloids with negative editorials.

Back to positive thinking from me .

-- Anonymous, February 15, 2001

Personally I don't see what all the fuss is about. No one is blind enough to see that an unofficial toon site is the voice of toon fans everywhere, if that were the case then this bbs forum would be about as close as you could get. I think they were just letting off steam in the hope that someone somewhere will read and the penny will drop that Newcastle fans have paid over the odds for what is at best mediocrity for a long time now. Everyone is frustrated at our lack of success in the smoke, our lack of results overall have been poor at best.

If we spank man city will everything be ok again, will we be talkin about a uefa spot or will this just be a stay of execution? Who goes and comes this summer will be interesting, basically we have the same side as last year only with more injuries.

-- Anonymous, February 15, 2001

I know I'll no doubt be seen as an apologist for Niall and Biffa, but despite the fact that I have known Biffa for years it is not the case, I just get fed up with misquoting.

It will be intereeting to know if the Ronnie, Mail, Teletext and all the others who are criticising actually printed the WHOLE of the item, including the final, and in my opinion, most telling paragraph.

The final two paragraphs of the piece on NUFC.com read as follows:

It's odds on that we'll beat Manchester City, but assuming we do, what will that prove? That we can dispatch a team of second rate journeymen, almost certain to be playing in the Nationwide league come August. It'll take a wee bit more than that to stop the less committed of our 44,000 season ticket holders ripping their renewal forms up. Whisper it softly, but if a certain team down the road actually get into Europe, one or two of the undecided may swap black and white for red and white, especially if the disparity in ticket prices increases.

Those of us who are beyond help however, merely stand, suffer, go home and do it again. Such is our fate.

Although he is a mate, I don't always agree with what Michael (Biffa) says, but on this occassion I think he is right. We might not like it, but we have got plastics (the less committed he refers to) in SJP, and if things do continue the way they have been, then the chances are they will be off down the road, and the best of luck to them, cos once they have gone, there will be plenty genuine TAF's who will take their place.

-- Anonymous, February 15, 2001

m.....

-- Anonymous, February 15, 2001

Personally I'm delighted that someone has smacked the board and the players bang in the mush with the reality of the position we are in. I'll be amazed if we sell the pre-expansion capacity next season.

-- Anonymous, February 15, 2001

Fair enough to criticise the odd statement here and there on nufc.com, or even the overall tone if you find it up its own @rse - I personally disagree - but you have to respect the effort those two put in. Not to mention the unparalleled material they come out with, day after day, in terms of quality sources and being up-to-date (sorry ITK, Rik, Kegsy etc !. IMUO most would be considerably worse off without nufc.com, and maybe anyone having a dig should have a quiet think about their own motives. Not once have I heard Niall & Biffa claim to be the voice of all NUFC supporters. The good old British 'tall poppy syndrome' in action perhaps ??

-- Anonymous, February 15, 2001