The fact is, the lads have kept us well entertained during this little excursion into Europe. Last night was classic Newcastle United and in the course of twenty short minutes, got more entertainment than most clubs get all season: that game will live with me for the rest of my life. We must have made a goodly amount of money from the gates and TV rights - enough to pay someone's wages for a year maybe. Equally, the younger players got some valuable experience of European games and acquitted themselves relatively well. We have seen where the weaknesses are without them costing us any PL points. Most of all, though, these players of ours with their "awful attitudes" and "lack of will to win" came back from their holidays early (and in the internationals' case, this meant they'd had under 3 weeks' holiday) and really gave it their best shot. I'm dead proud of them.

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

Answers

Of course, I reserve the right to call them useless tw*ts if we lose on Sunday ;)

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

And really it was only a pre-season friendly !

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

And, game by game, we're "unbeaten in Europe" this year 4 wins and 2 draws. Not a bad pre-season at all. In fact maybe the best for a long time - much better than playing pointless games in China as was the original plan, or Columbus Crew last year, or Whitley Bay, etc

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

nice one dougal

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

Unfair Barry - Whitley have a hundred percent record so far and would have given the Toon a run for their money more than that Beligian lot!!

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

Hmph! I have that to contend with as I travel 5 odd miles the other way to watch us get stuffed.

Wellfield Whinger

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

I was beginning to think I was the only mad person who actually when it was all over last night felt uniquely honoured to be an NUFC supporter.

Last night I must have covered five miles pacing the floor, I drank two bottles of wine and thought that with ten minutes to go my body was going to pack in ! But at the end even with the disappointment of being out of Europe and having witnessed some woeful football by the lads I was one hundred percent behind them and proud that for once they didn't give up.

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

Mind if it had finished twenty minutes early things I would have maybe had a different viewpoint

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

much as I said about the people on the Tales of Courage thread, we can all hold our heads with great pride.

oh but Dougal...."goodly"?????I'll have to check on that one....

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

I could feel proud, but the booing of Barton (and some say Given, although it sounded more like "SHOOOOOOOOT!!!!" to me) didn't fill me with a sense of pride.

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

I'm with you Paul - utterly spoiled the night for me, and I can tell you it's just as well I didn't pack my portable flamethrower!

BTW, Barton was NOT the only player subject to abuse from our wonderful fans. Given was also jeered several times by at least several hundred b@st@rds in the Leazes - just what the blerk needs when he is so very clearly suffering a crisis of confidence, and entirely the opposite reaction to the one he warmly commented he had received from genuine Toon fans at the Chelsea game.

Made me sick to the stomach.

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

Sparxx - "Goodly" is a "handsome amount" according to the online dictionary. Bit archaic, like.

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001

Clarky, your reference to the several hundred Leazes End b@st@rds has cleared up something that was puzzling me on Tuesday. No, not the name, seems quite a good one to me. After the game, a few people talked about Given being booed, whereas all I'd heard were a few over- elaborate cheers that I thought might have been ironic.

However, if what you heard was coming from the Leazes End, towards the end of the game when we were pressing up, then I can definitely say that it wasn't booing. Some guys near me started it off, it was "Shoooot, Shoooot" every time he brought the ball up near the halfway line. Seemed funny at the time, shows you how these things get misinterpreted.

Sad thing is, it presumably sounded like booing to Shay, then.

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2001

The commentator on the box thought it was "shoot" too, in a Barry Venison/John Beresford type of way

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2001

That would actually make me feel much better about tuesday night Dr Bill - I have to say I found it all rather depressing. Having said that I'm pretty sure what I heard several times were ironic jeers when he either caught the ball or kicked it a reasonable distance and reasonably straight. On reflection, these tossers possibly thought they were being sardonically humorous.

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2001

Clarky - time for a hearing aid, methinks. It sounded loke Shoooot to me on the halfway line in the East Stand. If only the bu99er had, we might have won :-(

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2001

Don't think so Doctor - I heard the "shooooot" shoots in aal!

-- Anonymous, August 23, 2001