Who said this and when?

-- Anonymous, March 17, 2002

Answers

Antagonistic Post

-- Anonymous, March 17, 2002

a person from Sunderland?

-- Anonymous, March 17, 2002

a visiting black player pre-Andy Cole ?

-- Anonymous, March 17, 2002

Burger King

-- Anonymous, March 17, 2002

The man behind Softie at the match?

-- Anonymous, March 17, 2002

Some one who needs his tounge cut out and his tash fused with a current?

-- Anonymous, March 17, 2002

None of these are close although I like Swift's effort. I suspect Softie says something similar when he has to listen to the bloke sat behind him.

I'll maintain the tension and speculation at fever pitch here and let some more guesses come in before revealing all.

-- Anonymous, March 17, 2002

First thought was Jack Charlton, but in fact it was a similarly-irascible 19th century person.

-- Anonymous, March 17, 2002

Prince Phillip

-- Anonymous, March 17, 2002

Gordon McKeag, 1989

-- Anonymous, March 17, 2002

Gordon Lightfoot 1981?

-- Anonymous, March 17, 2002

That line came up in that old movie "The prime of Margaret Thatcher" ...phoenix

-- Anonymous, March 18, 2002

Newcastle city council.

-- Anonymous, March 18, 2002

The board of Fray Bentos - hence the dubious standard of our pies.

-- Anonymous, March 18, 2002

Malcolm MacDonal after he fecked off to Arsenal......

-- Anonymous, March 18, 2002

I'll go for my favourite Bogeyman Gordon Lee?

-- Anonymous, March 18, 2002

Time to put you all out of your misery and supply the answer to this one then. But first the answer to last week's abbreviations competition. "FO" of course stands for "Foreign Office". (I didn't open Bud Wiser's entry).

And now this quotation. Macbeth was in the right ball park (literally) with McKeag, as the statement came from the club itself. However Mick was nearest with his irascible 19th century person. No single individual is credited with authorship, but the statement was indeed made in the 19th century and was issued by club officials, "angry with Tyneside's apathy", in 1893.

It's quite amusing to read of the early struggle to get the club going. In their first match of that season (1893) and our very first match in the football league, vs Woolwich Arsenal, the directors paid the expenses from their own pockets as the kitty was empty. Unable to afford an overnight stay the lads travelled through the night and "shortly before kick-off several United players were found to have dozed off" (Paul Joannou - The Complete Record). Club officials were angry at the poor support, the average attendance being 4075, the lowest in the club's history (where were you when we were sh*te etc) and issued the statement shown in the thread title. Within 2 years the crowds were rolling in and NUFC was very much a going concern.

I think the Tyneside public has more than made up for this charge made against them, during the intervening 109 years. :-)

So nobody wins this week's first prize of a £200000 house, but Mick gets the consolation prize which is a season ticket to the Stadium of Light for next season. To collect your prize Mick, just send an SAE to the Stadium of Light, Monkwearmouth and your prize will be despatched immediately. (It's a very good idea to put somebody else's address on the SAE).

-- Anonymous, March 18, 2002

"......shortly before kick-off several United players were found to have dozed off".

You quite sure that wasn't a reference to Saturdays match, Jonno?

-- Anonymous, March 18, 2002

No Clarky it said they nodded off before the kick off not afterwards.

-- Anonymous, March 18, 2002

...and what, may I ask, was my supposed entry?

;7)

-- Anonymous, March 18, 2002

I knew. but that's cos I cheated and looked it up.

-- Anonymous, March 18, 2002