I once travelled back home to my native north-east of England and hoped to be able to jag a ticket to watch my beloved Newcastle United at St James’ Park as they took on Leeds United.
On a freezing cold Wednesday night before Christmas, when all usual avenues of finding a match ticket had evaporated, I was reduced to watching with my hands cupped to the outside broadcast van window. The packed stadium roared on just metres away as my heroes Peter Beardsley and Andy Cole eked out a 1-1 draw.
Prior to the stadium revamp, there were 36,000 fans at the game every week as the Toon took the Premier League by storm and they hit the top flight with a bang.
I had never experienced such optimism.
As a fan who had only a few years before endured crowds in excess of 10,000 and had followed the team home and away through the darkest Ossie Ardiles days, this newfound fever on Tyneside was like walking into a different city. Everyone wanted to be at the game, the world loved the swashbuckling football, Kevin Keegan was back as the local hero, the team had local star players and emerging superstars. This was a lovely place to be.
That all changed in 2007 when a certain Spurs fan and sportswear magnate took over at the club.
What followed was a businessman who came across as someone trying to run a football club like a bargain basement store.
We can only speculate about his impact on high-profile manager resignations such as Kevin Keegan and questionable replacements but he was at the wheel and the Newcastle fans needed someone to blame and take their frustrations out on after being relegated twice. The truth is he oversaw a tumultuous period in the club’s history and fans had every right to be angry.
Today, with Twitter having throbbed with Geordie hope for a huge chunk of the morning before Newcastle finally went to sleep, the good times could well be back.
The issues of having a Saudi-backed owner of my beloved Newcastle United have been well documented, but this could be the turning point that a generation of Geordies have been craving since the Sir John Hall era.
If this goes through, the over-arching feeling will not be dreaming of top-four finishes, Champions League football or Haland and Mbappe. It will be a feeling of utter relief. The media has portrayed Newcastle United fans as deluded, as expecting too much, as unrealistic.
It baffles me that the current owner has many supporters in journalism and punditry who obviously have not seen the last 14 years of pain for the club and its immense fan-base. It is only recently that the tune has changed and there has been sympathy and concern for the plight of the proud Geordie nation.
Please take a moment today to remember how happy everyone was in the mid-90s in Newcastle, how proud the people were to be part of something special. It was infectious. The whole world loved Newcastle. Please let us have this moment, if and when it does come about. Once the dust settles though, we do expect to be on the top of everyone’s hated list, and the sooner the better.
Anthony Ferguson
Guest
I for one welcome our new Geordie overlords. Newcastle's last major trophy. Fairs Cup 1969. Surely that will change now.
Midfielder
Roar Guru
You gotta assume Man City and N/Castle in a few years will always be one and two ... it getting scary when teams like Man U & L/Pool can't match the cash...
Ian Nacho
Roar Rookie
No, and that you'd leap to that assumption reflects your own narrow experience.
Rossi
Roar Rookie
Don't own a car? You a kid?
Ben of Phnom Penh
Roar Guru
The primary sticking point for the Saudi sovereign wealth fund was the Saudi state sponsored piracy of the EPL, amongst others, and related less than salubrious activities during its failed bid to bring Qatar into its sphere of influence. Once this geo-political hurdle was cleared earlier this year the wheels started in motion. The irony being the actions of City Football Group's erstwhile financier, the UAE, supporting the Southern Transitional Council in Yemen opened Saudi eyes as to the fragility of its anti-Qatar coalition.
Micko
Roar Rookie
That’s nothing amazing. You realise the Saudis are basically only exporters of two things: oil and wahhabist ideology, right? Historically, islam is the only thing they’ve exported from that region. They’re not innovative in any way, so need other sources of revenue for when the oil dries up/dependency on oil stops!
Coastyboi
Guest
Stick to the Rugby Union, my son. When you have something intelligent to say about Football, you can sit at the adult’s table.
Greysy
Roar Rookie
Cool story bro. Good to know it upset you enough to write your own naff comment in reply.
Coastyboi
Guest
Greysy, your soliloquy must be a source of self amusement. I’m sure you’re a hit talking to the bathroom mirror.
Coastyboi
Guest
Ian Nacho, you seem like the jealous type, clutching at straws.
Lee
Guest
Is there actually anyone that the PL wouldn't allow to buy a club? If dismembering journalists doesn't disqualify you, that what does?
Ian Nacho
Roar Rookie
I don't own a car and won't be travelling to Qatar, no.
Ian Nacho
Roar Rookie
"Immoral" — I'm glad we're in agreement :happy:
Brainstrust
Roar Rookie
Its only a matter of time before they turn on their new owners and they are the target of their hatred.
Pete Za
Roar Rookie
Ian, I assume you won't be watching the world cup in Qatar then? Oh, and I suppose you don't fill your car with oil products that originate in the middle east.
Marcel
Guest
Yep...I spent my immoral petrodollars on a very long skiing holiday.
Nick Symonds
Guest
STORY LINK: https://edition.cnn.com/2021/10/07/europe/rome-elections-mussolini-intl/index.html
Nick Symonds
Guest
On the subject of human rights: Rachele Mussolini, granddaughter of the Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini, won the highest number of votes in Rome's city council elections, official results showed Wednesday. Standing for the Fratelli d'Italia party, which descends from the neo-fascist conservative MSI party-- or Italian Social Movement party -- Mussolini won 8,264 votes. - As if we needed anymore of a 1930's vibe with everything going on in China, now we have someone called Mussolini from a neo-fascist party in Italy showing up. The backing of the Saudis seems in keeping with the age we're living in. Very on trend.
Ian Nacho
Roar Rookie
So you profited from the Saudi regime then defend it with some asinine whataboutism... and accuse others of being "too stupid for the conversation"?
Tiger Toon
Roar Rookie
Well the new owners have already pledged much needed investment into our severely neglected youth and training facilities so the long term hope is we will see local talents making it into the first team. You may not follow the PL but the North East has a great catchment area for young talent but sadly lots of those promising youngsters are poached by the established big clubs like Liverpool or those with great youth recruitment programs such as Everton. As a toon fan, you can't begrudge them as our current setup is subpar and they have a better chance at making it at other clubs but hopefully with investment and competent people put in charge instead of puppets, the wheel will eventually turn. We currently have a handful of local talents in the current squad and there are also home grown and club trained squad requirements each PL side need to meet so even with new signings, there is still a strong likelihood some of the locals will still be at the club next season.