Howmanheyman

I enjoyed reading this analysis from another forum.

I got this as a present, probably a bit old for it at the time but it was like one those NUFC things that Grannies/Aunties/Mothers think, 'Eee, our David would like that'.

I think it's a really hard job because you have so few opportunities to get it right. That's why it should always be a 'wily old fox' imo because you can't learn, tactically etc., on the job. You need to have seen it all. I know what you mean re: the available talent though but I suppose you only need to look at lesser managers than Sven and Capello in terms of how difficult it can be for England to even qualify. You don't get the time to get it right now either. Bobby Robson probably would've been sacked after not qualifying for the '84 Euros and would've definitely got the push after the debacle in '88 and he's now thought of as the best manager since Sir Alf. Agree about the wages in a way but that's the only way to get the top men to take it. Sometimes a team naturally evolves at a World Cup, I think this was the case with England in Mexico with the Hateley/Beardsley situation and they kind of adapted a different defensive formation in Italy four years later. A good manager will recognise these things and change accordingly.

I read the book once a good few years ago, actually think it was 'Toubob' now I think of it, not sure now. After mistaking Joannou for John Gibson I'm not committing myself!

Is that not the name the African's gave to the whites in the book, 'Roots'?

Allardyce sitting by his phone, staring at it intensely as we speak.

Please let the next England Manager be either, Pearce, REDKNAPP, Venables, Del Boy, Dirty Den, Terry from Minder, Phil Mitchell, Mike Baldwin, Eric 'Monster' Hall, Vinnie Jones or failing that just give it to every Londoners hero, Ray Winstone.

No mate, it just goes back in your face.

'Wide of the Mark' is available in all good bookstores near you this month.

'Standing in the corner' was a decent read as well. Think it was by Pete McParlin?

Just had a look and it's called 'The Newcastle United Story'.......................... ................... By John Gibson! (I think Joannou gets credited in it for a lot of the info).

No, but I've a copy of a similar book he wrote when I was a young'un. Signed in the front by Mirandinha, Willie Mcfaul, (the real one ) and Glenda the skipper when they were at a talk-in in Walker.

I tend to prefer the fan books rather than anything else, what I like about most NUFC ones is I was there and recognise a lot of the tales and also, unlike the god awful hoolie books, (usually written by cockneys), you actually believe and enjoy what you're reading.

Best NUFC book I've ever read, including the furious ones, has to be Mick Edmondson's 'Black & White White daft'. A book with different accounts from supporters of every game we played from 1979-1984. Not just the football but all the tales of days out and craic like that. Superb and genuinely laugh out loud at times. A bullshit free zone. I believe he's doing another one from 1984-1990. I hope so and can't wait to get it when it's done. Actually, it deserves its own review, all I'll say, if you're a supporter from the eighties onwards and remember the pissy brick wall that went by the name of the 'Gallowgate bogs', to the daft headlines from the Chronicle to the tales of home and away classics and you've never read this, then you must. I think my favourite tale involves a transit van, some lost and drunk Mags, a foolish abusive local and the van's piss and shit bucket.

Big Dub! Can you ask one of your mates on your website who Sanson is? Is he the ex-Arsenal and one season waster we had at St. James' Park in the late eighties? Anyway, whoever he is according to your pal, Bale is going to skin him and Simpson, (or is it Wilson?), on the weekend.

So what, Rob? London getting looked after by their own. Nothing new. Hope they get their man in the England job and watch the hacks squirm as they fight tooth and nail to suppress the natural urge to slaughter an England manager with the gentleman's agreement they have with 'arry to be nice to each other.

Apologies if this has already been posted but there's more to this business than meets the eye;

Perhaps the the Spurs kid can come back on and answer some of our questions after we've answered some of his? 1. What do you really think of NUFC? 2. Do you think Spurs are now part of the elite clubs in this country for the foreseeble future? 3. If Redknapp goes what will happen with your club? 4. What is your prediction for the match? 5. We've gave you a few scuddings in the past, does beating us give you that extra bit of satisfaction? 6. Rank these clubs in order of history, importance, potential; Newcastle Utd, Aston Villa, Everton, Spurs, Man City, Sunderland, Chelsea. 7. Why are there no tube stations closer to White Hart Lane than Seven Sisters? (And do you still have little gangs of hoolies trying to pick off away fans on the long walk?) 8. Do you ever see a PL where the UEFA fair play rules makes it a more even battle? 9. How would you see Spurs and NUFC getting on if 8. happened? 10. Were you at White Hart Lane for our cup game in '87? 11. Do you feel the media look kindly on your club? Do you think they do with NUFC? 12. Any memorable games with NUFC home & away stand out, incidents etc?

1: We can finish above those three, will we? Not sure about it but I reckon we might get ahead of one of them. 2: Probably 3rd, you've a good home record which obviously helps. 3: All in all he's doing a decent job and I think the owner trusts him which also helps, he speaks his language and was/is desperate and probably realises he'll never get a better job than he's now in. 4: Can't stand the fucker, how he's never been done for the blatant tapping of Ba astounds me. As has been said, decent manager. 5: Carroll is being wasted and has now visibly lost confidence, would take him on loan but it would have to suit us, not him or Liverpool. 6: Very surprised as I wasn't sure how the French lads would settle and hadn't a clue whether we'd end up with another sick note in Ba. Our signings have been very astute, gone are the days of free loaders like Owen and Duff. 7: Krul has the potential to be one of the best keepers in the World but he's only young and is learning, he's a kid who seems generally in awe of our club and has been around for a few years now. I think he's going nowhere yet, not many clubs spend huge amounts on developing keepers. 8: All time it would be Beardsley, right now? I love the team ethic we have and I get as much satisfaction out of someone like Ryan Taylor scoring as I do from Ba, also love seeing the players play for each other. I don't sit and watch Spurs much to be honest but you've some good players absolutely no doubt, although Parker is the most over rated player I've seen in a long while, saying that he's the right player for you lot right now to have. 9: I'm happy letting the scouts at NUFC carry on as they have been lately, good players in, no worky tickets and no players on a downward spiral in their careers. We just need some better cover for our strikers and defence. 10: You're very strong at home, we're missing Cabaye and Tiote in the middle, Modric and Bales movement could cause us trouble. If we can get some of the ball and hold you out for a while I can see our strikers hurting you. Depends on Pardew and his attitude, he's hinted at having a go and just letting our hair down, if he goes into this game with the attitude we had at Anfield you'll win handsome and well. I hope he has a bit more balls.

You've lost me there, mind! Pistone? Can't think of any players who got called Sandro off the top of my head. Pistone was chicken heart wasn't he?

I think she married a fellow reporter that had a Kirk Douglas style bum chin cleft.

Stevie, I think Cairns was on the BBC. 'It's a goal!!!' it was called. No first half commentary, then live second half of whoever was away. In the first half you'd get a presenter in the studio talking away then mid sentence you'd get the pre-recorded, 'It's a goal!!!!' and you'd snap your neck to look at the radio to hear if they were going over to Roker Park or wherever we were playing, you could tell by the noise in the background who'd scored before the commentator even opened his mouth.

There was no phone ins around when the Mackems got Swindons place in the 1st division by default after getting done through Lou Macari's betting against his own club. Anyway, some Newcastle fans, unable to contain their fury started phoning up Alan Robsons show to complain about it. I think the first one or two he reasoned with and tolerated their calls even though they were spoiling his show and getting in the way of him laughing at the suicidal/82 year olds/charvas who he usually spoke with. He 100% backed the decision to give it to Sunderland but after that anyone who phoned up was basically told to fuck off. He was seething his show was getting calls from football fans. I always mentioned it when he was acting like a twat and embarrassing us after Hall let him do the tannoy for a year. "Make some noiiise!" Fuck off, man!

I asked Alan Robson about this, and he said he hated Newcastle and Sunderland and was in fact a Barnsley fan. Did you wait long on the phone beforehand? And did he whip out his whatsit?

Harrison always denied the Mackem rumours claiming he supported Barnsley. Tames likewise said he was an Arsenal fan. Thing is, they worked up here for years, they must've had an adopted side, Harrison never really got excited at a match so it wasn't always easy to tell, Tames was 100% Boro, fuck the Sunderland myth, the man would've got on his knees and sucked Bernie Slaven off if he could, the match we beat them 3-1 down there had to be the most biased editing of highlights I've ever seen, including the noise! As for Duncan Wood, I remember once, for some reason he was giving reports from Roker Park to Metro Radio for a 2nd division game, (maybe he filled in as an emergency), anyway, picture the scene, 14,000 inside the ground, it's that quiet you can even hear a mackem individual shout out 'Owers man, ya uewessless cunt', and Wood says, "Well Sunderland town council will getting complaints tomorrow! The noise is deafening here, tonight!"