Tom_NUFC

Ha!, I posted that one on a thread about the programme last night on another forum. That's not the one I meant to post or heard about in the paper. It was this one.

Heard about this in the paper today. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5S5JgrvW2g

Yeah, I know

Just to clear something up, he is due to attend the Supporters' Panel meeting on June 8. The Supporters Panel is set up by the club. NUSC have been making official representation at these meetings since January when about 12 NUSC Committee Members gatecrashed one (he wasn't present at that one), and since then 4-5 NUSC committee members have been present at each one. But just to make absolutely clear, this is something that NUFC organises, not NUSC.

Good. I nearly didn't come on due to rubberneckers and I don't want to go out and talk to people, but at the same time I need to talk/vent about it, so I'm glad that's the case, texting one or two people as well, but that's about it.

And haven't they got back from the SOS sharpish?

Not quite, but we will have people at the supporters panel meeting in a couple of weeks, which Llambias is supposed to be attending, but whether he will or not... In fact the club has had to hold the panel meetings in accordance with the Premier League charter, but as we're not in the PL now I'm wondering if they'll now ditch them altogether.

I take it they can't, is this why the board has changed?

I actually agree with that, but if we are to divide up the blame Ashley, Wise and Llambias take the biggest slices.

Well said, whatever happens its not the first relegation/near relegation I've experienced, although purely on an age thing there's going to be a lot of people who haven't been through this. You're quite right, if the worst happens, I will be gutted and upset but I'll pick myself up in the following days and get on with it. The vast majority of non-NUFC fans will delight in seeing us go down, so lets f*cking unite, stick together and show some dignity. Sometimes it feels like everything is against us - players that simply don't care or aren't good enough, bad/wrong managers (I'm talking generally, and certainly don't include Shearer) and have and have had a bunch of greedy, odious, egotistical halfwits running this club stretching way back from the Seymours, Westwoods and McKeags right up to Ashley and his cohorts, not to mention journalists and clueless fans of other teams who look in from the outside and spout their deluded views despite knowing or understanding nothing about us, the club or the city and then have the cheek to call us deluded (when was the last time you met an NUFC fan who thought we were going to win the league? - something they often claim we think. You all know what people's reaction would be if someone at the match said "I think we'll win the league this year") or impatient! God almighty, when you think about the shite we've had to endure since the last time we won a major trophy - 40 years ago this very month, and yet the club still has the massive undying support and love that it has, that's impatience for you. You know why? Because this club is like family to us, it might fail, it might do stupid things and piss us off, and make us infuriatingly mad at it, but it's family and our love is unconditional, and we would do anything for it. Its seige mentality, all of the above I wouldn't piss on if they were on fire, whatever happens lets not give them the satisfaction of playing into their hands by crying in public or arguing or walking away, booing etc. Keep that until later till you're by yourselves or in your small groups of friends and fellow supporters. Questions need to be asked of where the club goes from here - regardless of results today, there may come a time where we have to be angry with those running the club - but if that's the case, again it's not the right time. That can keep until the immediate impact of it all has settled. Wherever you're watching/listening, I wish us all good luck, remember the rest of the world maybe against us, but the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and the surrounding areas stand with us, and as long as that's the case that is all that matters.

Yeah, I mean I've been saying we're gonna go down for a while, but then yesterday it just hit - OH F*CK!, WE'RE GOING DOWN! and I've been beside myself since. I'm massively nervous, totally in bits. Will I cry if we go down? I don't know, but if I do, I'll make damned sure its not in public. I hope people going to the game don't - but its inevitable that some will.

Reading through the thread, someone called it right earlier on saying we don't deserve to stay in the prem - dead right. However, of course I hope that we do. Man U will rest players yes, but even the players that come in are great and they will want to finish on a high. I still think they'll be too strong for Hull, the question is whether we can get at least a point at Villa. Right now, I think we're fucked. But right, whatever happens we have to stick with the club. Not the owners or those running the club, who will have to account for their decisions that have lead to this disasterous, embarassing and humiliating series of events, not the team, many of whom are insincere or simply not good enough, but the club. Because the player and owners can change, but we'll be left and the club itself is left. It's the club we love and the club is as much a victim as us. Not everyone will of course, but I hope all of you will. If I may recall a personal memory. Walking up the steps from St James' Metro station before a game during the disasterous 1991-92 season, I asked my Mam (she used to take me to games as a kid and she's still a season ticket holder today) 'why do we bother?' She stopped and said "Because it won't always be like this. One day there will be good times, and you will enjoy it all the more because you were there during the bad times." At the time, I couldn't imagine the good times being anywhere near close, but a few months later, Keegan was manager, we avoided relegation, were promoted to the premier league as champions the following season, having lead the division from first day til last, and the rest... At school those of us who went were mocked because Newcastle were "shit". A year or two later the same kids were whinging because they couldn't get into SJP. So for those of you too young or not even alive in those days, please stay loyal, the club needs you. Whatever happens, I'll be there and I know many of you will too. Hell, Premier League or Northern League I'll be there..

Tickets are available at The Back Page from this morning.

We're knacked. It's not for the lack of effort, but we can't pick a pass, keep the ball and we haven't got enough pace.

I was 10 when Hillsborough happened and can remember the day very well. Newcastle were away to Arsenal, so my Mam took me on the bus to Hartlepool, who were at home to Tranmere and we met up with my Tranmere-supporting aunt and uncle. The first we knew something was up was at half time. My uncle had gone to get a cup of tea and came back with some story about the semi final being delayed and the players had gone off. But we didn't know too much about it. But during the second half people with radios were saying that things were pretty bad and that people had been hurt. My aunt and uncle were staying the night with us and I remember us driving back up to Newcastle listening to Radio 2 and hearing the horrific reports. Then I remember seeing the scenes on the News and Match of the Day that night.

Craig Bellamy

Yes, why why didn't they come out and tell us (and I mean NUFC fans in general rather than NUSC exclusively btw) this months ago. Instead, Ashley says before the Liverpool game that he's going to drive the club forward. He could have said something along the lines of it taking times, because there are old debts to pay off etc, but he didn't. You do have to ask why it's taken so long? If he's genuine and things really do change, and they really are going to be honest and open, then yes, we will be behind them. But at the moment it's just words. If they back it up with actions - fantastic, but they have to show that they mean it because they've lied to us before.

I'd echo those sentiments. The only dialogue that NUSC has had with NUFC was via the Supporters Panel meeting that about 10 of us attended about 3 weeks ago, where as Pud says we talked about the stewarding issue. Llambias was not at that meeting, and so far we have had no contact with either him or Ashley or Wise. The only NUFC contact we've had was with Simon Esland who runs the supporters panel. It was agreed that maybe 3 or 4 of us will turn up to the supporters panel meetings. If Llambias is going to start going to these, that would be great. Llambias is making it seem like we at NUSC have monthly meetings with him, which if that's what he wants to propose, we'd be more than happy. Keegan is not really an issue for us. Us charging a fee for membership is no different to the vast majority of supporters clubs up and down the country. It is perfectly normal. You had to pay subs for the old NUSC back in the 70s and 80s. If things really are going to change, then it's great news for everyone. I really hope it happens, because all we at NUSC want is for the club to be run properly and those running it to be open and honest with fans. Even if it means them saying, 'look we don't have much to spend because we have to pay off these old debts etc', they'd get far more respect and support from people if they just came out and explained. Sadly, I fear it's just talk. Come on Delboy, prove me wrong.

I came away from the meeting feeling very positive. There was a lot of constructive and sensible stuff said, and its great to see the response it's got. I don't mind if people have some criticisms of us, that's absolutely fine and we welcome it. Ultimately, you're not going to please everyone on every decision, but hopefully we can appeal to enough people on enough points to build the club up. I think everyone on the committee would stick their hands up and admit that we have had a few hiccups along the way, but we've started NUSC from scratch, so I think that's inevitable. We're just normal NUFC fans and it's been a learning curve, although personally I have found it to be an interesting and even cathartic experience. I think we've made some good achievements, and I'm proud to be involved, so it's really nice to see people getting behind the organisation and help it gather momentum..

I wasn't at the game but I remember it well, getting evr more frustrated and depressed listening to Charles Harrison's commentary on Metro. You could hear our fans even at 4-1 down. The defining game for me though was a few weeks later when we played Leicester at Filbert Street on the last day. A very dramatic day for all who were there! Although, of course as it turned out, the most important game was the Portsmouth game at home a week earlier, that was very tense stuff as well.

Great article. Can I just remind everyone that the meeting he mentions is at the Irish Club tomorrow night. 7 for 7.30, everyone welcome. I think its very important that we get some sort of action going and tomorrow gives us the opportunity to do that. Even if you're critical of NUSC, please come along and voice your opinions. It's not the time for us as Newcastle fans to be divided. It's time to stand together and make ourselves heard.

Freddy in talking sense shock! Doesn't mean I'd have him back like.

I was thinking exactly along those lines myself Again you are expecting people to organise themselves and remebering to bring one. Turning your back on the game, requires no extra thought than just being there. Do it for the first 15 minutes only if need be but it is simple to organise and effective. Well yeah, that's a fair point, if we could get everybody - or at least a large number of people to do it, the effect would be great, but there are problems in getting a large number of people to do it. Something like turning your back on the game, arriving a few mins late, staying silent for a certain period etc might work better. It's bound to be discussed at the meeting, so hopefully we can arrange something. As for boycotting a game, I'm not dismissing it out of hand, and it would certainly create a lot of attention, but I think we should be at games supporting the team. We're in a relegation battle, and I think it's time to be supporting the players out on the pitch.

I was thinking exactly along those lines myself