Newcastle Support

[Guest Stevie]

In the 80's I will say now, with no delusion, there was not a better support than Newcastle's generally. Everyone who used to play at St James' used to say the same, even Liverpool players. Keegan on joining said he realised in 1974, Newcastle had "by far" the best supporters in England, and to be honest I seen it as a kid all the way through the mid to late 80's. The crowd needed the tinyest bit encouragement and we were tremendous.

 

Through the 90's we were pretty good, nearly every game from the 95/96 season was played in an almost unrivalled atmosphere, the Barcelona game for me the best atmosphere we've had down there, Brian Moore and Fat Ron saying the best they've ever experienced. Through the late 90's despite the frustrations, the support was still good, and despite an absolutely wank season (cos of injury) in 2001, the crowd was still pretty patient. We had two really exciting years then bang, we came 5th playing pretty poorly, we lost less games than Man Utd, but 17 draws frustrated everybody culminating in SBR calling us ungrateful bastards. Since the August of 2004 when he was sacked, the support has deteriorated with the team on the pitch.

 

In the last 6 years, I'd guess 15000 kids who are new to Newcastle have absorbed this shit, whereas the kids slightly older like me have seen lower lows and very high highs the younguns have seen fuck all. I realised the support was on the wain in Roeder's season, I reckon we've lost more than 8,000 fans which is what the gate statistics are telling you, I think we've lost at least 35,000 fans willing and able to go who take a keen interest and would go regularly, I know plenty of them, some of them good kids who saw the worst days of the Smith era with me, and we're left with a hard core who you would presume would do everything in it's power to help the team.

 

Look at the facts though

• We sell out every away commendable in itself, only Man Utd and Liverpool do that at every ground, although Chelsea and Arsenal sell out most, but the support is fucking shit. Boring songs, hardly audible, apparently even with 7000 at Barnsley we were mediocre
  
• We boo players we don't like, Harewood being a prime example
  
• The fans have now decided since November time I'd say that it isn't necessary to create a home atmosphere because weshould be winning anyway
  

Then worst of all you have people saying don't get behind new players because it's a symbol to the board that we're accepting their standard of transfers. All we had in the past was the support to be proud of, and we were the best, that's not deluded, it is a fact in this country we were the best, we're shit now fuckin shit, and if we have a league hardcore of 38,000 now, if it meant another 18,000 of the negative cunts fucked off and we were left with 20,000 it wouldn't be such a bad thing.

[Christmas Tree 4824]

Footballs not the be all it used to be especially with kids. It used to be the main entertainment of the week, now there are just so many others things and interests to do.

 

All the above would be bad enough if we were in the prem never mind where we are and the performances thar are being played.

 

On top of all of that, alot of us see little joy in promotion and little end to this cycle of shit.

[accadacca 0]

In the 80's I will say now, with no delusion, there was not a better support than Newcastle's generally. Everyone who used to play at St James' used to say the same, even Liverpool players. Keegan on joining said he realised in 1974, Newcastle had "by far" the best supporters in England, and to be honest I seen it as a kid all the way through the mid to late 80's. The crowd needed the tinyest bit encouragement and we were tremendous.

 

Through the 90's we were pretty good, nearly every game from the 95/96 season was played in an almost unrivalled atmosphere, the Barcelona game for me the best atmosphere we've had down there, Brian Moore and Fat Ron saying the best they've ever experienced. Through the late 90's despite the frustrations, the support was still good, and despite an absolutely wank season (cos of injury) in 2001, the crowd was still pretty patient. We had two really exciting years then bang, we came 5th playing pretty poorly, we lost less games than Man Utd, but 17 draws frustrated everybody culminating in SBR calling us ungrateful bastards. Since the August of 2004 when he was sacked, the support has deteriorated with the team on the pitch.

 

In the last 6 years, I'd guess 15000 kids who are new to Newcastle have absorbed this shit, whereas the kids slightly older like me have seen lower lows and very high highs the younguns have seen fuck all. I realised the support was on the wain in Roeder's season, I reckon we've lost more than 8,000 fans which is what the gate statistics are telling you, I think we've lost at least 35,000 fans willing and able to go who take a keen interest and would go regularly, I know plenty of them, some of them good kids who saw the worst days of the Smith era with me, and we're left with a hard core who you would presume would do everything in it's power to help the team.

 

Look at the facts though

• We sell out every away commendable in itself, only Man Utd and Liverpool do that at every ground, although Chelsea and Arsenal sell out most, but the support is fucking shit. Boring songs, hardly audible, apparently even with 7000 at Barnsley we were mediocre
  
• We boo players we don't like, Harewood being a prime example
  
• The fans have now decided since November time I'd say that it isn't necessary to create a home atmosphere because weshould be winning anyway
  

Then worst of all you have people saying don't get behind new players because it's a symbol to the board that we're accepting their standard of transfers. All we had in the past was the support to be proud of, and we were the best, that's not deluded, it is a fact in this country we were the best, we're shit now fuckin shit, and if we have a league hardcore of 38,000 now, if it meant another 18,000 of the negative cunts fucked off and we were left with 20,000 it wouldn't be such a bad thing.

 

 

rose tinted specs - there were plenty games in the 70's and early 80's when players used to get terrible stick - Cassidy, Oates, Shinton, Rafferty, Whitehurst, Gibb etc etc.

 

you are right in saying it only used to take the slightest spark to ignite the crowd and once it got going, it was LOUD even with no roof over both ends and esp when the leazes still had a roof.

 

dont criticise the fans man - averaging 40,000 in the CCC - superb effort.

[Guest Stevie]

In the 80's I will say now, with no delusion, there was not a better support than Newcastle's generally. Everyone who used to play at St James' used to say the same, even Liverpool players. Keegan on joining said he realised in 1974, Newcastle had "by far" the best supporters in England, and to be honest I seen it as a kid all the way through the mid to late 80's. The crowd needed the tinyest bit encouragement and we were tremendous.

 

Through the 90's we were pretty good, nearly every game from the 95/96 season was played in an almost unrivalled atmosphere, the Barcelona game for me the best atmosphere we've had down there, Brian Moore and Fat Ron saying the best they've ever experienced. Through the late 90's despite the frustrations, the support was still good, and despite an absolutely wank season (cos of injury) in 2001, the crowd was still pretty patient. We had two really exciting years then bang, we came 5th playing pretty poorly, we lost less games than Man Utd, but 17 draws frustrated everybody culminating in SBR calling us ungrateful bastards. Since the August of 2004 when he was sacked, the support has deteriorated with the team on the pitch.

 

In the last 6 years, I'd guess 15000 kids who are new to Newcastle have absorbed this shit, whereas the kids slightly older like me have seen lower lows and very high highs the younguns have seen fuck all. I realised the support was on the wain in Roeder's season, I reckon we've lost more than 8,000 fans which is what the gate statistics are telling you, I think we've lost at least 35,000 fans willing and able to go who take a keen interest and would go regularly, I know plenty of them, some of them good kids who saw the worst days of the Smith era with me, and we're left with a hard core who you would presume would do everything in it's power to help the team.

 

Look at the facts though

• We sell out every away commendable in itself, only Man Utd and Liverpool do that at every ground, although Chelsea and Arsenal sell out most, but the support is fucking shit. Boring songs, hardly audible, apparently even with 7000 at Barnsley we were mediocre
  
• We boo players we don't like, Harewood being a prime example
  
• The fans have now decided since November time I'd say that it isn't necessary to create a home atmosphere because weshould be winning anyway
  

Then worst of all you have people saying don't get behind new players because it's a symbol to the board that we're accepting their standard of transfers. All we had in the past was the support to be proud of, and we were the best, that's not deluded, it is a fact in this country we were the best, we're shit now fuckin shit, and if we have a league hardcore of 38,000 now, if it meant another 18,000 of the negative cunts fucked off and we were left with 20,000 it wouldn't be such a bad thing.

 

 

rose tinted specs - there were plenty games in the 70's and early 80's when players used to get terrible stick - Cassidy, Oates, Shinton, Rafferty, Whitehurst, Gibb etc etc.

 

you are right in saying it only used to take the slightest spark to ignite the crowd and once it got going, it was LOUD even with no roof over both ends and esp when the leazes still had a roof.

 

dont criticise the fans man - averaging 40,000 in the CCC - superb effort.

Sticking his two fingers up at the crowd had nothing to do with it did it? My Newcastle started in 1985 anyway so I know fuck all about the 70s apart from you were all ugly cunts.

[Barney 0]

Nothing like a bit of refereeing bias to get St Jimmy's up to 11.

 

I find a lot at games, that the crowd just want something to shout about. Watching the ball being hoofed at Shola from the defence just doesn't do it. A bit of wing play, or a nice bit of football will raise spirits...make people feel they're getting their moneys worth.

 

Watching Nolan and Butt plodding about in the middle, and Shola tripping over the ball, with an owner everyone despises isn't a recipe for an electric crowd.

[Isegrim 9897]

I guess it's probably a common theme all over the football world with fans becoming more uniform everywhere. I just read a good article this morning from a journalist from Freiburg having a good go at the fans of his hometown club. He says it was great when they used to be different and were proud to be different, now they (especially the young Ultras) are singing the same lame songs as others, shouting the same embarrassing abuse as others and lacking any kind of originality.

 

That's the common theme where you see those Ultra kids taking over the fan scene and unfortunately Newcastle is no exemption anymore. They think of themselves as the saviours of football, deliberating it from the prawn sandwich brigades and passive bandwagon jumpers. But in the end they are of the same kind of modern football's boring conformity.

Edited February 2, 2010 by Isegrim

[Guest alex]

Nothing like a bit of refereeing bias to get St Jimmy's up to 11.

 

I find a lot at games, that the crowd just want something to shout about. Watching the ball being hoofed at Shola from the defence just doesn't do it. A bit of wing play, or a nice bit of football will raise spirits...make people feel they're getting their moneys worth.

 

Watching Nolan and Butt plodding about in the middle, and Shola tripping over the ball, with an owner everyone despises isn't a recipe for an electric crowd.

That's about the size of it like.

[Jackies the Lad 0]

Nothing like a bit of refereeing bias to get St Jimmy's up to 11.

 

I find a lot at games, that the crowd just want something to shout about. Watching the ball being hoofed at Shola from the defence just doesn't do it. A bit of wing play, or a nice bit of football will raise spirits...make people feel they're getting their moneys worth.

 

Watching Nolan and Butt plodding about in the middle, and Shola tripping over the ball, with an owner everyone despises isn't a recipe for an electric crowd.

 

The norm for the last season and more, just change the names from any of the 11 on the pitch.

 

Boring crap TBH

[Guest Stevie]

Nothing like a bit of refereeing bias to get St Jimmy's up to 11.

 

I find a lot at games, that the crowd just want something to shout about. Watching the ball being hoofed at Shola from the defence just doesn't do it. A bit of wing play, or a nice bit of football will raise spirits...make people feel they're getting their moneys worth.

 

Watching Nolan and Butt plodding about in the middle, and Shola tripping over the ball, with an owner everyone despises isn't a recipe for an electric crowd.

That's about the size of it like.

We've been worse than this with better support. I remember being 4-1 down at Derby 3 sent off, with the best support any club has ever had with plodders.

 

Isegrim good post. The Bundesliga crowds make me cringe, especially what they do at corners ooooooooo aaaaaaaa, why bother, and when a player scores the tannoy bloke goes Lukaaaaaaas, and the crowd go POOOOODOOOLSKIIIIIIIIII like brain dead zombies. I really thought given our footballing heritage we'd be the last to conform, but it seems like it will be the Italians.

[Guest alex]

Nothing like a bit of refereeing bias to get St Jimmy's up to 11.

 

I find a lot at games, that the crowd just want something to shout about. Watching the ball being hoofed at Shola from the defence just doesn't do it. A bit of wing play, or a nice bit of football will raise spirits...make people feel they're getting their moneys worth.

 

Watching Nolan and Butt plodding about in the middle, and Shola tripping over the ball, with an owner everyone despises isn't a recipe for an electric crowd.

That's about the size of it like.

We've been worse than this with better support. I remember being 4-1 down at Derby 3 sent off, with the best support any club has ever had with plodders.

 

Isegrim good post. The Bundesliga crowds make me cringe, especially what they do at corners ooooooooo aaaaaaaa, why bother, and when a player scores the tannoy bloke goes Lukaaaaaaas, and the crowd go POOOOODOOOLSKIIIIIIIIII like brain dead zombies. I really thought given our footballing heritage we'd be the last to conform, but it seems like it will be the Italians.

Yeah, I agree with Isegrim as well actually. Both those posts sum up the main reasons really.

[NJS 4411]

Sticking his two fingers up at the crowd had nothing to do with it did it? My Newcastle started in 1985 anyway so I know fuck all about the 70s apart from you were all ugly cunts.

 

Chicken and egg on Whitehurst there Stevie - not a real excuse but he stuck the fingers up because of the abuse which led to more abuse etc.

 

 

I don't think its fair comparing football now with the past - even in the 90s - society changing is the key imo as well as the game. As others have said, football was more central to peoples lives in the past - it certain was to mine in the 80s and a lot of the 90s.

 

I've said before I've seen a lot of people who've gone for years drift away recently - including me - I think having seen both shite and good stuff there isn't anything left that's new to excite us - Europe did for a while but that's now gone as well.

 

The only people I see now who are enthused are those taking bairns which I guess is part of the natural order of things but I'm not sure whether it will work for them like it did for us as in changing to going with mates as they get older - I think that's where the change in society comes in.

[Isegrim 9897]

Nothing like a bit of refereeing bias to get St Jimmy's up to 11.

 

I find a lot at games, that the crowd just want something to shout about. Watching the ball being hoofed at Shola from the defence just doesn't do it. A bit of wing play, or a nice bit of football will raise spirits...make people feel they're getting their moneys worth.

 

Watching Nolan and Butt plodding about in the middle, and Shola tripping over the ball, with an owner everyone despises isn't a recipe for an electric crowd.

That's about the size of it like.

We've been worse than this with better support. I remember being 4-1 down at Derby 3 sent off, with the best support any club has ever had with plodders.

 

Isegrim good post. The Bundesliga crowds make me cringe, especially what they do at corners ooooooooo aaaaaaaa, why bother, and when a player scores the tannoy bloke goes Lukaaaaaaas, and the crowd go POOOOODOOOLSKIIIIIIIIII like brain dead zombies. I really thought given our footballing heritage we'd be the last to conform, but it seems like it will be the Italians.

Indeed, it's horrible and has totally put me off of any live games. Worst is, it can be found at every level. My local club is playing 4th Division football but the only thing for the fans to pretend they are still a reknowned club is by being the same unispired tossers like at any big club.

[brummiemag1 0]

The football certainly is boring crap, which doesnt help, but I remember going to away games in the early 1980's when we were mid table 2nd division and going nowhere. And yet our away following back then were far more vocal then than they are now even though they had less to shout about. I don't remember them getting at the players as quickly as they do now.

 

Maybe I'm looking back through rose tinted glasses or maybe expectations were lower then. I also think that back then our away support tended to be more local whereas now theres a much bigger proportion of people in office type jobs who live outside the area (like myself) who just don't generate the same type of atmosphere as in the past.

[Guest Stevie]

Nothing like a bit of refereeing bias to get St Jimmy's up to 11.

 

I find a lot at games, that the crowd just want something to shout about. Watching the ball being hoofed at Shola from the defence just doesn't do it. A bit of wing play, or a nice bit of football will raise spirits...make people feel they're getting their moneys worth.

 

Watching Nolan and Butt plodding about in the middle, and Shola tripping over the ball, with an owner everyone despises isn't a recipe for an electric crowd.

That's about the size of it like.

We've been worse than this with better support. I remember being 4-1 down at Derby 3 sent off, with the best support any club has ever had with plodders.

 

Isegrim good post. The Bundesliga crowds make me cringe, especially what they do at corners ooooooooo aaaaaaaa, why bother, and when a player scores the tannoy bloke goes Lukaaaaaaas, and the crowd go POOOOODOOOLSKIIIIIIIIII like brain dead zombies. I really thought given our footballing heritage we'd be the last to conform, but it seems like it will be the Italians.

Indeed, it's horrible and has totally put me off of any live games. Worst is, it can be found at every level. My local club is playing 4th Division football but the only thing for the fans to pretend they are still a reknowned club is by being the same unispired tossers like at any big club.

That is sad. Bayer Uerdingen who briefly led the Bundesliga and did brilliantly in Europe in the 1980's are now in the 7th division, I saw a documentary about them recently, their crowds are down to 1,000 and their support was just like you say going offthe clips.

[NJS 4411]

The football certainly is boring crap, which doesnt help, but I remember going to away games in the early 1980's when we were mid table 2nd division and going nowhere. And yet our away following back then were far more vocal then than they are now even though they had less to shout about. I don't remember them getting at the players as quickly as they do now.

 

Maybe I'm looking back through rose tinted glasses or maybe expectations were lower then. I also think that back then our away support tended to be more local whereas now theres a much bigger proportion of people in office type jobs who live outside the area (like myself) who just don't generate the same type of atmosphere as in the past.

 

I hate to say it but the "deluded Geordie" cliche does have some truth in it - I think there is an undercurrent in the bulk of support which expects to be near the top of the PL which is something which was unknown pre 94. I can say that being shit is nothing new all I like but I still can't help thinking its just plain wrong.

 

There isn't necessarily anything worng with having expectations but it needs to be realistic as well.

[Dr Gloom 22147]

it's not just us, it's happening everywhere. the end of terraces definitely had a massive impact on crowd noise across the country. it's difficult to try and get a chant going at a home game when you're surrounded by people who don't join in. away days are always loads more fun because everyone's up for standing up and singing.

 

i agree about the lack of humour and originality with chants in general.

[Park Life 71]

I guess it's probably a common theme all over the football world with fans becoming more uniform everywhere. I just read a good article this morning from a journalist from Freiburg having a good go at the fans of his hometown club. He says it was great when they used to be different and were proud to be different, now they (especially the young Ultras) are singing the same lame songs as others, shouting the same embarrassing abuse as others and lacking any kind of originality.

 

That's the common theme where you see those Ultra kids taking over the fan scene and unfortunately Newcastle is no exemption anymore. They think of themselves as the saviours of football, deliberating it from the prawn sandwich brigades and passive bandwagon jumpers. But in the end they are of the same kind of modern football's boring conformity.

 

I found St Pauli a bit different tbf.

[PaddockLad 17646]

I blame sky. It's just sabout to produce it's 2nd generation of fans who think they're all entitled to a completely arbitary opinion and are all entitled to voice it at the match , or to David Craig. Or their mates who treat going to the match the same as watching a match on a 37 inch plasma, something to be observed and not actively particpated in. The rest of us old fuckers have been anaesthetised into a slumber as well by anyone of a combination of events, chief of which a far as I can see is the saturation coverage of football by Murdoch in his attempt to have more influence on more households in the world than any other person who's ever lived, the fuckin cunt.

[Meenzer 15716]

I guess it's probably a common theme all over the football world with fans becoming more uniform everywhere. I just read a good article this morning from a journalist from Freiburg having a good go at the fans of his hometown club. He says it was great when they used to be different and were proud to be different, now they (especially the young Ultras) are singing the same lame songs as others, shouting the same embarrassing abuse as others and lacking any kind of originality.

 

That's the common theme where you see those Ultra kids taking over the fan scene and unfortunately Newcastle is no exemption anymore. They think of themselves as the saviours of football, deliberating it from the prawn sandwich brigades and passive bandwagon jumpers. But in the end they are of the same kind of modern football's boring conformity.

 

I found St Pauli a bit different tbf.

 

 

English football could use a Pauli or two, certainly. Although you could argue there's just as much conformity in the whole skull 'n' crossbones "alternative" thing.

[Park Life 71]

In the 80's I will say now, with no delusion, there was not a better support than Newcastle's generally. Everyone who used to play at St James' used to say the same, even Liverpool players. Keegan on joining said he realised in 1974, Newcastle had "by far" the best supporters in England, and to be honest I seen it as a kid all the way through the mid to late 80's. The crowd needed the tinyest bit encouragement and we were tremendous.

 

Through the 90's we were pretty good, nearly every game from the 95/96 season was played in an almost unrivalled atmosphere, the Barcelona game for me the best atmosphere we've had down there, Brian Moore and Fat Ron saying the best they've ever experienced. Through the late 90's despite the frustrations, the support was still good, and despite an absolutely wank season (cos of injury) in 2001, the crowd was still pretty patient. We had two really exciting years then bang, we came 5th playing pretty poorly, we lost less games than Man Utd, but 17 draws frustrated everybody culminating in SBR calling us ungrateful bastards. Since the August of 2004 when he was sacked, the support has deteriorated with the team on the pitch.

 

In the last 6 years, I'd guess 15000 kids who are new to Newcastle have absorbed this shit, whereas the kids slightly older like me have seen lower lows and very high highs the younguns have seen fuck all. I realised the support was on the wain in Roeder's season, I reckon we've lost more than 8,000 fans which is what the gate statistics are telling you, I think we've lost at least 35,000 fans willing and able to go who take a keen interest and would go regularly, I know plenty of them, some of them good kids who saw the worst days of the Smith era with me, and we're left with a hard core who you would presume would do everything in it's power to help the team.

 

Look at the facts though

• We sell out every away commendable in itself, only Man Utd and Liverpool do that at every ground, although Chelsea and Arsenal sell out most, but the support is fucking shit. Boring songs, hardly audible, apparently even with 7000 at Barnsley we were mediocre
  
• We boo players we don't like, Harewood being a prime example
  
• The fans have now decided since November time I'd say that it isn't necessary to create a home atmosphere because weshould be winning anyway
  

Then worst of all you have people saying don't get behind new players because it's a symbol to the board that we're accepting their standard of transfers. All we had in the past was the support to be proud of, and we were the best, that's not deluded, it is a fact in this country we were the best, we're shit now fuckin shit, and if we have a league hardcore of 38,000 now, if it meant another 18,000 of the negative cunts fucked off and we were left with 20,000 it wouldn't be such a bad thing.

 

 

Society in general has got more passive imo. I've been living abroad mostly for the last 7 years, first France and then Germany...I was a bit shocked how passive, unthinking and poncey England has become since I came back.

[Guest alex]

In the 80's I will say now, with no delusion, there was not a better support than Newcastle's generally. Everyone who used to play at St James' used to say the same, even Liverpool players. Keegan on joining said he realised in 1974, Newcastle had "by far" the best supporters in England, and to be honest I seen it as a kid all the way through the mid to late 80's. The crowd needed the tinyest bit encouragement and we were tremendous.

 

Through the 90's we were pretty good, nearly every game from the 95/96 season was played in an almost unrivalled atmosphere, the Barcelona game for me the best atmosphere we've had down there, Brian Moore and Fat Ron saying the best they've ever experienced. Through the late 90's despite the frustrations, the support was still good, and despite an absolutely wank season (cos of injury) in 2001, the crowd was still pretty patient. We had two really exciting years then bang, we came 5th playing pretty poorly, we lost less games than Man Utd, but 17 draws frustrated everybody culminating in SBR calling us ungrateful bastards. Since the August of 2004 when he was sacked, the support has deteriorated with the team on the pitch.

 

In the last 6 years, I'd guess 15000 kids who are new to Newcastle have absorbed this shit, whereas the kids slightly older like me have seen lower lows and very high highs the younguns have seen fuck all. I realised the support was on the wain in Roeder's season, I reckon we've lost more than 8,000 fans which is what the gate statistics are telling you, I think we've lost at least 35,000 fans willing and able to go who take a keen interest and would go regularly, I know plenty of them, some of them good kids who saw the worst days of the Smith era with me, and we're left with a hard core who you would presume would do everything in it's power to help the team.

 

Look at the facts though

• We sell out every away commendable in itself, only Man Utd and Liverpool do that at every ground, although Chelsea and Arsenal sell out most, but the support is fucking shit. Boring songs, hardly audible, apparently even with 7000 at Barnsley we were mediocre
  
• We boo players we don't like, Harewood being a prime example
  
• The fans have now decided since November time I'd say that it isn't necessary to create a home atmosphere because weshould be winning anyway
  

Then worst of all you have people saying don't get behind new players because it's a symbol to the board that we're accepting their standard of transfers. All we had in the past was the support to be proud of, and we were the best, that's not deluded, it is a fact in this country we were the best, we're shit now fuckin shit, and if we have a league hardcore of 38,000 now, if it meant another 18,000 of the negative cunts fucked off and we were left with 20,000 it wouldn't be such a bad thing.

 

 

Society in general has got more passive imo. I've been living abroad mostly for the last 7 years, first France and then Germany...I was a bit shocked how passive, unthinking and poncey England has become since I came back.

I doubt if you'd even get something like rave culture / acid house occurring now. Or maybe we're just getting old

[Isegrim 9897]

I guess it's probably a common theme all over the football world with fans becoming more uniform everywhere. I just read a good article this morning from a journalist from Freiburg having a good go at the fans of his hometown club. He says it was great when they used to be different and were proud to be different, now they (especially the young Ultras) are singing the same lame songs as others, shouting the same embarrassing abuse as others and lacking any kind of originality.

 

That's the common theme where you see those Ultra kids taking over the fan scene and unfortunately Newcastle is no exemption anymore. They think of themselves as the saviours of football, deliberating it from the prawn sandwich brigades and passive bandwagon jumpers. But in the end they are of the same kind of modern football's boring conformity.

 

I found St Pauli a bit different tbf.

 

 

English football could use a Pauli or two, certainly. Although you could argue there's just as much conformity in the whole skull 'n' crossbones "alternative" thing.

Yep, I know a couple of St. Pauli fans who think that the commercialism of the club is nowadays on par with the likes of Bayern etc. Once they move to a new stadium an lose any kind of Millerntor nostalgia they are probably going to be a club like any other.

[Guest Stevie]

In the 80's I will say now, with no delusion, there was not a better support than Newcastle's generally. Everyone who used to play at St James' used to say the same, even Liverpool players. Keegan on joining said he realised in 1974, Newcastle had "by far" the best supporters in England, and to be honest I seen it as a kid all the way through the mid to late 80's. The crowd needed the tinyest bit encouragement and we were tremendous.

 

Through the 90's we were pretty good, nearly every game from the 95/96 season was played in an almost unrivalled atmosphere, the Barcelona game for me the best atmosphere we've had down there, Brian Moore and Fat Ron saying the best they've ever experienced. Through the late 90's despite the frustrations, the support was still good, and despite an absolutely wank season (cos of injury) in 2001, the crowd was still pretty patient. We had two really exciting years then bang, we came 5th playing pretty poorly, we lost less games than Man Utd, but 17 draws frustrated everybody culminating in SBR calling us ungrateful bastards. Since the August of 2004 when he was sacked, the support has deteriorated with the team on the pitch.

 

In the last 6 years, I'd guess 15000 kids who are new to Newcastle have absorbed this shit, whereas the kids slightly older like me have seen lower lows and very high highs the younguns have seen fuck all. I realised the support was on the wain in Roeder's season, I reckon we've lost more than 8,000 fans which is what the gate statistics are telling you, I think we've lost at least 35,000 fans willing and able to go who take a keen interest and would go regularly, I know plenty of them, some of them good kids who saw the worst days of the Smith era with me, and we're left with a hard core who you would presume would do everything in it's power to help the team.

 

Look at the facts though

• We sell out every away commendable in itself, only Man Utd and Liverpool do that at every ground, although Chelsea and Arsenal sell out most, but the support is fucking shit. Boring songs, hardly audible, apparently even with 7000 at Barnsley we were mediocre
  
• We boo players we don't like, Harewood being a prime example
  
• The fans have now decided since November time I'd say that it isn't necessary to create a home atmosphere because weshould be winning anyway
  

Then worst of all you have people saying don't get behind new players because it's a symbol to the board that we're accepting their standard of transfers. All we had in the past was the support to be proud of, and we were the best, that's not deluded, it is a fact in this country we were the best, we're shit now fuckin shit, and if we have a league hardcore of 38,000 now, if it meant another 18,000 of the negative cunts fucked off and we were left with 20,000 it wouldn't be such a bad thing.

 

 

Society in general has got more passive imo. I've been living abroad mostly for the last 7 years, first France and then Germany...I was a bit shocked how passive, unthinking and poncey England has become since I came back.

I know it's a life thing, I won't go over old ground as to why it's happened neither.

[Dr Gloom 22147]

In the 80's I will say now, with no delusion, there was not a better support than Newcastle's generally. Everyone who used to play at St James' used to say the same, even Liverpool players. Keegan on joining said he realised in 1974, Newcastle had "by far" the best supporters in England, and to be honest I seen it as a kid all the way through the mid to late 80's. The crowd needed the tinyest bit encouragement and we were tremendous.

 

Through the 90's we were pretty good, nearly every game from the 95/96 season was played in an almost unrivalled atmosphere, the Barcelona game for me the best atmosphere we've had down there, Brian Moore and Fat Ron saying the best they've ever experienced. Through the late 90's despite the frustrations, the support was still good, and despite an absolutely wank season (cos of injury) in 2001, the crowd was still pretty patient. We had two really exciting years then bang, we came 5th playing pretty poorly, we lost less games than Man Utd, but 17 draws frustrated everybody culminating in SBR calling us ungrateful bastards. Since the August of 2004 when he was sacked, the support has deteriorated with the team on the pitch.

 

In the last 6 years, I'd guess 15000 kids who are new to Newcastle have absorbed this shit, whereas the kids slightly older like me have seen lower lows and very high highs the younguns have seen fuck all. I realised the support was on the wain in Roeder's season, I reckon we've lost more than 8,000 fans which is what the gate statistics are telling you, I think we've lost at least 35,000 fans willing and able to go who take a keen interest and would go regularly, I know plenty of them, some of them good kids who saw the worst days of the Smith era with me, and we're left with a hard core who you would presume would do everything in it's power to help the team.

 

Look at the facts though

• We sell out every away commendable in itself, only Man Utd and Liverpool do that at every ground, although Chelsea and Arsenal sell out most, but the support is fucking shit. Boring songs, hardly audible, apparently even with 7000 at Barnsley we were mediocre
  
• We boo players we don't like, Harewood being a prime example
  
• The fans have now decided since November time I'd say that it isn't necessary to create a home atmosphere because weshould be winning anyway
  

Then worst of all you have people saying don't get behind new players because it's a symbol to the board that we're accepting their standard of transfers. All we had in the past was the support to be proud of, and we were the best, that's not deluded, it is a fact in this country we were the best, we're shit now fuckin shit, and if we have a league hardcore of 38,000 now, if it meant another 18,000 of the negative cunts fucked off and we were left with 20,000 it wouldn't be such a bad thing.

 

 

Society in general has got more passive imo. I've been living abroad mostly for the last 7 years, first France and then Germany...I was a bit shocked how passive, unthinking and poncey England has become since I came back.

I doubt if you'd even get something like rave culture / acid house occurring now. Or maybe we're just getting old

 

you're obviously not down with da kids alex. we've had nu rave, grime and dubstep all emerge in the past couple of years

[Guest Stevie]

I guess it's probably a common theme all over the football world with fans becoming more uniform everywhere. I just read a good article this morning from a journalist from Freiburg having a good go at the fans of his hometown club. He says it was great when they used to be different and were proud to be different, now they (especially the young Ultras) are singing the same lame songs as others, shouting the same embarrassing abuse as others and lacking any kind of originality.

 

That's the common theme where you see those Ultra kids taking over the fan scene and unfortunately Newcastle is no exemption anymore. They think of themselves as the saviours of football, deliberating it from the prawn sandwich brigades and passive bandwagon jumpers. But in the end they are of the same kind of modern football's boring conformity.

 

I found St Pauli a bit different tbf.

 

 

English football could use a Pauli or two, certainly. Although you could argue there's just as much conformity in the whole skull 'n' crossbones "alternative" thing.

Yep, I know a couple of St. Pauli fans who think that the commercialism of the club is nowadays on par with the likes of Bayern etc. Once they move to a new stadium an lose any kind of Millerntor nostalgia they are probably going to be a club like any other.

Your team is Magdeburg?