Optimistic Nut 145 Posted August 9, 2005 Share Posted August 9, 2005 We were heading into the start of the season with probably the best squad in the country after signing Ginola, Ferdinand, Barton & Hislop. Probably the most optimistic Newcastle fans have ever been about winning the title. Ten years on, what a change in expectations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitty-sniper 0 Posted August 9, 2005 Share Posted August 9, 2005 10 years ago Man U seemed unchalengable for the title, Wimbledon were a premirship team, nottingham forest had just finished 3rd and blackburn rovers were facing a season to try and remain the holders of the league title. we're not the only team that bad things have happened too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetleftpeg 0 Posted August 9, 2005 Share Posted August 9, 2005 Actually, I wasn't that optimistic we'd win the title coming into that season. Barton and Hislop didn't impress me that much to be honest, while Ginola was pretty much unknown to a lot of us, we didn't know what we were going to get (only that he'd made a massive fuck up againt Israel). It wasn't till after the Coventry game that I realised we were pretty damn good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wykikitoon 20111 Posted August 9, 2005 Share Posted August 9, 2005 Oh My God Its 10 Years, FFS move on man, We have to concentrate on supporting the team now, yes we had a good squad then but its time to concentrate on now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeazesMag 0 Posted August 9, 2005 Share Posted August 9, 2005 It is, as you say, 10 years ago - but We have not matched it. We should not bother appointing managers who we think will not match, or clearly will definitely not match it. Because, that is the heights we should aspire all the time to. Can't quite grasp the idea that some people still think Keegan "failed", when no one has matched him in iover 70 years ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackies the Lad 0 Posted August 9, 2005 Share Posted August 9, 2005 It is, as you say, 10 years ago - but We have not matched it. We should not bother appointing managers who we think will not match, or clearly will definitely not match it. Because, that is the heights we should aspire all the time to. Can't quite grasp the idea that some people still think Keegan "failed", when no one has matched him in iover 70 years ! 9482[/snapback] Keegan player and manager a failure........................NEVER. No one at NUFC has matched it so far and this idiot has not got a prayer of coming anywhere close. How things have changed, we are now optimistic about mediochrity. We are heading whirlwind into a TFD. FFS man you are right we need to concentrate on the here and now, has anyone told Sourness of this little plan? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig 6682 Posted August 9, 2005 Share Posted August 9, 2005 It's a common mis-conception IMO that we 'threw away' the title in 95/96 (mostly fuelled by the media!) Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm lead to believe that the 12 point gap that they always go on about was actually with Man Utd having a game in hand over us (against one of the minnows which they were expected to win) so effectively, the gap was only ever 9 points (certainly was the gap we were ever in control of). We also had the 6-pointer game at SJP against Man Utd which could have gone either way, and anyone who was there (me included) can confirm that we murdered them that night and the lucky feckers sneaked away with a 1-0 win. Had it not been for Schmeichel, who had perhaps his finest ever performance for Man Utd, and Cantona, I'm convinced we'd have won that game quite comfortably.... The final point that needs to be taken into account and is often overlooked is look at Manchester United's results from the point they were so many points behind until the end of the season. They picked up something ridiculous like 95% of the points available whereas we picked up something like 70% which in itself under normal circumstances was more than respectable. A lot of people say that KK's live interview with Sky after the Leeds game was the moment Man Utd won the title - bollocks, it didn't just change at that moment, that's just used as an excuse to make KK look weak and suggest that NUFC threw it away.... They didn't - Man Utd won that title, it certainly wasn't given to them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeazesMag 0 Posted August 9, 2005 Share Posted August 9, 2005 (edited) phew... <<<< round of applause for a well said post >>>> I was in the pub on the corner of ... err... it used to be the dog and parrot... when Keegan made that outburst...and the place was rocking....probably heard the roar miles away ... we knew it was suddenly a close race again, but no one thought it was weak, far from it, it was magnificent stuff. We had our bad run, in that run in, no doubt the pressure which was new played its part of course it did, but manu had been there before and much as I hate to say it, were brilliant in that run in. If only. I suppose the league doesn't lie, we were the 2nd best team overall. I only know I wish we still were now where we were then. And the whole point of slagging Souness, for me, is that we should only appoint managers who we think will can get us into a position like that. And thats looking forward.... Edited August 9, 2005 by LeazesMag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig 6682 Posted August 9, 2005 Share Posted August 9, 2005 Hehe - the Dog & Parrot! Now there's a pub that I haven't heard of for a long time.... Our 'shot in the foot' that year IMO was that we made such an awesome start to the season whereas Man Utd made a pretty average one... Looking at the bigger picture though, no matter how awesome our start was, their run in was better by comparison! Perhaps the biggest fault we can afford ourselves is that we were in a similar position to what we were in 3 years previously albeit in a different division and perhaps there was some degree on naive complacency. We faltered around the end of Feb/start of March that season but the difference in quality in the two divisions meant that we were able to get away with it and we picked ourselves up again.... Man Utd were never going to allow us that luxury, once they had us on the run, they were simply reeling us in... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeazesMag 0 Posted August 9, 2005 Share Posted August 9, 2005 (edited) We don't go into the dog and parrot anymore at all, we started going into other places like Yates etc ending up down pink lane area but they've been done out into bloody wine bar type things lately so they aren't the same, although we still go for now. That season had an air of inevitability about it after we lost that home game to manure. Oh well, at least we saw what it was like at the top of the table, unlike others like the mackems, in case it never happens again. It saddens me really, because I thought [or hoped] the club we built under Keegan would stay that way for a long long time as it should have done. Anyway, get the thread back on course as crawford seems to think we will soon be top of the league under Souness.... Edited August 9, 2005 by LeazesMag Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tooj 17 Posted August 9, 2005 Share Posted August 9, 2005 let's not forget Ludek Miklosko playing a blinder at Upton Park and Tim Flowers too, just wasn't meant to be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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