Newcastle United: Howay lads this time please

By European Football
March 22 2006

When I am editing this site, I attempt to be unbiased, it seldom actually works, but I attempt it anyway, but the rest of the time I am a life long Newcastle United fan.

This counts for more years than I usually like to own up to, and I have seen a lot, relegations, promotions, a helicopter whisking off a curly headed gent to return as a saviour several years later.

I have experienced the bitter taste of 4 Wembley defeats in person (and its a long journey home I can tell you), at that wreck of a hovel they like to refer to as a national stadium (personally they could have torn the bloody thing down as far as I am concerned, and good riddance to it).

I have watched horrified as a 12 point lead disappeared and I have known the feeling of a French weirdo scoring, what turned out to be the decisive goal of the season at my beloved St James.

It has not all been doom and gloom, I have experienced the thrill of promotion (more times than I would like, I am never sure whether to class promotion as something to be proud of, it usually following relegation, but it felt bloody good at the time.)

European nights, Barcelona for instance, I got so excited the night we won Barcelona, that my wife gave birth almost 9 months to the day later, you do the maths, I will just watch Tino jnr.

Our first delve back into Europe after a too long absence, 5-0 and jumping in a stand that looked like it was about to fall down.

What about qualifying for the second stage of the European cup after losing the first 3 games, what a night that was.

So its far from all doom and gloom and I am not suggesting otherwise, but what I have not seen is us win anything, I have not seen a Newcastle captain lift aloft a trophy, I have not been able to turn to my son and brother through a drink sodden haze and say ‘that’s it, we’ve done it’.

Every season I think ‘is this the one, the one we finally break it, the curse that is.’

Our very own Shearer, it’s his last attempt this year, and many are saying he deserves it, well fine, he does, no arguing, but I think we deserve it more.

My hopes are high for tonight, my expectations less so, but surely its time we win something against the odds.

Are we the better team?

No we are not, you would be a fool to think otherwise, but in football the best sides do not always win (which is a shame otherwise I could make a living at the bookies) we need to upset the odds.

Howay the lads.