R.I.P team spirit 2009-2011.

The end of an era?
Now that Joey Barton has departed I think it’s fair to say that any shred of player power has now been removed from the equation at St James’ Park.

Whether or not this was a deliberate tactic is something that will probably never be known, but I have sneaking suspicion it may have been on the cards for a while.

Players come and players go, although at the moment it seems as though we are seeming more players going out than coming in. These aren’t just any players either. They are first-team players who could still be doing a job for us today.

Once again we are left to pick up the pieces after another blow to the fanbase. We’re getting pretty good at it in truth, mainly because we have to be.

It’s worth remembering that whilst we have lost a core of a team that served us well it was thought that a lot of the players were not good enough just 12 months ago. What a difference a year makes.

I remember last season there was a lot of fans who held the opinion that a lot of the players who have now left wouldn’t be good enough to cut it in the Premier League. Andy Carroll had his doubters, As did Kevin Nolan, Jose Enrique and Joey Barton. Most of the squad did in fact, but they got the job done in the end.

This isn’t an article pointing out that people were wrong. I’m not trying to catch anyone out. What I am trying to say is that those doubts last season were dispelled, so what is to say that it won’t happen again?

None of us know what goes on behind closed doors. Nobody knows what relations are like behind the scenes, but going by the mass team celebrations at Scunthorpe the other night I would tend to believe that they aren’t bad. Who is to say that a new team spirit won’t be formed? One where all are equals and is not run by a clique of senior team members? A one where they don’t hold meetings behind the managers back?

It will be interesting to see how the game on Sunday pans out. It’s games like the one we’ll play against Fulham where we let ourselves down repeatedly last season, and that was with the “drive” and “passion” and “grit” of Kevin Nolan, Jose Enrique and Joey Barton in the side. Hopefully it will give us some answers.

We’re unbeaten thus far this season although some have been quick to point out that we’ve not been at our flowing, attacking best. Quite true, but I’d rather win playing poorly than lose playing nicely at this moment in time thank you. Ask Blackpool fans what they would have preferred last season.

Remember when we were in disarray at the start of the Championship season? Remember how this remarkable team spirit was formed in the first place? By scraping through games and getting results, much like we have done at the start of this season.

Maybe this is the start of something new?

About toonsy

A lifelong Newcastle fan and current webmaster of this very 'blog who has the sole aim of creating a place by Newcastle United fans, for Newcastle United fans.

158 thoughts on “R.I.P team spirit 2009-2011.

  1. @MM

    That was my Grandad. Wold wrestling champion during the 60’s and 70’s.

    Love you pops . 😆

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  2. @MM

    I still wear his trunks and boots on matchdays and nowt else. 😆

    The local bowls club are a bit taken aback when I turn up in the same attire and use Grandma baba Vanga’s trusty crystal ball as my jack. 😆

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  3. A few facts for the gimp at 6……

    You are grizzling about a full stop. Do you realise how utterly sad this makes you?

    You can’t even get the name of the site right. Do you realise how much of a **** this makes you?

    You don’t even know that I make any money from this, which makes you a liar aswell. For clarity, I don’t, and any that I do make goes straight back in.

    I suggest you have a **** and get rid of some of the pent up frustration kiddo. Of course I’ll close the site down on your say so 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆

    You could always “hide publication” on Newsnow.

    And by the way, next time you fancy having a rant about spelling and punctuation please try to not be so hypocritical 🙂

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  4. Troy, Les Kellet was hard as nails, I reckon he was harder than Sylvester Stallone. But tragically that is one of the things in life that we will never know…

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  5. I’m off to write more articles now and put more full stops on the end than ever now……………………………………………………………………………………

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  6. MM…..Cole has only ever reached 10 league goals in 2 seasons, never got over 10 though 😉

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  7. @mm

    He used to teach me all his moves in his back garden, where he had a ring set up.

    He used to Howk his neighbours and I used to have to scooter down the chemists every Saturday morning for some smelling salts. 😆

    Great memories! 😛

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  8. Toonsy@79….save the radged mode mate, the post @6 is probably a wum troll from the dark side feeling lonely posting to himself all day, and wants to join the Stepford club…. 😆 😆 😆

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  9. Troy….did you go to Cambridge away ’83 I think, a lad there just had a pair of swimming trunks and Doc martens 😆

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  10. Belly – You’re an optimist of the highest order. I fear you’re riding on a wave of three decent results. Barton, Carroll, Nolan and Enrique were the core of the side that kept us up last season. They’re gone because they’re outspoken. Level 7 went the same way. There’s a lot of bloggers impressed with the “quality” replacements. I think Steve O rates them fairly @ 21. As for new recruits by Wednesday, my money is on the next Antoine Sibierski.

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  11. Best stop talking about Grandad Les and Bobbs before complaints follow.

    Carry on. 😆

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  12. Troy @84 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆

    Johnny Kwango was one of my favourites, but from my recollection, although Johnny used to punch Les’s lug big time, come the end of the fight your Les always managed to pull out one of thos double back flip catapult banzai slams and Johnn y was toasted… That’s the way things were in those days, everyone knew there place…

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  13. I wonder if when NATO eventually oust the tyrant and dictator, Gaddafi, they might have a toddle up the road and precision bomb Ashley out of SJP.

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  14. Blackley and Brownlie@87, did I read you right, Barton, Carroll, Nolan and Enrique were the core of the side that got us relegated… 😆

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  15. Richie, MM – hopefully that makes him too good for us.
    They want a ten goal a season striker, might be too much to ask for a guy that’s done it twice 😉

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  16. Troy
    Munich Mag

    I used to watch the wrestling with my mother and she used to boo Mick McManus.
    I even went to a live gig once and sore Jimmy Saville and Kemo Nagasaki who was another baddie. (I might not have his name quite right is what 35 years ago)

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  17. Expect Troy to disappear to be replaced by “Grandad Les” if Pieters shows up as expected.

    Certainly not the “deadline day lowball bid” you were predicting eh Troy 😉

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  18. Richie, have a look at my boring stat @66, where gonna need Carlton Coles 10 goals plus at least 35 more to be able to have a “comfortable” season..

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  19. That cwaar bloke on twitter couldn’t predict what he is going to have for dinner. a hour ago van der weil was going to arsenal now he is going to chelsea.
    he is no better than Toonsy is at predicting results 😆

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  20. Robert@93….Jackie Pallo was also well hard, but I cannot ever remember him fettling Johhny Kwango though…. Do you think Jackie Pallo would have been harder than Sylvester Stallone ?

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  21. MM – There’s no goals in this lot, or in the names mentioned as potential new recruits. A good goal scorer papers over loads of cracks. Somebody quoted our successful pass rate as being the lowest in the EPL so far. We were shocking at Glandford Park the other night. Different faces, same old shi*. Remember that keeping possession and controlling games is Pardew’s game plan FFS.

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  22. Toby Le Rhone @95….ivverybody used to boo Mick McManus, he was real bad stuff that bloke. He also never managed to fettle Johnny Kwango…well hard he was.

    I also remember Jimmy Saville wrestling….it wasn’t a pretty sight… 😯

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  23. MM…Yeah seen that but my point is that Cole isn’t a proven 10 goal a season striker, far from it, you’d be better off relying on Shola 😯 to reach your target 😉 😆

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  24. Munich, Na, they were all pretend wrestlers mate, Adrain Street included, wasnt until Big Daddy and Giant Haystack came onto the scene that it got serious.

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  25. Troy
    Munich Mag
    Toby

    I remember going to some extravaganza somewhere in Washington in the 80’s. On the bill were Kendo Nagasaki, Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks. I was sat near the aisle as Haystacks trudged towards the ring and made some disparaging remark about his weight and he responded by flipping the middle finger at me. I was about 9 or 10 at the time and it blew my tiny mind. Happy days.

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  26. B&B … 😕 😕 you quoted the three money grabbing ex-toon players as being at “the core of the side that kept us up last season”….yet they were the same blokes who got us relegated….

    Why are you so negative about our current bunch of players, they haven’t had a chance to bed in yet, there will be goals in that side.

    Our pass rate in the first half at Scunny was abysmal, though probably down to the fact that several of our players were starting for the first time, Marveaux, Gosling, Ba, Best, Lovenkrans…plus Danny Simpson who’s passing is suspect anyway if he isn’t playing Butch Wilkins style…

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  27. Thad@106 our strikers were really rusty on Thursday, Lovekrans in particular was frustrating, on another day we could have had a hat-full, though there again so could they… 🙄

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  28. I think Sameobi should be given a chance tomorrow, the defenders didn’t know what to do with him, he has unpredictability about him which is a great thing to have.

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  29. All we can do now is sit back and have a good old laugh at who, if anyone, Llambias brings in as the final pieces in his jigsaw. If he brings someone in, it’ll be a Sibierski or a “who’s he FFS”. Chances are he’ll bring nobody in. Either way, you’ve just got to laugh. Good result tomorrow will set us up for a great few days of mirth. Its like heading down a slight incline in a car whose steering wheel is locked and whose brakes have failed. Lets get on here on Wednesday and have a good old laugh.

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  30. Just a little bit off topic, but there was only Evan Horwood and my brother who finished last season at pools with a contract in place. Everyone else had to wait unt close season and negotiate. Obviously it’s a smaller club, but the wages are not even a 10th of what joey earnt. Surely someone playing one season alone on £60k a week is set for life already. It would take me 104 years to have what he gets in a year.

    All I am saying is that I think the arguement on security is fair but not really the same as us in the ‘normal’ world. They make such money that if he isn’t set already with his business and horses then he is foolish.

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  31. Morning Zoë…..I think once Sammy Ameobi gets above 6 stone he’ll be a real handful. At the moment he’s better off as an impact sub imo… a bit like that other bloke who used to play for us …Nile something..

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  32. Morning Munich…. yeah, i think he’s a lot better than that ranger. Think we should try and offload him if we can before the window closes

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  33. Zoë, I think Sammy AND Ranger will come good. We need to send Ranger out on loan somewhere rather than sell him.

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  34. @mm

    One of the all time comedy classics!! Woo hoo hoo hoo!

    There is so much to laugh at, from the haircuts to the slam-dunks! Genius!

    Anyone who hasn’t bothered watching that link, must.
    Unless you haven’t got a sense of humour!

    10 mins of classic tv!

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  35. MM…I think Ranger’s ship has sailed at NUFC,he blew the last of his last chances imo.

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  36. Troy@121…it’s a classic isn’t it….big daddy looked paggered just climbing into the ring !!!

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  37. Richie…things surrounding Ranger seem to have gone really quiet, have the Toon sent him to a Betty Ford clinic somewhere or summat…?

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  38. MM…last I heard he was told to find himself another club, then did he not tweet something about having a lovely 5 yr contract to sit on? 👿

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  39. Richie….coud be mate, I’m not up to speed with this Tweeter stuff like you and Icedog..

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  40. Here’s another I’ve spoken about before, would anyone else take hargreaves on a payp deal? Perfect player for us if we could get 20 games a season

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  41. Icedog@126…the toon should send Collo to Ghana with big Derek until the transfer window closes.. 🙄

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  42. @mm

    I don’t want to turn this into a wrestling forum but if you want to laugh. Check out Les Kellet on YouTube .
    It beats anything ! Absolute panache.

    I now know where I get it from.

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  43. raffo – I would defo take him in on a pay pr game deal. He would offer good coverage for Tiote.

    On all the talk about ranger – sell him…..

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  44. Ate MM thought they were doing it weeks ago so maybe not done. I’d take him or Parker, but another part of me thinks we have played Barton on the wing so do we need a cm replacement?

    Ranger clearly is an idiot. He has talent and is wasting it

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