This of course applies to everything including Newcastle United. Don’t get me wrong, I get angry when we lose, disappointed, hurt and so on, but I soon pick myself up and dust myself down ready for more. Likewise when things are going well, I tend to not get overly carried away with and sit in wait in anticipation of the next bombshell dropping.
However you can’t help but look at the league table and have a bit of a dream can you? I mean with 15 games to go we are in the box seat for Europe. Granted there is a long way to go still, but at the moment we are there and we still have our big hitters to slot back in the team. It’s pretty mad really. So the question is, are you allowing yourself to dream yet?
I’ll make it easier for you. How about a bit of encouragement from our Club Captain and our Manager?
“It’s good to win in this way, and we know now that we can have dreams because we’re one point, maybe two points, away from the total you need to be safe,” said Fabricio Coloccini after the Blackburn game.
“That’s good, because we can look forward. Why not dream about playing in a European cup? I think it is okay to dream – but only if we keep winning,” he added.
Maybe a case of Colo-dreamy instead of Coloccini!
How about Alan Pardew? Is he keeping calm? Well kind of, although he admits that the team could achieve “something special” this season.
“It’s a great opportunity now. We’re fifth, and above Arsenal and Liverpool. It’s incredible. We’ve got to try and keep it going, and chase Chelsea down,” Pardew told the Chronicle.
He added: “It’s all to play for. We’ve got 15 cup finals. We’ve got 39 points, and we’re safe. We’ve done one job, and hopefully we can achieve something special.”
So what do you reckon? Should we be aiming for Chelsea? They are in our sites after all? Bowburnmag (RIP) used to tell me all the time to “aim for the stars and even if you miss you’ll land on the moon.”
Well Steve, I think you’re bang on the money!
Course its OK to dream, its what footballs all about. We are up there and no reason why we shouldn’t be. Lets just keep pushing on and dreaming. Helps that we have Zoe’s dreamboat playing for the team of course!!
Simon(Quote)
Toonsy you heartless, boring, cold git! 😆
I never get down about things, thats why I constantly dust Troyre and his lame wind-ups 😉
but I love to get excited, like a retarded child, who cares about the come-down 😆
Boin boin boing!
its great to dream, unless u live in Freddies street 😯
mark(Quote)
From where we are at the moment, you kind of can’t help but wonder if we could possibly get into the top 4! 😯
Definitely not saying that our squad is ready for that, but it is a very real possibility at the moment.
Anyone know when Marveaux could be fit?
AndrewT(Quote)
Only a matter of time before Troys all over this trying to pee on everyones dreams. Troy = Booby = A Leopard that never changed his spots.
Stardust(Quote)
Toonsy very good read lad 😉 and no it does no harm to dream, I think the sooner we get our main players back the better the chance we have.
Getting the 2 D’s back will be a massive boost, pity Cabaye got banned but he will be back in 2 games, the sooner Tiote is finished the better. The only part I worry about is keeping Colo going from here on in and imo Saylor is a big miss.
Big Dave(Quote)
I did a bit of research and it’s a bit interesting on the quantity of points for the 4th-6th place teams over the last 4 seasons or so relative to this year. This year the points total is significantly (average of about 4 or 5 points per position) lower than in previous years.
Do you think this is because there is more overall competition in the Prem this season or because the top 6 this year isn’t the same quality as their counterparts from the last few years?
Our point pace this year (39 over 23 games), if projected over the course of the whole season, would give us 64.4 points or so. The last 6 seasons no team has finished in 4th with less than 69 points but this year I could see 65 being the magic number to finish in that 4th spot? Thoughts?
Toon in Boston(Quote)
@AndrewT
end of Feb I think I heard last.
mark(Quote)
wooo hooo hooo
BigDave… and no it does no harm to dream,
welcome aboard m8 😉
mark(Quote)
🙄 😯 teachers pet, Man up Stardy and stop being a tell tale, oh please Toonsy will you ban big bad Troy.
I take it he bullied you 😆 😆
Big Dave(Quote)
Good article Toonsy.
I think dreaming is part of being a fan of anything, whether it’s football or art.
Our goal now that we are safe is to look up and worry about what we are doing and not what those below us are doing.
Chelsea are no consistent performers and are EXPECTED to be challenging for the top spot which they are failing miserably to do, which adds pressure to them.
We don’t have that kind of pressure and are expected to play second fiddle to the supposed top 6.
Guess what, we can dream and so can our players and manager because we aren’t playing for mid table scraps now, we are showing those top sides that we are the new kids on their block.
Look out Chelsea, your glittering limelight is dulling and the magpies are ready to steal it. 😀
wolfie(Quote)
Mark you haven’t been on the blogs for very long have you ❓ and no im not trying to be smart, its an honest question
Big Dave(Quote)
@Big Dave
aye m8 for years, why do u ask?
mark(Quote)
Wolfie > Our goal now that we are safe is to look up and worry about what we are doing and not what those below us are doing.
100% agree I think to many fans worry about teams below us and expecting other teams to beat such and such to do us a favour, imo we should do things for ourselfs and let the other teams worry about whatever they want.
Its a bit like when we complain about this decision and that decision going against us but we should never rely on refs or teams helping us out, our destiny is in our hands 😉
Here endeth my rant
Big Dave(Quote)
I’m hoping someone can tell me what position we must be to qualify for Europa league?
southafricantoon(Quote)
@Et al
Fuzzy wuzzy feelings. Buttercups and honey bees. Fluffy clouds and sugar coated fields. 🙄
Seriously, Toonsy, at the start of the season you would have been laughed at with the very thought of pushing on for a European place. At this point in time, it would be crazy not to aim for it.
I can’t see it happening but who could have foreseen the position we are in now.
@Stardust
You dream constantly of having a proper nose and not a pugnose pig snout. Keep dreaming cos stranger things have happened. The bouncing butterfly made a decision before. He decided he wasn’t sure if he was a butterfly or bouncing tigger or both. 😛
Troy Stavers(Quote)
Mark because I think sometimes you have this impression that I have always been ‘ negative’ but its really only over the last couple of yrs.
Big Dave(Quote)
I said both didnt I 😆
flutter flutter, boin boing.. 😆
mark(Quote)
i think we can do it. have to win the games we are expected to win though i.e. sunderland, wolves, villa at home. not forgetting our 2 dembas are back and soon cabaye, cheek and marvaux. so we are definately in with a chance.
Alex(Quote)
@Big Dave
I was just messing m8, regarding everything that is reality and al that,
I honestly think you speak sense. u just get a little whiny with MA at times but thats understandable, no offence intended m8 😀
mark(Quote)
Meant to say well chuffed for young Adam Campbell scoring for the Eng under 17s
Big Dave(Quote)
@wolfie
To be fair, there’s dreaming and there’s Wolfies dreams. 😉
Well done for putting your hands up before about things you got wrong and also giving your perspective on matters.
We’ve all got different points of view and respect to you for sticking to your guns.
It must be awful to flutter about not having a clue where to land. 😛
Troy Stavers(Quote)
I honestly think chelsea will continue to fall and that our main competion for 4th (should we have such ambitious thoughts) will be LPool and Arsenal. lpool is the bigger worry for me.
Toon in Boston- I think there are a couple of reasosn. I thinnk the lower english leagues are better than they used to be (for whatever reason) so teams coming up are better and better prepared. Plus the huge TV money allows them build a better team immediately. Also, I think shoddy finances and old age have caught up to a few teams- like ManU in particular.
MDS(Quote)
@BigDave… but I have read a few times now that u do consider yourself to be negative..
All I’m saying, when it comes to the team we support, what’s to be negative about? :
mark(Quote)
Two motivational points pardew should be using from here on in. 1. Every so called expert tipped us as relegation fodder so well done lads for sticking it up them. 2. Due to recent end of seasons positions and ridiculous spending policies, every club above us and the two below are expected to qualify for the champions league as a minimum requirement yet we are not. Let’s use this to our advantage, go out there, play football and express yourselves, stay tight and the quality returning to the side will keep us moving upward. The biggest problem we will have is freezing in the headlights of a 4th, 5th or 6th placed finish, we need to keep it loose and relax and just keep proving has beens wrong .
I predict 6th, just being piped into 5th by the scousers
Mikesbestmate(Quote)
@Troy
wooo hooo hooo
u might think its ridickrous but I love it..
boing boing.. 😆
mark(Quote)
Mark 😉 I hold a grudge when someone harms something I care for 😀
Big Dave(Quote)
right catch you’s later
Big Dave(Quote)
BIGDAVE@13, I agree.
I know some teams below us have been on good little runs and the Mackems are no exception to that but equally they aren’t all gonna do a magic unbeaten run constantly and too many teams play each other below us for most to have any real impact on pushing us.
The very few that do, also have to rely on us collapsing like a pack of cards, yet we are about to become stronger and stronger for the run in and I think this is gonna have a massive impact in our favour.
wolfie(Quote)
southafricantoon says:
February 2, 2012 at 17:49
I’m hoping someone can tell me what position we must be to qualify for Europa league?
———————–
It’s complicated but I’ll try.
Prem gets 3 slots: 5th place league finisher, FA Cup winner, Carling Cup winner. If the FA Cup winner qualifies for the Champions League, the FA Cup runner-up makes it. If the Carling Cup champion qualifes for CL, then I think that place goes to the 6th place league finisher. There’s also a Fair Play spot I think
MDS(Quote)
here is my prediction for the rest of the season!!!
Sun 05 13:30 H Aston Villa WIN
Sat 11 17:30 A Tottenham LOSE
Sat 25 15:00 H Wolves WIN
March
Sun 04 12:00 H Sunderland WIN
Mon 12 20:00 A Arsenal LOSE
Sat 17 15:00 H Norwich City WIN
Sun 25 16:00 A WBA LOSE
April
Sun 01 13:30 H Liverpool DRAW
Sat 07 15:00 A Swansea City DRAW
Mon 09 15:00 H Bolton WIN
Sat 14 15:00 A Chelsea LOSE
Sat 21 15:00 H Stoke City WIN
Sat 28 15:00 A Wigan Athletic DRAW
May
Sat 05 15:00 H Manchester City LOSE
Sun 13 15:00 A Everton DRAW
From our remaining 15 matches i think we will pick up 22 points , with 6 wins, 5 defeats and 4 draws !!
22 points will bring us to 61 POINTS which is FANTASTIC and that should defintley give us a big chance of qualifying for europe!! anything is possible now we have the two dembas back 😎 HWTL
Army69(Quote)
@Big Dave @26
thats fair enough m8. Ive never been a bitter person.
mark(Quote)
@the bouncing tigger
I think you are wonderful you know.
Cos youre the only one. 😛
Boing boing boing. 😆
Troy Stavers(Quote)
@toonsey , yeh let’s dream why not ifcolo stays fit and tiote and ba continues to score and stays injury free and cisse gets a few goals then maybe just maybe europe and my happiest times supporting the toon were in europe .
My other dream is MA sells to someone who cares about the club and keeps our good players whilst continuing the good work he has done in youth development and scouting and deepens the squad with financial investment to keep us in europe 😐
Nowt wrong with dreaming .
keith(Quote)
TROY@21, I can admit when I’m wrong and I’m happy to live among the cuckoo’s in cuckoo land and also float about of fluffy clouds in a Wolfie wonderland because it keeps me smiling and makes me take a full on positive outlook about Newcastle’s fortunes.
I could sit and be realistic and pessimistic about the club but that’s not what I’m about.
First of all, I don’t know what realistic means as far as the clubs fortunes go and I don’t know whether it falls into the realms of optimism or pessimism.
I mean realistically we can finish 4th….Optimism.
Realistically, Ashley could sell a top player…Pessimism.
Realistically, Ashley could buy a top player…Optimism.
What is realistic? 😀
wolfie(Quote)
@Army69
I reckon we’ll get 66 points with a draw at Chelsea and WBA, well have a full strength team going to Chelsea.
And I’m going for a win at home to ManCity.. 😆
mark(Quote)
@Troy
thanks m8, yes, I’m special 😯 well thats what my teachers told me
😆
mark(Quote)
@wolfie @34
well said m8. I’m going off that Troy since you turned up here 😀
mark(Quote)
MARK – 😆 hope your right bud , imagine 66pts!! i just hope our squad doesnt get injurys as it is far to thin!! we should of bought a few more players in the jan window imo
Army69(Quote)
@MDS
It does feel like Man Utd is struggling but actually the top 3 teams are ahead of their “points for games played” to this point relative to any year in the last 5. The real difference is the gap in the points for the 4th-8th place teams.
I agree with your point that the promoted sides this season are definitely better prepared, but I’m not sure it’s completely do to finances. Swansea has an incredibly limited budget and Norwich only slightly less so. QPR looks like every other promoted team to be very below average and then try to splash some cash in January to salvage the season.
Additionally some of the more established Prem teams like Wigan, Blackburn, Wolves and Bolton look as bad as a group as any I’ve ever seen. I would think that it would mean even more points for the top 7 or 8 sides but it’s really just the opposite. It’s a strange season.
Toon in Boston(Quote)
MARK@37 😆
wolfie(Quote)
@Army69
aye defo needed cover, Ridgewell would of been a clever buy or that Nelson who left B’burn, other than defence, we’re well equiped
mark(Quote)
ridgewell or bassong would of been good even on loan!!
Army69(Quote)
Mark – I’m sure you meant nothing by it but do me a favour mate and don’t use your comparisons to a ****** child please…
Toonsy, it’s great to dream. I think I watched SSN most of Tuesday and even with 20mins to go still saw us signing a couple of players (even though I came on and had a rant)
We all dreamt at the start of the season and I bet we aren’t far off where we all dreamt we’d be now!!
Fact is, this is reality, not a dream and with 3 of our top players still to come in, why can’t we have a really good go at that 4th spot?!
As long as we remember that if we don’t get it, it’s still been a good season.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Brings my memory back to a discussion a long time ago..
Could we handle the Uefa cup? Certainly not with the squad we have. We will no doubt lose players in the summer so we’d probably have to sign about 10 to cope on 4 different fronts..and that ain’t gonna happen in one summer
Moreno(Quote)
You’ve got to have a dream; if you don’t have a dream, how you gonna have a dream come true. 😀
wolfie(Quote)
strikers now for newcastle
ba
cisse
best
lovenkrands
shola
keep the top three and sell the bottom 2 for a 5a
Army69(Quote)
win 10 draw 5. 76 points. That should do it
Premandup(Quote)
@Sharpy17
sorry m8, won’t do it again.
mark(Quote)
We can of course dream of europe, cos we are actually up there at the moment. That still shouldn’t disguise the fact that we were pretty gash yesterday, and have been somewhat unconvincing for a few weeks now. However, we are where we are on merit. Keep dreaming I say… 😆
Howay the lads !
Munich Mag(Quote)
Anybody got Shola’s Facebook address so we can support the lad ?
Munich Mag(Quote)
PREMANDUP
February 2, 2012 at 18:27
win 10 draw 5. 76 points. That should do it
😯 😯 thats the spirit
Army69(Quote)
PREMANDUP
February 2, 2012 at 18:27
win 10 draw 5. 76 points. That should do it
thats the spirit
More like he’s on the spirits 😆
Moreno(Quote)
MORENO@44,
If we get into Europa or the champions league, we will cope.
Why will we cope?
Because we will attract players in the summer but not only that….we will cope simply because we will have a team that will have belief and a set of back up players that share it.
The point is, you don’t assemble a team of ambitious players just so you can’t compete in a competition that those players came to you to achieve.
The successful players are a success because they want something badly and want to fight for everything on offer and be a part of it all, because it matches their ambitions.
If Pardew walked into that dressing room tomorrow and said to the players, “look lads, try and finish outside of the Europe spots because we can’t handle it this season, so maybe next season eh”
I’d guarantee you by the summer, we would have about a dozen transfer requests in.
If we get into Europe, we are ready for it….we might not win it or even get anywhere but we will be ready to try.
wolfie(Quote)
The Euro Express will bang into the buffers if Colo gets injured or suspended.
Blackley & Brownlie(Quote)
PREMANDUP
February 2, 2012 at 18:27
win 10 draw 5. 76 points. That should do it
I like the way you think 😀
wolfie(Quote)
If I stop being so pessimistic we could go for 15 wins 😆 😆
seriously only spirit is a medicinal “Kings Ginger”
Premandup(Quote)
BLACKLEY & BROWNLIE
February 2, 2012 at 18:37
The Euro Express will bang into the buffers if Colo gets injured or suspended.
We can’t sorry about stuff like that. 😀
wolfie(Quote)
Wolfie,
Blind faith and belief isn’t enough when you have 3 of your star players going to AcoN. Injuries left right and centre. Underperformers. Silly suspensions. It is a load of extra games in the season travelling to places like Turkey etc….we wouldn’t cope and still get the sort of league position we would like.
If it was as simple as Pardew just having a word with the players, surely Brighton wouldn’t have beaten our first team?
Moreno(Quote)
Sorry= worry. 😀
wolfie(Quote)
…but of course you no doubt believe we are going to spend fortunes in the summer attracting top talent don’t you?
Moreno(Quote)
Wolfie – Just saying that one little ***** can burst a condom.
Blackley & Brownlie(Quote)
No I think we are going to get 3 or 4 players (CB, FB, RW, & 1 replacement) and some kids
Premandup(Quote)
Does anyone know if you can watch the reserve team matches online? Does NufcTV broadcast them live?
Toon in Boston(Quote)
Troy
You may say that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one…
I hope some day, you will join us. So the blog can live as one. 😉
JJ(Quote)
@JJ
beautiful.
I might get that as a tat 2moro 😆
mark(Quote)
MORENO
February 2, 2012 at 18:41
Wolfie,
Blind faith and belief isn’t enough when you have 3 of your star players going to AcoN. Injuries left right and centre. Underperformers. Silly suspensions. It is a load of extra games in the season travelling to places like Turkey etc….we wouldn’t cope and still get the sort of league position we would like.
If it was as simple as Pardew just having a word with the players, surely Brighton wouldn’t have beaten our first team?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
MORENO, all cups are banana skins, that’s why we have giant killers.
Look at how Man Utd went out of the champions league against opposition they were expected to easily overcome.
Man City the same yet look at the size of their squads.
If we hit Europe, we will add to suit and it’s not blind faith either.
People called Llambias a liar when he spoke about our ambitions of always being in the top 10 and some people took it as “oh look, all Ashley wants is a top 10 team so he can buy cheap and sell big just enough to keep us in the top 10″….
They overlooked what he really meant about challenging for Europe but saying that we will not be known as a team that challenge in this league outside of those boundaries.
Ashley’s goal is to have us challenging the top teams, not just in the prem but in Europe as well, that;s his dream and it’s ours but it doesn’t happen overnight and has to be fine tuned and worked on, then fine tuned again and again to make sure we are equipped to continue it, instead of flirting with it, then falling from grace after a few years.
This club is gearing for SUSTAINED success and that success starts by cementing our place among the elite clubs.
Pie in the sky at this moment in time but certainly achievable given the structure we have in place.
wolfie(Quote)
Wolfie,
You’re insight into exactly what Ashley wants always astounds me!
Anyway, I am not getting into this again based on the fact you can’t have a reasoned debate.
I will point out the parts which I think the board has done well in and the parts that they haven’t. Quite happy to take others views and points on board and agree where valid points (particularly based on facts) are made.
You, on the other hand, are so far up his **** it’s actually hard to believe and even though he has done so much wrong at the club, you just refuse to admit it and turn it round as if it’s all some sort of masterstroke.
When you were going on about him putting his hand in his pocket, just so poor little us have a football club to support I decided I couldn’t ever take anything you said seriously again. You actually think he is a hero of the Geordie people and it’s actually sickening to read!
Moreno(Quote)
Wolfie – clearly speed typing is one of your many talents.
Blackley & Brownlie(Quote)
Wolfie
Most of my articles arn’t as long as your posts… Goodness man, learn to summarize!
JJ(Quote)
Wolfie – Remember many of us have got no talents, not even speed reading.
Blackley & Brownlie(Quote)
Kieran,
Did you receive my articles this week in the drafts?
I know they might be construed as negative, because right now we on the happy train but still think they’d create good discussion. 😀
JJ(Quote)
@Blackley & Brownlie
being MA’s personal secretary helps with his speed.. 😆
mark(Quote)
Our 1st 11 games, when we had our full squad yielded 2.27 pts per game.
now we have a strong squad back another 2.27 pts per game for the rest of the season would give us 73pts.
Premandup(Quote)
JJ,
I’ll have a look now mate 😎
Moreno(Quote)
Moreno @ 67
Lol.
That actually made me snort tea out my nose.
Pootle(Quote)