Time for a change?

People have had enough
People have had enough
I found myself angry after the game against Manchester United. Really angry in fact.

So angry that I’ve avoided pretty much avoided Newcastle United altogether until I calmed down. Reading lots of swear words isn’t good for you although writing them would have allowed me to vent.

So here I am, some six days later, and truth be known I’m still simmering away. It’s not just about the Manchester United game though, it’s about much more than that. Our latest game came on the back of resounding losses against Everton and Southampton so everything has just kind of bottled up and I’m now (finally) at the point where enough is enough.

Somehow we sit in the top half of the table. I don’t know why as we’ve been awful pretty much all season. In fact I struggle to remember a game where we’ve played well for half of it let alone all of it.

Selling Yohan Cabaye and not replacing him was a huge error. He was a cracking player so important to us on and off the pitch and losing him, although not surprising in the slightest, was still a blow.

Unfortunately it’s a blow the manager must deal with. This is how the club works and those decisions are out of his hands so all he can do is get the best out of what he has left.

And that is the sticking point for me because I just don’t think Alan Pardew has been getting anywhere near enough from the players we have at our disposal.

We do have some talented players with perhaps none quite as talented as Hatem Ben Arfa. That lad can win games on his own but that unfortunately comes at a price and that price is that he is not the best in terms of defensive ability.

So what do you do? Build a team around him that allows him to play to his strengths or ostracise him and blame him for your own ineptitude like Pardew has done?

Let the lad attack and let someone else worry about defence. I remember Ginola and Robert never had to worry much about defence because what they gave in attack made up for it but it seems that whatever talent you have it doesn’t matter unless you fit in Pardew’s strict system. Mind you he has form for that kind of thing at West Ham.

It’s not so much results that bother me. Yes they hurt but as long as the performance is acceptable there is at least a positive. What we’re seeing now is poor results with really poor performances and that is no good.

Pardew said recently, post Manchester United I think, that we need a lift. Sorry but that is his job and he is failing at it. Don’t let a couple of bad results cloud this glaring fact. I think the time has come for Pardew to be moved on.

I doubt it will happen as he seems bulletproof. I mean how many times have we been humped? How many times has Pardew been in trouble? None of it matters though unless we stay in the league I and go out of the cups guess.

What a life eh?

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.

84 thoughts on “Time for a change?

  1. As I said before the heart has gone out of my club and the players too and the heart out of me,will it return IMO no until this crowd do one

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  2. We’re all furious Toonsy. What’s written on here is only half of it and the Pardew stupor we’ve all fallen into has seen faces disappear from here too. There’s not even any Pardew apologists hanging about anywhere.
    The performances now for 2 seasons have been absolutely dreadful apart from a handful of games. The only hope I have is another couple of stuffings and the crowd will finally turn on the fool. There again only 2 home games left.

    0-3 tomorrow.

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  3. Pardew should never been allowed anywhere near “St James Park” with the CV that he posesses. A blind man on a galloping horse would have got out of his way, and when you say we are all furious, which we and which all are you refering to because the 50 odd thousand that never fail to hand their hard-earned to Cashley every other week is exactly what’s keeping this shower of 5h!t in operation as we speak.
    What I find totally baffling is that no-one has turned on pardew yet. The bloke should be nicknamed Teflon cos nowt sticks to him. Thank God I’m now living in Cyprus cos honestly I would have done something really stupid by now. Still, the pain only lasts for another few weeks then we only have to suffer another poxy world cup elimination .
    Next season, I truely don’t know if i’m honest, Iv’e just about had enough of these w****rs destroying what I have enjoyed for the last 57 years. It takes some understanding but I just about understand why the younger fans are staying with this poxy bunch and it’s cos they know no other.
    I suppose we may get back to some normallity in the near future, but sadly, I may not be around to witness it. Always a Mag.
    Howaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay the Lads.

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  4. Toonsy, As blogmaster , I really feel for you mate ,it has to be a thankless task at present and I for one thank you for keeping things going when it would be so easy to say ,stuff it I’ve had enough. The reality is that it’s times like this that us fans really need to stick together, even if we don’t always agree ,one thing remains that binds us and that’s the love for NUFC. Ashley and co including Pards will never get it, hard as they may try, I’m going to be a tad controversial now and say I don’t think many of the players do either. I think Krul, Shola, Saylor, Tiote, Cisse, Willo, Raylor ,Gos,Elliot, Dummett, Arma, Colo and when he was with us Jonas ,all GOT IT, the rest though can sometimes put a real shift in DON’T GET IT, if they did then the fact we have a **** managing us would be of no consequence when they went out to play . The fact that the whole squad pretty much failed to turn up for the last 3 games is shocking and says as much for their attitude to Pac-man as it does towards the club itself imo. At the end of the day folk will say, well they are French, Dutch ( insert country of choice ) what do you expect 😕 Well pride in your job for a start, earning your wage for a second and it never stopped Ginola or Robert or Tino from GETTING IT , so just ignore the **** with the tactics and go out and do your own thing. TBF to Benny I THINK , he has tried that approach and got a bollocking from carver and co on the touchline 🙄 But Benny stands alone in this regard ,he is now outcast from the group because he had the temerity to question Pards tactics 🙄 . Our Squad needs to get some backbone and let the manager know it ain’t working at the moment . In Colo we have a captain who is doing a fine impression of a deaf and dumb person at the moment , hear no evil speak no evil as it were, Maybe he’s keeping his head down in the hope if he’s a good lad they will release him. Pards should strip him of the armband and give it to Tiote asap imo, whens the last time Colo went in front the tv cameras? , every other captain does it . The whole set up is frankly a festering pot of ***** at the moment and it’s truly heartbreaking when you can do nothing to correct it . Stay away from the remaining games people , show the fat **** that you at least GET IT.

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  5. My stance has changed recently because I have final accepted the reality and ambitions of the club are negligible. For this reason I would replace Pardew with someone who is fresh and plays good passing, entertaining football.

    So what if we get in a relegation battle; it will add excitement to the season. We’re not in it for the cups or success so **** it – let’s have some excitement.

    Unfortunately this will not happen as Ashley will be absolutely delighted with Pardews performance as were still in the league, he doesn’t complain about the unreasonable restrictions placed on him and is more than happy to tow the line.

    For me the only way we will get any change is by refusing to go to the games. By change I mean fucking Jabba off! But a new manager will add a bit of excitement for me too.

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  6. TBH I think theres been more stand out performances this season than when we finished 5th 😆 The footballs never been inspiring under Pardew even when it was going well, But the team spirit and determination which has got us results under him in the past seems to have gone completely.

    Southampton and Everton have equally flimsy squads and have both missed key players at times this season. Yet they have never been on a run like we are currently. Their managers have improvised and managed to keep them on an upward curve, Wheras ours has completely failed to do so. I am always worried about the alternatives but its gone stale and something has to change before next season…

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  7. Sadly, the fans will not stay away Kim and the remaining home games will attract 50,000.
    Those 50,000 fans should all do the decent thing, with every one of them taking a white handkerchief to the game to show Pardew just how much he is wanted.
    It wont affect Pardew but it will be quite embarrassing for Ashley to see all those hankies being waved throughout the game .It may even distract the TV audience from his advertising boards.

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  8. Sidekick ,Aye mate , I read the other day that Cameras are told to go in certain places /positions to best show off SD advertising. We even have SD.com above the HWTL sign in the tunnel ffs.

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  9. Kim,
    Its disgusting, and people actually believe that Sports Direct signage is just there to showcase to potential sponsors.

    Fucking liars.

    If I lived there I’d be ripping the signage up every game.

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  10. JJ, Yep, there isn’t and never will be any intention to bring in advertising from anyone other than SD . I don’t know what’s more insulting, the fact that they do it or the fact they think we are all gullible enough to believe they can’t attract advertisers. 🙄 👿

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  11. The germans should be more embarassed that it took Bayern to play their reserves at augsburg to finally lose their first game in 53 and 2nd in the last two seasons.

    Im sure they have seen worse than Pards and fat sam trying to outcontain each other… 😉

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  12. “If I lived there I’d be ripping the signage up every game”

    Fairly sure you would only do it the once and get dragged out kicking and screaming 😉

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  13. Kim

    Im not huge fans of either but there are worse out there look at the bottom of the table for proof of that. Im still waiting to see Pepe mel exposed as an elaborate hoax by west brom…

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  14. You can always tell when the football has me depressed, I start baking, something about hand beating a sponge cake and kneading dough makes me feel better and sadly fatter too 🙄 So far this month I have made 4 plum upside down cakes , 2 batches of fruit and savory scones , 1 eves pudding ,1 apple and raspberrie sponge and a chocolate sponge cake and it’s only day 11 🙄 😆

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  15. I remember an article I wrote a few years ago suggesting that Ashley put in “false” bids to fool supporters into believing we were going after peoples only to lose out.

    I’m 100% convinced he not only did that but bullshitted the fans many other ways.

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  16. Its always better to vent your anger and frustrations than leaving them to stew and fester.
    I agree with Kim, it would be all too easy for Toonsy to give up with the blog, in the wake of the diabolical fiasco going on at NE1. On and off the pitch.
    So thanks Toonsy.
    We live in hope that better days will soon come eh 😕 ❓
    Wont be tomorrow though. More pain to come first.
    PARDEW OUT

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  17. Agree with Lee Ryder, Pardoom has been in difficult situations like this before and managed to come thru unscathed. But he is really pushing the fans to the limit now. Another humiliation and capitulation away at Stoke tomorrow, could be the final nail in his coffin.
    The fans will turn on him eventually, by which time it will be too late.
    It beggars belief he has lasted so long, but here we are.

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  18. I think we’ll do ok tomorrow and we’ll fair better than we have of late.

    I’m going for a 2-0 loss with Pardew seeing some positives 🙄

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  19. Well I see jabba own site are reporting toon will take 10mil for Krul if Milan still want him

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  20. Pards is already going on about what a good side Stoke are, excuses in early me thinks 🙄

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  21. I do think Pardew has taken us as far as he can ( I do think he has done a decent job for us ) however he will still be here in the summer. A major re-build is needed this summer and I can only prey a new ‘ recruitment team ‘ are up too the task

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  22. KIM to be honest now if I see any quotes from pacman I quickly pass them bye I just cannot handle any more **** from him and to see his face just makes me want to throw up,lying,slimy fifty face git that he is 👿

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  23. KIM with Joe you understood the guy was a buffoon and took no notice but pacman talks as if he is the bees knees how long can fans bye into his bullshit,it beats me,in his case bullshit baffals brains everytime

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  24. We let in a couple of easy goals today. Stoke out played us today. We our really missing Cabaye and Remy at the moment. I will have to sort it out in the summer with Mike, Lee and Graham. We can still finish above southampton ( not a chance). The players our very disappointed about the result ( whatever). I have got angry with them ( Ben Arfa and Cisse get the flak).

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  25. pardwho is going nowhere,he is doing the perfect job for ashley.so switch off look for sumin else to luv and watch coz the fat get aint going to be here foreva. 😛

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  26. I forgot to mention injuries and the youth players aren’t good enough.

    I could do Pardew’s job.
    King of excuses

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  27. I seriously think the club can’t find anyone better than Pardew is utter rubbish. There are managers in the championship that could do better.
    His knocking the players confidence and putting them down to much for the to want to fight for him.

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  28. its a fkin shocking fact that we get 50000 every home game,are these people fkin retarded,do they realise they ar hurting the club in the long run,fkin keep turning up ashley aint going nowhere.but all you here is this is my club i support the team bollicks.fkin joke.

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  29. we need to here from someone that is pro ashley,so this duznt turn into a anti ashley thread.it will be good to here both sides.bring some balance.

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  30. Hitman I totally agree with you. The trouble is when Pardew get’s a flukey 1-0 win against a struggling team everything’s forgiven. It’s utter madness. I’m not convinced any of the premier league money he gets will go on players. He spent 17 million on 5 french players. Imagine how many cheap players he could bring in on the Cabaye sale. It’s total bullshit and the rest is his.

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  31. “Selling Yohan Cabaye and not replacing him was a huge error.”

    Was it an error, toonsy, or was it deliberate? Wasn’t it just another act of bloody arrogant contempt for the fans? We were real contenders for that Europa League spot – and we know how the board felt about that (or any other kind of cup run).

    The worst thing is, we were on a great run and might have been able to push beyond that for a top-four spot with JC in the side – OK, MIGHT:HAVE rather than PROBABLY WOULD HAVE but the people running the club have no ambition whatsoever – they would rather sink back into easy/safe mid-table mediocrity and guarantee the EPL gravy for another year – Charnley’s said as much since his appointment with his confirmation of a bonus for 10th place and above, hasn’t he?

    And It’ll always be the same while Ashley owns the club. You just have to look at how he runs his other businesses. And selling our best player a day after the season ticket sales are finished won’t stop the sheep from buying again next year (Freddie was right about that if not much else).

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  32. Time for a change? Perhaps….but are we any worse than the **** we have had to put up with since our good days with Sir Bobby! I am not sure where the great football is supposed to come from? Many managers have tried and failed, so the presumption that a new manager will turn things around is cast in doubt!
    We have been feckin average for over a decade now, both pre and post Ashley.. A new manager will not help, only a mega rich owner like city and chelsea will drag us out of the mid table mire..

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  33. Darth, do you honestly believe the club sold Cabaye to **** us fans off and ruin any Euro chance? 😆 😆

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  34. Agree with stuart and darthbroon. For me there is no real chance of us progressing anywhere with Ashley in charge. Even if he did find a better manager to work under his lying fat ****, all that would mean is that he would invest less in the squad-as the manager coudl get more out of the current crop and guarantee safety. Better coaches would result in better player development and bigger sales…but pardew and co are his number one choice for being cheap and cheerful

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  35. Aussie Magpie Fan @53

    No. I believe they were going to sell Cabaye whether we gave a fukk or not (same with Andy Caroll). You thought it was a good idea or a good bit of business, maybe?

    They’re not interested in winning anything. Maybe you missed the comments from NUFC directors to the fan forum last year to the effect that they didn’t want to risk our premier league status by ‘getting embroiled in the European competitions’? God forbid we should finish in the top five.

    By their own admission, they’re not interested in the Europa League (or any kind of cup run). They just don’t want to be relegated.

    Selling JC was never an issue with them. Nor was the predictable reaction from the fans. They don’t give a fukk as long as they can sell the season tickets and people keep turning out regardless.

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  36. Newkie@54

    “Even if he did find a better manager to work under his lying fat ****,”

    He couldn’t find a better manager from his point of view if he looked for a hundred years, newkie.

    How many managers can you think of that would allow his best player to be sold out from under him in the middle of a really promising season without so much as a squeek?

    Even without considering his abilities as a manager – that’s Pardews value to Ashley right there. Priceless. If he hadn’t taken the job, we’d have had a new manager every three months since CH got the bullet 😉

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  37. It’s hard to know what sort of change would be best.

    Changing managers will mean starting all over again, again. We know from experience that that doesn’t work. Bringing in new players isn’t the answer either if the problem is in management.

    Maybe a change in management structure is required (and there are some hints that this is happening), or backroom personnel (like an assistant with a new perspective), or club-wide philosophy (like a style of play for all levels).

    I agree that something needs to be done. And although I’ve no great belief in Pardew’s ability, I don’t necessarily agree that simply changing manager is the way to go.

    Ditto about changing owner, btw. He is part of the management audit that is needed – a new style, a new philosophy, a new approach – not necessarily someone to be done away with.

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  38. Time to change .. ❓ ❗ ❗ ❓ …. 😕 but we can ask one hundred time this question….never never pardew ready to loose a miracle job like that ….never recogniz his imcompetente listening players …incompetent tactics and incompetete motivation players ❗ … just incompetente in all…… 👿 he s sUper heroes nufc he s
    …THE UNSACKABLE … 😎

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  39. I think Alan thinks Mike is thinking of doing a decent job.. i think that’s what he’s thinking

    “I think he’s taking a closer hold of the club, maybe, and I think that’s a good thing,” said Alan Pardew. “He’s obviously been at the games, and he’s seen for good or bad what we are at the moment.

    “I think he has a good knowledge of football, and good experience now. You have to say that he’s an experienced owner, and I’d like to think that in the summer, we can make the right decisions.”

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  40. how can Pardew even come out with such ****. A good knowledge of football?? He doesnt want European football and sells our only influential midfielder when we’re close to 4th/5th position in the league. Doesnt buy forwards, only sells them.. what a load of ****! 😯 🙄

    Pardew is a total muppet!

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  41. ‘and I’d like to think that in the summer, we can make the right decisions.”

    And that quote sums it up really, he’d like to think 😕 in other words he has no idea what Jabba is thinking or likely to do next, just like the rest of us 🙄 .

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  42. All I predict today is another battering by the mighty Stoke. Bet the slimey one has his excuses ready, we woz tired, it was Hatem’s fault we couldn’t defend those 5 goals, I know he was only on the pitch 10 mins and he’s had a bollocking for that, the wind was in the wrong direction, the Notting Hill carnival is coming up, science was agaianst me, yada yada yada. His bull **** is so predictable.
    I’m hoping that Ashley appearing at recent games is a good thing in the path to ridding ourselves of Pardew. I’m also hoping that there is a nice clause in Pardew’s contract that means at season end Ashley can peddle him without paying him off much – which will be the only way he will get rid.
    Us fans have to stick together now. People please don’t renew your season ticket until something very positive happens or you are culpable in this **** situation. Ashley will get the wind up when it affects his pocket and that is the only way of forcing him to take action. You saw wha he is capable of in the week when he sold a big wedge of SD’s shares and gave the share holders a bloody nose. Us chanting a few choice songs in his direction is water off a rhino’s back. I do think the fans have been spineless in their support for the club. Why the hell aren’t they on Pardew’s back, chanting they want him out? Where is the geordie fighting spirit? Accepting the heart being ripped out of this club we all adore by a third rate lying, cheating manager with an unbelievable ego, and an owner who only cares about using us to sell his cheap tat. My dad god bless him would be spinning in his grave. I’ve always been proud to be a geordie but my god what are we turning into bloody door mats and mugs? I think Pardew has lost the players who are doing their own mini protest as there is nothing to lose but it puts heat on the manager. Do you blame them having to listen to his **** day in day out.

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  43. Even when SBR had a run of bad results he had the ability to turn things around and catch the pack ahead of us. I believe if he wasn’t sacked he could of had us 5th or 6th by the end of the season.

    In Pardew’s case it would have been a nail biting relegation battle till the end. He has no plan B and blames everyone else for his mistakes. Knocks the players confidence and morale and they play like frightened sheep on the pitch. Conceding goals left, right and centre and creating very little in attack then last resort tactics the dreaded long ball.

    As for Ashley I reckon 20 million is all he will spend this summer, maybe more if offers come in for Jonas, Obertan etc. If 50,000 fan’s want to watch this **** and make Jabba richer that’s up to them.

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  44. I’m very sad to say I just can not see anything other than a defeat and a score line with nil in it.

    I fancy maybe a 3-0 sadly. If we perform like we did at Southampton it could be worse.

    Although how much more embarrassing can it get? Aren’t we use to it?

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  45. We will get spanked today and well spanked at that imo, hope I’m wrong as can’t stand the embarrassment much more. 🙁
    IF I thought another mauling would resort in Pac-man getting the boot I would actually welcome it ,sadly it won’t , even 10.0 his job would be safe as long as he tows that party line, he knows it, the players know it and we know it . It’s enough to make you weep.

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  46. Well written piece, lets hope for a respectful silence from all fans today. As much as the Dippers do my head in ,I think it would be fitting for them to win the league this year and finally get some closure at the latest hearings for their loved ones. They have waited far too long for justice and on the pitch this year played some fantastic football that really should be rewarded imo.

    http://www.themag.co.uk/the-mag-articles/remembering-25-years-ago-highbury-heard-hillsborough-news/

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  47. Pardew is doing a great job, he will get us relegated next season and turn the club into a money pit for Ashley. :mrgreen:

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  48. I’ll be honest, I haven’t even watched a game for a while but I may watch today to see just how bad we have become. 😯

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  49. Wondering if any links will work today 😕 , I haven’t been able to get any joy from nutjob for last 3 matches and in the week the police shut them down anyways ,Coolsports too I think. Thoughts on links lads ❓

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