Eternal underachievers. A phrase that epitomises the only two football teams I have ever had the unfortunate honour of supporting through thick and thin.
If, like me, you are born from the mid-nineties onwards and happen to follow Newcastle United and England, you would have also never seen your team come close to sniffing any silverware.
The similarities between supporting Newcastle and England are blatant. Both have unparalleled, die-hard fan bases but one that often attracts the label of “entitled” or “arrogant” due to the weight of expectations it demands.
Hyperbole and scandal are also never far away from either, with a media circus often surrounding the club and country that I support.
What can’t be denied, however, is the amount of talent that both have possessed over the years without ever translating that ability into success on the pitch.
I was born in 1997; only an infant for the failed FA Cup final attempts in 1998 and 1999. Euro 96 has been an ever present theme chosen by the media for this summer’s tournament to help reignite the emotions that the country went through that year. Myself and many others – including most of the current Three Lions squad – are too young to have lived through that epic experience.
My earliest memories of football take me back to when I was just five-years-old; being dragged into school early just so I could watch Ronaldinho knock England out of the 2002 World Cup. Heartache in 2004, 2006 and 2010 I remember vividly. 2018 was a beautiful time to be alive but one that, ultimately, also ended in a “what could have been” feeling.
It gets even worse from a Newcastle point of view. My earliest memories of living in a black-and-white world was the Champions League era under Sir Bobby Robson. Oh how I wish to be my current age while living through this period.
My naivety at the time told me that this was the norm. Yet, when Mike Ashley bought the club in 2007, multiple relegations, a total lack of ambition, protests, anger and disillusionment followed.
A win for England in tonight’s crunch semi-final clash against Denmark gives my generation of Geordies our first chance to see the team we support in a cup final.
After years of watching other nations and clubs taste success, we may finally get the opportunity to experience the nerves and drama of a big day like this for ourselves.
Tonight’s opponents are no fools. Denmark are an extremely solid outfit and have an unwavering drive to win for their teammate Christian Eriksen.
But I have complete confidence that Gareth Southgate and the lads can stave off the Danish invasion at Wembley tonight. We look to have hit form at just the right time and, if things don’t go to plan, we have an abundance of talent on the bench to help drag us out the dirt.
England are not just playing for Queen and country tonight, but also for the lost generation of Toon supporters who have never had a taste of success.
Come on England!
Sharpy: I read your post and you might be right that we will play an unchanged team. I wouldnt be against that either as no outfield players have let us down. Southgate has mixed it up a little bit though. He tried Foden but he didnt seem to fit. Then there were the yellows where he held back/took off players. He has a full squad now. Not even little niggles which is remarkable after so many games in such a short space of time.
He now has the problem of who to leave out of the squad and will they be wearing full kit to celebrate if we win like John Terry in The Champions League. Will Boris also be wearing full kit? How’s that for a thought late on a Fraday afternoon?
Eric(Quote)
Why are they booing the National Anthems? I dont really understand.
Eric(Quote)
Absolutely awful piece of puffery by Clyde Tyldesley. I think this is why a lot of people dont like his commentary. It is flowery and overwritten and takes ages to get to his point, if he even has one:
https://www.football365.com/news/opinion-clive-tyldesley-southgate-england-rees-mogg-boris-johnson
Eric(Quote)
Been reading a few readers’ comments on Football365 and The Guardian. There seems to be a happy consensus that fans are glad that England have finally got this far and it doesnt really matter what happens in the final. Are they fcn insane. It is 55 years since England won anything. I was 3 years old. You can put me firmly in the camp of “IF NOT NOW, THEN WHEN”. I think it helps to be a NUFC supporter because we know these oportunities dont come along that often. Keegans team should have won the league and were Peter Schmeikels legs away from doing it. I was too young to remember the Fairs Cup.
I think the logic is that it may be too early for this team and they will be better prepared for the WC. Why not both? Would Alex Ferguson be thinking/planning for the future when he had a final to win? I just dont understand these people. We have the better team, I dont care about Italy’s recent record or even their 4 world cups. That was yesterday(year). None of their forwards would get in our team. We have the goals in this team, they have a solid but aging defence.
Unfortunately they have Donnarumma and we have The Mackem Toddler so it will still be close.
I still think Immobile is **** whatever his scoring record.
Eric(Quote)
For the love of God Gareth, take Jordan’s sugar and coffee away from him and put him in an isolation booth until 10 minutes before kickoff. Or play him Cowboy Junkies on a loop for 24 hours or ship in The Dalai Lama. I doubt Tibet is on the Amber list.
Eric(Quote)
Before saying the Italians are invincible, did anybody watch their game against Spain (I just rewatched it). The Spanish should have won at a canter. They were by far the better team. They had 17 shots to Italy’s 9. If Olmo could hit a cow’s @**** with a banjo they would have won by at least 2 clear goals.
Spain had 69% possession.
Spain had 812 passes to Italy’s 299.
We showed against the Danes we can keep the ball if we want to (just dont pass it to the goalie to hoof). Spain have shown us the blueprint to beat Italy and we have MUCH better forwards than Spain.
Dont let facts get in the way of the journos and pundits building up Italy to be the best team in the tournament and the best since Brasil 1970 though. You know they will. And I even think some deep down want England to fail just so they can write the obituary. There have been journos especially at The Sun gleefully jumping all over every mistake and false move. They are on board now, but all it will take is a Sterling miss for them to be on his back again.
Eric(Quote)
I am on a stat attack tonight. Here are PL goals scored by Sterling and Kane recently Remember that Kane had a couple of injury hit seasons and that Pep only played Sterling in 31 games last year, some as sub.
Sterling
18
17
20
10
Kane
21
25
29
30
17
18
23
Eric(Quote)
For comparison with Raheem last year, Callum Wilson got 12 in 26. I think at least 4 of these were pens. Sterling does not take pens for Man City. Their open play strike rates were similar and it was a down year for Sterling.
I know he has better players around him at City 🙂 And they score twice as many goals. But, just saying… Oh, and it is Pep and not Bruce.
Eric(Quote)
It has always been said that the winners write the history. In the case of Italy/Spain it is the journos who are twisting the game according to who won the penaltly shoot out. Spain were by far the better team but that doesnt fit the journos narrative that Italy are the best team in the tournament. It also doesnt fit them bigging up Italy so they justify England as perennial underachievers and likely to be so again.
We should beat Italy. We have better, fitter and younger players. We also have strikers that would walk into their team.
Eric(Quote)
Does anybody get the impression I do not care for certain Journalists? There is Wor Lee of course, but also Miguel Delaney at The Independent who did all he could to p!ss on our chips about the takeover, almost going as far as blaming Geordies for human rights failings in Saudi and women not being able to drive there until recently.
And now there is Barry Glendenning at the Guardian. A 48 year old, Sunderland supporting failed stand-up comic. They have done a daily podcast for the whole of the Euros and all he has done is slag off England. Maybe it was the Black and Tans? But I doubt Raheem Sterling had much to do with that as his family lived in Jamaica.
The latest was a listener wrote in and asked him how much he would PERSONALLY pay from his own bank account to see England lose the final. He said $2,000. And this is the man who has been doing some of the minute by minute commentary at The Guardian. I thought they were supposed to at least try to maintain a modicum of respect. It is not like the Germans have been Angels in their history but I didnt see him slagging them off.
Eric(Quote)
Must have killed this Glendenning Guy to see Jack Charlton be the most successful Irish Manager ever! But I am sure he has a excuse for why that was OK. Or why it would have been OK for a Londoner like Rice or Brummie like Grealish to play for Ireland, even though they are obviously English.
Eric(Quote)
New kit out then. Giant number 4 on all chests. These guys obviously don’t do their research. See the small pic on this site. No 4 is so apparent! Idiots.
georgio(Quote)
I see the number 4. However, who will wear it with the front buttoned up? Not me… it may not be so obvious then… that said however, I’ll not pay £65 for a football top.
Gilly Toon(Quote)
just like rat bag jabba,sells shop now he undercuts the new owners for footy strips 👿 👿
icedog(Quote)
Getting behind England is a good thing but some of what is being spouted in the press is sick-bag stuff. I wish the Politicians would stay out of it but I know that wont happen. I still want the Rees Mogg challenge. Have him name the England team. Show him a picture of Jordan Henderson and ask him who that is?
If we win, I predict a mini-riot. When the Chicago Bulls won the NBA people stumbled out of bars, turned over cars and smashed shop windows. I think that might be the scene in Trafalgar Sq. It almost got like that after the semi-final.
Eric(Quote)
Talking about Pols. That was a good look by Boris with the England top over a buttoned up dress shirt. I think he needs a fashion advisor. Also, he is younger than me but looks like an old man – all hunched over and desheveled.
Eric(Quote)
I read an article in The Mail and even the Italians think the Mackem Toddler is the weak link in the England squad. Here’s why:
1. The number of clean sheets he has kept is deceptive because he has hardly had any shots to stop. And we know that is the best part of his game.
2. His temperament. Instead of spreading calm he causes tension and friction. His screaming at defenders when it is his fault must drive them mad.
3. His distribution is supposed to be his strong point. Could have fooled me! He has looked very dodgy and his hoofs go too long. You would be better off with a keeper who wasnt told he is great with his feet and keeps it simple.
4. He is too short.
5. He punches when he should catch.
Eric(Quote)
Copa America final is on over here at 8 tonight. I think that is 2 am for you lot. Argentina/Brasil should be a good warm up for England/Italy 🙂 Of course it is being billed as Messi against Neymar. I have watched a few games and they have been exciting with late goals and shootouts. The South Americans do foul a lot though.
Eric(Quote)
Fancy leaving Europe and then just popping back to win their tournament… ?
England to win 2-1 with Sterling to score.
Come on England!!!! ???????
Stuart79(Quote)
I imagine being a PM during Covid ages you quite a bit…
Stuart79(Quote)
Nah, he’s just a slob . Needs a stylist and more importantly a comb .
KIMTOON(Quote)
Well, I think England will need to bring everything tonight, Italians 33 unbeaten is quite something. It’s the final I hoped we’d see, looking forward to it.
Good luck to the lads, bring it home.
KIMTOON(Quote)
I didn’t think we lived in such a judgemental country anymore where looks are important….
Stuart79(Quote)
😆 😆
KIMTOON(Quote)
I’d rather judge him on his corruption, incompetence and total lack of morals.
PremAndUp(Quote)
I read somewhere that Southgate hasnt named an unchanged team in like 39 matches. Could tonight be the night?
Eric(Quote)
Well, that didnt last long. The Sun on Sunday (I know) say the lineup has been leaked and Saka is on the bench to be replaced by Trippier and a move to wingbacks to counter Italy’s formation.
I am still not sure if I like reactive football. I would rather give the opposition something to worry about. But it has worked this far and I am sure we can change it in game if necessary.
Eric(Quote)
Everybody, and I mean everybody, are saying Italy are the team of the tournament. Not in the knockout games they werent. Have any of them watched the games? Austria, AET and Austria are about as good as Ukraine. Spain took them apart and should have won easily. It is funny how a narrative catches on and gets repeated endlessly.
The team of the knockout phase has been England. If we win tonight then that should be recognized and the false narrative of Italy being great should be consigned to the dustbin.
Eric(Quote)
There are stories today about Rafa lining up a 50 mil bid for St Max. I wonder how certain sections of the NUFC fanbase would react to that? The Mag just love Rafa and there are constant stories about him even now. It would be interesting to see what they would make of it.
Eric(Quote)
Oh, and Italy’s game against Belgium was pretty even. That was with Belgium playing with 3 pensioners in their back line and De Bruyne playing on one leg.
Eric(Quote)
I am repeating myself, but what I am saying is that the narrative that Italy have been the team of the tournament is simply not true. The team of the tournament has been England, even with their stodgy Group games because the groups are all about moving on, not quality of football.
Eric(Quote)
Turns out Pickford has been seeing a shrink all year to deal with his emotions. Bloody hell, if that’s what he is like after his sessions I think we might have been looking at the next Ted Bundy without them.
Eric(Quote)
Christ, really.
KIMTOON(Quote)
Well that’s one final Italy have lost, well done Djokovic
KIMTOON(Quote)
Looking at The Guardian Live Pre-Match and Trafalgar Sq is already rocking. I dont want to be a party pooper but whatever the result I can see a bit of madness there and probably the rest of the country. An 8pm start means a little bit of drinking me thinks. If it goes to extra time, I bet some will have had a 10 hour sesh.
Seriously, I am not judging. I am about to crack open a beer and it is only 12 O’Clock. I really hope we win, we deserve to.
I am sort of looking forward to the tabloids euphoria if we win along with the juxtaposition of them shaming fans. You know they will. They do it every new year where they show people having fun and then others being fall down drunk in the gutter. Usually in mini-skirts.
Eric(Quote)
God, I hope the band isnt there. I also hope they dont boo the National Anthem. I just dont get that, similar to when fans whistle when the other team has the ball. What do the England Fans dress up as – Beefeaters, Crusaders. The Italians were dressed as Romans Soldiers last match. I really hope somebody dresses as The Queen, preferably a man with a beard, but they probably wouldnt be allowed in.
Boris would be an easy one to pull off. The foppish hair and rotund, round shoulders look.
Eric(Quote)
Well, The Sun got the team right. I am looking at the Guardian live feed and some ticketless fans tried to storm the ground. Wembley and other parts of London look mad with people climbing traffic signals and standing on top of buses. I highly doubt there will be much trouble but I can see a few trips to the ER with drunken injuries. However, I think if it gets a bit over the top the Police will move in again. They did at the semi-final.
I remember going to matches in the 70s and 80s and there were lots of Police but they never seemed to be where they were needed, where the trouble was happening.
Eric(Quote)
England Band playing The Great Escape. It has been 76 years FFS. There is an interesting fact though about Italy in WWII. They along with Germany and Japan were part of the Axis. They surrendered to the Allies in 1943 and switched sides a month later and declared war on Germany.
Eric(Quote)
Well we are flat as a pancake and have been since the first 30 odd mins, something needs changing
KIMTOON(Quote)
thought you were meant to swap shirts at the end
KIMTOON(Quote)
Well the little fuc.king Macken has cost us. It’s going to be hard now. Second half we were chasing shadows
Gilly Toon(Quote)
Jack should be on getting us some free kicks
KIMTOON(Quote)
oooh close
KIMTOON(Quote)
C’mon Gareth freshen it up
KIMTOON(Quote)
Right then Jack, do you stuff
KIMTOON(Quote)
free kick would of been better than advantage
KIMTOON(Quote)
Very very nervous now. I don’t want pens
Gilly Toon(Quote)
gonna be pens isn’t it and you know how that ends
KIMTOON(Quote)
T.rex will not stop any pens
KIMTOON(Quote)
That’s a shocking challenge, red
KIMTOON(Quote)
Rashford right back
KIMTOON(Quote)
well blow me
pickford
KIMTOON(Quote)
Oh Marcus
KIMTOON(Quote)
Kimtoon: that’s the one thing Pickford can do, stop shots. Its the rest of his game and temperament that is dodgy. We sat back too much. I will not have any of this brilliant failure talk although I will forgive this young squad. It was there for the taking though.
Eric(Quote)
Agree, we showed them far too much respect
KIMTOON(Quote)
Well that’s that. What the fu.ck was Rashford thinking? The Mackem did well and did his job in the penalty shoot out
Gilly Toon(Quote)
I like Italy and they did look good tonight
KIMTOON(Quote)
At least get it on target.
Gilly Toon(Quote)
Should of belted it mate, a real shame as Ireally like Marcus, he’s the one player I really didn’t want to mess up.
KIMTOON(Quote)
I fear that Rashford will get a horrible backlash now and the lad doesn’t deserve that.
Gilly Toon(Quote)
Yeah, agree, top lad.
KIMTOON(Quote)
Well done Italy, well played.
KIMTOON(Quote)
Looks like Gareth wont be getting his knighthood.
Eric(Quote)
Doubt it. He has a lot of good will from his meals for the needy initiative. I am not really sure if it is the greatest idea in the world to bring someone on with a minute to go and have them take a penalty. I dont care if they take them for the club – he doesnt anymore. I dont think he had a kick.
Think about cricket. Most bowlers would toss down a loosener first ball. His 1st kick was in the most important game in 55 years. Tennis! They have a 10 minute warm up session before they start the real game. Rashford hadnt touched a ball in over 2 hours.
Eric(Quote)
Anybody ever been to a professional golf tournament? I have been to one. They warm up for an hour on the range before their tee time. They will be on the putting green right up until their first shot.
You dont send Marcus out there completely cold to take a pen. He was subbed on at literally 119 mins.
Eric(Quote)
Oh, and Sancho came on on 120 mins and also missed a pen. So you have 2 of the penalty takers who hadnt kicked a ball in the match take the most important kick of their lives so far. I think Rashford is still only 23 and Sancho is 20 or 21.
Just bad strategy and time management. You have to give them 5 or 10 minutes of the game to settle their nerves. They are still just kids.
Eric(Quote)
Didn’t post last night for 2 reasons, didnt want to post in the heat of the moment & was too busy consoling my 12yr old – who until last night had no real interest in football, but after 2 mins became England’s biggest fan ?.
I see the idiots took no time to jump on talksport & slaughter Southgate though & I truly hope the penalty takers don’t get it.
Ultimately we were playing the best team in the tournament by far. They are unbeaten in something like 40 games & have a world class manager.
Southgate got it spot on going into the first half & we were the better team in the first 45 imo. But at 1-0 it was always still wide open.
They came out in the second half & dominated – and Southgate didn’t react, or thought he could ride it out. I questioned the subs, and could talk about the game til the cows come home (they are the only things coming home ?).
You look at the match stats and it was Newcastle v City or Liverpool.
The better team won, but nothing should be taken away from the team & Southgate.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Eric, Gilly’s fears have proven founded, there has been horrendous racist abuse towards Marcus, Sancho and Saka since we lost. 🙁
Cannot stand the moronic section of our society who do these things, just makes me fall out of love with the game even more to know I’m part of a fan base who have people like that in it. That goes for club and country .
KIMTOON(Quote)
We scored too early, how many times do you see the team who scores early then try and sit on it, thought we took our feet off the gas and from 30 odd minutes onwards lose more and more momentum. Second half of extra time we regain some threat but too little too late.
KIMTOON(Quote)
You’ve got to feel for the 3 who missed pens. First kick for two of them. You got that wrong and badly Southgate.
georgio(Quote)
If Rashford concentrated on penalties instead of feeding the people who aren’t even hungry we’d probably be ok by now….
Stuart79(Quote)
Kim – I think the players were feeding off the adrenaline rush of the atmosphere before the game & then that early goal.
I think you’re right, that initial buzz before kick off would have settled 10-15mins in – if we’d scored then or shortly after it would have raised the crowd after and spurred the fans on again.
The Italians grew and we faded and looked nervous.
But I go back to the fact Italy haven’t lost a game in around 40 matches.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Your right mate, that’s what really matters!! ?
Sharpy17(Quote)
Georgio – yes he did mate, but it shouldn’t overshadow all of the good stuff he has done before that.
Sharpy17(Quote)
I’m pretty sure he’s been practicing them, he tried to fool the keeper and place it, bad decision, but hey, we are all human and he had the balls to take it unlike the racist idiots on social media who have zero balls.
KIMTOON(Quote)