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!
Kim – I don’t think it was a bad decision, it was just poorly executed – by about 6 inches.
But I agree. He had the bottle to step up.
It’s easy to criticise after the event. I don’t understand bringing Grealish on if he wasn’t on the list of penalty takers. I don’t understand leaving Sterling on if he’s not taking a penalty.
But if those boys put their penalties away, nobody cares ??♂️.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Grealish wanted to take a pen , he has said so today. Gareth chose pen takers based on what he’d seen in training.
You can practice pens but never replicate the tension in a training pen that comes from such a high pressure moment in a final. I also worry that the likes of Saka just 19 years old maybe felt under pressure to say yes to taking one, not wanting to disappoint the boss. It’s all hindsight but the sight of that young lad in tears at the end was upsetting to me. As a mum i just wanted to give him a hug.
That awful feeling will be with him for ever now, a lot to be dumped on such young shoulders and now there’s the racist abuse, he must wonder why he bothered.
KIMTOON(Quote)
He was the 5th pen taker too ffs, just don’t get it.
KIMTOON(Quote)
https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/15567963/marcus-rashford-mural-vandalised-england-euro-2020/
KIMTOON(Quote)
Kim – that’s the business he’s in though & handsomely paid for it. Whether he’s 19 or 29, or taking the 1st or 5th – it’s always going to hurt the same.
I felt for all 3 of the lads that missed. It’s tough, but it’s part of their job and as footballers they have to learn to deal with the lows as well as the highs they felt dancing with the fans after Denmark – it’s life, and the cliche is ‘it’s character building’ but it’s the truth. The making of a person is how they come back from the lows – Southgate himself is the best prime example of that.
Ronaldo has a 83% success rate from penalties & Messi only 78%. Even the Worlds best players miss from the spot. They will survive & all 3 are young enough to bounce back with England – all 3 will be in England squads for years to come I expect.
Whilst failure is something they have to learn to live and deal with – the racism should never be. That is not character building – it’s sickening. As if the social media cowards weren’t bad enough, some sick f@cks actually took the time to go and deface Rashfords mural – like the kid & his family won’t be suffering enough.
Sharpy17(Quote)
When I saw the missed penalties it didnt even occur to me what colour skin the lads that took them had. All I thought was for a couple that this would be their first kick of the ball and how young they were. The opposite argument is that they are so young that they play without fear – I dont buy that. You can take as many as you want in training, it can never replicate the game. You need players who have taken pens in the PL.
On the racist abuse. What planet are these people on? What is the premise behind it? They were probably kissing the badge an hour earlier. I seriously do not understand how they can turn a penalty miss into racist rage.
Eric(Quote)
If we had held on the papers would be saying it was a Southgate masterclass. His tactics turned it into a boring game though. It was like the tables were turned and we were trying to play like the Italy of old. But we dont have their sh1thousery, we have young flair players who want to get forward, not spend 88 minutes in their own half. We may as well have Bruce as England Manager if we play like that.
But, it was still a good tournament. I am not going to wallow in glorious failure because I really do believe that we have the better team. Some of it was Southgate’s fault, but I have seen so many England managers do so much worse. Mr Roy against Iceland. Capello in South Africa. Do you remember that? You really wanted to burn your eyes out the football was so bad.
Eric(Quote)
Agree
KIMTOON(Quote)
I dont get where these people’s heads are at. Twitter have said they used “machine learning” to identify and shut down the accounts of the racist abusers to the England players. If they can do this they can also pass on the information to the Police. It is all Big Brother now and you have to be an idiot not to see it. Do you really want to ruin your life by aiming racial slurs at Rashford?
As much as the racist abuse for missing a penalty shocks me, their stupidity shocks me even more. How does missing a penalty have anything to do with race?
Eric(Quote)
Now it is back to NUFC reality:
* the takeover saga. Supposedly the CAT and Arbitration begin soon, but there will be endless rehashes of previous stories from The Chronic in the meantime. One way or another it has to conclude soon, right?
* Meanwhile, transfers. Who the fck knows what is going on there? Budget? Targets? Even who has the final say and does Bruce have a say? Supposedly Ashley pushed for Joelinton. Why? He had said he knows nothing about football and even gave the reins to Carr and Charnley in our last relegation season.
* Bruce. He will relegate us if we are not sold. It is not a matter of if, it is when.
Eric(Quote)
Apparently Graham Jones is staying with the England set up.
Bruce will need a new tactician.
KIMTOON(Quote)
Kim – not necessarily, he could do both roles – I’m sure Roy Keane did with Villa & Ireland.
It would make more sense coz there can’t be a full time job for the 4-5 coaches Southgate will have.
Sharpy17(Quote)
It sickens me all this racist abuse… nobody deserves that. No matter what! Regarding the match, I think the biggest issue was us sitting back in the second half and trying to defend 1-0 alla Cabbage heed. I’d have preferred if he had put on Grealish and Sancho earlier and gone for a second goal. But of course that’s easy to say from an armchair. Overall, I have say, we should be proud of everyone of those players. Apart from the Scotland game, they were enjoyable and entertaining and gave their all. Keep that up and we can do well next year in the World Cup.
Gilly Toon(Quote)
The Mackem Toddler even had one of his better games. He is a good shot stopper, nobody can deny that. He didnt even berate his defenders MUCH. I would still drop him as he is a mistake waiting to happen. His distribution is vastly overrated – kicks the ball 20 yards farther than our attackers or out of play. Above all else though it is the hyperness that I am worried about. That has to translate to the defense.
Oh, and the shortness, and short arms and punching when he should catch.
When do we play Everton? Let’s see if Rafa keeps him in the team.
I think we have a chance at the World Cup with these amazingly talented players. But not with Pickford. Bring him on for penalties like Holland did with Tim Krul.
Eric(Quote)
England players of the tournament:
Walker, except the final.
McGuire.
Stones. Didnt put a foot wrong
Phillips – immense.
Sterling – I wish he had shown up in the final. Problem was he would have nobody to pass to after his dribbling. Like a Bruce team where Miggy and St Max often find themselves with no options after beating their man and creating space.
Kane got 4 goals so that is nothing to sniff at, and Chunky (Shaw) did well.
Eric(Quote)
Here’s my cynical side. It is so easy for Southgate to say he will shoulder the blame. Because he really isnt. He knows he will not be sacked. He knows the views of his negative tactics will soften after a week and it will become a “heroic failure” by a young team “for the future”. It will not be about how he set up to defend and stave off Italy rather than play to our streghths. He has the press on his side apart from a couple of Sun writers.
Taking the blame is not really doing so, it is an excuse knowing he is invulnerable at this time. Very few will criticise him because this was the first final in 55 years. But he was timid. The team were tepid until a few minutes in extra time. He didnt let the dogs out of whom we have many. We could have steamrollered this Championship.
Some will say he is protecting his troops. But he didnt put them in until he hung a few out to dry in the penalties.
I know this will not be a popular view and I even think he did a good job for the most part. Just not in the final. He wasnt even outcoached. He just never really tried to grasp the nettle and force his will on the other team, too timid, too defensive, too little too late in this game. Too Gareth.
Eric(Quote)
So, Just booked a trip to The Blue Ridge Mountains. This Covid thing has got my already crazy wanderlust into 5th gear. I am not sure where I could even go in Europe but there are plenty of places to see here. Even after Covid I have been to La Paz Mexico, Oregon Coast, Maine, New Orleans. All within the Covid protocol and I even cancelled a trip to Florida.
Going to New Mexico next month as well. By myself. I have just been so sick of being stuck in the house.
I am going to The Blue Ridge Mountains because of watching Laurel and Hardy on rainy Newcastle summer’s days on the BBC mornings – before fcn breakfast time and Good Morning Britain and shyte like that. Stan and Olly singing – In the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, on the trail of the lonesome pine. My favourite of theirs has always been “Laughing Gravy” but the jigsaw was good as well.
Eric(Quote)
Eric – immediately made me smile and think of Laurel & Hardy with Blud ridge mountains.
Whenever I’m a bit low I always go for ‘towed in a hole’ – where they do the boat up to sell fish. There are better slapstick ones for sure, but the facial expressions of Stan in towed in a hole kills me every time ?
Sharpy17(Quote)
I was working in criminal justice 20 years ago. The police set up a fake pedophile website where people had use credit cards to access images. Once convicted there was a range of punishments some of which meant short prison terms. Two stats remain with me. Over half of those convicted were young white males working in IT. A third of those released re-offended using the same credit card. People really are stupid.
PremAndUp(Quote)
Boiled eggs and nuts, ump, um.
Eric(Quote)
It doesnt make any sense Prem, man. They see the cameras on the street. They know they are being followed!!! How can they not know they are being tracked on cyberspace?
And yet???!!!
There are so few of these racists being tracked by Police. Why?
Eric(Quote)
Best game the Mackem Toddler has ever played which means we are stuck with him.
#Storing up Trouble for Qatar
Eric(Quote)
It is sickeningly scary how financial f@cked Barca are.
They have to clear over £200m in wages – to put that into context – even if they clear Courtinho, Griezmann & Umtiti that only clears around £87m.
They can’t resign Messi until those wages are cleared …. and yet they have signed Aguero & Depay this summer ???.
Sharpy17(Quote)
The players England have is ideally suited to the old 50s formation 2-3-5
georgio(Quote)
Let’s see how fickle the Man Utd fans are – storming Old Trafford & hounding chief executives at their family home … but sign Sancho & Varane & extend Pogbas contract and all is forgive.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Sharpy, mate. I got banned from Eds for talking to some of their morons about going to Charnley’s home. You dont want to bring his wife and kids into it. One of Eds idiots gave out Charnley’s address and wanted people to march to his house – where his wife and kids were.
Anyway, most on there said he deserved it. His kids didnt though. These were NUSTers.
Eric(Quote)
Steve Bruce had a news conference. He said he was:
Delightedly delighted in a pleasing manner. His delight pleased him more because he was delighted and pleased.
How delighted are you Steve?
Delightedly so, and pleased.
Eric(Quote)
And Frank Bruno? Do you know what he means Harry?
Yes, I know what he means. Cheers.
Eric(Quote)
My assessment of the Euros.
Almost there.
Group stage – boring, but functional.
Knockouts: good for the most part but the Mackem Toddler would have us going home in any other year.
Final: Gareth too timid. Mackem Toddler had his best game in an England shirt.
Eric(Quote)
Eric 2-3-5 who?
Maguire, Stones: Bellingham, Rice, Phillips; Grealish, Stirling, Kane, Sancho, Saka ???
PremAndUp(Quote)
Eric – I think you sum them up just fine mate. Anyone who suggests or condones such things are idiots and morons.
On a positive, it’s great to see how people have reacted around Rashfords mural – fantastic response. It shows that society is going the right way & doing a better job in tackling this that our politicians (good on Mings for calling Priti out ??).
Sharpy17(Quote)
That was georgio. 2-3-5 seems like a Keegan team to me.
Eric(Quote)
Prem. That would be a fun team. I would probably put Mcguire in goal and have Foden up front with the rest of them.
Eric(Quote)
6 up front would be epic.
Sterling
Kane
Sancho
Grealish
Saka
Foden
It might not work, but it would be so much fun.
Probably lose 5-3.
Eric(Quote)
Yeah, that lot didnt believe I lived in Chicago. Genjulai or similar name was the one that wanted to march and scare Charnley’ s wife and kids. Gave out the address. I think Stewart might testify that I am in Chicago.
Eric(Quote)
More player ratings.
Mackem Toddler – 3 ( a three). For the whole tournament.
I would give him a 9 (a nine) for the final and a -9 (minus nine) for the semi.
A three,(3) for shouting too much and punching instead of catching. Is that a Mackem thing, The toddler tantrums. I have only met 1 Mackem in my life and he said he was from Newcastle. I recognized the accent though and told him he was the dirty scum Mackem that he is.
Not aggressively – I just said he had a Sunderland accent and was not from Newcastle.
Eric(Quote)
My accent is probably Mid-Atlantic Cary Grant now. I have lived in Chicago for 31 years and Newcastle for only 19.
I had to adjust.
Sometimes they never knew what I was talking about when I said some bloke was posting a letter. It is a guy mailing a letter!
And… plodging through clarts!!! Even my American ex-wife never knew what that was.
Eric(Quote)
Gatecrashers to the Euro Final:
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/jul/13/england-fan-who-stormed-euros-final-defends-his-actions
Eric(Quote)
So, only the 42,302 Covid cases yesterday.
Eric(Quote)
Getting so much closer to Stewie’s and Boris’s herd immunity.
Eric(Quote)
If anybody is consideriing a tip to the US I will give you a trip rating now. I was just in New Orleans for the 3rd time and it is a sh!thole. I dont even know why I went even once.
Eric(Quote)
2nd time I was there I had my wallet stolen. My friend had his wallet stolen this time. I am not really into jazz that much either so I dont know why I went again.
There was also a fcn hurricane. Heavy tropical storm, technically. But it turned my umbrella inside out and the rain was coming in sideways.
Eric(Quote)
David “Calamity” James says the Mackem Toddler was the player of the torunament. Did he watch the Denmark game? Worst performance of my lifetime and not made up for by his great performance in the final. Goalies are not judged on their best performance, they are judged by their worst peformace.
Eric(Quote)
I said at the end of the season I didn’t expect Arsenal would sell us Willock after that loan spell – why would they??
But I also said that I wouldn’t be surprised if they agreed to loan him to us again next season – it suits everyone really (other than the fans I guess, but only coz we’d want him on a permanent).
I’d be chuffed to get him back on loan, I’d be more chuffed if it came with an option to buy & agreed fee.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Apparently we have a £10m budget according to the daily fail
Deary me.
Paupers.
KIMTOON(Quote)
Kim – Ashley must be splashing out then ?
Sharpy17(Quote)
Wow. That was me in a bad mood. I dont normally get in bad moods.
The neighbour took my Amazon return down from my doorway for some unknown reason. I told him he might want to shove it up his @rse because that where it it was certainly where it was going to go if he messed around more with me.
He ran off like the little tw@t he is.
Eric(Quote)
🙂
Eric(Quote)
talk there is a deal at end of loan varys between 15mil to 19 mil depends where you read storey mate
icedog(Quote)
Apparently he’s told Arteta he wants to come back here.
georgio(Quote)
Willock is a really good player. Get him back.
Eric(Quote)
We can play 4-3-3 if we have Willock. Jonjo has skills, speed is not one of them. So you need Willock to help him out. Brucie will play Shelvey no matter what so you need an attacking midfielder.
Eric(Quote)
Ice – I think that’s a good bit of business to be fair.
We get him for another season & as good as he was last season – was that a flash in the pan?! – of course I hope not but I think back to Kenedy from Chelsea.
If we spent £25m on Willock now & he has a stinker next season we will be ragging about another waste of money. But if he comes on loan and plays well, scores 5-8 goals & a similar number of assists let’s say – then £17m won’t seem like a bad fee to shell out ??♂️
Sharpy17(Quote)
So my mate was gonna come see me today but ended up cancelling due to her son testing positive for covid. He takes 2 test a week for his work and he went to Wembley for the final. He was clear when he went to the final, took a test tuesday as was feeling unwell and tested positive . Has no sense of taste or smell and is struggling a bit with breathing but he is an asthma sufferer. Tried to get the advance test at center up by Lusgate airport here but they are inundated and fully booked.
He has had 2 vaccinations too.
KIMTOON(Quote)
your spot on there son
icedog(Quote)
No day center for Lewis, covid outbreak among staff has shut it down, first time since covid started this has happened. It’s rampant here in Bristol now.
KIMTOON(Quote)
Love to see Willock back whether loan or whatever
KIMTOON(Quote)
What sort of agenda do these people have against NUFC? Keys and Jordan seem to go out of their way to be antagonistic. I watched the Jordan and Stavely interview and he seemed to be on a wind-up using phrases like “barking at the moon” and calling protestors gullible.
Eric(Quote)
48,000 new UK cases on July 15. I am not sure the Govt know what they are doing.
Eric(Quote)
Also, there were supposedly protocols in place for Covid at Wembley. But not for the 5,000 who stormed the gates and apparently bribed Stewards to get in. Have they never seen photos of Heysel that got English teams banned from Europe for 5 years? Or the Hillsboro disaster?
Eric(Quote)
Scientists seem to think Boris and Pals dont know what they are doing.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/16/englands-covid-unlocking-a-threat-to-the-world-experts-say
Eric(Quote)
No **** Sherlock!! Have they just realised now like???.
Sharpy17(Quote)
More on failed policing and security at Wembley:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jul/16/england-****-flare-security-wembley-levelling-up
Eric(Quote)
Sharpy: I dont live in the UK so I am bit behind with the news there sometimes 🙂
Eric(Quote)
You have to like wonder where some people’s heads are at. And that includes the Prime Minister. That haircut, those slovenly clothes! What is he thinking? He was educated at Eton and Oxford. Have their standards dropped so much? You listen to him talk and think, moron. How did he get this far. He is an imbecile.
There was worse over here. Trumpy-Trump-Trump. But that is not defending BJ. That is saying some crazies have reached the top of our societies and some people follow them.
Trump is a sociopath and I think Boris might be as well. They believe their own lies. Trump has been diagnosed by many members of the American Phycology community as being a narcissictic sociopath. I think Boris might be as well.
Next time I mop the floor I will think of him. Actually, I have a swiffer mop now, so maybe not.
Eric(Quote)
? as soon as I posted that I thought it might get misread – the no **** was to the scientists. Sorry mate
Sharpy17(Quote)
I watched Staves Talksport phone in – it’s wasn’t great was it?!.
Hate to say it but she’s not a good speaker. Don’t know how much prep time she had but her craic didn’t naturally flow well – she even flapped at a fairly standard question from Simon Jordan.
Hopefully her strengths are in finances, coz it ain’t in PR.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Sharpy, man. I never thought it was meant at me. I know you are not like that so I didnt take anything badly.
Eric(Quote)
I also think you are right that Stavely didnt come across that well. She did sorta say that the Saudis are still in this deal. Not sure if there was anything that stopped her openly saying that? Saudis are notoriously secretive and I dont think she would have wanted to say too much to a pr!ck like Jordan. Why she even went on there in the first place I have no idea?
Hopefully she wont go on hairy hands’ show next (Richard Keys).
Eric(Quote)
Newcastle have 47.6% vaccinated according to The Chronic. Rural parts have more vacs which doesnt really make much sense.
Sunderland have 2% fully vaccinated as they all agree that Covid is not the most dangerous thing there.
Their neighbours, skanky girls and Adam Johnson are much more dangerous.
Eric(Quote)
Eric – I think she answered something like the consortium was still in place or something along those lines – it certainly wasn’t the straightforward answer of ‘yes they are, and they are desperate to get started’.
I think Jordan is a clown, but I have to agree with him – I can’t understand NUFC fans traveling to London to protest?!.
Sharpy17(Quote)
Ant and Dec’s foreheads are really big! They look like tose aliens from Star Trek in the 60s.
Eric(Quote)
Sharpy: the girl that organised the London protest is on Wraiith’s show on Monday nights. It looked like there were about 50 there, which would be about 2 busloads.
I thought there would be like 300 hundred because plenty of Geordies live in London.
Eric(Quote)
Would much rather the club had kept Andy Carrol on than Gayle, Gayle looked completely uninterested the times he played.
KIMTOON(Quote)
Kim – should have got rid of both imo. I’d have rather took Josh King on a free & let Gayle go – I know we’d be turning into B’mth, but I think he’d offer more than Gayle.
I’d use Gayle to go get Armstrong. Whatever they sell him for they owe us 40% sell on, so I’d offer £5m plus Gayle on loan for a season or 2.
Gayle wasn’t much of a PL forward when he was younger & fitter – but I think he’s a very decent championship forward and would cover the goals Armaz gets them – plus £5m to strengthen ??♂️.
Armaz would come in younger, fitted and back to his home club desperate to show what he’s got – would that be enough?! – who knows but we know what we get from Gayle and £5m is nowt to spend on Armaz – who’s a proven Championship forward and could easily be sold again for £10m plus ??♂️.
Sharpy17(Quote)