There really isn’t a fanbase like NUFC out there.
We sing that we’re the loyalest football supporters the world has ever had. And we’re definitely up there in terms of loyalty.
But we’re a bit of a daft bunch as well. In the best way possible.
I went to Brentford away at the weekend. It was a cracking match, and the atmosphere was once again electric. But it was the events surrounding it that really captured what it’s like to be a member of the Toon Army.
We started the day in London with another boat trip down the Thames. 300 Geordies sailing past the likes of the London Eye, Shard and countless other national monuments singing in full voice is truly a sight to behold. We had hundreds of people gathering on the bridges and the sides of the river to marvel at us.
Downstairs, we had a massive midday party. The likes of Ant and Dec’s Let’s Get Ready to Rhumble and Ultrabeat’s Pretty Green Eyes blasted out for a couple of hours. It could have just as easily been a club in the early hours of the morning.
It’s really hard to imagine another set of supporters setting up a trip like this, and it’s easily one of the best days out you’ll have if you get the chance to experience it.
After we got home, I ended up in Rise. It’s a cracking club, but it’s got more of a mixed clientele than most matchday venues. And for at least a solid two hours, I saw someone holding up a picture of Joelinton on their phone!
I posted a video of it on Twitter and people were loving it; it basically summed us up as a fanbase right now.
Again, where are you going to see something like that from another set of supporters?
At West Ham, the lads with the Hawaiian Joelinton shirts on went viral. We took dozens of inflatable cats to make sure Kurt Zouma knew we wouldn’t forget his awful abuse anytime soon. And this just a few weeks after a bloke was walking around the Leazes End in a dinosaur costume while waving at Jordan Pickford!
Tens of thousands of supporters flocked to St. James’ Park the night of the takeover, and we sang our hearts out until the last of us were chivvied away after 11pm.
The Wor Flags displays have returned to St. James on a matchday and are bigger, better and bolder than ever.
We took inflatable phalluses to West Brom away in the FA Cup quarter final in March 2020. Why? Who knows, but it kept us entertained.
I’ve seen supporters in mankinis at away days. Blokes in fancy dress who were heading straight out on a stag do afterwards. We take over nearly every city we visit, whether it’s a competitive match or a friendly. The scenes of us singing “don’t take me home” going into Gelsenkirchen station during a 2014 friendly tournament are unforgettable.
We took 8,000 Geordies to Bruges when the away capacity was only 1,470, which resulted in over 6,000 of us (including myself) taking over the city centre square to watch the match on the big screen. I’d argue the atmosphere was miles better than the actual stadium.
I’ve got a habit of falling into the row in front when we score away from home, but at Leeds away, I got fully flung into it in the celebrations. I’ve seen supporters fall from one tier into another. I’ve rolled down many a set of stairs and ended up flat on my back after trying and failing to jump into a friend’s arms at Derby away (thanks, Simon).
We do things only NUFC supporters can ever do. And bear in mind, we’re a set of supporters who’ve watched our club have its life drained by Mike Ashley for 14 miserable years. Even before that, when we were competing near the top of the table for over 10 years, we were still starved of trophies and real success.
Imagine how madcap we’ll be if we actually start winning things?
For a really, really long time, supporting NUFC was a depressing exercise. In fact, the only thing that was enjoyable was all the daft things you’d see and do on match days. We’ve always found a way to keep our spirits high.
Here’s to combining a diehard, mental supporter base with some actual success.
I remember the Gallowgate corner singing at Sir Bobby when we were 6th “you don’t know what you’re doing” So even though I am a proud Geordie, and live away days too, we still have the fickle loud minority like all the rest.
BillytheFish(Quote)