The Twitter meltdowns we’d be wise to avoid as Toon Army approach exciting new season

Twitter is an interesting place to be as an NUFC supporter. Last month, in the space of eight days, it went from miserable and critical to absolutely joyous

We live and breathe this football club. Bad results, whether or not they’re expected, hurt. Wins put a smile on our face for the whole following week.

Twitter seems to exaggerate these feelings x100.

In a result few of us were really too surprised at, we got slapped 5-0 at the Etihad by eventual champions Manchester City. Following their humbling exit from the Champions League to Real Madrid, we knew a revenge-spanking was inevitable. They were wounded and knew winning the league was their main focus.

What surprised me, though, was some of the reaction to the defeat.

Calls for the majority of the squad to be cast aside in the summer. Attacks on players and the manager for a crushing defeat. Criticism of the team’s attitude. Accusations that the players are already on holiday seeing as we were already pretty much safe from relegation.

It was all a bit much.

In the space of just over a week, we had played the two teams that Twitter unanimously agreed were the joint best teams on the planet right now, having lost narrowly to Liverpool a few days prior.

So how could we be so critical when we lost to them?

Nobody ever wants to get battered 5-0. It’s never an easy result to swallow no matter the gulf in quality.

But we have to remember the headspace City will have been in. Humiliated at throwing away their best chance in their history to win the Champions League, they lashed out on us. They had a point to prove. They have to win the league – and Liverpool’s draw the previous day gave them the perfect opportunity to surge ahead.

The gulf in quality was clear to see, but we have to remember that our rebuild is going to take time. We’ve been starved of investment for 13 years and building a team capable of really competing with Manchester City is going to take years. We’ve proven that, on our day, we can beat them. In the future, we can expect better results.

Compare this to Twitter in the days following that glorious 2-0 win over Arsenal and you’d be forgiven for thinking it was a different supporter base.

Granted, we looked like a different team, but the contrasting reaction is wild. Of course, it was our last home game and it was an incredibly emotional night. But the outpouring of love for our players is a stark contrast to the calls for them all to be sold a week earlier.

These two games were critical to how we’re going to move forward in the first full season under new ownership. The gulf in quality between us and City wasn’t exactly news to us, but the mettle we showed against an Arsenal team aiming for Champions League qualification was outstanding. It’s probably the best I’ve seen us play from start to finish in literal years and every player on the pitch deserved every plaudit they got.

That Monday night was magic and the perfect response to City away. It’s also proof that we’ve got a solid team to build upon.

We haven’t been this united and invigorated as a fanbase for a very long time, and this unity is going to be crucial as we navigate the Premier League with aims that are higher than simply surviving.

The rebuild is going to take time, but we have an incredible spine to build around. Bruno must be the player we anchor our signings around. European qualification has to be the minimal goal next season but it’s not guaranteed.

We’re a highly charged fanbase, but we can’t let adversity get us down. I expect we’ll get hammered at the Etihad next season too, albeit by a lesser margin. These setbacks are still going to happen, but they can’t tear down our confidence as a team or a fanbase.

For now, I’m going to go back to eating up happy Twitter and soak up every ounce of positivity I can.