Article – Page 16 – Middle Age Fanclub

Matt Ritchie: This is a Party Political Broadcast!

The dust has just about settled on one of the most successful seasons in Newcastle United’s recent history. The majority of our thoughts – and those of the players and staff – have inevitably turned to the prospect of top level European football next season. It’ll still that way for a while yet. However, there are other matters to attend to. Transfer targets seem to be emerging in their hundreds and as they do, we’re also being informed about players who are likely to be released.

One of those names is Matt Ritchie and while there are lots of fans who’d be happy for him to leave, I think he’s well worth at least another year. I think that there are lots of us who agree with that too.

So why vote Ritchie, so to speak?

Brought to the club for £10m by Rafa Benitez in 2016, Ritchie was a vital component in our promotion from the Championship a year later. He was a player I’d seen at Swindon and Bournemouth and always liked the look of. Seven years later and I think he’s been worth every last penny of that transfer fee and then some. A loyal and popular servant to the club and always a player that we could rely on.

I’ve always liked Ritchie at Newcastle. I’ve always liked wingers, so he fits the bill. But also, I like the competitive edge he brings, the creativity and even the odd spectacular goal, like the volleyed stoppage time equaliser at Bournemouth in 2019. Add in the penchant for lacing corner flags and over-enthusiastically slapping team mates on the back of the head and I’m sold! A few years back, I even managed to get his image up in every classroom of our school when I added him to our ‘Word of The Week’ posters – a personal highlight of my teaching career!

Ritchie will be almost 34 by the time next season kicks off. But let’s not worry about age; let’s put some value on experience, because experience can take you a long way in life. Every squad needs experience and positivity and Ritchie’s got both in spades.

Next season – everything crossed – we hope to be playing in Europe and while Matt Ritchie to my knowledge has never played in a European tie, he has played on the international stage with Scotland earning 16 caps and scoring 3 times. So, in my opinion his career experience at league level and his international experience make him a valuable asset to the squad and a player that needs to stick around.

Ritchie is versatile too, as we found out in the Bruce era. When Bruce finally discovered that tactics weren’t the little sweets in the flip top plastic box, Matt Ritchie became one of his first victims and he was deployed as a makeshift wingback. It worked in fits and starts, but I think Eddie would get more out of him if needed there. While most of his career has been spent as a wide midfielder, I think it’s safe to say that he can do a job in central midfield as well as operating as a wing back. And while I wouldn’t say he’s a perfect option as a wing back, he’s an option and a reasonably dependable one at that.

Now, before I go any further with my Matt Ritchie Pitch, I think it’s necessary to acknowledge the fact that Newcastle United are shopping at a different level of the market these days. So, yes, I understand fully that there are better options in terms of age and ability than Matt Ritchie, but those options cost money in what is undeniably an inflated market and with the club insistent, rightly, on adhering to the rules of Financial Fair Play it would seem pertinent to keep someone like Ritchie around. He knows the club and seems to love it, totally understands the manager’s methods and demands, is well liked by the fanbase and obviously a popular bloke within the squad. He might even be a good option to help out on the coaching side of things as the year progresses.

Ritchie is the kind of character who is invaluable ‘around the place’, as they say. The back-of-the-head slaps as goal celebrations, the corner flag kicking, the passion, the berating of linesmen, the honesty, the chirpiness, the energy and the fight; all vital in any team sport. And then there’s his experience. As we’re more likely to be bringing more younger, inexperienced players in someone like Ritchie would be sure to have a positive influence on them. As well as this, with the likes of Anderson, Miley, De Bolle, Kuol and others coming through the ranks the influence of such an experienced pro would no doubt be more than useful. Earlier this season it was Sean Longstaff who talked of Ritchie’s influence on his professionalism and mental health in the last couple of years and look at him now – a glowing reference if ever there was one.

Apparently Ritchie is a bit of a whinger and it’s borne out on the pitch where he’s always been vocal with his team mates and contested the majority of decisions that have gone against us. I kind of like that as it shows him as someone who won’t settle for second best. Yes, he’ll whinge, but just because he wants to be better.

For me, Matt Ritchie brings a wealth of positives. His influence on the pitch would probably only really be as a substitute, but he’s a solid ‘yes’ for me just for that. Add in his character and personality – he seems well loved by squad and staff alike – his drive and desire to win, his professionalism and his experience and I think a year’s extension sounds almost a no brainer.

Eddie Howe has already expressed his desire to keep Ritchie, alongside others like Paul Dummett. Someone like Ritchie helps to maintain our ‘evolution not revolution’ approach, while understanding exactly what it takes to play for Newcastle United and for me that’s the kind of thing that can’t always be bought and simply shouldn’t be disregarded.

My friends, I implore you, Vote Ritchie!

Top 10 Washington DC: The best bits of our Easter break.

In April we took the chance to take a long haul ‘trip of a lifetime’ with our children. It was a window of opportunity that was too good to miss, given that our kids are either taking big exams next year or starting a vital stage of their education. So, off we went.

You might have read about our trip to Toronto, which was the first leg of our holiday. It’s on the link below, if not.

Top 10 Toronto: Some highlights of our trip.

For the second leg we decided to do some sightseeing in Washington DC. So, here’s our Top Ten of the American capital in no particular order.

Pi Pizza Pi Pizza seems to mostly be available as a takeaway option, but we went to their restaurant twice for several different reasons. It’s at 910 F Street NW, if you’re ever nearby and it’s well worth a visit. The pizza was amazing and they had a gluten free base available too. The staff were great, getting us seated really quickly without a reservation on our first night in town and there was an great choice of beers. I guess it’s a long way to travel for a pizza, but the whole family enjoyed it so, so much that it was easily one of my favourite things about the trip!
We saw the President! Probably. Possibly. One morning, we were sitting in the window seats of our favourite breakfast place when I noticed a motorbike cop pull into the middle of the road. Within seconds he was off the bike and redirecting traffic, which really piqued our interest. Moments later another bike appeared to help out. Then, within seconds outrider after outrider sped down the street, eventually followed by some very chunky black Cadillacs. This was someone important. And then it happened; three huge black Cadillac Escalades with blacked out windows and flags on the front swept by followed by even more cars and even more bikes. When they passed, life returned to normal very quickly and it was only on as we made our way to Dulles airport days later that we were offered an explanation. According to our taxi driver – and who knows better than those fellas? – what we described was very likely to be the president, due to the amount of cars and the type of flags! Nice seeing you, Mr. President!
Crossings. If you read my Top 10 of Toronto you might think I’m slightly obsessed with everything crossing related, but I can assure you, I’m not. However, I did notice something about crossings in Washington! What struck us all is the timer above the crossing, telling you how long you have to get across a road. They’re hilarious in how varied they are. You might have a huge road of four lanes to cross and the timer will give you a random short amount of time to cross like 17 seconds. However, it’ll allow you a sumptuous 50 seconds to cross a street that is about five big strides wide! It made us laugh every day of the trip!
The White House. The first time we visited – around 18 years ago – we felt a little bit underwhelmed by the president’s house. It felt quite small and we had no hope of getting to look round. I suppose we were a little bit naïve, but it was certainly no Buckingham Palace. This time around, we visited on a beautifully hot Spring day and it looked magnificent. The kids were suitably impressed too. Initially, it looked like they’d stopped tourists getting anywhere near but after a few minutes of being there a policeman came over, did rock, paper scissors with a little boy and when the boy won, he moved the barriers to one side. I’m guessing they do it all the time, but it was a lovely moment and it allowed us to get right up to the fence. I could have stared at it for hours!

DC is fit! One of the things that struck me as refreshing about Washington was the amount of people exercising. Runners, walkers, cyclists, exercise junkies seemed to be everywhere. The weather was fantastic when we were there in late April and the amount of people getting out was fantastic. I like to have a look out of the hotel window every morning, just to watch the world go by a bit and gather my thoughts. Every morning, there would be people cycling to work, people out running and others in sportswear, clearly walking to work with their work gear in a bag. Even late on at night you’d still see people out exercising. And whenever we went down to the National Mall there would be people running along it and up past the Capitol Building. As I was on an enforced break from running, it made me a little jealous As I’d have loved to join them. Mostly though, it made me smile.
Tatte Bakery and afternoon coffee. When we first visited Washington 17 or 18 years ago, we discovered Starbucks and spent far too much of our time sat outside various branches in drinking frappuccinos and eating cake in the sun. We vowed not to fall into the same trap this time around and while we definitely cut down on such frivolity, we still indulged! One of our favourite haunts was Tatte Bakery where we went for breakfast a couple of times as well as afternoon coffee. Not only did it do a great selection of cakes, muffins, pastries and snacks, but the coffee was great too. The staff were really friendly and accommodating, which helped when it came to whether we should revisit or not. Sometimes, even though there’s lots to see elsewhere, there’s nothing better to do in a big city than just sit outside sipping coffee and watch the world go by! DC and Tatte was brilliant for that!

Georgetown. Georgetown is a historic district of Washington that has buildings that date back as far as the 17th century. We didn’t find time to visit Georgetown when we first visited Dc some years ago. So we were determined to get there this time. And we were so glad we did. We started out by the Potomac river by the amazing House of Sweden which contains both the Swedish and Icelandic embassies and made our way further into Georgetown from there, crossing the now dried up canal, which I believe usually has water in and sometimes features boat trips. My wife then casually mentioned the fact that Georgetown is the sight of The Exorcist Steps, so we made our way there. After climbing them – and a bit of a rest – we spent the rest of the morning enjoying the sun, wandering the streets and shopping. It was so relaxed and I’d definitely recommend a visit to Georgetown. Oh, and when you climb the Exorcist steps, make sure you take a left in order to pay a visit to Bumblebee and Optimus Prime, two Transformers sculptures installed outside of a local house!

The bus. Bare with me on this one. I’m not normally a fan of buses. However, this one was a little different. The DC Circulator operates on three routes with a bus every ten minutes. So, it’s really helpful in getting across the city and really efficient. The best bit is that it only costs $1. Even better for us was that on our first three rides, we didn’t pay. It wasn’t for the want of trying; once, the machine wasn’t working and on the other two occasions we didn’t have the right change so the driver just let us on for free! Bonus!
Presidents. Or rather, their monuments. Time constraints meant that we didn’t manage to see some of the sights on our first visit, so this time we made sure to tour the monuments dedicated to some of the past presidents. If you’re a history fan, you’re sure to enjoy them. They’re all pretty inspiring and we even made a second visit to the Lincoln Memorial which was probably my favourite just because of the sheer scale. However, I’d recommend making time to see the Roosevelt Memorial which is quite poignant because of the references to the Great Depression and World War II. And while you’re there, try heading for the Martin Luther King memorial, which is nearby and again is awe inspiring.

It’s Washington DC, for crying out loud! In essence, there’s no real need to be too specific about visiting Washington DC. Just about everywhere you look there’s something important or eye-catching. My kids weren’t particularly excited about the prospect of visiting as they didn’t like the thought of hours of sightseeing. And then we went to The White House. I mean, it’s literally a big white house, but the place is completely iconic. Their faces lit up and their excitement was immediately tangible. Now, every time they see The White House, The Capitol Building, the Washington Monument or any of the shed loads of historic places on TV, they can say, ‘I’ve been there’.

A couple of things didn’t make the list, but are worth a mention. The first was going to a really posh restaurant – I’m not really the classy type, so it was quite the treat – and getting talking to our lovely waiter about Premier League football. He was a Tottenham fan, I had a right old laugh about that, but it’s amazing how we can be so different, so far apart and find common ground quite easily. The other thing was the Albert Einstein memorial, which is a huge bronze sculpture dedicated to the great man. His pose – let’s call it ‘relaxed’ – just made me smile and also told me that me and Albert have at least one thing in common too – we both love a nice sit down!

So, there you have it. My take on Washington DC. I’ve tried not to be too ‘touristy’, but that’s difficult when you’re a tourist. It’s just a great city though. Even if you were to stick to the National Mall and just visit the sights in and around there, you’d fill a good few days. But there are loads of ways of getting round, meaning you can visit all manner of sights and places around the city.

If you ever get the chance, just go!

Book Review: ‘Mad Blood Stirring’ by Simon Mayo

‘Mad Blood Stirring’ was interesting to me for lots of reasons. First of all, as a high school English teacher and long time Shakespeare fan, I recognised the title…although not as quickly as I should have! It took me a little while for that particular penny to drop and it would be the first of many! But, the title is of course a part of a line from Act 3 of Romeo and Juliet and serves as an unheeded warning to Mercutio. It’s a warning that translates well in Mayo’s novel too.

Also of interest to me were the events of the time. The novel is set in 1815, just after the Anglo American war of 1812, which I simply wasn’t aware of. I just assumed everything was done with between the two countries following American Independence. So, the idea of thousands of American prisoners incarcerated on Dartmoor piqued my interest a bit, simply because it was a chunk of history that I had no knowledge of whatsoever.

Mayo, of course is better known for his career as a radio DJ, but he’s been writing novels for a while. I first discovered his writing years ago with his YA novel Itch, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I never did get round to buying the other two in the trilogy though and my next forray into his work was over a decade later with Mad Blood Stirring. It’s safe to say that I waited too long!

Mad Blood Stirring is a many layered story, but it revolves around the comings and goings over a few months in Dartmouth Prison in 1815. The inmates are all American prisoners of war, despite the fact that the war has long since ended. There is still no treaty for their release however and trouble is brewing. As with Romeo and Juliet, there are factions with a grudge and it’s not just between the Americans and the British guards. Ill feeling and prejudice is rife within the prison population and trouble is never too far away.

Mayo has taken the facts of this time and woven together a brilliant narrative, focusing on the lives of two inmates in particular; Habs and Joe, who develop an unlikely friendship and eventually embark upon a perhaps even more unlikely romance. Habs is one of the black inmates, forced into a block of their own by white inmates and their prejudice, while Joe is white and new to Dartmouth and its strange set of rules.

But tension is simmering across all 7 blocks of Dartmouth prison, meaning that the ‘cast’ of the novel grows and grows. The men have been away from home for far too long, conditions inside the jail are abysmal and although talk suggests that peace is close, their freedom still seems a long way off. In actual fact, America has all but abandoned them. Elsewhere, Elizabeth, the Governor’s wife is in love with the prison doctor and the whole of Block 4 are on edge and exhausted after deciding to put on their latest production – Romeo and Juliet – for the other inmates. With the threat of violence around every corner and the whiff of potential freedom occasionally drifting through the air, there’s something happening to keep us on edge all over Dartmouth prison.

And so we have a tale where despite violence and death never being far away, love, comradeship and a yearning for culture somehow manage to blossom in among the choking poison of incarceration, racism and hatred.

Mayo has written an excellent novel, with many strands to the narrative. There is a great deal truth here too, but Mayo manages to somewhat brighten up the darkness of Dartmouth prison with his characters and their dynamics. The violence here is stark – and I guess that’s to be expected – but while the tension and treachery will keep you on edge throughout, characters like Habs, Joe and King Dick (yes, that’s really his name and he’s someone who I imagined as a cross between Brian Blessed and King Ezekiel from The Walking Dead) help to alleviate that ‘edge of your seat’ feeling just enough to make it an enjoyable read. There is interest beyond the obvious hellishness of thousands of men in a remote jail.

A slight criticism might be that there are just too many characters to keep up with at times, but then I guess with over 1000 men in just one block, we were always going to come across quite a large cast. I did sometimes struggle to keep sight of Habs and Joe though, as I read about another twist in the tale or another group of dangerous inmates.

Overall though, this is a cracking read and if you’re a fan of historical fiction you’re sure to enjoy ‘Mad Blood Stirring’. Even if – like me – the genre is not your usual thing, it’s still an enlightening tale and the fates of the characters are sure to keep you hooked. A gripping read packed full of grit and violence, but with a twist of romance and hope.

I give ‘Mad Blood Stirring’

NUFC: We only went and did it!

The morning after the night before was never going to be the time to write this blog. No doubt we were all fizzing with much the same excitement and glow of happiness as we head towards the end of one of the most successful seasons in the clubs recent history. I sat down to write, but what came out was nonsense, so I left it and tried to sleep instead. I couldn’t do that either!

After years and years of heartache and underachievement, we can finally lay claim to some whiff of tangible success. Still no silverware, but a lot of other things to grab on to. Where before hope was confined to being all about survival, now it’s taken a very different direction. And while I think it’s in the DNA of any Newcastle fan, any football fan in actual fact to allow themselves to dream, now we can begin to dream a lot bigger than before.

It’s fair to say that the ‘evolution not revolution’ plan for NUFC is ahead of schedule. If you’d asked at the start of the season about what we – fans, players, management and owners – wanted out of the season, I think the consensus of opinion would have just been somewhere in the top 10. Top 4 felt like a leap too far, given some of the other clubs that we’d have expected to challenge for those spots.

Monday night changed all that though. An unusually nerve-wracking 100 minutes or so of football saw us grab the point we needed to qualify for the Champions League next year and prompted huge celebrations for Mags everywhere.

I think the highlight for me was seeing Jacob Murphy’s interview. His reaction was part fan, part player and part child who’s wanted a puppy for years and has finally had one revealed to them in the living room when they’ve got back from school. And that’s not me being cruel. I thought it was lovely to see the sense of wonder written all over his face. The lad was just blown away by what we’ve achieved and I guess by the possibilities that it brings.

As fans, we share that sense of wonder. There’s something brilliantly special about European football and those nights under the lights, especially at St. James’ Park. I still remember the Champions League campaign of 02/03. The Juventus game sticks out in my mind, even though I was at all of our home games. The atmosphere was electric as we’d lost our first 3 group games and needed to win this one to stay alive in the competition. We won and I believe I’m right in saying, would go on to be the first side to qualify from the group stage having lost their first three games.

I was in my seat in the Leazes, but alongside total strangers. It turned out there were three Italians sat next to me and I wondered if they were Juve fans. When Andy Griffin scored our winner it became very clear that they weren’t!

It’s been amusing to see the reactions of fans of other clubs. Many seem to be questioning our value to the competition, but rather than doing that, perhaps they should just be questioning why their own illustrious clubs didn’t make it.

I think we’ll hold our own. We’ll undoubtedly add to the squad before then, but we’ll still have the coaching and tactical brilliance of Eddie Howe and his staff on our side too. During the Ashley years, playing in the Champions’ League again was nothing more than a pipedream. Well, now we’ve got it, there’s no point in half measures. I want to see us tested against the best that our continent has to offer. Not only that though, I have faith in our management and players.

Of course there are questions marks over various aspects of the squad and even the management. Let’s not forget that many of our squad and staff will be entering unknown territory at this level of European football. But, let’s see this as a challenge, an adventure, rather than something to fear.

I couldn’t think about the Champions’ League without thinking of the music. Zadok the Priest they call it and it’s one of those pieces of music that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. King Charles even chose it for his coronation and I’d like to think he’d have it as his walk on music if he ever turned those massive fingers to darts.*

Now we all know the tune, but how many of us know the lyrics? Not many I’m guessing. So, I looked them up as part of writing this and it turns out that they’re much more relevant than you’d have first imagined. To cut a long story short, it’s all about being joyful and happy. One line in particular stands out – “and all the people rejoiced, rejoiced, rejoiced”. It’s not exactly the genius of Lennon and McCartney or Morrisey and Marr, but it made me thnik again about those scenes at full time on Monday night. But, perhaps we ought to think about that line in terms of next season too. We’ve dreamed of having hope for such a long time. Now, we have it. Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice.

Enjoy the Champions’ League, Toon fans!

Just so we’re clear, I do know the relevance of Zadok the Priest to a king and I also don’t expect King Charles to be having a go at darts any time soon. It was just a daft joke.

Recovery Goals: My First 10k Race!

As lots of you know, I suffered a bit of a health setback in November of last year when I was admitted to hospital and had to have a pacemaker fitted. It was a shock, but not in terms of feeling unwell. The truth was that I’d been struggling with heart ‘episodes’ since around May last year. I just made a really stupid choice in trying to manage it and hide it from everyone. My distinct lack of medical training allowed me to have faith in the fact that it would probably just go away.

Despite all of this, I’d kept on going out running, striving to build fitness while all along fully aware of the palpitations and dizzy spells I suffering on an every more regular basis. I never felt bad when running though, so I kept going.

On Sunday 15th May last year, I ran the Pontefract 10k in West Yorkshire, finishing in just over 51 minutes. I felt great.

By May 28th I was a complete mess and was forced to reveal a little bit of what was going on to my family when I had my worst episode of the year. The palpitations got so bad that my whole body was shaking. This lasted for around 6 hours and for almost all of this I managed to hide what was happening. I was forced to confess as we were due to go out to a gig and I was worried I may well collapse. Miraculously, I didn’t end up in hospital as, with a bag packed, I suffered a dizzy spell that shook me from the feet up and levelled my heart rate back out. I was exhausted, but fine, so no need for a doctor. It couldn’t and didn’t last though.

In October I collapsed in Manchester Airport as we were heading off for a break. Again, fate intervened as the ambulance was unavailable, so we went on holiday, took things easy and vowed to visit the doctor when home. But my ‘luck’ was about to run out. It was while waiting for an appointment at hospital that I ended up being admitted to a ward anyway, a month later. The rest, as they say, is history.

To cut a long story short, I set myself some goals in hospital. One of them was to get fit and run the Pontefract 10k in May of 2023. Despite several setbacks along the way, I achieved my goal a couple of weekends ago. Here’s how it went.

Having only been able to manage three full weeks of training, I was beyond nervous on the morning of the run. I hadn’t actually ran a full 10k since the previous October and knew that once I got to 5.5 miles (8.85km) I was in unknown territory as far as my heart – and actually more importantly, my legs – were concerned. With a minute to go, standing on the start line, I felt a little bit sick and more tired than I’d hoped for. My previous training run had gone well and I’d felt stronger than I did now. Talk about bad timing! Surely all I had to do was start running and keep going though?

The Pontefract 10k course is affectionately described as ‘undulating’. In truth, it’s tough and hills seem to dominate. So, even though I knew what was coming as I took the first turn out of the park that it starts in, I allowed myself a wry smile as my heart sunk (metaphorically, don’t panic) at the sight of the first long climb. If I’m right, it’s about a kilometre long and really a lot steeper than you’d like as you set off on a 10k race.

Around about 5 or 6 minutes later, as I finally crested said hill, my legs felt wobbly to say the least. However, knowing that there was a stretch of flatter running to come calmed me a bit.

The course feels like it takes you up more than it does down, which as it starts and finished in the same place can’t be true. But as each hill appeared, I began to feel doubts seeping in. I covered the first couple of miles in around 18.5 minutes, so although I was going slower than I’d have liked, I was steady. My goal was to run it in under an hour, but I was more hoping that I’d be close to 55 minutes as this had been what my training had indicated I was capable of.

I ran a focused race. Just telling myself to shorten my stride and keep plodding along for hills or lengthen it for flat sections or downhills bits. When heading downhill I was careful not to get too carried away though as the course has a nasty habit of following a lovely downhill section with a punishing climb. I tried not to look at my watch too often in order to check times and distance, but as the race went on and I got more tired, it proved too much and I was making checks on a far too regular basis, which didn’t help me.

Turning at halfway, I was greeted with the usual big hill, which then takes you left and up another one. During these climbs I started to doubt myself a little bit, but was spurred on somewhat by the fact that some people had began to walk. Despite being encouraged to do so by my family, walking was never an option for me, but although the sight of others doing this lifted my spirits a bit, it did nothing for my legs! I’d also started to feel sick by this point too, but I knew there was a water station a mile or two ahead, so just hoped that I could reach that point incident free.

Underpinning every step I took, both in training and the race itself, was the fact that this was a major goal I’d set while lying in a hospital bed feeling very sorry for myself. In short, I was determined that I’d finish, on my feet, running. And I’d finish in under an hour!

The hills just seemed to keep on coming though and despite the fact that I’ve ran the race twice before, I still couldn’t work out when they’d end. Every time I dragged myself up one, it felt like there was another in the distance and I’d lengthen my stride for the flat section before steeling myself for the energy sapping climb to come!

The water station came and went and I grabbed a bottle, being careful just to sip some in order to avoid being sick. Lots of runners take a swig and discard their bottle pretty quickly, but I decided I’d just keep mine until I saw my family near the end. I’d be able to just keep taking regular sips in order to keep going. Those hills didn’t want to stop though!

Every so often on the route, people had come out of their houses to cheer the runners on and the support was invaluable to me this year. It’s naturally quite encouraging and people say the loveliest things as you run past, although not the most accurate. Whoever called out, “looking good” as I ran past in the last few kilometres clearly needed an eye test! I was also struck by one old man’s generosity of both thought and gesture as we approached the last sections of the race. He’d bought a few crates of bottled water and was using his Sunday morning to help people out. It was a lovely gesture and although I was clinging on to my water station bottle and didn’t need any more, it distracted me for a little while and took my thoughts away from how tired I was.

The race ends on the same stretch that it begins with, meaning the uphill start is reversed. I’ve never been happier to be at the top of a hill! I’d checked my watch and knew that the 6 mile mark (almost 10kms) was approaching, so I lengthened my stride once more and ran faster. I knew that my family would be somewhere on the hill, waiting for me, but as yet I couldn’t see them. Knowing they were there really helped though.

About halfway down the hill I spotted them and I knew they’d be able to see me. It spurred me on that little bit more and I picked up speed once again. The last thing I wanted was to worry them and I knew I wouldn’t look too good, so moving faster was my only hope!

Passing them, I knew that the final bend, leading to the last straight was about 30 seconds away. Time seemed to be moving faster than I would have liked though and the clock was getting uncomfortable close to the hour mark.

Two runners passed me at the very start of the final straight. I told myself out loud to let them go – normally I would have kicked on again and tried to catch them. But now, I was exhausted and my only goal was just to get over the finish line.

I was aware that I was moving fairly quickly though. Somehow I’d found the strength to not quite sprint, but to move a great deal quicker than I’d been doing in the last few miles! At this point in the race people are lining the road and everyone cheers the runners on loudly; but not as loudly as my family. My wife, daughter and son had cut across a field to get to the final stretch and I could hear them shouting encouragement as I got close to the finish. The trouble was, I couldn’t see the finish. Normally, there’s a big arch, but this year just a small sign, so for far longer than was comfortable I was unaware of exactly where I was.

By now my competitive streak had kicked in and I checked over both shoulders, sensing that other runners would be finishing strongly too. To my amazement, it seemed like no one was close, so I turned my head around briefly to check. The nearest runner was at least 20 yards behind me. No one else would pass me now. But then I noticed that up ahead, one competitor was walking. It was a club runner that I’d been close to for the last half of the race, but he’d gotten away from me while I was flagging. I sped up – fractionally – feeling that he was sure to hear me and run, but he didn’t and I was able to make up one more place in the finishing order.

Just when I thought it would never come, the finish line was mere yards away. I could see the clock ticking on. 59.50. My watch was reading a minute less, but that would be my time over the start line, not my gun time. Again, I kicked. I could just dip under the hour mark. Using every last bit of energy, I made it, crossing the line in a time of 59.58!

In amongst the feelings of sheer joy, I must admit that I welled up at the end. Having set this as a goal 6 months previously and nearly not made it, it was a little bit overwhelming. But I wasn’t going to cry in front of hundreds of runners and spectators, so I gritted my teeth, covered my face a bit and took some deep breaths. Job done!

By the time my family located me, I’d picked up my medal, grabbed a bottle of water and was waiting in the queue for a t-shirt. As I stood, my legs were rapidly cramping up though. I knew I hadn’t been able to train enough and was fully aware of what the last 10k had taken out of me. I was so tired that I didn’t have the strength left in my legs to stand still and stretch in order to get rid of the cramp! My wife had to hold onto me, so that I could balance and stretch. Later, when I had to go and take a match for my youth football team things would get worse as I kept getting cramp in my feet, but couldn’t balance in the stretch position needed to alleviate the problem!

So 6 months on from my operation and I feel like I’ve finally achieved something tangible. I certainly feel a great deal more like my old self, even if it’s been a long road to get here. I guess there’s nothing else for it than to keep moving forward. So, where and when is the next race that I can enter?

NUFC: Come on, let’s stick together.

I had no intention of writing about Newcastle United at this moment in time. Too many other things taking up my time. But then, as far as Newcastle United is concerned stuff just seems to happen, doesn’t it? And sometimes, when it does, we feel forced to speak up.

I wanted to remind anyone who reads this of the fantastic season we’ve had as supporters of Newcastle United. Because at the moment, from an ever increasing number of sources, you’d think we were fighting relegation again. We seem to have got to a point in time where despite the obvious facts of the matter – we’re an incredible football team and a massive club again – Newcastle United might still be a bit too divided at times.

Following the defeat against Arsenal, some fans couldn’t help but react. The finger of blame was pointed – via social media of course – at some of our players, when in reality it was a combination of factors that led to the loss. Essentially we weren’t as good as we have been, we got a bit unlucky, didn’t quite take our chances and Arsenal did. A lenient ref and a questionable VAR call didn’t help either.

Yet, it felt like quite a few people decided it was the fault of players like Bruno or Joelinton. And while I’m not averse to giving a bit of constructive criticism, I don’t think anyone was to blame for that defeat. Certain players could have done better, of course, but no one handed Arsenal the points. On another day, Botman blocks the first as he’s done all season and we defend the second better.

I think, given what he’s done at the club in little over a year, Bruno Guimaraes should just be praised to the rafters. The lad’s a star and he clearly loves our club. I didn’t think he had a great game against Arsenal, but he certainly wasn’t at fault either. He was clearly targeted from the word go and so it was always going to be a tough game. He’ll be back to his best in no time at all. No need for the keyboard critics to have their often overly emotive say.

The same can be said for Joelinton too. He’s a player transformed and we are without doubt a better side for him being there. As the song says, “we think he’s f***ing brilliant”.

We’re at a stage in the season where the abuse is coming at us from all sides. To be fair, we’ve had it all season, but it seems to be intensifying at the moment. Success breeds contempt, I suppose. It also makes fans of other clubs jealous. So, right now we’ve got the regular baiting coming from Everton and Villa fans in the ‘my dad’s bigger than your dad’ debate. We’re being labelled cheats where others are praised for their game management. Stories of our star players heading to other ‘bigger’ clubs have even started up. Football fans across the country have suddenly grown a social conscience in order to have a go at us for selling our souls too. And there’s even a Twitter account dedicated to criticising our assistant manager. I mean, you know you’ve gotten under someone’s skin when that type of thing happens! For the record though football fans, wind your necks in where Mad Dog’s concerned!

This negativity comes from jealousy. It’s as simple as that. So, we’re subjected to negative judgements of our support, our ownership and our players from certain corners of the media and all corners of social media. It’s the kind of stuff we need to be laughing off. You might say that this is the future for Newcastle United, because in our country, we don’t like success. Build them up to knock them down, that’s what they say in Britain, isn’t it? Team photos after a win? If it was other clubs doing it, their fans would love it too. Drink it in, I say! They also never tire of telling us how much money has been spent, usually inaccurately. And yet, fans of most other clubs would love to have a Miggy, a Sean Longstaff, a Fabian Schar or a Joelinton, all of whom were here before the takeover. But that’s a fact they conveniently ignore.

Rather than criticising our own or squabbling with fans of other clubs desperate to see us fail, why don’t we just focus ourselves? Whatever happens now, there’s European football at the end of it. I get superstitious about predictions, so I won’t make one, but even I can’t ignore the fact that we’re in 3rd place in the league. So instead of negativity and worry, try to remember your season highlights. The 6-1 v Spurs, the grit showed in the 3-3 v Man City at home, Isak’s run against Everton or Maxi’s volley against Wolves. Face it, there are too many to ignore. So take a moment, relax and have a think about the sheer number of amazing moments, results and performances we’ve had this season. I’m sure you’ll have more than the one!

There are four games left now and as a fanbase we have a job to do. We focus on Newcastle United. We support in whatever way we can. Sing your hearts out, wave your flags, wear your lucky pants or say a silent prayer to the footballing gods, but help get this team ‘over the line’ as they say. And if that line leads to the Champions’ League, then that’s amazing. We’ll have deserved it. And we’re perfectly capable of getting the points that we need.

Trust in Eddie and Mad Dog, trust in these players, trust in the process. Whatever these next four games bring though, remember: we’ve come a hell of a long way in the last 18 months. Enjoy it!

Eddie Howe and his staff are always positive. So much so that they’ve transformed some of our players. I wrote in my last article about Jacob Murphy getting ‘Eddied’. Well my friends, let’s stay positive; let’s get ‘Eddied’ ourselves.

Newcastle United: we’ll never be defeated!

Top 10 Toronto: Some highlights of our trip.

So, this Easter we took a took a trip across the Atlantic for the first time in around 17 years, visiting Toronto and then Washington DC. Both are cities we’ve been to before, but we had our reasons for going back to both.

We have dear friends in Toronto and having not seen them for such a long time, it felt like too good an opportunity to pass up. Our big travels stopped when we had children, meaning at opposite sides of the ocean there were two sets of parents who had watched the other set of kids growing up on the internet! Suffice to say we were all excited to get there.

With Washington – or DC as us seasoned travellers refer to it, somewhat pompously – we just wanted to show our children the sites. It’s been a longstanding joke in our house that when places like The White House or The Capitol Building appear in films, we’ll point out that we’ve been there, much to our children’s frustration! But there’s a lot to see and we felt it was important for them to witness it all first hand.

I didn’t want to write a typical travelogue type piece as the chances are that most readers would already know much about both cities. If they didn’t, then that’s what Google is for. So, instead I’ve done a bit of a Top 10. Toronto today and Washington to follow.

Here’s my Top 10 of Toronto in no particular order.

My friend Andy is an Aussie, who like 94% of all Australians (accurate at time of being completely made up) has found himself living on an entirely different continent. And yes, to answer your inevitable question, he has been a barman once upon a time, I think. He’s lived outside of Oz for over two decades now and amazingly retains his full on Aussie accent. That is, apart from one phrase – “Oh my Gaaaaaaad” – which is always pronounced in a full on Canadian accent. We never talked of this and I’m not even sure that he’s aware of it, but it made me smile again and again, which is enough for it to make my Top 10!
It seems that 99% of Canadians obey the crossing laws. While in England, what those in North America call jaywalking, is simply a way of life, in Canada it feels like everyone waits for permission to cross the road, like one gigantic primary school outing. My wife is an absolute stickler for the crossing rules, so she was naturally thrilled. Me? Bored senseless, gazing down either end of the road seeing no traffic in my way, yet feeling forced to wait for the signal to cross! I can’t deny though that it is a truly incredible phenomenon to watch!
There is an underground walkway that spans nearly 30km and gives access to loads of shops and restaurants, as well as keeping you out of the snow! We’ve now visited Toronto three times and still never used it, mainly due to forgetfulness and being otherwise occupied with sight seeing or searching out Irish bars to watch Premier League football on! This year, we even had a map of ‘The Path’ and still didn’t use it. However, as we were heading to the airport on our final morning, we stopped at a set of lights and there it was…an access point for The Path, the mythical, yet brilliant underground walkway. Maybe next time, Toronto, maybe next time…

The CN Tower seems a blindingly obvious choice for any Top 10 on Toronto, but I just have to mention it. If you don’t know, it’s a huge tower that once upon a time used to be the tallest structure in the world. In fact, it held that title for over 30 years. It was the first thing I pointed out to my kids as we drove into the city and even a glimpse of it makes me smile. Visitors can go up the tower via a very fast elevator and then sample the delights of two different viewing levels, one of which has a section of glass flooring. Sadly, this was being renovated on our latest visit. You can even walk on the outside of one of the viewing areas on the Edgewalk, 116 storeys above the city. Of course, you’d have to be insane to actually sign up for this! Speaking of our latest visit, this year we managed to go up the tower in really poor weather, when it was pouring with rain, thus cutting down our views quite some. However, between the storms – we watched lightning strike just in front of the tower – we were still able to see for miles across the Toronto area and Lake Ontario. At one point, however, we were literally engulfed by a cloud! It was still fantastic to be back at the tower.

Back to a very personal memory of Toronto, again featuring my friend Andy. This is definitely not one you’d find in your average Top 10, though. Years ago, when we first met his then girlfriend, Kim, it made us smile that sometimes, especially when she was a little irked by him, she would refer to him using his full name. So, it will come as no surprise whatsoever to learn that it made us chuckle when it turned out that she still does this! Even my kids noticed it and it’s been mentioned on a fairly regular basis since we got home.
If you visit Toronto as a tourist then it’s almost inevitable that you’ll take a trip to Niagara Falls. After all, it’s said to be one of the mythical ‘Wonders of The World’. Now if you haven’t been you might just think that it’s ‘just’ a waterfall. Let me tell you different. Niagara Falls is simply remarkable, particularly the Canadian side and the Horseshoe Falls which stands 57m high. The sheer volume and force of the water heading over the edge of the waterfall is quite amazing and it really is a sight to behold. You’d think that a river going over a cliff wouldn’t be all that…but it really, really is. And yes, it’s very touristy, but it’s undeniably worth a few hours of your time. We even went into Niagara itself to play glow-in-the-dark mini golf!
Niagara on The Lake is a beautiful small town, near Niagara Falls, where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario. It’s worth a visit just because it’s so picturesque, but if that wasn’t enough there’s a year round Christmas shop to tempt you too, as well as a number of pubs and various cafes and shops. Strangely, there are an abundance of hat shops too! If you’re not from America or Canada, Niagara on The Lake is the picture perfect small American/Canadian town that you see in your mind when you imagine what this type of place looks like.
On our last full day in Toronto – Good Friday – we went to spend some time with our friends in their neighbourhood. They live in the Beaches area of Toronto and it’s one of the most laid back places I’ve ever visited. On this particular day the streets were packed with parents and children either going to or coming away from Easter Egg hunts, many adorned with bunny ears. We had a gluten free brunch in The Haven cafe before heading down to the beaches that run alongside Lake Ontario and give this neighbourhood its name. It was a gloriously sunny morning and we took a long walk down the boardwalk all the way along the shore, just chatting, laughing and sharing memories. On a few occasions I slowed down and drfited off the back of the group just to watch them all walking along; my wife, my mates and our kids all together for the first time ever! Having been ill for months before this and genuinely wondering if I’d ever be able to do this sort of thing again, it felt completely wonderful and helped me see how much better I am. Finally, I felt relaxed. I think this was the morning that I knew I was going to be alright and that I could start to live properly with my pacemaker.
The wildlife in and around Toronto has always fascinated myself and my wife. On one occasion years ago, my mate Andy toured us around their neighbourhood just so that we could see a racoon. Racoons are the scourge of Toronto bins and residents aren’t too fond of them, but my wife was more interested in how cute they are. Toronto residents have christened them ‘trash pandas’ which I can only think would make them even more appealing to her. Andy also performed a U-turn in the car on another day so that we could go back down the road as he’d spotted a groundhog! On our recent trip, we spotted deer at the side of the highway coming back from Niagara and there seemed to be an abundance of eagles hovering around trees by the lake. However, our wildlife highlight happened on the way to the falls when in Niagara itself we saw a skunk on the pavement! Bizarrely, some locals were feeding it, despite the threat of a spray from said animal leaving them stinking like Satan’s armpits for days.
On the afternoon of Good Friday we visited the Distillery district of the city. This is an area of Victorian industrial buildings that has been revamped and renovated by developers, making a fabulous place to spend some time. It’s just not like a museum as while the buildings retain their industrial look, the district is made up of shops, restaurants, galleries and cafes. It was lovely and sunny when we went and such a striking place to see. The Distillery District gave us a brilliantly relaxed afternoon of shopping and wandering pretty aimlessly. Exactly what we needed after a hectic few days since arriving in Toronto. However, our relaxation was cut short when we got a text from our old Uni friend. Judith, telling us that she was in a brewery bar on the other side of the city if we wanted to come and meet. And so, we were on the march again, as we were quite a way out of town.! Thankfully our race across Toronto wasn’t in vain and we were in time to meet up and spend a lovely couple of hours chatting about our lives in Toronto and the UK before heading back to our hotel to pack for the next leg of our trip.

I’d thoroughly recommend Toronto. It’s a hugely welcoming city and there’s always something to do. I certainly didn’t struggle to put a Top 10 together; in fact I could have written a lot more. The best thing about the place though, is that it’s generally very friendly and welcoming. Even when we went searching out places in unfamiliar districts we felt safe, which is essential if you’re visiting with kids.

I hope you enjoyed my Top 10. It’s possibly a little bit different in places, but if you were after a guide, then Google can probably help! Hopefully though, there’s enough here to whet your appetite for a visit!

NUFC: Jacob Murphy is living the dream!

Whenever a homegrown player does well, we drag out the chant. You know, that one. And it could be literally anything remotely positive that the player has done. A three yard pass, clapping the fans, slyly kicking the ball away to waste a few more seconds in time added on. It doesn’t matter – “He’s one of our own”. What’s important is that they came through the system and preferably before that, they lived a similarly ordinary life as the rest of us.

This season we’ve found a new one who deserves the chant . Not, Elliot Anderson or Sean Longstaff. Not even one of the Mileys. No, in actual fact he’s been around for ages. With his mix of pace, energy and an excellent line in shithousery, Jacob Murphy has transcended geography and academy membership and firmly taken his place as one of our own.

Murphy was signed from Norwich by Rafa Benitez in July 2017. He came with a great deal of promise, but with only one full season for Norwich under his belt, there was more than a hint of ‘one for the future’ about him. He was 22 years old and signing for his boyhood club having just starred for England Under21s in the Euros; Jacob Murphy had the world at his feet.

In the 6 seasons since he signed for the club, Murphy has made 124 appearances, 66 of which came as a substitute. During those first three seasons he only made 34 appearances for the club as he was shipped out on loan in both 2019 and 2020, to West Brom and Sheffield Wednesday respectively. Suddenly, the world most certainly wasn’t at his feet and the dream move was simply not working out. In fact, I remember people asking if we’d signed the right Murphy – Jacob is a twin, if you didn’t know and his brother Josh was performing well for Cardiff at the time.

Back at Newcastle, he managed to work his way back into the squad but was frequently played out of position by Steve Bruce, the master of wedging square pegs in round holes. The move still wasn’t working out and it felt like he was a player who would definitely be sold, sooner rather than later. Another move that we could all put down to experience.

And then, Jacob Murphy got ‘Eddied’.

Eddie Howe has been transformative for Murphy. I don’t think that’s necessarily been in terms of ability either. Murphy was a very talented player when we signed him and in my opinion was one who suffered with poor man management. For me, Rafa Benitez didn’t seem to know what to do with him and when it looked like he may well be overwhelmed with his ‘dream’ move, Benitez didn’t seem able to help. I think this was and is probably just a flaw of Benitez’s management style, as former players seem to have been at pains to talk about the very formal relationship that they had with their ex boss. As a result, Murphy went out to West Brom on loan in August 2019. He must have felt like his dream move just wasn’t going to work out.

Steve Bruce had a similar effect on Murphy. Shortly after Bruce’s arrival at the club, Murphy was sent on loan again, this time to Sheffield Wednesday with reasonable success. Upon his return to the Newcastle, he was a fairly peripheral figure and for a lot of Bruce’s time he was played out of position as a wing back in a failing system. You could see the confidence draining out of the lad and he seemed to become a specialist in making terrible decisions. This was highlighted with his choice of trying to dink the ball over Watford’s keeper when clean through on goal with the chance of a winner. Instead, he just planted the ball into the keeper’s arms. By the sound of the Radio Newcastle commentary, I don’t think John Anderson will ever get over it!

By the time we were taken over, it felt like the end of the Jacob Murphy story was nigh. He looked almost certain to be sold. And yet, to his eternal credit, he dug in, held on and retained a place in the squad. The rest is, as they say history.

Eddie Howe has repeatedly reminded us of Murphy’s value to the squad. Successive players – Sean Longstaff springs to mind – have stressed his importance in terms of the spirit in the group. Longstaff said, “If it wasn’t for Murph, a lot of the way the group is it wouldn’t be as together, the training standard wouldn’t be as high. You see him coming on in games and the impact he makes.” He went on to refer to Murphy as a “comfort blanket”. And you can see where those sentiments come from. Murphy just seems like the archetypal ‘good lad’; a bit of a laugh, a positive influence and someone who’s always smiling. Jacob Murphy is having a ball.

As fans, our awareness of Jacob Murphy has been raised by his antics on the pitch as well as his improving form. From his mock awkward expression as he brushed past an apoplectic Marco Silva when we’d beaten Fulham, to his waving off of Duje Caleta-Car in the cup semi final against Southampton, right through to the shocked expression on his face after his screamer against Spurs recently. Brilliant to see from a Toon player, but infuriating for the opposition, which seems to be our trademark these days!

In may ways, Jacob Murphy is the poster boy for Eddie Howe’s quiet revolution. He’s certainly the latest to benefit from Howe’s methods and is finally fulfilling what was the undoubted potential he showed when we signed him all those years ago. Murphy’s decision making seems to have got a great deal better and he seems to be brimming with confidence. No more running down blind alleys; these days Murphy seems quite happy to back himself and take defenders on. And as for his second goal against Tottenham? I think his own reaction summed it up, really. As he said himself, he was “feeling juicy”! For me though, it was easily one of the biggest ‘Wow’ moments in a season full of ‘Wow’ moments. As the saying goes, ‘what a hit’! Add in the goal on Thursday night against Everton and Murphy is timing his run to the end of the season just right.

Murphy has been in every match day squad this season, appearing in every game and has also now started 6 of the last 7 matches. Currently, he’s playing brilliantly and keeping top scorer Miguel Almiron out of the team. If you’d said these things at the start of the season, I doubt anyone would have believed that they’d actually happen.

Remember as well, that Newcastle United were his boyhood club. He gets to pull on the shirt and is representing that badge brilliantly. He’s loved by the fans and massively appreciated by his team mates, as well as probably being increasingly feared by the opposition. Jacob Murphy is well and truly living the Geordie dream!

Grassroots Grumbles: For once, there’s nothing to grumble about.

It’s been a tough start to the year as a grassroots football coach. Illness meant that for the final couple of months of 2022 I wasn’t able to coach my team and while I returned to games in January, I couldn’t take a training session until March of 2023.

Despite the hardship, there was no point in grumbling. In terms of my health, anything that I was able to do was simply a bonus. Even organising a training session for someone else to take occupied my mind for a bit, meaning a change in my boring 4 month long routine of a daily walk and then little else.

Then, when I was able to return full time to actual games, it just felt amazing to be involved again. A few of the boys in the squad hadn’t trained while I was in recovery as they weren’t keen on the coaches that replaced me, so it was great to see them back when I returned. And I can honestly say that when our goalkeeper told me, “It’s good to see you”, it was one of the happiest moments of my whole recovery.

We’re a team of varied ability with a smattering of really capable young footballers joined by a group with less ability but lots of enthusiasm. We play in Division 6 of 7, which is an indicator of the ability, but at the start of January we were rock bottom of our league with no wins and no points. In my first game back on 15th January we lost 10-0 and things looked pretty bleak. However, a 4-0 defeat in our next game, against a very good side near the top of the league, was heartening. We were organised, determined and it was clear that the message was getting through. We were finally being competitive in games.

On 5th February this year we played the team who were at the top of our league. I’ll be honest, we’ve never given them a decent game in the three years that we’ve been playing against them, so I didn’t have a great deal of hope. Amazingly though, everything clicked and despite the fact that we were clinging on towards the end of the game, we won 3-2! It was a memorable day and as I was still weak from my operation, it took everything out of me. But, I was smiling and so were my team.

In our next game we reverted to type somewhat and got thumped again, but not long after we picked up another point in a home draw. We’d led three times in the game, so the signs were very good. We lost the next three games, but rarely looked anything but competitive. Confidence was growing…

And then, after a few weather induced postponements came our latest two games. The first one on 16th April followed by last night (at the time of writing), Thursday 20th April. We won both games, scoring 6 goals, conceding 3 and dominating both games for long periods of time. In the main, only silly decisions and mistakes put us under any pressure and had we taken more of the numerous chances we created then we would have given someone a real thumping.

In the first of those games we got in at half time a goal down, but somehow full of confidence that we could win. We looked good and seemed the fitter of the two teams. If we applied some pressure, the three points were there for the taking. I pointed out that only one team looked like they wanted the win and it was us. And win we did, scoring three goals without reply in that second 35 minutes.

Last night was different. An away game against a team that had beaten us a few weeks ago, a local rival and the team just above us in the league. But we went 2-0 up quite early and were by far the better team. At half time we told the lads that we could only beat ourselves; the game was there for the taking. Concentrate, no silly decisions, no need to chase the win as we were 2-0 up. We conceded a goal after about a minute of the second half!

After that though we settled really well and extended our lead midway through the half to almost break the spirits of our opposition. Almost. However, in the last 10 minutes their coaches, their players and even their parents began pressuring the referee for fouls left, right and centre. We kept going forward and really should have added a few more goals, but with about 3 minutes left one of our defenders made a silly challenge and the ref awarded a penalty, which they scored.

My boys fought like lions after that. We slowed everything down, threw ourselves into challenges and battled to keep control of the ball. It felt like about an hour before the ref blew the final whistle and it was brilliant to watch the reaction of our squad as substitutes ran on to the field to celebrate with their squad mates. You’d have thought we’d won a cup final! But what a joy to see after the last few months.

My team have suffered this year. Opponents – and sadly, some coaches – have laughed at them in defeat. Lots of things have gone wrong. My heart surgery seemed to shock them, not least my son who plays for the team and came home crying after a game in December when I couldn’t attend and they got beat in the last seconds of the game. And as a result of my surgery, they’ve had to make do, training with a younger age group for months. Rarely have their heads dropped and they’ve shown up in numbers week after week. Now, as we ride the wave of optimism that any victory brings, let alone 2 in 5 days, it feels like we’re a hell of a team and I couldn’t be more proud.

Speaking to my wife in hospital in November, I told her that I didn’t think I’d be able to carry on coaching. It made me feel very sad, but it made sense while my body, and to some extent my mind, felt so broken. Now, there might just be a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel and there’s definitely not a lot to grumble about!

NUFC: Just Trust the Process.

There’s a lot said about opinions. These days, everybody seems ready to offer you theirs, on any subject regardless of their ignorance.

John F Kennedy once said that “we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought”, while my dad often used to quote the old saying that “opinions are like arseholes; everybody’s got one”. While both are – as far as I know – true, I think I prefer JFK’s.

I got to thinking about this when the story about Newcastle wanting to sign Scott McTominay surfaced. As an avid user of social media I was immediately made aware of the fact that this was a player that we shouldn’t sign. The only grounds for this opinion seemed to be either that fans like Keith from Gateshead didn’t like him or that, under the new ownership, we could afford to go out and buy ‘better’. The internet seems to mean that every other football fans thinks they’re ‘in the know’. I’m not sure they are though.

Misguided opinions have been around in football for a long, long time. In my own experience one of the first that springs to mind is when we signed Mick Quinn in 1989. Not good enough, came the cry from many, while a banner at a fan protest about sacking the board read ‘Who the f*** is Micky Quinn?’ Many were unhappy that, in their opinion, our new number 9 just wasn’t good enough.

Those of us old enough to remember know that Quinny scored four on his debut in a 5-2 home win against Leeds. He’d certainly answered the question from the banner pretty quickly and he went on to score 57 goals in 110 appearances. It’s safe to say that anyone who had a problem with his signing was guilty of what JFK was talking about – quick to shout up, but with no thought whatsoever.

In more recent times we’ve probably all been guilty of questioning some of our signings. Possibly none more so than the signing of Joelinton. Whatever way you look at it, we were wrong. Yes, there were times when it looked like we had a real point as he became guilty of miss after miss or tripped over his own feet once again. But what did we really know? I for one, hadn’t even heard of him before he signed and I knew very little even about the club we signed him from, Hoffenheim. Put simply, I hadn’t seen him play. Not even on every amateur scout’s favourite place, YouTube.

I think I’d be fairly accurate in saying that Big Joe wasn’t Steve Bruce’s signing. But Bruce was happy to work with him. And work with him he did, sadly almost ruining him in the process. Face it, Bruce would have made Messi look like a carthorse, so Joelinton didn’t exactly have the easiest of starts. But still we were happy to put forward nothing but negative opinions. While I was desperate for him to be a success, I just couldn’t see a player there.

When Eddie Howe came in as manager he was quick to stress the importance of Joelinton to his team. He was very vocal about the fact that they’d identified him as a major player from very early on in their time at the club. And while it took a sending off and a hasty re-arranging of the formation to put Big Joe back in midfield, it worked. Again, what did us fans really know?

“He’s Brazilian…” – The Remarkable Rise of Joelinton.

Being a club with rich owners means that we’ll be linked with a whole host of players, many of whom you or I won’t have heard of. Yet still people offer negative opinions. Not good enough, doesn’t score enough goals, lazy etc. If nothing else it proves that the internet, especially Twitter, is the maddest place on the planet. I simply don’t believe that 99% of the people who offer their expert opinion on the players that we get linked to know the first thing about them. I mean, how can you know? I have a family and a full time job; I just don’t have time for that many scouting trips. None, in fact. I’m sure most of you are the same.

Which brings me on to McTominay. I quite like him. He’s strong, physical, quite quick and has a good deal of Premier and Champions League experience. I’m not sure whether he’d be a signing that would excite me that much or where he’d fit in, but I quite like him. I’m of the opinion, like lots of others, that we’re in need of a defensive midfielder and he’s not it. I’m sure there are much sexier names out there too. But what do I really know?

Football has become a squad game, so McTominay fits in, whether we like it or not. The point is though, I don’t have the luxury of regular chats with Eddie Howe, Jason Tindall, Steve Nickson or Dan Ashworth, so I haven’t the first clue what the plan is. What I do know is that in the last week, McTominay has scored four international goals for Scotland, so he might just be proving himself to someone.

I trust the process and I don’t think I should be part of it. I don’t think you should either, with the greatest of respect. Eddie and his team are doing an incredible job. Personally, I’m just basking in the glow of not having to think about relegation for once and I’ve got Eddie and the team to thank for that.

So, while we’re all on social media offering scattergun negative opinions on 90% of the players we’re linked to, maybe we should all just sit back and allow ourselves ‘the discomfort of thought’. I wouldn’t want Eddie Howe or Dan Ashworth coming in to my classroom and telling me how to teach Macbeth to a room full of disinterested Year 11s. They’re happy to leave the Shakespeare to me. So, maybe I’ll leave the transfers to them.