Tag: Sport

An open letter to Eddie and the lads.

Dear Eddie, Mad Dog and the lads,

Chances are you won’t read this. Some random Geordie pouring out his heart in what might well sound like a bit of a sob story. Why would you want to read that? However, on the off chance that you catch sight of it and find yourself with a spare 5 minutes, here’s my ten pence worth about the final.

I think I speak for the majority of Mags when I say that this cup final matters more than almost anything else. It’s not about glory or bragging rights or anything trivial like that. It’s about dreams. It’s about pride in what and who we are.

Like many others, I’ve supported Newcastle United for a long, long time. In my case it’s well over 40 years. Others have served the cause even longer. It’s like an addiction, Eddie; a birth right and for a lot of us it’s been a cruel curse to be handed down to us by dads, grandads, elder siblings and the like. Like it is with any team. Many a time I’ve joked that I wish my mam and dad had lived in Barcelona or Madrid, giving me a legitimate chance at glory, not glory hunting. But it’s only ever been a joke. I wouldn’t change my allegiance to that badge and that black and white shirt for anything.

Some of my earliest memories are tragically Toon related. I still have a vivid memory of waving my dad off to Wembley in 1976 and then waiting at the window for him to come back home the next day. He’d gone full of hope if not any sense of fashion, dressed in black and white tartan flares and wearing a black and white Tam o’ shanter, no doubt drunk before he got into the passenger seat. That might explain his outfit as well! He returned deflated, a shell of the man who’d walked up the drive the previous day. I now know that it was probably more to do with a raging hangover, than the defeat, but at the time I just thought he was heartbroken. At least he’d seen us win in ’51, ’52, ’55 and ’69. He’d tasted the ultimate victory, sampled silverware.

My dad took me to games from an early age. I was born with a heart complaint and during one of several hospital stays I was sent a letter from the club, telling me how brave I was and rewarding my bravery with free season tickets whenever I was well enough to take advantage of them. I was already in love with the club. Now, I was obsessed. There was not going to be a chance that I’d ever be anything other than black and white from that point. I’d be miserable about it all for a lot of the time, but I’d be black and white. And that’s the point for loads of us. We didn’t get a choice, we didn’t need to be winning all of the time and we’d be loyal without a great deal of reward, but we’d stick with it and we’d never give up hope.

In my early years as a Newcastle fan, I thought it was only a matter of time before we won something. By the time I was a young adult I was already desperate to see us win anything at all and the nagging fear of ‘not in my lifetime’ was already eating away at me. King Kev gave me hope and glory, but in the end we couldn’t even win the Anglo Italian cup. It was Keegan who said that the fans had followed Newcastle through “thin and thin” and he was spot on!

Some years earlier, in 1989 I’d been glued to the radio as Newcastle played in the Football League Centenary Trophy, a tournament played over a weekend at Wembley. Our first game was against First Division champions Liverpool, so I held out little hope. Lo and behold though, we somehow won the game on penalties. This was it…silverware beckoned, I was going to be rewarded for my loyalty. I was finally going to be able to say that my team had won something, even if I didn’t really know what it was. And then we lost the next game against Tranmere of the Fourth Division! Typical Newcastle United!

I learnt to not get my hopes up pretty fast. Supporting Newcastle didn’t need to be about trophies, after all. Good job, really. It became about loyalty, community and a sense of belonging. Newcastle United was a huge part of my identity and year in year out I would give it the majority of my attention. Year in, year out, it let me down. Many managers and board members didn’t seem to care about us and it never really felt like a lot of the players understood what it was to wear the shirt. But I clung to the ones that did; Beardsley, Keegan, McDermott, Quinn, Kelly…the players of my youth. Your lads all seem to get it, Eddie.

We’ve seen Wembley appearances before, of course. Glorious failures in the 90s and the semi final in 2000. And then a couple of years ago against Manchester United. But at some point it can’t just be a day out anymore. In my time I’ve seen West Ham, Wigan, Leicester, Portsmouth, Coventry and even bloody sunderland win at Wembley, albeit it in the pizza cup. But if them, then why not us?

We follow Newcastle because it makes us feel like we belong and it’s a massive part of who we are. It’s rare I’ve felt as welcome as I do stood behind a goal surrounded by fellow Geordies singing my heart out. We support Newcastle because it’s our city, insular and fighting to make itself heard, yet welcoming to almost all. The best city on the planet. We support this team for hopes, dreams, friendship and pride. We support them because it makes us feel good; even when we get beat there’s a certain level of feel good factor. There’s enjoyment to be had, mates to see, strangers to bond with over a common cause.

Just for once, it’d be nice to feel rewarded in the more traditional sense though – being able to watch our players parade a trophy around the pitch. We don’t demand a team that wins, but just this once it feels like it might be the only thing that really matters.

Eddie, you’ve given us back a huge amount of pride. Given us a competitive team that just gets it, like we do and who are loved by the city as a result. Your team has rewarded those who travel thousands of miles to watch their team year in, year out. It’s added even more pride to wearing those famous stripes. It would be beyond words to see us win on Sunday. But I’ll still probably write about it, if you fancy a read!

On Sunday, the opposition doesn’t matter – we demand a team that tries, so get into these! Leave nothing on the pitch, lose your voice on the touchline and get back to Newcastle with no regrets.

Good luck, Eddie. Good luck, lads.

A win’s a win, surely?

The home game against Forest will have made a lot of us sit up and think. There will have been an abundance of questions, lots of mulling over the performance and probably not as much celebration as we’d usually expect when we’ve won. I’m sure Eddie Howe and his coaching team have a lot to reflect on too.

And yet, we won didn’t we? We definitely picked up three points; I know because I’ve seen the league table. So why so much angst, anger and head scratching then?

Before I go on, I understand why there was anger, frustration etc. I don’t necessarily agree with it or subscribe to that way of thinking, but I understand where it comes from.

It’s a shame that it all gets so extreme though. In the stadium the crowd seemed quiet and on edge which I think is understandable. There were still bursts of noise and encouragement though in that second half when we found ourselves improbably under the cosh.

In other places though, things were getting a bit daft to say the least. Online (I know, I know…) the reaction was akin to that if we’d been hammered. There were numerous posts saying that people had ‘had enough’, bizarre takes about tactics, substitutions and player performances and metaphorical toys being thrown from metaphorical prams in every direction. I saw posts criticising most players; some even saying that Bruno needs to be sold. I even saw one post demanding ‘answers’ from Eddie Howe, like he might just come round the poster’s house this morning at some point and explain the thinking behind playing Nick Pope or why he Callum Wilson made a couple of silly decisions late on in the game.

I can’t say that I wasn’t frustrated while watching. The amount of passes that went astray in that second half was mind boggling and why we weren’t clearing our lines when no great subtlety was needed, I’ll never know. I was absolutely fraught at times, screaming and shouting like a lunatic, as many others would have been too. But the reality is that a decent side upped their game for 45 minutes and built up enough pressure that meant they were able to grab a couple of – let’s be honest – scrappy goals. Then, after quite a stressful time for all involved when the ref blew his whistle it turned out we’d won.

There were lots of reasons to be cheerful. Isak scored again. Lewis Hall was outstanding and Lewis Miley continued to look like a seasoned pro. After an injury worry, Sandro Tonali came through unscathed. It wasn’t all doom and gloom.

I’m not an idiot. I realise that we can’t continue to perform like we did in that second half. I realise that better sides would have put us away, although Forest are a very good side according to the league table. I realise that we need to be much more first half than second half in the Carabao Cup Final. Our form has to be more consistent because if not, we risk ending up outside the European spots and ending the season in really disappointing fashion. But I’m happy to leave solving any perceived problems to Eddie Howe and his coaching team, as well as the players who have greatly entertained us time and time again over the last few seasons and who managed to score one more goal than Forest when all is said and done.

I’m really not an optimist where football is concerned. A bad result affects my mood, my day and my week as it does for many others. But against Forest we won. We took three points. No one took any away from us because the second half was poor. And we moved back up the table into 5th position. So yes, we weren’t at our best for a good chunk of that game, but let’s all calm down a little bit and adopt a more realistic way of thinking.

Whatever the result or the performance, we move on. We hope that performances get more consistent of course, but we don’t need to be ranting, raving or demanding answers just yet surely? A win’s a win, isn’t it?

NUFC: The January transfer window? Feels like a waste of time!

In his poem The Wasteland, T.S. Elliot tells us that April is the cruellest month. It’s a reference to depression and suicide rates. And while I’m a bit of a fan of the poem, I’m afraid I’m beginning to disagree with Elliot’s assertion about April. Surely, in a world of PSR frustrations, January is miles more cruel for us Newcastle fans.

Of course, I’m being a bit dramatic, but I’d defy anyone to tell me that January in Toon terms isn’t at the very least an enormous pain in the arse.

There are many reasons for this, the chief one being those three dreaded letters…PSR. The ludicrous financial fair play rules that make it practically impossible to achieve anything close to fair play. That is of course unless you have to be one of a clutch of clubs that the whole system was designed to favour in the first place. Or that you’re just Chelsea.

In summer, our spending was rendered almost pointless as PSR forced us to sell two bright talents in Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh, two players who would have almost certainly been in and around the first team for these last 5 months and then for years to come. Frankly, we’d all rather have kept Anderson than gained Odysseas Vlachodimos, as funny as his name might be. In fact, it might be argued that Anderson was a better third choice keeper than the Greek, given that he’s barely had a look in during his time at the club. Put simply, what Anderson and Minteh offered was well worth keeping and the rules shouldn’t be dictating that kind of decision when a club simply doesn’t have the financial need to have to make it. Nor should the rules be used against clubs resulting in weakening squads.

The argument about our ‘richest owners in world football’ has been done to death and there’s no point crying about it here, but it’s safe to say that PSR isn’t the thing that’s keeping us financially safe. And that’s the case for many other clubs too. While clubs being in financial trouble is no joke given their status at the heart of many communities, how many have actually gone out of business? Not many in the grand scheme of things and when you are as financially independent as we are and as responsible with spending, PSR is irrelevant.

Face it, PSR is the ruin of the transfer window, a death knell not just for ridiculous spending that clubs can’t afford, but in many cases just spending of any kind. The majority of clubs won’t spend anything because of the PSR deadline in June! It makes the January transfer window almost obsolete and with that begins to threaten the Premier League’s grand claim of being the best league in the world. Clubs can’t buy anyone in order to help change their fortunes, which only goes to add more weight to the anti-competition accusations. In Newcastle United terms, it makes the wealth of our owners just another frustration and helps make January in particular, the cruellest month. To use an idiom, we’re all dressed up with nowhere to go.

Things get worse when you look at the spending of other clubs. As I write, Manchester City – with 115 charges still against them in terms of previous spending, by the way – have so far spent £122m. And I know that their turnover is far higher than ours…but still. Villa have spent money and continue to be linked with players, Spurs have spent money and it looks like there will be more, Ipswich have spent £20m and even Bournemouth, Wolves and Southampton have spent a bit. And there will be more, you can bet. PSRwise, how does this work?

Meanwhile, we’re told time and again that it will be very unlikely that we’ll spend money, despite players being moved on. The reasoning that we’re saving it until summer doesn’t fill me with much hope either. I’ve heard it before. We’ve all heard it before. And given our actual financial situation, it’s all the more frustrating.

Then we get to Chelsea, who so far this January haven’t spent a penny. But they will. And if it was just because they have a huge turnover, that would be ok. But we all know that it’s not. So far, the Premier League have sanctioned the selling of two of their hotels to themselves as well as the sale of their women’s team…to themselves. It doesn’t fill you with much confidence about the whole cartel argument and the way that the Premier League seems to look the other way as Chelsea take the piss. And we could cast our eyes Manchester United’s way for similar shenanigans as ‘allowances’ are made for them because of Covid expenses. Not a privilege that will ever be extended to us by Mr. Masters, I’m sure. And I’m sure that any even remotely similar transactions on our part would come under ridiculous amounts of scrutiny too. It’s enough to bend the mind of any Toon fan as we endure another barren January.

What makes January even worse for me personally though is the constant links and hard luck stories that we get from the press. So far this month we must have been linked to at least 40 different players. The excellent NUFC.com list 20 different links on the Rumours page at time of writing, while the Chronicle seem to have a story saying that we’re either ‘watching, ‘tracking’, ‘monitoring’ or ‘interested in’ several players on a daily basis. What do these things even mean? And if we’re never signing these players who ultimately end up elsewhere, what’s the point in even scouting them at all, let alone ‘monitoring’ them?

The story that really got my January goat was when the agent of Khusanov, the centre half who went to Manchester City, told the Chronicle that we were ‘very close to the deal’ and that we were ‘last to leave the race with City’! The last to leave the race is small consolation when actually it just means that we didn’t sign anyone again!

Despite all of this, I still scan the websites, read the papers and will inevitably be tuned to Sky Sports News on deadline day, as ever, in the hope that something, just something will happen. Despite Eddie Howe being pretty consistent in telling reporters that any signings are unlikely, I live in the same state of hope that we probably all do. Why do we bother though? January is definitely the cruellest month…and that’s before you even give a thought to Arsenal fans and their obsession with Alexander Isak!

NUFC: The ones that got away – Silvio Maric.

Silvio Maric should have amounted to much more than he did as a Newcastle player. Signed from Croatia Zagreb in February 1999, he came with a good reputation as a goalscoring midfielder, having scored 28 goals in 91 appearances for Zagreb. Maric looked for all the world like a solid signing, with an eye for goal and the bit of quality that we would need. And while I know it’s not a guarantee of any kind, when you think of the midfielders that Croatia has produced over the years – Modric, Rakitic, Prosinecki and Boban spring to mind – it seems very much typically NUFC that we could sign a Croatian dud!

I’m sure there’ll be many a Mag who disagrees with me on this latest choice for a ‘one that got away’. But to that I’d say, you might just be missing the point. The point of this series isn’t to look at amazing players that we lost; more to look into the ones that just should have been better than the disappointments or disasters even, that they turned out to be. So for me, Silvio Maric fits the bill perfectly. For me, there was a player in there, but he just simply didn’t come out to play!

Maric was signed by Ruud Gullit, who you’d have thought might just have had a good eye for a decent midfielder. And Maric did have quality. At £3.5m he could have been a bargain, but in the end we actually ended up losing almost half of our money when he was sold to Porto after just over a season.

Silvio arrived looking out of shape and rather than hitting the ground running, he just hit the ground. It was obvious from very early on in his Toon career, that he wasn’t going to be up to the demands of the Premier League, but also that he just didn’t seem to fancy it. And yet here was a midfielder with vision and real quality on the ball. Coupled with his eye for goal – his career stats of 46 goals in 222 appearances kind of back this up – all he really needed was the desire to succeed or a bit of hard work and he could have been so much more for us.

My one real positive memory of Maric was at the 1999 FA Cup semi final against Spurs when he set up the second clinching goal for Alan Shearer. He took the ball to the edge of the box on the left hand side, drew two defenders in and then, when most would have whipped over a cross, he checked back and laid a perfect set up back to Shearer on the edge of the box who thumped it with the outside of his right foot, beyond Ian Walker and into the back of the net. The goal will always be remembered as yet another Shearer thunderbolt, but Maric’s vision under pressure, with the clock ticking down and Spurs looking for an equaliser, was important as well.

Maric made under 30 appearances for Newcastle and only scored in Europe, where he had an impressive record of 2 goals in 3 games that might have hinted at the player we actually had. Ultimately though, he just didn’t seem to have the stomach for the Premier League and in 2000 he was off to Porto for £2m. His final move was back to Zagreb in and he retired in 2006.

We can only really speculate about whether Maric was ‘one that got away’, but what I would say is that he was another one of those players that could and perhaps should have done so much more on Tyneside.

Jacob Murphy: Still living the dream!

In April of 2023 I wrote a piece about Jacob Murphy and his contribution to Newcastle United at that time. Put simply, Jacob Murphy was living the dream!

At the time Murphy had been starring in the 2022/2023 as we headed towards Champions League qualification. He’d scored a screamer against Spurs in that 6-1 game and been an integral part of the team in our two legged Carabao Cup semi final victory over Southampton. Who could forget him waving Duja Caleta Car off after his red card in the away leg? And although he couldn’t prevent us from losing the final, he would create more memories in the next season just by lining up for our first Champions League group game against AC Milan in the San Siro. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a player looking so pleased and proud and so bewildered just to be lining up for their club.

I also focused on the fact that, because we were his boyhood club, he was one of our own which made it feel that little bit better that he was doing so well. This was particularly relevant as, prior to Eddie Howe’s arrival, it had looked like his time at the club could have been over following some fairly lukewarm performances, a couple of loans away from the club and the impact of Steve Bruce and his merry gang of other Steves.

Fast forward to 2025 and Jacob Murphy is flying again. Having turned into somewhat of a marmite figure amongst fans for the last year or so, Jacob found himself back in the team towards the end of 2024. I don’t think too many people expected a great deal and the focus was still very much on the need for a right winger in the January transfer window. However, Murphy has enjoyed something of a renaissance since getting back in against Liverpool. In his last 8 games there have been 3 goals and 5 assists. His two goals in the game v Leicester were clinical and in truth he could and should have had a hat-trick that day. But he followed that performance up with a beauty in the next match away to Ipswich.

Murphy’s assists have been invaluable in the recent run. He got another one last night in what was a brilliant performance against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup semi final. He was also involved in the build up to the second goal too. Jacob has produced 4 assists in the last 7 league games and in 24/25 he’s the joint 5th top assister in the Premier League with the same amount of assists as every mackem’s favourite player Amad Diallo, the much hyped Bruno Fernandes and the mythical creature that is Cole Palmer. Clearly, Murph is having a real impact at this moment in time. Eddie Howe loves him. And but for some poor finishing by both Murphy and some of his team mates his goal and assist figures could have been significantly higher. Add to that his workrate and all round contribution and it’s fair to say that Jacob Murphy is well and truly back and living the dream again!

Which brings me to my final thought on the subject. And before I mention it I’ll just clarify and caveat this with the fact that in no way am I saying that this should happen, however much I like Murphy. That said, with Thomas Tuchel in the stands last Saturday as we beat Tottenham, what price an England call-up for Mr. Murphy? I’d imagine it’s highly unlikely with the amount of younger talent that Tuchel has to choose from, but I’d definitely say that England could do worse. Just a thought…

Ladies and gentlemen, Jacob Murphy is living the dream once again!

Gallowgate Cult Heroes Number 10: Papiss Cisse

If you were to come up with a check list to define what makes a footballing cult hero then Papiss Cisse would tick a lot of boxes. Great relationship with the fans? Tick. Outrageous technique? Tick. Scorer of screamers? Tick. You could go on, because Cisse had a lot of great attributes that would endear him to the fans.

Signed in January 2012, Cisse was a bit of a mystery for most fans. I’m not even sure I remember the obligatory YouTube showreel of all his best bits! However, by the time he left the Toon, he most definitely had one.

Cisse, a Senegalese international, was signed for £9.3 million from SC Freiburg of the Bundesliga; a lot of money during the Mike Ashley era. He was very much an unknown quantity, albeit one who had behind him a very decent record for scoring goals in both France and Germany. But could he cut the mustard in the Premier League? We didn’t have to wait long to find out.

Cisse, wearing the cherished number 9 shirt, made his debut the following month against Aston Villa, coming on as a substitute for Leon Best. In a fairytale start to his career on Tyneside, Papiss scored an amazing, quite instinctive winner, chesting down a cross from Jonas Gutierrez just inside Villa’s box before lashing it on the half volley into the corner of the net at the Gallowgate. What a start! And Papiss would go on to make a habit of scoring important and spectacular goals!

In 5 seasons in black and white Cisse would score 44 goals, making 131 appearances. In his first season he notched 13 goals in 14 games, an incredible record. But after that injuries and at times a lack of form meant that he never really came close to fulfilling his potential. While he wasn’t exactly prolific – his record roughly equates to a goal every three games – Cisse would regularly light up games for Newcastle and he quickly became a bit of a crowd favourite.

His popularity with the crowd came for a few different reasons. Firstly, we’re well known for our love of a number 9 and not just because they happen to wear that shirt. We love a number 9 that fills the shirt, if you know what I mean. Someone who accepts the responsibility and rises to it. Papiss Cisse did just that. He was one of those players with a bit of flair and personality and it always felt like he just loved playing for the club.

Cisse also brought a certain level of entertainment to a side that, at that time, wasn’t all that entertaining. For me, he brought to mind Andy Cole, albeit being nowhere near as prolific. Consecutive seasons under Pardew, Carver then McClaren were all pretty dull, apart from the one that brought European football back under Pardew, yet Cisse always managed to stand out in what were at times, pretty dull sides.

And then there were the spectacular goals, starting with that first against Aston Villa. Cisse is probably most well known for the screamer scored from what felt like an impossible position out by the touchline away at Chelsea. You know the one; the ball was layed off to him, late in the game and rather than maybe taking a touch and protecting it or heading for the corner to kill time, he just lashed at it, producing a kind of banana shot that curled goalwards, looped over Peter Czech and nestled in the bottom of the net at the back post. A thing of wonder, although I’m sure I read a comment by Cisse somewhere saying that he was just too tired to do anything else than thrash at the ball!

There were others too. For me, his first in that same game against Chelsea was actually a better goal as he took a difficult ball down and then just volleyed it into the back of the net from just outside of the box. In that same season he also scored a beauty against Swansea away; a kind of scooped, curling effort into the far corner as he fell away from the ball off balance. In the following season he scored a peach of a volley from around 25 yards at home against Southampton and I definitely remember a couple of penalties that were just lashed into the top corner to give the keeper no chance.

Having watched all of his goals again in order to help write this, it seems that Cisse was much more a fox-in-the-box type of striker than I remembered though. He had a remarkable ability to find tiny pockets of space in the box and his movement was excellent. Time and time again he would lose his marker in order to finish from somewhere in the box. And at other times he’d be the only attacker there, but still manage to get away from 3 or 4 defenders in order to score.

Papiss Cisse might not have been the greatest striker that we’ve ever had at Newcastle United. He might not even make the top 10 in the last 20 years, come to think of it. However, for a short time, he was absolutely adored by Newcastle fans. Definitely a cult hero!

Anthony Gordon: Our latest long term superstar!

As an advocate of his from the very start of his Newcastle career, the recent news that Anthony Gordon had signed a new long term deal was music to my ears. As it would have been to many a Newcastle fan too, no doubt.

Gordon joined the club in January 2023 for £40m in slightly controversial circumstances. I say slightly controversial but it feels like Everton supporters have been apoplectic about it ever since, despite claiming to be glad to be rid of the lad. You’d think it wouldn’t be much of a problem as they’re constantly reminding us of how bad he is, but here we are.

At the time of the signing I wrote another article and was happy to state that Gordon was ‘a fantastic player’, ‘a very talented footballer’ and that in my opinion he’d prove to be ‘a genuine success’. All words that I’ll happily stand behind getting on for two years later! Not that I think I showed any real insight when we signed him, of course. Gordon just felt like the kind of player that was always going to be a fan favourite at Newcastle. And so it has proved.

After a slightly shaky start when Gordon himself admits he wasn’t fit enough to play effectively in Eddie’s system, the lad has gone from strength to strength. In front of a set of fans that want a team that tries, Anthony Gordon’s most obvious strength is his will to win and work rate. Whether it’s chasing down seemingly lost causes or leading the press and pressuring an opposition goalkeeper at full speed, Gordon never lacks effort.

However, while a phenomenal work rate is a plus, it’s Gordon’s attacking flair that gets people off their seats. Following in the footsteps of stars like Wayne Fereday and Ian Stewart must have been daunting, but Anthony has revelled in the challenge… (If you’re a Toon fan of a certain vintage, you’ll get that joke. If you’re not, please don’t Google Wayne Fereday NUFC).

Playing predominantly as a right footed left winger, that ability to cut in onto his right foot and either find a pass, a give and go or just get off a shot at goal is priceless. It feels obvious that he’s going to do it and yet at times he looks unstoppable. In terms of going past full backs Gordon is a bit of a throwback, bringing to mind memories of players like Ginola and Robert and although he doesn’t have their delivery, it’s safe to say that the game has changed since their day anyway. Nowadays, a lot of teams favour a winger that can cut inside as part of a front three and while Gordon doesn’t supply the sort of arrowed crosses that Laurent Robert would ping in for Shearer, we’re just not that type of team any more.

Anthony Gordon has proved himself to be crucial to the team. Firstly, he’s reliable. He’s almost never injured, which with the demands of the modern game is quite something and at Newcastle United is a bloody miracle! He’s generally a 7 or 8 out of 10 kind of player as well. The performances – give or take a few games this season – are generally there. For me, when he’s running at a defender and threatening to go past them on either side, he’s worth his weight in gold and is a real crowd pleaser.

Personally, I think tiredness could be a key factor so far this season as the lad hasn’t had a decent break from football for a while because of two summers worth of international duty. Maybe there’s been some kind of hangover from the Euros when he was criminally ignored by Gareth Southgate, when even the most narrow minded mackem or Evertonian could see that we were crying out for his pace and ability to get the team up the pitch. Whatever it is, I expect that sooner or later he’s going to kick into gear again and hit the heights that we witnessed at times last season.

Perhaps the comfort of this long term contract will be the making of the lad again this season. In life, when we’re settled, we’re often at our best. I know that if I have less to think about or worry about, then I’m capable of focusing more on the things that matter. With Gordon, there have been flashes of his best form and ability this season, but it’s been widely acknowledged that he’s not been quite at the levels he previously set for himself. And personally, although I would have never let him anywhere near that penalty against Everton, I admire the guts he showed in taking it and also in continuing to give everything afterwards. I for one am still very firmly of the belief that we have a hell of a player on our hands.

His comments after signing his new deal should be music to the ears of Newcastle fans. “I think the club’s in a great place…I love it here…I feel very connected to everyone – team mates, fans and everyone involved.” So far, Gordon has scored 15 goals and provided 11 assists in his 74 appearances for the club; not at all bad for a winger playing on the wrong side! He’s been involved in some fantastic moments too. There have been spectacular goals against Sheffield United and Manchester City last year, as well as the goal against Liverpool at home when he showed the pace and power to get in behind their defence and the composure to finish one on one. I also enjoyed his tap ins against Arsenal and Man Utd, just because he had the intelligence to be in the positions and stay onside, when not every winger does.

Gordon seems to be a cracking lad too. It’s evident that he’s happy to make time for fans and that – as far as we can ever really know – he absolutely loves the club. Then there’s the charity work, visiting sick children and just generally making their day. And of course touches like leaving money behind the bar at The Strawberry can’t be ignored either!

The future is inevitably bright for Anthony Gordon. A fixture for both club and country and fully settled too. Hopefully, he can rediscover the form from last season soon – although 2 goals in 10 this season is hardly bad – and help to get us up that table!

Thoughts on Gordon so far at Newcastle?

Gallowgate Cult Heroes; Number 9 Craig Bellamy.

To this day, and despite him having a chequered past as far as Newcastle United are concerned, Craig Bellamy remains one of my favourite players ever to wear the shirt. Sure, he left in controversial circumstances and with his reputation in tatters in the eyes of lots of us. But, let’s face it, anyone could have fallen out with Graeme Souness and for the 4 years that he was at the club Bellamy was largely electric to watch. Playing in Bobby Robson’s sides that also featured the likes of Shearer, Speed, Robert, Lee, Dyer and Solano it was Bellamy who got me off my seat more often than not.

Bellamy was signed by Sir Bobby Robson in the summer of 2001 for £6.5m from Coventry City. It was a case of us finally getting our man and also of Craig getting his wish. We’d been looking to sign him the previous summer, but without an agent Craig somewhat bizarelly found himself being talked into the move to Coventry by John Fashanu who had decided to involve himself in the talks after a chance meeting with Bellamy’s financial advisor! Bellers preferred the move to Newcastle, but felt pressured to sign with Coventry and so had to wait until the following season and Coventry’s relegation to get his wish.

Bellamy arrived with a reputation as a bit of a bad egg. I remember reading a story at the time about the senior pros when he was at Norwich locking him in the coach toilet on the way back from an away game just to shut him up! And his time at Newcastle wasn’t short of controversy either. But more of that later.

For me, there are two abiding memories when it comes to performance, with Craig Bellamy. The first came in his first Tyne Wear derby at St. James’ Park in 2001. We’d gone behind to an early Kevin Phillips header and then Bellamy struck. After a bit of a skirmish in central midfield, Lauren Robert emerged with the ball at his feet and looked up before scooping a timely pass forward for Bellamy to run onto. He easily outpaced the defender, nodded the ball down and then finished with a beautiful strike from just inside the area past the mackem keeper. In was in the Gallowgate on Level 7 that day and went suitably mental. They’d call it ‘limbs’ nowadays, no doubt. It was just people celebrating back in 2001! We couldn’t quite get the win that day, but the relief when Bellamy scored was tangible.

The other lasting on field memory for me would be the last second winner in the Champions League against Feyenoord in 2002. He scored the first in added time in the first half, but the best was yet to come. Having taken a 2-0 lead, we were pegged back late in the game – a typical Newcastle-like collapse. And then, Bellers popped up again, in the 91st minute. Kieron Dyer’s effort was saved and the when the keeper parried the ball wide of the post it looked like the chance had gone. Somehow though, Bellamy got to the rebound and hit it goalwards, the ball going in off the keeper. We’d just become the first team ever to qualify from our group having lost our first three games. Cue bedlam. I wasn’t there that night and watched it on the telly, like a lot of other Mags, but I’ll never forget it!

I loved the way Bellamy played. All pace and raw energy, I don’t think I’d ever seen a forward as quick. He was like a little wasp, always bothering defenders, always involved and always likely to get on the end of a decent through ball. He struck up a useful partnership with Alan Shearer, but also worked well with the likes of Dyer and Robert. But he played on the edge at all times and was generally a yellow card – at least – waiting to happen. In fact, I seem to remember a time when for several games in a row it felt like the whole ground were shushing him in unison as he made his mouth go again to a referee!

Issues off the field would be Bellamy’s downfall at Newcastle. There are loads of stories to choose from. The multitude of red and yellow cards. Throwing a chair at John Carver at Newcastle airport springs to mind. And of course the fall out with Souness when Bellamy refused to play on the left against Arsenal, which eventually led to him leaving the club. The best part of that particular tale, by the way, was Bellamy doing a live interview on Sky after the game and telling them that Souness had ‘gone behind my back and lied to my face’! I mean, which was it, Craig? Personally though, whatever had actually happened, I’d have had Bellers back and got rid of Souness, but there you go!

The best of the negative stories has to be of a fleeting fall out with Sir Bobby Robson though. Apparently, in a team meeting as Bellamy kept complaining at being the first player subbed every game, Bobby eventually snapped, telling him to shut up, before adding, ‘I’ll squash you like an ant.’ But it got better as Robson then asked, ‘Who are you? Ronaldo, Romario, Stoichkov, Hagi, Guardiola, Luis Enrique, Gascoigne? These are the people I deal with. And who are you?’ Bellers could only reply with, ‘He’s got a point!’

In total, Bellamy made 93 appearances over 4 seasons for Newcastle, scoring 28 goals. He left under a bit of a cloud and would come back to haunt us many times later in his career with the likes of Blackburn, Liverpool and Manchester City. However, for the time he spent at the Toon, for many of us he became a real cult hero. As I said earlier, one of my favourite Newcastle players ever.

What are your views of Bellamy’s time at Newcastle? And do you have any stories of his many misdemeanours?

NUFC: Sandro’s back, olé, olé, olé!

There are loads of things that shouldn’t really be exciting, but just are. The two pence machines at the arcade. Jumping waves with the kids. Getting something that scans at the wrong (reduced) price at the self checkout. Christ, for some of us getting a text or a WhatsApp message still causes a flutter. Truth be told though, none of these can hold a candle in the adrenaline stakes to things like white water rafting, bungee jumping or skydiving and yet there’s still at least a tiny bit of excitement to be had from them.

In a weird way, it’s a similar story with the return of Sandro Tonali for Newcastle United. We’re excited to see him back because he’s one of ours, but truth be told we’ve barely seen the lad play. We’ve certainly not seen anything like the best of him, I’d expect. Still though, there’s a skip in the step kind of feeling to the fact that he’s about to be available for selection once again.

In truth, Sandro owes us, really. We’ve stuck by him, just as the club has. His name has been sung lustily by thousands both home and away, but he hasn’t played in front of us for 10 months. But then, it’s not in the nature of Newcastle fans to hold back when it comes to support. Whether we’ve been telling the world that he “drinks Moretti” and “eats spaghetti” or just giving it the old “Sandro, olé, olé, olé”, we’ve been right behind a player that hasn’t kicked a ball for us in a a long, long time. Yes, there’s always a scapegoat or two, particularly if you enter the cesspit of the NUFC hashtag on social media, but in the main our team can be sure of receiving our backing. It’s just what supporting Newcastle is about. If they’re in the shirt, they’ll be backed by the majority at least. I mean, none of us are in it for the trophies…

Tonali’s ban ends this week and it’s already been revealed that he’ll be in the squad for Wednesday night’s game away at Forest in the Carabao cup. I for one, cannot wait. I honestly don’t know what to expect as well. He was someone who I’ll happily admit to knowing nothing about before he signed – I’d never seen him play. And I don’t play FIFA. So, after only 13 appearances and 1 goal last year, there’s still a lot to learn. To haul out the old cliché, it really is just like a new signing. Which given the window we’ve had as I write, can’t be sniffed at!

Since being banned for breaching betting rules by the Italian Football Federation, we’re told that Sandro has been working hard. “Incredibly hard” in fact according to Eddie Howe. And rightly so, to be fair. He’s trained as normal while also finding time to learn English, which will benefit him enormously. He’s also made numerous visits to Italy to undergo counselling for his addiction.

It’s to be hoped that being able to train regularly with is team mates will have helped help Sandro immensely, acting almost like an extended pre-season. Howe says that Sandro is popular within the group and so it’s to be hoped that he can slot straight into the action quite smoothly. I guess all that’s likely to be missing is match sharpness, but hopefully his reading of the game, natural athleticism and footballing intelligence can compensate in those first half dozen appearances. After that, it’s to be hoped that he’s flying for the rest of the season.

It could be argued that the highlight for Tonali in a black and white shirt was his debut. The link up play with Bruno and Joelinton promised much, the range of passing and the drive to get on the end of the cross and volley in the opening goal, well you couldn’t have written that. Now, after ten months of frustration for all, he’s back and vowing to repay everyone at the club. This far into his career at Newcastle, it shouldn’t be exciting. But it is!

Welcome back, Sandro!

Ben Brereton Diaz v Fabian Schar – what really happened?

So, even though we got three points and recorded a clean sheet in our first game of the new season at the weekend, there was really only the one talking point. What on God’s green earth was Ben Brereton Diaz’s reaction to Fabian Schar’s so called headbutt all about? I mean, I could end this one early and just confirm that he’s a massive cheat, but I’ve been having a think and wrote a few alternative ideas down, just for a bit of fun. Here’s what might have actually happened.

The famous sniper in the stands returns. The same person who got Steven Taylor all those years ago against Villa, the same one who regularly targets Mo Salah and sometimes hangs around SJP to get a pot shot at Miggy.

Or could it be the same one who ‘shot’ at Donald Trump a little while back? And if it made a superhero like Donny fall, then why not a bang average Premier League footballer? Will Diaz appear for his next game with an elastoplast on his forehead like Trump’s famous ear bandage, just to be even more convincing? Maybe, like Trump’s supporters, Southampton fans will follow suit. Who knows? Whatever happens, Diaz will forever look like a tw*t.

Thinking about the future. We all know that footballers have a short career. And gone are the days when they could just go and run a pub when they hit thirty something. So maybe Diaz is thinking of becoming an actor and just getting his audition in early. If they ever remake Platoon, he’s got to be up for a role along with the aforementioned Taylor.

Garlic Surprise? Even the most biased Newcastle fan can’t think that Fabian Schar was entirely blameless. You stick your head in, you’re asking for trouble. That said though…it was all Diaz’s fault, the cheat. But what if Fabian had eaten one of his famous garlic surprise (with extra garlic) sandwiches before the match? Or had a cheeky lamb bhuna for his pre-match meal. I mean, they’re famous for their love of curries in Switzerland, apparently. Death breath plus a very sensitive nose? Could be…

Karaoke? It’s a little known fact that Ben Brereton Diaz is a big, big fan of karaoke. Apparently, he’s got his very own machine. A top of the range one from Tandy with disco lights and everything. Could it be then, that in an effort to diffuse the situation, he was simply bursting into song. I mean, by the look on his face he’s got to be doing Total Eclipse of The Heart by Bonnie Tyler, right? Either that or he’s just a dick.

Hair problems. Fabian Schar leans in towards Diaz’s head and in an effort to pull away and, in the spirit of fair play, not get Wor Fabby sent off he lashes himself back just too quick and gets a stray lock of hair from that frankly magnificent mane in his eye. Listen, back in the day, I too had magnificent long, flowing locks. Or was it a shit mullet? I’m too old to remember. What I do remember though, is picking up a similar injury at a Europe concert at Newcastle City Hall in the late eighties. I think it was during The Final Countdown and believe me, it stung.

Or maybe all of this is just b*ll*cks and the truth is that VAR failed us and Ben Brereton Diaz is a cheat? In the end though, three points is all that matters. Ain’t karma a bitch, Benny boy?