How real NUFC fans spent the Bank Holiday

Courtesy of The Chronicle (Lee Ryder)

It’s worth recording that spending several hours not only in Newcastle city centre but around a few other areas of North Tyneside today and driving around generally, just how many people were still wearing black and white shirts.

Most of them it seems stiffened the sinews and took the latest insult firmly on the chin rather than seeking attention from the cameras.

The rest of the country, who have enjoyed Newcastle’s relegation throughout the weekend, instead saw three or four images of some Toon fans who were blubbering moments after the drop was confirmed.

They didn’t see how it really was and that nobody was throwing the towel in.

What price a full house for the first game of the Championship and a new generation of young Geordies seeing a winning team albeit at second tier level?

For me it really did hit home when I spotted that very image on Sky.

But you have to ask were some of them doing it for their own bit of personal stardom to get on the telly or what?

The blubbering fat lad is what the rest of the country’ll judge us on and taunted about it - and now we’re already being talked about as the next Leeds even though the bookies took no time at all to install us as favourites to win the Championship.

Later angry Toon fans hurled abuse at Sky’s TV truck for exploiting United supporters in their hour of mourning - that was wrong but you can see why they did it.

Bob Moncur mentioned last week that we’d all feel like hanging ourselves for a while after relegation but then added within a fortnight we’d be looking ahead to the fixtures coming out.

I witnessed plenty of that today, this city isn’t like a Scunthorpe, a Blackpool or anywhere else, you don’t see too many Man United shirts or Liverpool shirts, you see black and white everywhere.

The same people who support other Championship sides (and Liverpool, Chelsea or Man U) who have been revelling in our relegation will be like excited kids coming up to St James’s Park next season for their big day out.

Good, bring it all on.

I’m not 100% sure that Newcastle will win the Championship but what I am sure about is that the Newcastle fans will show the rest of the division how to support your team properly.

I’m also sure that with Shearer in charge, we can clear the dead wood and get rid of the fat cats who have disgraced the black and white shirt this season.

And I’m sure (having watched their progress as kids) that the likes of Andy Carroll, Nile Ranger and possibly Kazenga LuaLua will be rubbing their hands at the prospect of being let loose on the Championship.

It’s not a great situation but I have to say it’s not all bad either.

People say we are not a “big club” but while we don’t go round saying that ourselves, why do we get so many fans from other teams coming on this blog?

Why do we have people from different towns that support a Premier League team (a Liverpool or Man U) AND a Championship team (A Scunny or a Donny) telling us how to support our team when all we’ve done is turn up in droves home and away to watch one shower of **** after another?

Why were the Mackems more interested in celebrating our demise ahead of toasting their own survival?

And then following it up by talking about Europe and big name players today!

Does that not say more about them than us?

Mackems, Everton and Man United in light of our relegation have all had their say.

Well let them come and do it.

I will remember three things from Sunday the most, one being just how amazing the 3,000 fans that went to Villa Park were for the whole 90 minutes and the end.

Two, just how much Villa and their sad fans wanted us to go down (unfurling banners etc) when they had qualified for Europe themselves.

And three Phil Brown’s and his singing at the end of Hull’s great escape from the Premier League by virtue of us being even crapper than them.

Well football as we all know has that nasty habit of coming back to bite you on the backside.

Keeping the faith?

Course we are.