New Zealand Magpies…Get in Touch!

All we have been in contact witha fellow magpie from 11,000 miles away in New Zealand by the name of @MagFansNZ - who has recently joined twitter to look and to engage for Magpies in New Zealand and across the world.

A bit of background on NZMag, a Newcastle fan currently exiled in Auckland (for last 15 years), New Zealand. Not actually a Geordie lad though, as he was born in Hartlepool. ‘Cue monkey jokes’.

He found himself tweeting from a personal account about football (mainly toon-related, of course), to little to no audience. He then discovered the True Faith and Football Ramble podcasts, and was left sort of feeling a little left out on Newcastle discussions. Especially given the fact that because of time zones, whenever I’m online, you lot are all in bed. “Cry me a river (Tyne)”, right?

Anyway, he thought it might be worth starting a new twitter account to try and gather like minded Newcastle fans from New Zealand for some low-brow football related banter. It’s become more of an “exiled Newcastle fans” page now though, which is probably for the better. It’s just me that runs it at this point, but when he hits 1,000,000 followers, he might get someone to help me out…

It would be great if like-minded Newcastle or English footy fans based in the pacific and especially NZ got in touch and followed this lad, who knows maybe this could lead to the birth of another (not enough in my opinion) Fans group..who can enjoy each others company and craic, whilst enjoying the rollercoaster that is supporting NUFC.

Get following and spread the good word.

Ask the Seats, you certainly did….

We opened up our twitter stream this evening between 7 and 8 and invited you to #AskTheSeats and you did, we all had a good laugh answering your questions, some serious and some not so serious.

Here are some of the corkers

• how many brick walls would it take to stop tiote running at full tilt?
• How many times has the Bat-Mobil (Bat-Man’s Car) had a flat Tyre?
• do u guys know anything about why id be gettin charged £12 delivery from NUFC Direct for the 3-0 DVD to Belfast
• where can I get one of those ‘inside out scotch eggs’ mentioned on the podcast? Can’t get the idea out of my head
• What are the winning lottery numbers for tomorrow night please?
• if colo and jonas had a little argentine together would it be animal vegatable or mineral? and what would it most resemble?
• who put the ram in the ramalamadingdong? And did someone call the RSPCA when they found out?
• Is @mattypnufc still bringing a copy of Windows 7 round to mine tonight?
• do you know where I can get one of them invisible bmx bikes that shola uses to get about the pitch on?
• What happens when you get scared half to death …
• Has @rammlet ever revealed how he got time off to go to blackburn away in 2005? Mystery!
• I am goin to be workin but what do you guys think to safe standing at St James?
• when spurs play Liverpool will the resulting meltdown in choosing between Parker & Gerard as mom find the Higgs Boson particle?
• A jonaocolli?. Long curly perm in a pony tail with a beard. 7O’s porn star who plays canny football
• Is it true Tim Krul was named after his mams favourite TV star Timmy Mallet and he owns a budgie named Magic?
• if you could spend £1 to get Mr Rahman to put a zip in anything, what would you get him to put the zip in?
• was Supermac turned down for a job at Byker Farm cos he “Couldn’t catch a pig in a passage”?
• Did Ronald MacDonald ever play for us dressed up as Billy Askew?
• are pandas the goths of the bear world?
• Who’s accidental knob flash was more impressive, Paul Scholes or Peter Beardsley?
• if billy askew was the last piece of Jim smith’s jigsaw what the hell was the picture he was making???
• In a battle of the tag, who would get more blame, Obertan, Perch, Simmo or Shola?
• if Tiote kills a man in the woods, but no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?
• what is the correct collective noun for a number of Ameobis????
• How do you get out of Tesco @ Kingston Park? Beardo’s been stuck in there for years. I think he’s lost!
• What’s the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

Genius or what! Sorry we couldnt show em all - but check out our Twitter stream for the banter that ensued.

Much Love

Robbo, Gazza and Matty

The day after the night before…..

Well what can I say that already hasn’t been said, all the superlatives surrounding last nights performance, which saw us beat Manchester 3-0 in their first defeat at the hands of NUFC in over a decade have all come out, the players, the atmosphere, the manager it all came together last night and in front of millions on TV we finally had our long awaited day against Man Utd.

Tactically and physically our team ruled the pitch, Man Utd are always dangerous and at times their intricate weaving play nearly found us out but the defense mustetred by Captain Colo where magnificent, they chased, harrased and bullied Man Utd at every opportunity and boy did it pay off. The 2 ‘big lads’ as announced on Sky produced the goods - a hold up man and a playmaker worked great together, proving that Pardew got it right from the beginning unlike the Liverpool match where we were found wanting across many positions.

The atmosphere in SJP was electric from the off, an almost full house including a full Man Utd away section made it very enjoyable for the 22 on the pitch, the Strawberry Corner and old L7 SSeats lads continually generated noise and at times this rattled around SJP in its entirity causing some people in the East Stand to wake up ;)

I was going to mention the referees performance, who it seemed was doing his very best to agonise the home fans with ridiculous and incosistent decisions and live up to his Man Utds 12th man moniker, but I wont. What I will say however is that the pen at Old Trafford wasn’t a pen for us, so perhaps instant karma took place, but it didn’t really matter did it…

The one down point for me which I posted on Twitter was the fact that even though we were beating Man Utd, Shola, Perch and Obertan still got s+it from small sections of the crowd and this was totally uncalled for in my opinion, I was under the impression fans where there to support the team. When stating this I got asked ridiculous statements like “Really, dont be stupid?” / “You’re making this up!” - of course I understand Twitter has its fair amount of Keyboard Warriors and Sh+tmongers who post Twitter ‘Hand Grenades’ to wind up fellow fans, I can guarantee this happens with every team.

However I don’t take too kindly to being called a liar, I seen and heard it first hand….the block and unfollow key was duly pressed.  Remember as I posted in the past, no one fan is bigger or better than another, they may have influence but being a fan is simply supporting your team, that is all.

All in all however as a package the team, the manager, the fans we were magnificent last night. A night that will live long in the memory and it was a pleasure to be a part of it.

I must also shout out to a selection of Man Utd fans and other Premier League Teams fans who offered their congratulations to us, this is the mark of a great football fan.

So looking forward now, we have the transfer window the African Cup of Nations, The FA Cup and a few tricky league matches to look forward too, let’s see what the future holds, but in the interim let us all bask in the glory of what happened last night, for those that were at SJP pat yourselves on the back you helped make that happen and for those watching around the world, hope you played the smug card at work or at play today!

Peace, Out.

@therealrobbo

Into the New Year we go…..

So the festivities are over (until tomorrow night at least ;)) and we are entering a crucial couple of months in the season and the life of NUFC….heres what’s upcoming…(league unless stated)

African Cup of Nations runs through from 21st Jan till 12th Feb.

    Manchester United (4/Jan) 7:45pm SJP (Sky)
    Blackburn Rovers (7/Jan) 3pm SJP (FA Cup 3rd Round)
    QPR (15/Jan) 1.30pm SJP (Sky)
    Fulham (21/Jan) 3pm (away)
    Potential FA Cup 4th round tie (28/Jan) TBC
    Blackburn (1/Feb) 8pm (away)
    Aston Villa (5/Feb) 1.30pm (away) (Sky)

So potentially 7 games in just over a calendar month, could see us continue in the right way if the injury and transfer gods are kind to us. Either way its a tough month upcoming and hopefully we can continue to ourselves and the fans justice, starting against old red noses lot tomorrow night.

KTF

The End Of The Good Times?

So 1pt from Swansea, Norwich and WBA. Tonight we lacked shape, fight and integrity. There was more gusto and battle in last nights so called Battle of Lancashire then we seen in the match at SJP.

No movement, poor defending and a lack of passion and fight seen us go 6 games without a win. People are shouting about our great start to the season, remember we had only 5 pts less this time last year (with a game postponed), put that into perspective. I am not being negative I am being real…and if you were at SJP tonight you would have seen it all.

Tonight WBA showed some class and it paid off and for that and their decent travelling fans fair play, we showed nothing. We are being called a one man team….and there maybe some truth to that as Ba bags another couple….with games coming up against Bolton (a) Liverpool (a) and Man Utd (h)…who would bet on us taking nothing from those games.

Is this the start of our battle, if so I hope for some fight and I hope the mags are ready…

Robbo.

Everton Update…

Just a heads up of a few things going on tomorrow

• KO is early at 12:45 and match is on Sky Sports 2 as well as a host of overseas providers.
• Get to the ground early as it could be a 50k+ attendance tomorrow.
• No cash turnstiles operating.
• Search Procedures will take place as previously noted before KO in the NW corner in prep for the Olympics next year.
• Hero of the day is Vic Keeble, the only survivign magpie of the 1950s FA Cup Winning teams.
• Andre Marriner is the ref, for the first time since our humilation at Stevenage last January. 
•  Newcastle have conceded just three first-half goals in ten league games
• Newcastle’s dream start continued with a fine win at Stoke and their unbeaten charge is unlikely to be halted by Everton. The Toffees, who have lost four of their last five matches and were lucky to beat Fulham in their last away game, don’t have the firepower to trouble the Toon defence.
• Recommendation: Newcastle at 5/4

Enjoy the game

HTL

#TicketsForTroops - Newcastle United Donation

Newcastle United have announced that not only will they be wearing a special remembrance day Home shirt, but have also announced 400 tickets, along with price cuts for the #TicketsForTroops campaign.

Our very own @therealrobbo wrote to the club to ask about donating tickets to the cause after discussing at monthly meetings with @NUFCFansUtd and it’s various supporter groups. Our friend @NufcKev also did lots of work collecting spare unused ticket stubs from pre-season to donate to #TicketsForTroops.

We’d like to think all who attended that meeting, Robbo and Kev had something to do with it…

Article taken from nufc.co.uk

Newcastle United will once again wear special edition poppy-embroidered shirts for their home game against Everton on Saturday to mark Remembrance Day.

The shirts will be worn at St. James’ Park as United take on the Toffees, before being auctioned to raise money for the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal.

The poppies first made an appearance last season for our November home game against Fulham, and each shirt was individually signed by the players before being passed to the Royal British Legion to auction off.

And the famous red flower, which commemorates those who have died while fighting for their country, is set to make a return this year on the black and white shirt as well as being proudly displayed by a host of other teams in the Barclays Premier League.

In an additional show of support for the armed forces, the Club has donated 400 tickets to the Tickets for Troops appeal for the games against Everton (5th November), West Brom (21st December), Queens Park Rangers (15th January) and Aston Villa (4th February).

These are allocated to servicemen and women via a ballot process online at www.ticketsfortroops.org.uk. Further details for armed forces personnel can be obtained from their base.

The Club are also offering a significant number of discounted tickets to members of the armed forces and their families for the same four fixtures. Tickets will be available for just £5 for over 11s and free for under 11s.

Great Runners Get Together for Sir Bobby…

Fund-raisers registered with the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation to run the Great North Run were invited to an informal get-together at the Copthorne Hotel, Newcastle, last night (Tuesday 13th September).

It was an opportunity for Lady Elsie and representatives of the charity to meet and thank the runners who have been training hard ahead of Sunday.  It was also a chance for Mark Allison, also known as Run Geordie Run, to talk about his experiences running across America for charity and to inspire runners in the final days before their half marathon challenge.

One of the runners with a very personal reason to support the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation is Sir Bobby’s youngest son Mark Robson.

This is the fourth year Mark and his partner Kim Jennings have tackled the Great North Run in aid of the charity and getting together with other fund-raisers ahead of the run was a very positive experience for him.

Mark says: “My family and I are very grateful to everyone who is undertaking the Great North Run in aid of the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and it was a pleasure to meet just some of the runners.

“No doubt there will be some very accomplished athletes raising funds for us but for some people the 13 miles will be a huge personal challenge.  It means a great deal to us that they are taking on that challenge to raise money for Dad’s charity.  In many cases I expect, like me, they have their own personal reasons for wanting to support a cancer charity.”

Sir Bobby Robson launched his charity in March 2008.  He described it as his last and greatest team and was very proud of its achievements.

The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation helps the experts find more effective ways to treat and diagnose cancer.  It funds projects which directly benefit cancer patients including the clinical trials of drugs at the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre.

Mark adds: “I’ve done the Great North Run three times now and I’m always struck by the camaraderie and support along the route.

“In many ways it’s like the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.  It’s a very big team effort and the sheer volume of people taking part adds up to something very special.

“I’d like to wish all the runners the very best of luck and to thank everyone who has sponsored a friend, colleague or family member for taking part.  The money raised will be used very carefully helping people fighting cancer and in finding more effective treatments to beat this disease.”

Other Sir Bobby Robson Foundation Great North Runners include a team of doctors, nurses and administrators from the Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre at the Freeman Hospital and Tom Chaplin, the charity’s official Writer in Residence.

The runners were inspired by the presence of Mark Allison who recently raised over £100,000 for the Children’s Foundation and St Benedict’s Hospice by running across America in just 100 days.

He spoke to the runners to help motivate them in their final training and gave useful advice about the physical and mental aspects of running long distances.

Mark says: “It was a huge honour to be asked to talk to the Great North Runners raising funds for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.

“It was a pleasure to chat with them and to draw upon my recent experiences running 3,100 miles across the USA.  I hope I have helped inspire them as they take on their own running challenge on Sunday.
 
“Both of my parents lost their battle against cancer.  I know only too well just how valuable the treatment and research undertaken by the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation is in the ongoing fight that claims the lives of so many of our loved ones.

“I know from experience how motivating it can be running to raise funds for causes which mean a lot personally.  I hope everyone doing the Great North Run for charity achieves their goals and I wish them all the very best of luck.”

Since its launch, the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation has raised £3.5 million to help find more effective treatments for cancer. It funds projects within the Newcastle upon Tyne NHS Foundation Trust, which directly benefit cancer patients from across the north east and Cumbria.

To make a donation, view messages of support, or for more information please visit www.sirbobbyrobsonfoundation.org.uk or donate by sending a cheque to Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, Room 203, Cheviot Court, Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne NE7 7DN

Thanks to Liz Luff for this press release.

NUFC Tickets For Troops…spread the word

Newcastle United Supporters are being asked to show their recognition for members of HM Forces by donating ticket stubs from the abandoned Fiorentina pre season friendly to a supporter led initiative which will distribute FREE tickets to Military personnel and their families for a future Newcastle United league game.

The initiative, led by the supporters Coalition group Nufc fans utd will see Newcastle United exchange the ticket stubs for free admission to a future Newcastle United game and it is hoped that as many fans as possible who attended the Fiorentina game will donate their ticket stubs.

The coalition acknowledges that many fans may wish to use the stubs themselves, but others may already be attending games at St James’ park as season ticket holders and therefore have no need to take up the offer of free admission to a future game using the Fiorentina ticket exchange scheme put in place by the Club. Anyone wishing to donate their ticket stubs to this supporter led initiative can do so by following the advice on www.nufcfansutd.com

A spokesman for Nufc fans Utd said; we hope that supporters get behind this initiative and donate their spare ticket stubs from the Fiorentina match so that as many members of HM forces as possible can be invited to attend a future game.
Nufc fans utd is a Coalition of supporter Groups representing fanzines, bloggers, online forums and various supporter led organisations who have come together and are all committed to the aim of developing and building better communications with the Club; seeing communication as the key to the Club’s relationship with supporters going forward.

Questions to NUFC Board Here……

Here are the questions and link for the NUFC Fans questions that will be sent to the clubs board via the Chronicle, make of these what you will and prempt answers from DL….

Your questions to NUFC’s board

1. Where’s the money that was pledged to be reinvested in the squad after the sale of Andy Carroll gone?

2. Why is there such a lack of communication with the fans from Mike Ashley and his board?

3. In 2009 you outlined your plans for the club at a fans forum. Can you give us an update on how you see our position now against that plan and if it has changed? What is the long-term plan for Newcastle United?

4. Can you justify why it took seven months to pursue a striker before failing at the eleventh hour to secure a signing?

5. Public opinion on Tyneside from large sections of fans is that they no longer trust statements coming out of the club after several empty promises. What assurances can you give fans that they can believe what the club tells them?

6. Given that level 7 was deserted in some parts at the Fulham game, is there any reason why those who want to sing can’t all be sat together rather than upsetting fans who don’t want to sing, which appears to be the problem in the Strawberry corner? What has caused the club to fundamentally change its stance to standing in the stadium?

7. Many fans clamoured for a marquee signing on the striker front. Are those days gone and can we expect more continental-based players coming in in January, if any?

8. Are you concerned about the 10,000 drop in attendance and that fans are either not renewing season tickets or have headed to support local non-league teams instead?

9. Is Ashley considering putting the club up for sale?

10. Newcastle United has the third highest attendances in the country, Sky TV and income from merchandising, plus a lower debt position than many in the EPL. Why in terms of player recruitment can Newcastle not compete with smaller clubs like Stoke, Fulham and QPR?

11. Are you aware of fans’ disgruntlement with the away ticketing policy given the Toon Army are amongst the loyallest fans in the UK, and will you consider reviewing the policy?

12. Alan Pardew said he was 100% convinced he would get a new number 9.
What changed?

13. Why was Joey Barton allowed to leave for free and join a club that could be considered to be a rival in the Premier League?

14. Many fans now consider us to be a “selling club” after the departures of Nolan, Enrique, Carroll and Barton. How do you respond to this?

NUFC Fans United

All remember to read and bookmark the following sites and GET INVOLVED.

Web - Link

Twitter - NUFC Fans Utd

Facebook - Link

Get sharing people.

We are United.

Mike Ashley….strips!

This somes up our club and owner at the moment, Joke (click me).

NUFC Fans Unite for a common cause

As posted on Fansonline.net , last night various NUFC fans met and The Seats were present. We carried a positive vibe from the meeting and will support this ‘process’ in any way possible, we should be United and we should be heard.

————————————————————————————————————-

Newcastle United fans united under one banner at the Tyneside Irish Centre last night to discuss the best way forward in opening communications with owner Mike Ashley and the Club. Twelve groups were in attendance which included various fanzine editors, website administrators, and social media operators who all put there views forward on various topics that had affected fans and that the fans felt they would like answers to. The coalition of supporters calling themselves ‘NUFC Fans United’ invited honorary president at Newcastle United Malcolm Dix to the meeting and asked him if he would act as a link between the group and the club over the coming months. Also in attendance at the meeting was Lord Mayor of Newcastle Concillor Geoff O’Brien who was an elected member of the Fans Liaison Committee that met regularly with the club under the previous ownership. Topics covered at the meeting included fans being displaced from Level 7, the clubs change in stance with regards to fans applying for tickets for games away from St James Park, and how the club has dealt with fans direct debit payments in the pre-season. The group will be releasing there minutes from the meeting via the various websites and publications today and you can find them here www.nufcfansutd.com The group will be meeting on a monthly basis. Those wishing to attend are asked to email ‘NUFC Fans United’ to reserve there place. All groups and views are welcome.

Please spread the word.

The Pre-Season Fiasco….

So people who follow me will know I hold about as much respect for Pre-Season matches then John Leslie did for his birds, but a text from a friend of mine pretty much summed up the pre-season as it is so far..

• no strikers
• no dosh spent
• a pitch invasion
• 4 injuries
• A tour 4 thousand miles away and 3 no entries to our US tour (shite planning)
• away supporters ban & £25 payment to be able to attend away matches
• orange away strip

No bloody wonder we are the laughing stock of the media….we just cause and attract farce.