Newcastle Thread - 2022/23

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Newcastle need to be taken seriously. I personally thought they would be a decent shout to be top 4 contenders. The January transfer window will be interesting. They need CL football to attract the nex tier but their owners do appear to know what they're doing.

I'd love to see them get to 4 this season and win a trophy, just to see the reaction of the tabloids, Talkshite and the Red teams. Fucking meltdown especially if Newcastle got top 4 at the expense of the Dippers.

I'd take anything this season, a cup or european qualification at any level.
 
There's nothing wrong with the North East, ok it's fucking cold like the North West but it has some amazing coastline and some of the villages around County Durham are beautiful. Newcastle is one of my favourite City's outside of Manchester and the people are fantastically friendly on the whole, I get sick to death of people in this Country (and abroad) obsessing over how wonderful London is, I would fucking hate to live there, it's awful.

Best of luck to the Geordies, especially if they boil some more piss from the 'top 4' sides!
 
Don’t get to love for Toon supporters. They were toxic towards Big Sam, at the time they were begging the board to sack the previous manager, then Sam came in to a terrible team and in his first match at home the “super” toon rabid support were berating and asking for his head. I remember one “fan” just behind Sam looking like he wanted to murder him. I am in no way a Big Sam fan but this behaviour has just stayed with me and don’t have any time for them. Also the hypocrisy from their fans after they got money is also something that does not sit right, they used to give us lots of stick.

No way were the fans against Allardyce from day 1, I went off him when we played Derby away on a Monday night and lost. He took Michael Owen off and brough on Shola Ameobi when we needed goals and we gave Derby 4 of their 11 points that season. My biggest memory of Derby away was spending 90 minutes watching fans play with a beachball.

The fan that you will remember was during a home game when we lost 1-4 against Portsmouth, the fan was shouting 'You don't know what you're doing'.

The hypocrisy, fair enough, we do have some of those especially one arse on youtube who wouldn't recognise his arse from his elbow.
 
This is from a Bruno interview with Sky Sports, it's a long read.

Bruno Guimaraes is looking out over the pristine playing surface at an empty St James' Park. Less than 48 hours ago, he was there, in the middle of it all, helping Newcastle win a third game in four, his name reverberating around the ground as it so often does.

"The best stadium in England and the best atmosphere in the Premier League," he tells Sky Sports. "When we play at our home, it's like playing with 12, always. The support is fantastic. It's very hard to play against us here, with our fans so close to the pitch."

Everton, beaten by a single goal on Wednesday night, are just the latest side to struggle. "It's great for us," Bruno smiles, "but not so great for our opponents." Since the turn of the year, Newcastle have lost only once in 15 Premier League home games.

Bruno has of course played a huge role in that run, his £40m arrival from Lyon in January ushering in a new era under the club's Saudi owners. Newcastle, 18th when he joined, now sit sixth, two points off the Champions League places. The supporters adore him.

"Yes, sometimes it can be difficult to leave the house because everybody recognises me," he says with a chuckle, his newly-bleached hair ensuring he stands out even more.

"But they are always so friendly, so loving, not just with me but with everyone in my family; my wife, my dad, my mum. The experience I've had here has been amazing."

The adoration is mutual. That much becomes clear straight after our interview, when Bruno, hurrying home to his heavily pregnant wife, Ana, bumps into a group of fans on a tour of the stadium and still takes time out to pose for photographs.

He looks completely at ease in his surroundings - "I feel at home," he says - but the decision to come was not one he took lightly.

"I think it was one of the most difficult decisions of my life," adds the Brazil international, switching from Portuguese to English.

"To change country, to change leagues, and in a World Cup year as well. It was a really hard decision, but I think it was the right one. I'm so happy. It's an amazing step. I feel like a Geordie now.

"I always dreamed of playing in the Premier League but, honestly, I never thought it could be this good. I'm proud of what I'm doing, of myself and of the club, but it was a difficult choice."

A difficult choice and a difficult start too.

After all the excitement that greeted his arrival in January, Bruno ended up watching his first five Premier League games as a substitute, manager Eddie Howe opting to introduce him slowly.

"To be honest, when I started those games on the bench, I sometimes thought, 'Oh my gosh, what am I doing with my life?'" says Bruno, chuckling again. "No, no, I'm joking. Of course, it's never easy to stay on the bench, but I think Eddie made the best decision.

"It was good for my adaptation to the club, to the Premier League, and to get to know my team-mates.

"Then, afterwards, when I started to play, it was like a dream."

He marked his full debut, in a 2-1 win over Southampton at St Mary's Stadium in March, with a man-of-the-match performance and an audacious, back-heeled finish for Newcastle's second goal. He went on to score four more before the season was out.

"I think, when Newcastle bought me, some fans thought I was a No 9, but Newcastle bought a midfielder, a No 6 or a No 8," he says, smiling.

"There was a lot of pressure because I was a national team player for Brazil, coming to a team that was fighting to stay in the Premier League and not get relegated.

"But I think I was born to play in the Premier League. I love the atmosphere. I love the intensity of the game. It is the most difficult league, of course. There are no easy games. But when you play well here, it makes you think you can play in any competition.

"I think that, and the pressure when I came, has helped me to develop, to be the player I am now."

And what a player. Jamie Carragher described him as a "complete midfielder" on Monday Night Football recently - "he reminds me of a Bryan Robson, a Peter Reid, a Roy Keane, a Patrick Vieira," added the Sky Sports pundit - and the statistics certainly bear it out.

Since his first start, Bruno ranks second among all Premier League players for tackles and successful duels, while only Bruno Fernandes, Leandro Trossard and Kevin de Bruyne have made more through-balls. Bruno has completed more dribbles than Bukayo Saka and Heung-Min Son. Only Wilfried Zaha has won more fouls.

His combination of guts and guile won praise from Keane himself as well as Carragher, one of the Premier League's great central midfielders, no less, describing Bruno as an "intelligent footballer" and "good character" who "knows what the game is about".

"For sure, it's always a pleasure to hear things like that," says Bruno. "It is one more motivation, but this is only my first full season at Newcastle. There is a long way to go. I love playing here, I love to bond with the fans, and I want to become a legend here."

It is little wonder Newcastle fans have taken him to their hearts and Bruno gives recent transfer speculation linking him with Real Madrid similar treatment. "It's always nice when there are teams looking at you, but my plan is just to do my best at Newcastle," he says.

"The rest, I leave with my agent. I have three or four years of contract left. It's so long. I swear I'm not thinking about other things. My focus now is just on Newcastle and the World Cup."

Bruno has not yet secured a starting spot with Brazil but no player is more important to Newcastle and there is more evidence of his completeness in how he has adapted to a change of role this season, moving to the base of midfield having previously played mostly as a No 8.

Which position does he prefer?

"To be honest, If you ask me this question, I have to say I prefer to play at No 8, but I think my role here, at No 6, is exactly what the team needs," he says. "It is to take the ball out, to do some passes, to find the wingers and the strikers.

"I can play both positions, but Eddie has a choice to make and, for me, the most important thing is just to play and to help Newcastle get the three points. I think my best position is at No 8 but I can play at No 6. It's no problem for me."

It helps, of course, that Newcastle's system still allows for him to get forward. He scored twice in the recent 5-1 win over Brentford and there have also been two assists, including the pass, on the edge of the Everton box, which set up Miguel Almiron's winner on Wednesday night.

"It's nice because, with the way that we are playing, Dan Burn is at left-back, so he can stay in the middle and I can go and be another player to help the attackers. In the last game, I had three chances to score. Unfortunately I didn't, but I love to play as a No 6 or a No 8."

He loves playing for Howe too.

"For me, he is like an English father. We have a great relationship. We speak about everything. I think I have improved my English a lot with him. He is a good guy, a person I really love to work with and be with. He is one of the best coaches in England.

"I think all the players love his way of working. The way he treats me is the same as the way he treats any young boy from the academy who comes to train with us.

"I think that is important, to do that with all the all the players, not just Bruno, Callum Wilson or Allan Saint-Maximin, but with the young guys as well."

The approach has helped Howe foster a strong sense of togetherness among the players, with Bruno, he says, epitomising "the team spirit and drive" Newcastle need to be successful.

"We have no jealous players here," says Bruno. "Everybody wants what's best for the team.

"All the players who come on the pitch know what they need to do to help the team, if they need keep the ball, if they need to recover the ball, whatever. I think all the players are thinking of the same goal. It's one of the reasons we are doing well."

Bruno is himself another big reason for that, of course, but he is cautious when asked about what the side can achieve this season. Does he see a Champions League finish as a possibility?

"It's not impossible, but I don't think we can put that as a goal," he replies. "We must think game by game because we know how difficult it is to play in the Premier League.

"We have 28 games to play, so we can't put more pressure on ourselves, you know? We are doing well and I think we could be there. But what matters is our position when the season finishes. It's nice we are doing well, but it's just the beginning."

Sunday's trip to Tottenham will test Newcastle's ambition and there are new beginnings to come at home for Bruno too. In fact, his wife is already overdue as they await the birth of their first child.

"I hope it will be on Monday, because I want to be present on the day and I know we have a very important game at the weekend," he says, smiling again. "I pray to God to give my son two or three more days in Ana's belly, but I'm so excited. It's a dream come true."

As it transpires, his son, Matteo, arrives just hours after our interview. "The best day of my life," he writes on Instagram as he announces the birth. Thanks to Bruno, Newcastle supporters feel they are already living theirs.
 
Bruno has said that it was always his dream to play in the Premier League and he’s only been here for approximately 10 months. In that time he’s cemented his place in our team and is without doubt our most important player. He’s has just become a father and calls his son a little Geordie and has said that he’s living his dream and he has said that he feels like a Geordie. His father and mother are treated like royalty and are loving seeing how the fans love Bruno. His dad was actually filmed at one of our games crying when the crowd were supporting his son. It’s a bit surreal that people are asking Bruno’s dad for autographs and he willingly signs them and has time to talk to everybody. Bruno has had a few things to say about his time in France not being too good, he has commented without going into too much detail so we don’t know what he didn’t like about that time.

Maybe he has found his home, maybe not as he has already commented about the temperature and it’s October and still mild. He signed in January so has been through a winter so should know what it’s like when the cold winds blows in off the North Sea.

Anything can happen, what I can say is that he’s idolised at Newcastle and the fans can do no more to keep him than we are. Bruno was idolised before kicking a ball because he was an international footballer coming into the club and didn’t have a relegation clause inserted into his contract.

I do think he’ll get a bumper contract in the next 6 months or so as the club know his value and everything he has personally done to raise the profile of the club internationally. It’s great that he’s being talked about as he deserves it. He’s 24 going on 25 and he has the world at his feet, it’s up to him to decide what he wants to do. My main concern is that he has now said a few times that it is up to his agents to sort out what happens as he just concentrates on football, that may be genuine or it may be an excuse for leaving at some point in the future.
Cheers for the full reply mate. If you can offer him European football next season, which in one guise or another looks highly likely to my eyes, along with a pay rise, he should be telling his agent to give it a rest.
 
I’m convinced Sam would have taken us down. We were in a completely false position. I can’t be arsed to look it up but we collected a ridiculous amount of points from late, undeserved, goals. He tried to impose his tactics with a squad that wasn’t suited to it. I remember Amdy Faye being used a play-maker with Scott Parker behind as the ball winner. We had has beens in Geremi, Cacapa, Smith and more. The football was awful, Pompey scored 3 at SJP inside the 1st 15 mins, the only other game I can remember where an “average” side beat us up so bad early on at home was Brighton. Steve Bruce spent the first 30 minutes that day standing on the touchline in a trance, unable to think of anything he could to stop Lamptey having free reign down our left.

Anyway, Fat Sam, he had 1 way of playing, didn’t have the players to play it, he’d have took us down and he got a 5 Million pay off (something like that) and boasts how it paid for Casa del something or other that he owns in Spain.

On a separate note, linked to the upcoming LGBT protest. I hope it’s not ruined by pissed up idiots full of drink for a 5:30 kick off. The right to protest is a cornerstone and I just hope it’s done right. A gay lad I knew got me my 1st season ticket when we extended the ground as he had a bond and they were allowed to nominate someone to get a season (so I guess I jumped the queue). We sat together for a good few seasons until I moved to be with my mates, he gave up his season ticket because of Ashley. Two games ago I saw him sitting in the row in front of me, he’d managed to get a general sale ticket after queuing for an hour and said he’d unsuccessfully tried to get a season ticket. He was back in love with the club and devasted that he couldn’t get to ever game.

Was he conflicted, a little, but his overwhelming feeling was joy that Ashley was gone and that he actually felt an emotional attachment to the club again. Life eh, he went fucking mental when we scored. It was great to see.
 
I'd take a cup any day of the week. I was last at Wembley when we played Chelsea in the semi-final under Sir Bobby. We lost 1-2 but were by far the better side and would have won the final if we had got past Chelsea. Poyet scored for Chelsea and Rob Lee equalised for us then Poyet finished us off with his second. I honestly went from the back of our end to the front without touching the ground when Lee scored, my shins were battered, bruised and bloodied.

We were drinking around London all day and had a few games of football at Trafalgar Square, we didn't see a single Chelsea fan until we got close to Wembley.
It will be interesting to see how Howe treats the cups.If i was a Newcastle fan i would be hoping he plays strong teams.
A far better chance of winning a cup than the league.
 
I'd take a cup any day of the week. I was last at Wembley when we played Chelsea in the semi-final under Sir Bobby. We lost 1-2 but were by far the better side and would have won the final if we had got past Chelsea. Poyet scored for Chelsea and Rob Lee equalised for us then Poyet finished us off with his second. I honestly went from the back of our end to the front without touching the ground when Lee scored, my shins were battered, bruised and bloodied.

We were drinking around London all day and had a few games of football at Trafalgar Square, we didn't see a single Chelsea fan until we got close to Wembley.

Not sure if you remember but you guys were on for the League Cup in the 94/95 season. You’d started well and were unbeaten at home with a Manchester City side who were awful away to come in the 5th round.

You absolutely leathered us but we somehow beat you 2-0 against all odds. We got hammered 4-0 at Palace in the next round a game you’d probably have won.

 
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