Thursday, 9 October 2025

THE BOSTON TEA PARTY BRIGADE 1. THE TOON U21s 3 *** NATIONAL LEEGUE CUP!


Posted ‘6:00 pm 🛎️ bells’ Thorzday 9th Octobaa 2025

SEAN NEAVE PEN (GREEN NUMBER 10)

“TEA PARTY TIME IN BOSTON!”

A Sean Neave forst half hat-trick sealed this victory at Boston United’s Jakeman’s Stadium last neet!

We were ‘Laptophopping’ on ‘You Tube from wor hoose for this one, az we’d been here last season!

(The NUFC mad-sad groundhoppers anly gan to these games once to get the new groond in—and the T👕!) (Apart from Glennn from Ashington who did gan again!)ðŸ˜ĩ‍ðŸ’Ŧ

18 year old Sean’s forst goal came in the 16th minute from the penalty spot and the next goal came just before the 30 minute mark when he ran doon the right wing and cut inside the box to fire home! ⬇️



Hiz third goal came just before the break when he ran through the Boston defence to send a shot beyond their keeper! ⬇️

HT 3-0 to us



‘The Tea Party Brigade’ did pull a goal back not lang after the restart through Maguire, (shot) but that woz the end of the scorin!

FT 3-1 to us!


The result lifts NUFC U21’s up to 2nd place after 2 games in the Group D table, behind Boston who have played aall of their 4 games! (Top 2 qualify for the knockoot stage!)
Next up iz Halifax and Scunthorpe away in Decembaa, where we’ve been tee previously az well!
(So nee new groonds for The Toonhoppers in Group D😭)




Wednesday, 8 October 2025

375 stade joseph marien, brussels (v usg u19s)

Grovelling apologeeez for the late posting of this U19s game, which woz played one week ago in Brussels,  but this IZ The Geordie Times, wot did yoo expect!ðŸ˜ĩ‍ðŸ’Ŧ⬇️

Ground number 375 (376 includin Motspur Park from ootside)

Date of first visit: 1st October 2025

Stade Joseph Marien, Forest, Brussels, Belgium  

Royal Union Saint-Gilloise U19s 2

Newcastle United U19s 0

UEFA Youth League game 2

Attendance: 1,500 (estimated). 50 or so Toon fans (plus 20 or so watchin from a fire escape on a big hoose owerlookin the groond and from behind a fence bordering a forest!)

“YOU NEEDED A MASTERS DEGREE TO BUY A TICKET FOR THIS GAME!”




USGs forst team arn't allowed to play Champions Leegue games at their own stadium az it isnt deemed suitable by UEFA,  with just one 100 year old dilapidated main stand, with the rest of the groond open to the elements!

This iz why wor game against them woz played at Anderlecht's Lotto Park on the other side of Brussels!

However!---there were nee such issues with their U19s UEFA Youth Leegue game bein played there v NUFC U19s, some 4 hours before the main game!

This woz great new for 'The NUFC mad-sad groundhoppers' who had been to Anderlecht before to watch The Toon, but have NEVER been to the Joseph Marien Stadium in the Forest district on the southside of Brussels!

The anly problem woz actually gettin a fcukin ticket for the game!

To get one you had to:

1: Create an accoont on their website

2: Enter a 10 digit password usin letters, numbers and astericks

3: You needed to photograph your passport in front of you IF you could find the Onfido option to verify its YOU! (Photos of your passport were NOT deemed good enough!) 

4: Then you needed to download it to your wallet IF it would let you!?

(I had to get help from somebody who iz clued up on these things (Steev) az I havvint got a masters degree in ticketing!

But even he took 20 minutes to find the Onfido option to download it to mee 'telling bone'!---ðŸ“ą "Horray!"



Honestly! it would be easier to buy a ticket for the Champions Leegue final than for this Under 19s game! (Why did they make it so fcukin hard to buy a ticket for a minor game?)

Anyway!---enough of that!

We stopped in a hotel in Kortrijk, which iz a smaall town a few miles away,  az it woz much cheaper than the hotels in Brussels (100 euros for 2 neets) --- (Brussels iz a shithole anyway!)

After arrivin by train to Brussels Sud (South) we got a tram to Forest, where USG play and wor forst 'port o call' woz a bar near the groond caalled 'Pita Corner', before movin on to 'Union's Taverne' ower the road from the main stand, which woz covered in scaffoldin'!





The bar woz canny full with a mixture of USG and Toon fans (who must of aall had masters degrees!)





It woz soon time to heed to the match, where a gadgy checked wor phone tickets with a scanner and 'hey presto' we were in the groond!

The groond consisted of a dilapidated 99 year old main stand (built 1926) with open terracin on the far side and bucket seat terracin behind both goals, which had nee cover eethaa!---Its hard to imagine that this iz the home groond of the Belgian champions!? (see photos) There woz a forest suroondin the terracin' which iz why this area of Brussels iz caalled 'Forest' —we assumed!?

We took wor seats which were simple wooden planks on conrete terracin' and I had a great view of a metal roof post in front of me! (see top photo!)



It didnt take the home side lang to open the scorin, when in the 6th minute Hamoutahar evaded the challenge of Toon defender Scott Bailey to run into the box and fire into the net, to give USG youngins the lead!---



Sean Neave nearly levelled things a few minutes later, but hiz lobbed effort woz saved by the Union goalie!---Anthony Munda aalso went close to equalisin, but hiz shot woz blocked by a defender!



 It woz mostly USG on the attack for the rest of the half az wor U19s stuggled to contain them!

SPOT THE THIN PLANK 'SEATS'

The crowd numbered aboot 1,500, mixed with USG, Toon fans and USG club staff, who were aall in the ancient stand ---and the anly other 'spectators' were 14 or so on a fire escape of a large hoose on the hill above the groond!---Plus half a dozen or so in the forest behind, glimsing a view of the action from behind a fence! ⬇️



In stoppage time of the forst half USG doubled their lead when Kieta heeded past George Mier in wor goal!  HT 2-0 to them! 

NUFC U19s played better in the 2nd period with Sean Neave running doon the pitch to hit a sweet shot that woz deflected behind for a corner early on!

Neave then hit the post late on with a curling shot, but it deflected to safety and wor hosts held oot for the 2-0 win!



On the final whistle we caught a tram and Metro to Anderlecht for the main Champions Leegue game, which kicked off some 3 hours after this one finished! 

A match report on that game can be foond lookin for 'ground 143 revisited'!

PS: NUFC U21s are in action tooneeet v Boston United at their Jakemans Stadium in The National Leegue Cup!

Az The NUFC mad-sad groundhoppers have been here before, we won’t be gannin!

(We anly gan to these games if it’s a groond we havvint previously visited!)

 

Tuesday, 7 October 2025

IT’S 4 YEARS TO THE DAY SINCE THE PIF BOUGHT NUFC!

 Posted ‘high noon bells 🔔’ Tuezday 7th Octobaa 2025



Since the PIF took wor great club ower 4 years ago today, we have avoided relegation, when we looked certainties to gan doon!

Qualified for the Champions Leegue twice!



Won a major domestic trophy after 70 years of abject failure and FIVE relegations!

Broke wor transfor record TWELVE times! *** The latest bein’ £69 million for Nick Waltemade!

Progress indeed since the misery of The Fat Controller’s leadership? and previous regimes!

“WE’VE GOT BRUNO IN THE MIDDLE!”
ðŸĪŠðŸ‘ðŸðŸ†ðŸĨ‡


Monday, 6 October 2025

THE TOON 2. THE FRIAR TUCK MOB 0 *** PREMYAA LEEGUE 2025-2026

 Posted a lang time after ‘high noon 🕛 bells 🔔’ Munday 6th Octobaa 2025



“TWO FOREST’S IN FOUR DAYS!”

Followin on from the junior game last Wedinzday afternooon in Belgium, when wor U19s lost 2-0 to USG U19s in the Forest district of Brussels, we faced anothaa ‘Forest’ in the shape of the one from Nottingham, where we won 2-0 to climb up to 11th from 15th yesterday! (A match report on the U19s game will appear here at ‘high noon bells 🔔’ on Wedinzday!—a week late, but this IZ The Geordie Times!— wot did yoo expect?)



In a lot of ways it woz a frustrating, scrappy game with ex Toon goalie Matt Sels havin a blinder and great luck to deny various Toon players of a goal!

Joelinton had 2 great chances in the forst half, but Sels stopped both, az The Friar Tuck Mob defended The Leazes goal, with very little in attack!—They even time wasted az well!

HT 0-0

Shots from Tonali, Waltemade, Thiaw, Barnes, were stopped somehow by Sels— two from point blank range with hiz legs!

However, the breakthrough finally came in the 59th minute when a Dan Burn ðŸ”Ĩ pass foond Bruno and he sent a MAGnificent shot from the edge of the area past Sels, who had ‘nee chance’ of stopping it, az it hit the right hand side of the goal net!



A massive relief against a very poor Forest side who now faced their 7th winless game under new manager Potofsuperglue (or whatever he’s caalled!)

Nick Waltemade then hit a shot from inside the box, but it ricocheted off the cross bar with Sels in no man’s land!

We needed a 2nd goal and that finally came in the shape of a penalty, when Bruno woz hacked doon just inside the box by former Toon starlet Elliot Anderson and the ref, who had had a terrible game, pointed straight to the spot!

Up stepped wor new super hero Nick Waltemade (the 2 metre Messi!) to send an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net at The Gallowgate End in the 83rd minute to put the game to bed! (He haz now scored in 3 Premyaa Leegue home games in a row since makin hiz debut— A record he now shares with Alan Shearer and Les Ferdinand!)

HAPPY FANS LEAVE THE GROOND!

RIP ðŸŠĶ WILLIE!

One sour note to report iz that former goalie and Fairs Cup winner Willie McFaul (who aalso managed NUFC) who died on Saturday, wasn’t acknowledged by a minutes silence before the game!

The same could be said for Fairs Cup winners Wyn Davies and John McNamee etc, who seem to be ‘airbrushed’ from wor history books!

A very bad show from NUFC!ðŸĨķ



Attendance: 52,189 (3,000 Friar Tuck Mob)

*Explanation: Friar Tuck woz one of Robin Hood’s merry men who came from Sherwood forest near Nottingham!—‘The Friar Tuck Mob’ —-Get it?ðŸĪ”


Saturday, 4 October 2025

THE TOON V THE FRIAR TUCK MOB *** TOMORROW AFTERNOOON!

 Posted ‘high noon 🛎️ bells’ Saturday  4th Octobaa 2025

“FOREST ARE AWAY TO NEWCASTLE TOMORROW ROBIN AND I’M TRAVELLING UP ON THE 7:30 STAGE COACH FROM SHERWOOD FOREST!”

LAST ONE BEFORE ANOTHER BREAK!

We gan into tomorrow’s game with 6 points from 6 games, against a Forest ðŸŒģ team who have yet to win this season under new coach Ange Pistazanewtalou (or whatever he’s caalled?) who haz made the worst start for a Forest manager in their entire history (and long may it continue!)  So bad that their fans are calling for him to be “sacked in the mornin!” after just 3 weeks in charge!

Yohan Wissa’s knee injury iz worse than woz feared and he iz now not expected to play until at least mid November!— Then he will be off to The African Nations Cup in Decembaa and the very real possibility of him not playin for us til late January!—Unreal for a £55 million poond striker who haz yet to kick a baall for us, or even train!!!

Jacob Ramsey iz expected to be at least on the bench, while Tino Livramento will be oot for a while after bein stretchered off v The Arse last Sunday!

We really dee need to pick up 3 points tomorrow to climb up the Premyaa Leegue table!

PS: I’m busy working on the match report for wor U19s v USG U19s in Brussels, played before wor Champions Leegue game last Wedinzday!

It will be published sometime durin next week, when aa get time to dee it!  

A match report on the Forest game will appear here on Munday!

Az per usual: “Watch this space!”

Thursday, 2 October 2025

GROUND 143 REVISITED *** USG 0. THE TOON 4 *** CHAMPIONS LEEGUE GROUP STAGE MATCH TWO

 Posted from ‘high noon 🛎️ bells’ Thorzday 2nd Octobaa 2025 on a train somewhere in Belgium! (So, sorry 4 eny misstayks on the bumpy trayn 🚂 ride!)---Updated Friday 'high noon bells' (onwards!)

Ground number 143 revisited (1st visited 1990s v Anderlecht, friendly)

Date of this visit: 1st October 2025 (121st competitive European game in a row 1977-2025)

Lotto Park (formerly Stade Constant Vandenstock), Brussels , Belgium

Royal Union Saint-Gilloise 0

Newcastle United 4 (Waltemade, Gordon (2 pens), Barnes

UEFA Champions League group stage game 2

Attendance: 16,038 (1,000 plus Toon fans) (plus 5 who sneaked in!)



“BEER WE GO!” ðŸŧ ðŸŧ 

This woz undoubtedly wor best away European performance since we beat Royal Antwerp 5-0 in the 1990s in the UEFA Cup!  Aalso in Belgium!

The game woz played at Anderlecht’s Lotto Stadium az Union’s groond isn’t fit for purpose to stage big European games!

The goal sequences were az follows:

17th minute: Waltemade latches onto Tonali’s shot to deflected the baall past the Union keeper in front of The Toon Travellers! 1-0 to us!

VIEW FROM THE FRONT ROW, TOP DECK!---WE COULD'NT FIND WOR SEATS AZ SOME TOON FANS HAD RIPPED THE SEAT NUMBERS OFF!

Belgian booze woz allowed into the seated area and I got a beer shampoo when somebody hoyed it when we scored!

43rd minute: Elanga iz brought doon on the edge of the box and the rep points to the spot!  Up steps Anthony Gordon to send the keeper the wrang way to double wor lead! (More beer shampoo!) HT 2-0 to us!

OPTICAL ILLUSION?---THE STADIUM LOOKS MUCH BIGGER THAN THE 21,000 CAPACITY!---WITH 6,000 EMPTY SEATS THEY COULD EASILY HAVE GIVEN WOR FANS MORE TICKETS, THAN THE MEAGRE 1,000!----SOME CORPERATES DIDN'T TURN UP AND FANS BACK IN THE UK WERE CONTACTED ON THE DAY OF THE MATCH, TO SAY THEY COULD NOW GET TICKETS!

64 th minute: Another penalty at the far end from us, this time for hand baall! Gordon steps up again and sends the baall to the right of their keeper, who dives the reet way this time, but the shot iz too powerful az it hits the back of the net! 3-0 to us!

Yet more beer shampoo ower mee heed!

80th minute: Sub Harvey Barnes completes the rout when he iz put through and hits a sweet shot to complete the rout!



For the 4th time in the match, we got well and truly ‘shampood’!— This meeenz I won’t need to wash mee golden locks in the shower back at the hotel and save a tenner in the process! 



The win catapults NUFC up from 26th in the Champions Leegue table to 11th, which iz good enough for a play off place!⬇️





Attendance: 16,038 (Just ower 1,000 Toon fans!)(At least five sneaked in, sayin they were'corperate' and they just let them through withoot checkin if they had tickets!)
I’m on that photo somewhere?  
If yoo know — yoo know!


“THE END GAME!”

Benfica and Athletic Bilbao at SJP next in matches 3 and 4!  So we actually have a great chance to qualify for the knockoot stage, withoot the play offs!?

This brief report woz written on a train in Belgium and will be fully updated sometime on Friday when we get back! ((Includin bar crawl photos!)

A match report on wor U19s 2-0 defeat at USGs Joseph Marien Stadium, played in the afternoon before the main game, will appear sometime ower the weekend!

Az per usual “Watch this space intentleee!” ⬇️

Updated Friday ‘high 🕛 🔔s

Drinkin den report!  

In total 12 different drinkin dens were visited on this trip to Belgium, via France, startin and endin at The Barrel Vaults near King’s Cross station! 

FORST AND LAST PORT O CALL IN LONDON

THE MENIN GATE WAR MEMORIAL AT YPES, BELGIUM AND THE UPRA INN ON THE LEFT

CAN YOO SPOT THE FORMER NUFC NUMBER 9? 
LE PAM PAM, YPES, BELGIUM

PARK CAFE, ANDELECHT, BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

I'VE GOT NEE IDEA WHERE THIS BAR WOZ? ---JUST REMEMBED--ITS IN ANDERLECHT!


UNION TAVERNE, FOREST, BRUSSELS (BEFORE U19s GAME)
EVEN THE TOOL SHED BOG SEAT HAZ A UNION STICKER ON IT!


JOSEPH MARIEN STADIUM COVERED IN SCAFFOLDING NEXT TO UNION'S TAVERNE

STADIUM VIEW FROM PETA CORNER, FOREST, BRUSSELS
PETA CORNER, UNION SG PIX

PETA CORNER, FOREST, BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

THIS MUST BE A MILLION TO ONE CHANCE!---SVEN-GORAN ERIKSSON, THE OWNER OF THE DEN BRAS BAR, IN THE SMAALL TOWN OF KORTRIJK (WHERE WE WERE BASED FOR 2 NEETS NEAR BRUSSELS) SHOWS US A FRAMED PHOTO OF SJP!!!
CAN YOO SPOT THE SJP PHOTO ON THE WAALL?🠉
DEN BRAS, KORTRIJK, BELGIUM

CAFE CASSIMIR, KORTRIJK⬆️⬇️

A VERY SPOOKY PLACE THAT PLAYED HEAVY METAL MUSIC!

GAINSBAR, KORTRIJK, BELGIUM

LE PARVIS DE TREILLE, LILLE, FRANCE

LE CHOPP'ING, LILLE, FRANCE

*MAD-SAD TOURIST PHOTOS TO FOLLOW!⬇️
KORTRIJK CATHEDRAL


YPRES
MENIN GATE, YPRES
MENIN GATE
MENIN GATE MEMORIAL




MARKET PLACE, YPRES

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