THE TOON 2. THE CHELSEEE PENSIONERS 2 *** PREMYAA LEEGUE 2025-2026

 Posted ‘1.17pm 🔔 bells’ Sunday 21st December 2025

“REF FARCE👓VAR FARCE!” 👓 

A game we should have won woz denied by the ref and VAR when Anthony Gordon woz shoulder charged in the box in the 2nd half by Chalbah, but the ref Madley, amazingly waved the protests away az Gordon crashed into the advertising hoarding from the challenge—-and amazingly VAR aalso said it woz a fair challenge and wasn’t a penalty! “Side to side shielding!” woz the VAR verdict!? (A message to the Madley the ref and Bankes on VAR: ‘Specsavers’ are deein some canny deals this week!) 👓  (See bottom of page!) ⬇️

We started off so well in the forst half and took the lead in the 3rd minute when Nick Waltemade wellied in from a rebound off their goalie, to put us 1-0 up at The Leazes End!

It got much better in the 20th minute when Waltemade got hiz 2nd from a Anthony Gordon cross, when he stabbed the baall into the net! 2-0 to us!— Waltemade had another chance to claim hiz hat-trick a few minutes later, but hiz shot went agonisingly wide of the post!—HT 2-0 and we were cruising!

Of course this IZ NUFC and when Chelseee were given an undeserved free kick from 25 yards, it woz converted by James, az Ramsdale in the Toon goal woz unable to reach it! 2-1 to us!

And then the Anthony Gordon penalty incident, which would have sealed the victory, but we were denied by incompetent officials!

Then in the 66th minute, Malik Thiaw slipped and this put Pedro clean through and he made nee misstayk placing the baall beyond Ramsdale! 2-2

Harvey Bannes then missed a glorious chance to put us 3-2 up, but hiz shot just went wide of the post!

In the 5th minute of stoppage time Harvey Barnes woz pulled back on the edge of the box by James when he woz clean through, but again the ref said no free kick, which woz confirmed by VAR, who said: “It woz only a little tug!” by he Chelseee man! (Surely ‘a little tug’ iz still an offence?)

There were nee more incidents and he game ended aall square!

Thats 13 points we have now dropped this season from winning positions!—NUFC would be 3rd top if we had won those games!

Madley and VAR should hang their heads in shame at those diobolical decisions! The worst ref we have had for many a year!— And az for VAR! CORRUPT!🥶

Attendance: 52,226( 3,200 from west London)

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THE TOON V THE PENSIONERS *** PREMYAA LEEGUE 2025-2026

 Posted ‘7.00pm 🛎️ bells’ Friday 21st err! 19th Decembaa 2025

“OPEN AALL HOURS!”

The ridiculous ‘12.30 bells 🔔’ kick off tomorrow dinnaatime against Chelseee for live telly, wont stop Toon fans from enjoying an orly few gargels, az most ‘liquid lubrication locations’ in the city centre are opening orly for some serious ‘tonil ticklin time’!

And with 131 to chose from, it’s a no brainer!⬇️

PS:,Since this woz ⬆️published, Everton have moved 2 miles to Bramley Moore Docks, where there are just a handful of boozers!

We can anly hope that The Toon are ‘up for it’ az we gan for wor 9th win in the last 10 home games, in aall competitions! (Won 8, drawn 1)

Aalso!—We have beaten The Pensioners (their old nickname) 4 times in a row at SJP (3 in the Premyaa Leegue and 1 in the Leegue Cup!)

CHELSEA V NUFC 1914 PROGRAMME WITH ‘THE PENSIONER’ ON THE FRONT COVER!

IF we win it will propel us into the top half of the Premyaa Leegue table and within touchin distance of a Champuons Leegue place!

With a huge injury list with 7 players currently crocked, it could well take its toll with NINE games in January in 4 different competitions, comin’ up very soon indeed! (And a possible 8 in February!)

Anyway!—There will be a Geordie Times match report on the game sometime on Sunday!

APU “Watch this space!”

THE TOON 2. THE COTTAGE PIE MOB OF FULHAM 1 *** LEEGUE CUP QWAATAA FINAL

 Posted just after ‘high noon 🕛 bells 🔔’ Thorzday 20th Decembaa 2025

“I’D WALK A MILLION MILEYS FOR ONE OF YOUR 😊 SMILEYS!”

The real NUFC torned oot last neet and put in a much better performance than we did on Sunday!

The fans were onside and gave the team a great reception az they ran oot!

For the forst time since he signed on deadline day, striker Yohane Wissa woz in the startin line up and within 10 minutes he woz on the scoresheet, when he woz on hand to side foot the baall into the net at The Leazes End, after Lehome in the Fulham goal had parried a cross from  Jacob Murphy straight to Wissa and made nee misstayk from close in! 1-0 to us!

The lead didn’t last lang however, az just 6 minutes later The Cottage Pies equalised from a powerful heeder by Lucic from a Robinson cross! 1-1

There were chances at both ends after this, but the sides went in level at the break!

We tried in vain for another goal in the 2nd period—and just when it looked az though the game would gan to a penalty shootout, wor teenager hero of the day Lewis Miley, (who had played az a full back because of wor injury list) heeded home at The Gallowgate End in the 2nd minute of 6 added in stoppage time, from a Sandro Tonali corner, to the relief of the crowd!

Hiz broad smile said it aall, az he celebrated in front of The Gallowgate faithful! (see photo above!)

In total 8 added minutes were added, but we nervously held oot to clam a place in the 2 legged semi final!

We watched the draw in The Bodega boozer, and drew The Blue Moonies of Mancland! The 1st leg next month will be at SJP in mid January, which might be a good thing if we can somehow take a lead to their place, orly in February! (NUFC have aalready beaten them 2-1 at SJP this season)

The non stop roller coaster 🎢 iz at the ‘high point’ on the track, after bein ‘very low’ last Sunday!

Attendance: 51,301 (1,700 from west London allegedly? They were only in 2 sections of The Leazes End, which holds 500 a section!)⬇️

*Happy 🤪👍 fans leave the groond!⬇️

THE TOON V THE COTTAGE PIE MOB *** LEEGUE CUP QWAATAA FINAL

 Posted ‘high noon 🕛 🛎️ bells’ Wedinzday 17th Decembaa 2025

PITT STREET, FROM THE MILBURN STAND LEVEL 7 CONCOURSE!

“LONDON OR MANCHESTER!?”

Followin Sunday’s debacle at the SOS 💩 we must pick worsels up and  hope that THAT game doesn’t come back to haunt us tooneet!

The question on everybodys 👄 lips IZ—which NUFC will turn up?

I for one honestly divvint naa!

Let’s hope we are in fightin mode and not in surrender mode!

For make nee misstayk, lose tooneet and lose at home to Chelsea on Saturday, then Eddie’s job will well and truly be on the line!

We at The Geordie Times divvint want this to happen of course, but it iz a possibility!  

The PIF don’t want a team in the bottom half of the Premyaa Leegue and will not be happy if we are knocked oot at the qwaataa final stage, or lose to Chelsea!

IF we beat Fulham, then it will eethaa be a London team ( (TheArse, Palace or Chelsea) or Man City, who we will meet in the 2 legged semi final!

Then there’s the little case of wor ever growing injury list! Dan Burn iz added after gettin a rib broken in Sunday’s game when he woz kneed by a dirty mackem player, who should have been sent off for hiz challenge! (He aalso haz a lung 🫁 problem because of this!🥶)

Burn iz added to Botman, Trippier, Lascelles, Osula, The Pope and Krafth on the treatment table, az wor squad get weaker by the week!

The relentless pressure of 2 games every week iz definitely takin its toll on wor thin squad and Eddie!

It’s win or bust time folks!⬇️

378 ulrich-haberland stadion, leverkusen, germany (v leverkusen u19s)

 Grovelling apologeeez for the very late posting of this match report, which woz played 6 days ago, before wor Champions Leegue game against Bayer Leverkusen in Jawmany!

This IZ The GeordieTimes — with the hell did yoo expect?

****************************

Ground number 378 (379 including Motspur Park from outside)

Date of First Visit: 9th December 2025

Ulrich-Haberland Stadion, Leverkusen, Germany

Bayer Leverkusen U19s 2

Newcastle United U19s 1 (Fitzgerald)

UEFA Youth League, game 6

Attendance: 563 (est 150 Toon fans) (plus 6 or 7 watchin from vantage points ootside the stadium)

SPOT THE STADIUM?---TOON U19s IN WOR GREEN AND WHITE CHANGE STRIP!

“WHERE’S WOR MUSIC---LIKE!?”

🎵 This youth game was played in the shadows of The Bay Arena which backs on to it and it woz FREEE to get in—and yoo even got a match ticket az well!⬇️

It kicked off at ‘2.00 bells 🔔’ some 7 hours before the main game ‘next door’!

There were quite a few Toon fans in the crowd az the game kicked off and we held wor own in the orly stages of the game and nearly took the lead when Sean Neave hit the post at 'The Motorway End' ⬇️

Then, deep into stoppage time, Leverkusen's Culbreath heeded home to put them 1-0 up at the break, to loud music ower the speakers celebratin Leverkusen's opener!

The 2nd half woz a bit different az Leverkusen's youngins got on top--and sure enough they doubled their lead through Pohl with a fine strike in the 52nd minute! (Loud music again!)

There were a few ‘freebeez’ watch from ootside the groond behind the left hand goal from where we were! (It woz free anyway, so they didnt have to watch it from ootside the groond???⬇️

3 subs were brought on in the 64th minute, Kyle Fitzgerald, Kacey Wooster and Mason Miley, the younger brother of Lewis Miley, who would play 'next door' later on in the evenin! 

This seemed to galvinise the team and sure enough we hit back in the 72nd minute when sub Kyle Fitzgerald hit a great shot past their goalie to half the deficit! 2-1 to them!

Nee loud music followed wor goal, which angered a Toon fan beside me, who shouted, "Where's wor music---like!?"

However!---we couldnt find the equaliser and the game ended in yet another UEFA Youth Leegue defeat!---Wor 6th oot of 6 games played, to leave us finishin' (not suprizingly!) in joint bottom place in the table! 

*

THE SMBs 1. THE TOON 0 *** PREMYAA LEEGUE 2025-2026

 Posted just after ‘high noon 🕛 🛎️ bells’ Munday 15th Decembaa 2025

“THE WORST EVER!”

I’ve been to every competitive Tyne- wear derby, home and away since I woz 13 years old in 1967 (Including the 1 when away fans were banned!)

54 in total and I can tell yoo that yesterday’s debacle woz the very worst NUFC performance of them aall! 

And that includes the 4-1 defeat at SJP in 1979 when Gary Rowell (who died on Saturday) scored a hat-trick for the mackems!

sund’lind were terrible az well, so the 1-0 defeat makes it even worse, especially when it woz Waltemade’s attempted heeded clearance ended up in the back of wor net, with goalie Ramsdale helpless to stop it!

I don’t want single oot any players, but wor most expensive signings were really bad! None of the othaa players deserve credit eethaa!— Unforgivable in fact!

The mackems hadn’t even had an effort on target when the own goal went in just after the half time break! While NUFC had just 2 efforts on goal, both weak ones, which were easily saved by the mackem keeper!

Not much more to say really, except the bus jorney to and from the Stadium of 💩 woz horrendous az well!

A derby day horror show to forget, but I have a feeling that we will NEVER forget it!

Attendance: 47,158 (2,528 ‘shell shocked’, disbelieving Toon fans!)

*

THE SMBs v THE TOON *** PREMYAA LEEGUE 2025-2026

 Posted '8.00pm bells' Saturday 13th Decembaa 2025 🏁 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 

"THE RIVER TYNE VERSES THE RIVER wear!"                                         "A DERBY LIKE NEE OTHAA!"

Where else in the country do yoo get a derby ‘hate’ match just 12 miles apart, where the fans speak with different accents? (Geordies say “Howay the lads!” while the mackems say “Ha’way the lads!”)

The rivalry and hatred even gans back to the English civil war in the 1600s when The Geordies from the Tyne supported King Charles and the mackems from the wear supported the Parliamentarians!

The Geordies and the King won of course and the rivalry and vitriol ⬅️(We naa aal the big words!) iz still there ower 400 hundred years later!

Then on Good Friday in 1901 at St. James’ Park, there woz another ‘war’ when NUFC played the mackems!

The match never took place az rival fans fought on the pitch before the game started!  An estimated 70,000 to 100,000 tried to gain entry, when the capacity woz just 30,000!

There were even hoards of fans who clambered precariously onto the main stand roof for a better view!

One Newcasil fan woz so drunk, he fell oot of the grandstand, which nearly collapsed under the weight of fans on the roof!

Before lang the pitch turned into a ploughed field! The crossbars were broken in half and fierce fighting ensued!

One sund’lind fans who woz beaten up by half crazed rival fans, sued Newcasil for hiz money back, but lost hiz case and had to pay £70 costs!( A considerable sum in 1901)

Fast forward 124 years and the fiece rivalry and pure hatred iz still there!

To have to gan to 2 matches in the space of a month, to be locked into the groond for ages after the match haz finished, iz fcukin’ pergatory! (Marseille 4 weeks ago and now The Stadium of 💩 tomorrow!)

The sooner we are oot of thiz 💩 🕳️ the better, whatever the result!

Let’s hope and pray 🙏🏻 that it’s 3 points to The Toon and that we can enjoy the rest of the Xmas 🎄 period!

“THE GEORDIE TIMES HAZ SPOKEN!”

ground number 219 revisited, bay arena, levercusen

 Ground number 219 revisited

(125th European competition game ‘in  a row’)

Date of Visit: 10th December 2025

Bay Arena, Leverkusen, Germany

Bayer Leverkusen 2

Newcastle United 2 (Gordon (pen), Miley)

Champions League group stage game 6

Attendance: 30,210 (1,800 Toon fans in away enclosure, plus about 3,000 in the home sections)

🎵 AND THEN WE’LL GO AA BOOZIN—-IN BAYER LEVERKUSEN! 🎶 

The train jorneez from Tyneside on Tuezday didn’t gan to plan, az there were several delays, the worst bein an hour and a qwaataa gannin through Jawmany! I used to say that Jawman trains 🚂 ran like clockwork, but not any more!🥶

We eventually arrived at wor hotel next to Dusseldorf station some 12 hours after crossing the Tyne, totally nackered!—- but not nackered enough to gan for a few gargels 🍻 after dumpin wor bags at the Ibis hotel 🏨 

The next day woz match day and we had 2 games to gan tee! The forst one at 2 bells 🔔 woz wor U19s game v Leverkusen u19s at the little stadium next to The Bay Arena (A match report in that game which we list 2-1, later)

The main game woz at ‘9 🛎️ bells’ and so we had loads of time between the 2 games for several ‘liquid lubrications’ before heedin to ‘The Bay’! (Boozer report at bottom of page⬇️)

TO THE MATCH!

Unlike Marseille, we were actually allowed to gan to the match withoot any escorts before kick off!

We arrived 1 hour beforehand—-and after some ‘gargels’, which you could actually take to your seats!

Seats in the front row of the top deck of the away section gave us a great view of the pitch!

We could see that there were loads of Toon fans in the home sections, openly wearin wor colours (at least 3,000) and there woz nee animosity between rival fans! 👏 

The game kicked off and we attacked the far goal from where we were housed in a corner section!

It woz even stevens in the forst few minutes, with both teams missin chances!

And then disaster struck in the 13th minute! Leverkusen had a corner on the far side from us, which woz floated into the middle!

A mad scramble then ensured and Bruno inadvertently put the baall into hiz own goal, to give the home side the lead! 1-0 to them!

NUFC tried in vain for an equaliser, but withoot havin shots on target after their goal, it woz a ‘no brainer’!

HT 1-0 to them!

Within 10 minutes of the restart we were level when Nick Waltermade woz brought doon by Bayer’s goalie Flekken in the box!

The ref pointed straight to the spot and Anthony Gordon easily dispatched the baall straight into the net, to huge cheers from the Toon travellers in the away AND home sections of the stadium!

Gordon then hit a glorious shot against the post, but the baall rebounded to safety!

Then, on the hour mark Lewis Miley woz brought into the fray to replace an injured Joelinton and not lang after he made history by heedin into the net from a Anthony Gordon cross, to send the faithful wild with delight! (The youngest NUFC player to score in a Champions Leegue game!)

Not lang after Jacob Murphy became the 2nd player to hit the frame of the goal!—But again the baall rebounded to safety!

Of course, az the clock ticked doon, Leverkusen equalised in the 88th minute, to yet again break wor hearts for the 2nd time in a few days, when Grimaldi fired home from close range! (1st Sporz on Saturday with a late goal—and now Bayer on Wedinzday!)😱

The result leaves us in 12th place in the Champions Leegue table in a play off place, while a win would have propelled us up to 6th place and automatic qualification for the knockoot stage!

Talk aboot shootin yourself in the the foot! YET AGAIN! 🦶🔫😵‍💫

PSV Eindhoven are next on January 21st at SJP and the PSG in Paris a week later! 

THE DAY AFTER THE GAME!⬇️

We heeded for Dusseldorf station and the ‘plan’ woz to get the train to Liege for a few liquid refreshments of the alcoholic variety, on the way to Brussels, to catch the Eurostar back to London! 

We had to change at  Munchingladbach ⬇️ and a packed train came in!

At forst we decided to wait for a later train for a seat, but in the end we decided to get on and stand!   However there were odd seats available and so instead of gannin to Liege, we decided to gan straight to Brussels for the ‘gargels’ instead!

We foond a canny bar off the beaten track and stopped there, before gettin the Eurostar!

We then foond oot that the train we were goin to get from Liege woz an hour late—which meant we would have missed the Eurostar back! (So it woz indeed a wise move to gan aall the way to Brussels!)

There were some empty seats on the fully booked Eurostar and we assumed that they were seats for Toon fans who had missed it!

Anyway! When we got back to London we had loads of time to get a few more pints of the broon stuff before catching the last train back to The Toon from King’s Cross!

Another exhausting trip to Europe under wor belt!—And the 125th ‘in a row’ for European competition games for me, between 1977 and 2025! It’s a milestone—-or should that be MILLSTONE?😵‍💫

More match plus ‘Pub crawl’pix to follow!⬇️ az the day progresses!

In total 12 drinkin dens were visited on the way to Jawmany and on the way back in London, Dusseldorf, Leverkusen and Brussels 

LONDON⬆️⬇️ BEFORE EUROSTAR

EUROSTAR DEPARTURE LOUNGE LONDON

DUSSELDORF⬇️⬆️

DUSSELDORF HOTEL BAR⬆️

LEVERKUSEN⬇️⬆️

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⬇️⬆️LEVERKUSEN 

LEVERKUSEN⬆️⬇️

BAY ARENA AWAY CONCOURSE BAR ⬆️LEVERKUSEN

BRUSSELS⬆️⬇️

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BACK IN LONDON⬇️⬆️

BACK IN LONDON⬆️⬇️

LONDON

MORE PIX⬇️

BAY ARENA⬆️⬇️

LEVERKUSEN⬆️⬇️

A JAWMAN XMAS MARKET IN JAWMANY?  SURELY NOT!🤔

A JAWMAN IN TRADITIONAL JAWMAN DRESS!

⬇️