This website iz dedecated to the Newcastle United groundhoppers who follow the fortunes of the team aroond the world (and beyond!) The ground totals include competitive and friendly forst team, resorve team, junior team and Newcastle United X1 games that 'the mad-sad groundhopper' has attended, aall for Newcastle United games only, in the last SEVEN decades*** cheers!***'Fink' (the mad-sad groundhopper!)***last count 379 (380 inc Motspur Park outside)
Posted ‘10:00am bells ð Thorzday 30th July 2026
News reaches us that Eddie Howe haz left NUFC and iz to be replaced by a Jawman caalled Matthias Jaissle who managed Al Ahli from Saudi Arabia to 2 Asian Leegue titles in 2025 and 2026
Before that he woz with Red Bull Salzburg of Austria, where he won back to back leegue titles and the Austrian cup!
He iz 38 and loves attacking futbaall!
Obviously much more to follow az the day progresses! ⬇️
Posted '4:00pm bells' Wedinzday 29th July 2026 Updated 9:30 ðs
NUFC play wor 3rd pre season friendly doon in the west country tooneet, when we take on Bristol City at '7:30 bells' at Ashton Gate!---A groond we have been tee many times before!
Amazingly aall 3,417 away tickets have been sold for this 600 mile roond trip kick-aboot!
Geordie Times cheeef reporters 'Sarnie Steve' (aka Blokey) and 'Paul the Englishman' will send us some photos of the game and (hopefully?) some boozers az well!
WE will of course bring yoo the result az soon az the game iz finished!
Az per usual "Watch this space"!!
Updated 9:30pm bells ð
A horrendous 4-1 defeat, with wor goal comin from Harvey Barnes and then Botman scores an own goal! ðĨķ
And Eddie Howe’s reaction to a 4-1 defeat to a Championship club!?ðĪ⬇️
PS: Both Sarnie Steve and paul the Englishman are sacked coz they sent no photos!ðĩðŦ
PPS Updated Thorzday mornin
Sarnie Steve HAZ just sent us photos from Bristol, so we’ve unpacked him!⬇️
PPosted ‘high noon ð ð️ bells’ Sunday 26th July 2026
A somber mood woz in evidence before kick off, az a minutes silence woz impeccably observed for Special ‘K’, in wor first game followin hiz passing last Munday!
It woz one of those games that you will forget by next Saturday, az The Toon huffed and puffed kickin towards the goal at the east end of the stadium!
NUFC wore the new dark blue away kit, while The Heed played in black n white halfed shirts!
Sean Steur woz makin hiz Toon debut in a fairly strong line up! However new signings Akashi Bamba and Bazo Toure were not part of the squad!
Make nee misstayk we had a boat load of chances to take the lead, but luck and good fortune for The Heedbangers, kept the score at nil-nil!
And then a rare Heed attack in the 34th minute resulted in the first goal!
A free kick on the edge of the box deflected off The Toon waall and The Pope in wor goal woz too slow to get the defection before Luke Supyk who slotted the baall into the net to give the home side a 1-0 lead!—-To the delight of the 1,000 or so Heedbangers in a mixed 7,000 plus crowd!
Thats the way it stayed til the break!
We were nee better in the second period az withoot a proven striker on the pitch (still absent due to World Cup duty) we couldn’t find the net!
Just when it looked az though non leegue Gatesheed would pull off a shock win, a Lewis Hall cross hit Heed defender Ben Williams who inadvertently put the baall into hiz own goal to level the score in the 79th minute! (It shud be noted that the smaall seated area behind the west goal woz closed)
There were nee more goals and quite a few in the crowd had left before the full time whistle in a somber occasion followin the death of King ð Kev!
Attendance: 7,195 (6,000 Toon fans in the home and away sections!)
GATESHEED PUB CRAWL PIX
6 BOOZERS VISITED
The start of a new season and the start of a new pub crawl!ðšðšðšðšðšðš
Before the game⬇️
Aalso the crowd of ower 7,000 iz nearly 10 times wot Gatesheed normally get, which iz a very welcome boost to their coffers!
Posted ‘high noon ð bells ð’ Friday 24th July 2026
The new season iz now just under a month away and wor forst public friendly takes place tomorrow dinnaatime at Gatesheed International Stadium v Gatesheed FC
It iz sure to be a somber occasion az this will be wor forst game since King ð Kev passed away on Munday!— Black armbands and a minutes silence/applause? (we arnt sure which?) will then follow before the ‘12:30 bells ð’ kick off!
The imminent signing of Akashi Bamba from ASMonaco iz expected today, for a reported fee of £35 million!—We are aall nervous now az previous deals have been hijacked by the Cartel clubs—-so until he iz actually seen wavin a Toon scarf above hiz heed,then—and anly then, will we believe it! —He’s signed this mornin and will wear the number 8 shirt!
Meanwhile the other squad numbers for the new season have just been released! ⬇️
Date of First Visit: 18th July 2026
New Countess Park, Dunbar, Scotland
Dunbar United 1 (Craig)
Heaton Stannington 1 (Giraud)
Friendly fixture
Attendance: 300 (estimated) includin aboot 25 Stan fans
“THEY DON’T LIKE US!”➡️ðīó §ó Ēó ģó Ģó īó ŋ
“WE DON’T CARE!➡️ðīó §ó Ēó Ĩó Ūó §ó ŋ
We decided to dee a bit of ‘groundhoppin’ and heed north of our the border to watch non leegue Heaton Stannington (from the Toon’s east end) play Dunbar!
We let the train ð take the strain and caught the 9:17am bells ð train from The Central (station) and arrived well before opening time!
Had a quick look aroond the harbour where aall the fishing boats and smaall yaughts were anchored, before heedin for the toon centre to dee some much needed tonsil ticklin’ in 'The Castle'! ðš
The 2nd boozer we went in caalled 'The Eagle', had flags of aall the teams in the World Cup hangin off the walls!—-Apart from one!
“Where’s the England flags!?” ‘Tex Taylor’ asked the barmaid!
“A customer came in with a pair of sizzors and cut them down!”, she replied!
Who says the sweaty socks divvint like us?ðĪ
Anyway!--- we left there and heeded for the groond---or more importantly to the Dunbar clubhoose next door, for the final few liquid lubrications before the match!⬇️
It woz a fairly hot day and we took up a space near the halfway line, with a great view of the East Coast main line behind the lefthand goal!
The 25 or so Stan fans (Heaton) were behind that goal and they had a big England flag draped on the fence behind!---The forst England flag we'd seen so far!---Much to the annoyance of some of the locals!---Hopefully ‘Sizzors Man' woz there? ⬇️
But both played in their away strips! Dunbar in yellow and Heaton in blue! Err! sorry! Dunbar in blue—Heaton in yellow!
The forst half woz just like watchin the forst half of the Argentina v England game the Wedinzday before, with nee shots of any note from eethaa team!---It woz soon time to heed back to the clubhoose for the half time 'hydration break' where we consumed more golden liquid!-
We got back and stood behind the 'Train line goal' and just when it looked like it would end goalless, a Dunbar striker caalled Craig, wellied the baall into the net, givin The Stan goalie Lewis Brass, nee chance, to put the sweatie socks one nil up with aboot 10 minutes to gan!
It wozzint until the dyin embers of the game that Heaton were given a lifeline and were awarded a penalty in the 93rd minute, when Morris woz fouled in the box!---Giraud took it and sent the Dunbar goalie the wrang way to level the score!----Immediatly after this the ref blew for full time!
We heeded back to the train station, but not before a final 'gargel' at 'Station Yard' micro pub reet next to the station entrance!
When we got back, we heeded for The Bodega on Westgate Road for the final 'Liquid refreshments' WE were well into double figures now, but somehow aa managed to find the bus stop and heed yem after a couple more! ðĩðŦ(hic!)
“WE WOZ THERE!”. (The proof)⬇️
Posted 7:00pm bells ð Wedinzday 22nd July 2026
POSTED ‘4:14pm BELLS ð MUNDAY 20 th JULY 2026
Very sad news that Kevin Keegan haz passed away reaches us!
A TRUE LEGEND!
RIP ðŠĶ KING ð KEV (Lost but will be never forgotten by those of us who saw him play and manage ⬇️
‘THE NUFC ‘ENTERTAINERS’!
Posted '12:47pm bells' ð Munday 20th July 2026
The Toon's forst pre season friendly took place at the newly named Knox trinin groond on Saturday---A game we couldnt gan tee, coz it woz behind closed doors!
NUFC won 3-0 playin 2 entirely different teams in the 1st and 2nd half!⬇️
Joe Willock, Will Osula and Sean Neave scorin wor goals!
Sorry, there are obviously nee pix of the game, but we went to Dunbar in Scotland instead to dee a bit of new groundhoppin---to watch Heaton Stannington for the east end of the Toon, play Dunbar United
FT 1-1 match report AND PIX on that game on Wedinzday at high noon bells' ð
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| THE 'ALDER SWEENEY' MEMORIAL GARDEN' AT ST. JAMES' PARK |
Posted ‘high noon bells ð’ Wedinzday 15th July 2026 ðīó §ó Ēó Ĩó Ūó §ó ŋ Updated the morning after the night before!ð
Well! here we are on semi final day in the World Cup and Ing-er-land are nearly there!
The anly problem iz dodgy decisions from the ref and VAR and a certain Messi of course!
Big Dan Burn ðĨ iz in the squad again, but we envisage that he will anly be used if the 3 lions are winnin, to stop gap the defence!
So let’s hope he gets at least a little bit game time!
Let’s aalso hope there iz nee controversy and that they reach the final against Spain, who beat France 2-0 last neet!
We will aall be glued to the telly, come the 8 bells ð kick off time in the UK
Howay the Lions! ðĶ ðĶ ðĶ yee can dee it!
Updated the morning after the night before
They hoyed it away in the dyin embers of the game by tryin to defend a 1-0 lead by takin the goalscorer off and packing the defence!—It didn’t work— that’s why they lost 2-1!ð
