WHY DE WE DE THEEZE DAFT GROONDS!

Posted '9:28am bells' Monday 13th October 2014

The reason we de theeze daft groonds watchin' the resorves and academy sides iz because we enjoy it!
To watch a match with just 100 hardys souls in attendance meenz that the local boozers (if yi can find one?) arnt full of inebriated idiots chantin' daft songs aboot cr*p ex players and yoo can get sorved quickly!
Aalso it gets us 'oot of the hoose' to meet new faces for a bit crack.

Warwick Rimmer iz one such person who we met at wor U18s game against Man City on Saturday, who waz a scout for Tranmere Rovers. We'd never hord of him, but he telt us that he had been the manager of Sierra Leone in the 1980s and had played ower 500 games for Bolton Wanderers in the 1960s. (more than the legendry Nat Lofthouse!)

I 'googled it' yesterday to find oot that he waz a legend at both Bolton and Tranmere and had made the Birkenhead club ower £14,000,000, findin' new talent to sell on!

He aalso played alang side Toon hero Wyn Davies for Bolton az well and even had a testimonial in hiz honour a canny few years ago (Bolton v Burnley)
He described Sean Longstaff's free kick goal az a one that Ryan Taylor would have been proud of! (a Toon player who who he knew from the past!)

Yes!--yoo certainly meet some great characters at theeze games and we reeely enjoy it!---roll on the next blank weekend when we can visit a new academy/trainin' groond! 

312 (a&b) platt lane academy manchester city *** BLUE MOONIES U18s 2 THE TOON U18s 2

(Ground number 312 a&b)

Date of First Visit: 11th October 2014
Platt Lane Academy, Manchester

Pitch 'A'
Manchester City U18s 2
Newcastle United U18s 2 (og?, Sean Longstaff)

Pitch 'B'
Manchester City U16s 3 ?
Newcastle United U16s 0 ?
(divvint naa the final score!)

Attendances: approx. 100 on each pitch (just 4 NUFC mad-sad groundhoppers, namely, 'Fink the mad-sad groundhopper' (yours truly!), 'Michael the Mag', 'Adam Mac' and wor driver 'Blondie Alan the Morris Dancer'!)

"RYAN TAYLOR OVER THE WAALL!"


'GEORDIE TIMES EXCUUUSIVE!'
SEAN LONGSTAFF'S  FREE KICK GOAL (2nd Toon player from left)
(ball goes in just under bar)


With ne Premyaa Leegue games ower this weekend due to a International break we decided to heed for Mancland where wor acadamy sides were playin' 'The Blue Moonies' academy sides at their Platt Lane Academy complex/trainin' groond, which iz just alang from their old Maine Road groond which they vacated in 2002.

On arrival we made a 'fruitless' trog to try and find a boozer az we still had an hour to spare before the '1 bells' kick off! 
The  Moss-side area of Manchester iz still a place yi would gladly send your muthaa in law tee for a fortneets holiday and even the metal rubbish bins in the back lanes had padlocks on them to stop them bein' nicked!


"THEY'LL EVEN NICK YOUR GARBAGE HERE!"

We passed City's old groond which iz now derelict with weeds and trees growin', where the stands once stood and we could see that on the far side that some new hooses were bein' built where the main stand used to be!

MAINE ROAD---NOW!

After askin' a bedraggled 'local' where the nearest boozer waz located, he telt us that the nearest one (that wasn't boarded up!) waz half a mile away, az he pointed us in the direction of a main road.

Az we had anly 40 minutes to spare now, we reluctantly decided to torn back to the Academy!


ZEBRA CROSSINGS --- MAN CITY ACADEMY STYLE!


A boilin' hot cup of coffee in a smaall cardboard cup waz to be wor 'liquid lubrication' instead of the usual 'alcoholic variety' in the Academy canteen, but at £1 a cup it wasn't good value! <(Man Us Academy in complete comparison, provide yoo with FREE coffee!)

Anyway!--it waz soon time to take up wor standin' positions near the halfway line when 'Blondie Alan the Morris Dancer' realised that we were at the WRANG GAME az it waz the U16s who were warmin' up and NOT the U18s---the game we'd come to watch!

We were directed to anothaa pitch on the othaa side of the complex where we ended up standin' next to an old gadgie in hiz 70s who telt us that he used to play with Wyn Davies at Bolton Wanderers in the 1960's
"Wots your name?" aa asked him curiously. "Warwick Rimmer!" came the reply and he telt us he waz scoutin' for Tranmere Rovers and had hiz notebook and pen at the ready!

The Toon U18s took the lead in the 22nd minute when a mix up in the City defence ended up with a heeded own goal by one of their defenders!---that's the way it stayed til the break and then me and 'Adam Mac' decided to take in a few minutes of the U16s game on pitch 'B', az their game had kicked off orlier and the 2nd half had just started!

A stewardess telt us that, "City where winnin' 3-0 and were well on top!"    I went to take a photo of the action but she telt me I couldn't and shud put my camera phone away!
We moved away az she constantly looked in my direction to see that I had carried oot her orders!---and when she wasn't lookin' I slyly took a couple of pix before we retreated and heeded back to the U18s game after takin' 15 minutes of this game! <(and--No! we won't include it az a different groond az it waz on the same complex! <(Mad-sad groundhoppers rule '27B'!)

NUFC U16s game ---- pitch 'B' ----got the foto ha! ha!

On arrival back at pitch 'A' Warwick telt us that City had just equalised!---He then went on to tell us that he waz once manager of Sierra Leone in the orly 80s! <(ie: we were standin' next to an ex international manager!) 

A brilliant free kick by wor number 7 Sean Longstaff on the edge of the box flew straight into the net ower the wall and Warwick commented that it waz just like a 'Ryan Taylor' free kick, someone he worked with in the past!
Two penalty appeals by us were torned doon (one for a foul in the box--the othaa for hand baall!) before City equalised again in the 88th minute through Charman, for an undeserved draw!

Man City pub crawl (one!)

We said wor 'goodbyes' to Warwick and heeded for the ootskirts of Manchester where some much needed 'tonsil ticklin' took place in a boozer caalled 'The Snipe' next to the entrance to the 'M60 ring road!---It waz then onward through numorous roadworks and we arrived back 'in toon' at '6:45 bells'--- 312 and coontin'! 


"WE WAZ THERE!"



BLUE MOONIES U18s v THE TOON U18s *** PLATT LANE, MANCHESTER *** THIS AFTERNOON!

Updated '8:40am bells' Saturday 11th October 2014

We plan to make a rare 'sorte' this afternoon @ 1:00 bells' when we heed for Mancland for wor U18s game @ Man City's trainin' ground and we are leavin' in a few minutes time! 

It iz ower 9 months since we last did an away youth game, which waz at Man Us trainin' groond @ Carrington! <(we won!)

The reason we are dein' this iz because of course there iz ne forst team action ower this weekend, due to the International break---and we need wor 'fix'! <(and of course it iz a new groond!)

The 'NUFC mad-sad groundhoppers' are slowly pickin' off the Premier Leegue/Futbaall Leegue away trainin' groonds to watch wor youngins, and we have now done a canny few and are into 'double figures'! (see below--in no particular order)

'NUFC mad-sad groundhoppers' away trainin' ground list!
1: Smoggies trainin' ground @ Herworth
2: Leeds trainin' ground @ Thorpe Arch
3 Blackborn trainin' ground
4: Spurs trainin' ground
5: Sheff U trainin' ground
6: Sheff Wed trainin' ground
7 mackems trainin' ground
8: Stoke trainin' ground <(in Newcastle!) <(under Lyme!)
9: Man U trainin' ground
10:WBA trainin' ground


 
 

CONSETT HILLBILLIES 7 THE TOON U21s 4 *** FRIENDLY

Posted 'high noon bells' Friday 10th October 2014

"CONSETT HAVE A PARTY!"

A very youthful U21 side were slaughtered @ Belle Vue last neet az the Northern Leegue outfit slammed seven goals past us on a very chilly neet high up in the moontains of Coonty Durham!

We were 5-0 doon by half time on Consett's plastic pitch, but made a 'comeback'? in the 2nd period with goals from Greg Olley, Stefen Broccoli and a brace from Tom Heardman. The Hillbillies added a forthaa 2 goals to make the final score 7-4 to them!

AALL PIX FROM ADAM MAC

    
Attendance: 300 ('Geordie Times' correspondent's  estimate!)

MORE MAD-SAD GROUNDHOPPERS NEWS!

Posted 'high noon bells' Thorsday 9th October 2014

The resorves have added a last minute fixture to their list for this month and will play 'The Hillbillies' of Consett @ their Belle Vue groond TOONEET @ '7 bells'
Admission iz £6 for big kids, £3 for zimmerframeites and £1 for sprogs!
We have played here before of course when we opened their new groond last November (see Geordie Times match report in right hand tool-bar---ground 306) 

Then on Saturday, az we have anothaa 'blankety blank' Premyaa Leegue weekend due to Internationals, we are 'toyin' with the idea of gannin to Moss-Side Manchester to watch the youngins @ Platt Lane, which iz near Man City's old ground (they used to have an 'end' caalled 'The Platt Lane Stand')


Then next Tuesday afternoon the resorves are off to Waallsend where we are takin' on their famous Boys Club side in a '4:30 bells' kick off az they have ne floodlights! (Bigges Main ground)
Admission iz £3 and £1

"WE JUST KNEW IT!" *** MACKEM GAME CHANGED!

Posted '12:44pm bells' Tuesday 7th October 2014

Az predicted by 'The Geordie Times' (and 99% of Toon fans!), wor game against the SMBs haz been switched from Saturday 20th December to Sunday 21st December with a '1:30 bells' kick off and iz live on SKY

Othaa games moved for live telly in December are:

Sat 6th: Chelski @ St James' now @ '12:45 bells' on BT

Sat 13th: The Arse @ The 'Em' @ '5:30 bells' on SKY

Boxin' Day 26th: The Manc Muppets @ The Theatre of Muppets @ '3 bells' on BT

Sun 28th: The Toffee Noses @ St James' @ '4:15 bells' on SKY

THE SWAN LAKERS 2 THE TOON 2 *** PREMYAA LEEGUE 2014-2015

Posted 'high noon bells' Monday 6th October 2014

THT TOON ATTACK THE AWAY END CLAD IN WOR HORRIBLE
NEW LIME GREEN AND DARK BLUE 3rd STRIP!

"WE'RE IN A RIGHT PICKLE!"

With ne sleep whatsoever after finishin' neetshift at '3 am bells' aa heeded for 'The Central' 2 hours later, to catch the forst of 3 trains which would take us to Swanzee.
Me 2 travellin' companions on this occasion were 'Tex Taylor' and 'Grumpy Stumpy' and we reely didn't look forward to the 6 hours (plus) train journey to sooth Wales!

We arrived on time and az a'm one of those people who just cannit sleep on trains or busses aa emerged from train carriage totally knackered!
Wor forst port o caall waz 'The Villiers' bar which iz half way between the train station and the groond where a few lubrications were hoyed doon wor necks before heedin' for the away tornstiles.

Az iz usual these days anti P45DEW banners were present and were held aloft az the teams ran oot! <(just the kind of 'support' the team needs???)
The age of the cardholders waz ominous!---they were AALL under 30, with most of them inebriated teenagers (who must have had a smell of the barmaids apron!) 
The rest of us '30/40 plus to zimmerframe age', just stood in silence az the protests went on aroond us!

Anyway!--Swanzee took the lead in the 17th minute just after Obertan missed a glorious chance for us, when Bony slid the baall past Tim Krul in the Toon goal after a 'one-two' with anothaa Swanzee player!

Protests then grow louder and more venomous when the word 'Paedophile' iz used against wor beleaguered manager! <("NOT! very nice lads and lasses and completely oot of order!")

Just before half time the unexpected happens when Obertan puts Cisse through and from a very tight angle he fires the baall into the Swanzee goal reet in front of the protestin' Toon fans!
Their protests then torned to support of unbridled joy az Cisse gives a "Sshh!" sign with hiz finger in anger at the protesters!

The 2nd period starts badly when we concede again when Siggerson plays a great baall to Wayne Routledge and the ex Toon player chips the baall ower Krul to put 'The Swan Lakers' back in front!

'Q' more protests with one banner showin' wor sequence of results this year which looks like the name of a Welsh toon!  LLDDLWLLLDWLLL etc!

Cisse than saves P45DEW's bacon when he produces anothaa equaliser at the far end from us when Sammy Ameobi races doon the right wing and crosses to Cisse and he places the baall past their keeper to give us a point!---but we are still in the bottom 3 with ne wins since May!

Conclusion: 25% of wor 'fans' protested from the start (aall under 30) while the othaa 75% DIDN'T <(this includes quite a few teenagers az well who refused to join the 'gang'!)

Aa don't for ONE MINUTE support wor manager, az aa think he shud gan! (hence P45DEW!)---but to slag him off with vile chants before the game haz even started (like at Soothampton and Stoke!) just doesn't help wor cause!

After the game we made for Newport where we were stayin' for the neet!  ONE pint of John Smith's @ £1.99 in the Wetherspoons boozer next to the hotel and aa waz nearly asleep!  An orly neet followed before catchin' the train(s) back to Tyneside on Sunday afternoon!

We came back via H***ford and az we passed through the station aa put mee coat ower mee heed so aa didn't have to see the poxy place! ('1972 and aall that' yi understand!) <(Aa waz there!)

"NO! IT'S NOT A BURKA *** IT'S ME @ H***FORD STATION!"
(pic by Mal the Inglish Skool Teechaa!)

'Grumpy Stumpy had a jar of pickled onions in hiz owerneet bag and we proceeded to eat them by spearin' them with some tooth-picks he had aallso brought!
"We were in a right pickle---just like wor team!"

Toon team: Krul, Janmaat, Coloccini, Williamson, Dummett, Colback (Riviere 69), Tiote, Sissoko, Obertan, Cisse (Perez 85, Gouffran (Sammy Ameobi 58)

Attendance: 20,662 (2,000 Toon fans)

PS: There were a mind bogglin' 29 station stops! from Swanzee back to 'The Central' via Manchester!---a world records perhaps???

Swansea trip, pub crawl (not many!)

THE QUEENS HOTEL, NEWPORT
(After game)

   

THE SWAN LAKERS v THE TOON **** TOMORROW AFTERNOON!

Posted '1:22pm bells' Friday 3rd October 2014

ACTION FROM SWANZEE LAST SEASON *** WE LOST 3-0 !

Orly tomorrow mornin' we heed off for wor langest trip of the season when we make for sooth Wales for wor game against Swanzeee!
We are due to arrive by choo choo train just after '12:30 bells' ---plenty of time for some liquid lubrications before the '3 bells' kick off!

Swanzeee are lookin' for their FIFTH win in a row against us and who would bet against that?????

P45DEW haz been spoutin' off more gobbledegook rubbish in the media and tells us that:
"We are very focused on the game on Saturday and want to win!" 
He then gans on to say:
"It's quite simple really, when all is said and done and therefore after the game it becomes difficult because if we haven't won and it will be difficult again after Swansea!"

"The goal we conceded against Stoke perhaps shouldn't have been conceded but it was!"

Makes perfect sense to us Alan!???? 

Aall tickets for the away end have been sold so we can anly hope that we can witness a better performance than against Sooothampton and Stoke!

A full match report will follow sometime on Sunday or Monday!---watch this space yet again!

311 grounsell park heaton newcastle

(Ground number 311)
Date of First Visit: 1st October 2014
Grounsell Park, Heaton, Newcastle

Heaton Stannington  1
Newcastle United X1  8  (Heardman, Olley, Roberts (2), Gibson, Longstaff,Cameron, Quinn)

Friendly fixture:
Attendance: 400 (estimated) <(plus 3 people watchin' from their back garden!)

"THE 'HEAT' IZ ON!"

"THE MAN IN THE MOON SHINES BRIGHTLY ABOVE
THE NEW FLOODLIGHTS @ GROUNSELL PARK!"
(THE TOON ARE IN GREY)

Mee plan for the day waz to de a pub crawl to Heaton from St James' (2.7 miles!) but that plan waz scuppered when 'Dave from York' text me to say that he waz heedin' for 'The Brandon Villas' boozer at sooth Gosforth for the pre match gargels.
Aa text him back to say that in fact the boozer in question waz caalled 'The Brandling Villas' and arranged to meet him in 'The Strawberry' next to St James' Park and then get the Metro to 'Gossy'

On arrival we had a pint of 'Shuggy Boat' real ale and waited for the rest of the 'mad-sad groundhoppers' to arrive---and in they came in ones and twos, namely 'Alex of St George' and then 'Blondie Alan the Morris Dancer' and hiz sidekick Adam---and then finally 'The Mad Professor!


"THE SHUGGY BOATS ARE ON ME!"


An fierce argument started az to wot they caalled the East Stand at St James' before it waz built in the orly 70s.
Waz it 'The Poplar' side after the trees that stood at the back OR! waz it 'The PopUlar' az it waz a cheap and 'popular' place to stand??? <(the argument raged on for 20 minutes with no solution to the answer!) <(My own opinion waz that it waz caalled 'The Poplar' side!) 


"ESCAPE TO VICTORY!"

Anyway!---enough of that!----It waz then 'onward' across the road to 'The Victory' before heedin for the groond which waz a 20 minute waalk away past the Freeman Hospital.
The clubhoose waz packed but we still had time to 'shovel' anothaa 'real ale' doon wor 'john o groats' before makin' wor way to the far side where there waz a raised grass bank for a better view of the action.

"GARDEN WITH A VIEW!" (pic by Alex of St George)

Peoples gardens backed onto some trees behind the grass bank and uniquely some had greenhooses and gardens encroachin into the groond, where they had a 'free view' of the proccedings! (we had to pay a fiver to get in!)

"IZ THAT A GREENHOOSE INSIDE THE GROOND!???"

The Toon's startin' line up consisted of a mixture of resorve and junior players and within half an hour we were FIVE - nil up with goals from Tom Heardman (pen),  Gregg Olley, Callum Roberts(2) and Liam Gibson! ---(The 'heat' waz certainly 'on' the home side!) 
 ----We were simply too strong for the Northern Leegue outfit and Peter Beardsley's team then took their 'foot off the gas', or else a 'cricket score' would be the final outcome!

HEARDMAN PENALTY
 (fuzzy pic by Alex of St George!) <(he'd had a few drinks!)

The biggest 'cheer' of the night came in the 40th minute when 'one' Dean Deagle' hit a great free kick to reduce the arrears for 'The Stan'!

Three forthaa goals in the 2nd period from Sean Longstaff, Kyle Cameron and Jonathyn Quinn completed the rout az The Toon ran oot 8-1 victors! 

"WE WAZ THERE!"

NUFC MAD-SAD GROUNDHOPPERS NEWS *** "THE 'HEAT' IZ ON!" *** HEATON STANNINGTON v TOON U21s *** TOONEET!

Posted 'high noon bells' Wednesday 1st October 2014

"NEW GROOND!" *** "NEW GROOND!" *** "NEW GROOND!"

Tooneet 'the mad-sad groundhoppers' face the moothwaaterin' prospect of a new groond within the city limits, when a U21/resorve side travel the (very!) short distance to High Heaton to take on Northern Leegue side Heaton 'Stan' @ Grounsell Park in a friendly arranged to switch on their new floodlights!

It iz 58 years since a Toon side last played 'Stan' so it's safe to assume that aall those present tooneet will be witnessin' their forst game between the two clubs az well!?

Admission iz a fiver for big kids and two quid for sprogs and zimmerframeites and we've hord through the grapevine that they have a canny little clubhoose!

A'v decided to de a 'pub crawl' from St James' to the groond and plan to visit 'The Royal Archer', 'The Punchbowl', 'The Cradlewell' <(if it's still open?) and 'The Corner Hoose' boozers, amongst others, before makin' mee way up to the groond, which iz somewhere beside the Freeman Hospital, off Newton Road!

Kick off iz @ '7 bells' and aall are welcome!