Tuesday, 18 March 2025

THE TOON 2 THE LIVERBIRDS 1 *** LEEGUE CUP FINAL 2025 *** "IT'S WOR CUP!"

 Posted 'high noon bells' Tuezday 18th March 2025

“IT’S WOR CUP!” (IF YOO CAN SPOT IT!?)

WRITE YOUR NAME IN THE HISTORY BOOKS




THE TYNE BRIDGE EVEN CAME DOON TO CHEER THE LADS TO VICTORY!

Well!---A'v finally recovered from the best day of mee life on Sunday when we beat The Mickey Mousers at Wembley to lift wor forst domestic trophy for 70 years!

This woz mee 10th visit for a competitive game at Wembley watchin' The Toon and with 9 defeats in a row before Sunday, aa woz 'Finkin' "Am I the Wembley Jinx fan!"? (3 FA Cup final defeats, 2 Leegue Cup final defeats, 2 Premyaa Leegue defeats v Sporz, 1 FA Cup semi final defeat and 1 Community Shield defeat!)





Yiv aall eethaa saw the game yihselz at Wembley or live on the telly, so I will just give mee own personal very brief highlights of the game!

It woz obvious from the start that we were 'up for it' az we attacked the far goal where the Livaapoool fans were and we went for 'the jugular' ----The breakthrough finally comin' near the half time break!


45th minute: A perfect Kieran Trippier corner, finds the heed of Dan Burn and hiz powerful heeder across the box beats Kelleher in the Livaapoool goal to put us 1-0 up----Exxxtatic scenes followed in the Toon section of 32,000 fans! 



52nd minute: A Jacob Murphy knockdoon in the box finds Alexander the Great (Isak) and he hit a sweet shot past to double wor lead and double the noise from wor fans behind that goal!

2 minutes before this, Isak had a goal disallowed for offside, so this definitely made up for it!

94th minute: A brief scare az Livaapoool pull a goal back through Elliott---It went to VAR and took ages for the decision to be made!

The ref bundered by first sayin on hiz mic that the goal had been disallowed, but the baall woz then put back on the centre spot to resume the game????

The game finally finished in the 111th minute to wild celebrations from the team, 'Steady Eddie' and hiz back room staff,---and of course us fans, who had waited so so lang for domestic silverware!

The sight of the Leegue Cup bein hoisted up by Bruno, Kieran Trippier and injured Jamaal Laselles brought happy tears to my eyes!

THAT gypsy 100 year curse that woz said to be given in 1955 after gypsies were forcibly removed from wor old trainin groond in Benwell, proves to be a complete myth! 

If there's one thing for certain, when we travel to away games in the future the home fans wont be able to sing, "YOU'VE NEVER WON FCUK ALL!", ever again!



Attendance: 88,513 (32,000 very jubulant Toon fans!)



CUP WINNERS!








FAN PIX


VIEW FROM BLOCK 124, ROW 32, SEAT 36  (The seat number iz imprinted in mee brain!🧠)










The pre and post match 'gargels' took place in 4 different towns and cities on the day before, the day of the match, and the day after! Marlow, High Wycombe, London and then Bormingham on the way back yem the next day!---In total we visited 14 different drinkin dens!  The runnin' total for this season IZ 79 different boozers

MARLOW

MARLOW

MARLOW FC CLUBHOOSE
AZ YOO CAN SEE, WE TOOK IN A SOUTHERN LEEGUE GAME THE DAY BEFORE THE FINAL! FOR THE RECORD, MARLOW 1. TAUNTON 1



HIGH WYCOMBE





HIGH WYCOMBE

HIGH WYCOMBE

HIGH WYCOMBE

HIGH WYCOMBE TRAVELODGE BAR

HIGH WYCOMBE

WEMBLEY, LONDON  YES THEY SOLD BOOZE AZ WELL!

HIGH WYCOMBE

BIRMINGHAM

BIRMINGHAM

BIRMINGHAM (AALSO VISITED FOR BIRMINGHAM CITY GAME)

TELLY PIX WATCHIN’ REPLAY OF THE GAME ON TUEZDAY!⏬️









FAN PIX




PLAYERS AND OWNER CELEBRATIONS










Monday, 17 March 2025

“IT’S WOR CUP!” 🏆THE TOON 2. THE LIVERBIRDS 1. *** LEGUE CUP FINAL 2025

 Posted ‘10:37am 🔔 bells’ Munday 17th March 2025


“10th TIME LUCKY!”

The match report for wor historic win at Wembley will appear here tomorrow az I am incapable of deein a report today!🥴

Friday, 14 March 2025

WEMBLEY NEXT AND PLANS FOR A NEW 65,000 SEATER STADIUM!

 Posted 'high noon bells' Friday 14th March 2025



News reaches us that NUFC plan to move to a new stadium in Leazes Park with a capacity of 65,000 (plus) and leave SJP, where futbaall haz been played since 1880---145 years ago!

Personally, it will be very sad to leave 'wor home', but at least we are just movin 'next door' a few yards away!---IF the above info iz true?

We arn't sure how far this capacity can be expanded, but lookin at the New Stadium drawings, there looks to be plenty of room on each side to expand if nessesary!

More importantleee the new stadium doesn't overlap SJP, so NUFC could play there til 'the new kid on the block' gets built!

The stadium design iz said to be similar to the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, USA, home of The Raiders American Futbaall team!

We are sure that there will be more news on this in the comin' weeks!

ALLEGIANT STADIUM*** IMAGINE THIS ON BARRACK ROAD!

MEEEENWHILE!---there's the little matter of a big game on Sunday at Wembley against The Liverbirds in the Leegue Cup final!

The Toon of course will be massive underdogs, but Livaapoool have been devastated by the penalty shootout defeat by PSG in the Champions Leegue on Tuezday and hopefully they wont be 'up for it' come Sunday afternooon!----In a competition that their fans caall 'The Mickey Mouse Cup', az its the 4th on their peckin order list to win!--While--for us--it meeenz everything to win some domestic silverware after a 70 year wait---1955, when we won the FA Cup 3-1 v Man City at Wembley!---Wor 5th FA Cup win in 5 attempts at the home of futbaall at the time!

Since then and in complete contrast, we have played in 5 cup final and lost the fcukin lot! (3 FA Cup and 2 Leegue Cup finals) 

Lets hope the lads 'torn up' this time and finally end the very lang drought!



32,000 black n white scarfs are to be placed on every seat in the NUFC end, which will be quite some sight come kick off time! (special thanx to club shirt sponsors SELA for the freebeez!)

“ING-ER-LAND CAALLING!” 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 

And finally! Congratulations to Anthony Gordon, Tino Livramento and Dan Burn ( “He’s from Blyyyyth!”) for gettin Ing-er-lad caall ups, especially Dan, who at 32 iz gettin hiz forst ever caall up!

Aalso to Lewis Miley for hiz caall up to the U 19s squad!

Footnote: A match (and boozer) report on wor Wembley ‘sorte’ will appear here sometime on Munday!

Let’s hope it’s a memorable report and not a misery report! 🙏🏻 

Somewhere on the river Tyne on Wedinzday neet! 👇



Somewhere near the river Thames in London on Thorzday neet! 👇



Somewhere near SJP 👇




🤪👍🏁


Thursday, 13 March 2025

WATCH THE CUP FINAL BEHIND SJP!---SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL 'CLUB'!

 Posted 'high noon bells' Thorzday 13th March 2025

(Will re-post this nearer the date!)



'The Leazes End aka Companions Club' on Leazes Park Road behind The East Stand, iz showing the Leegue Cup final on Sunday on their cinema size screen in the large upstairs concert room!



There are NEE daft £10, £20 bookin fees like a few places, az entry iz FREE and the 'liquid lubrications' are at very reasonable prices!---AALL TOON FANS WELCOME!

John Smiths/Camerons £3:90, Carling £4:00, Coors £4:10, bottles of Dog (Broon Ale) £3:80 and  Guinness £4:40 etc! In propaa glass glasses az well! (Nee 'drastic plastic'!) Sarnies £2

KIDS WELCOME AZ WELL!



The bar iz open from 'high noon 🔔 bells' ---plenty of time to get sloshed before the '4:30 bells' 🔔 kick off!



It's a great club with friendly bar staff---Like many boozers theeze days, they struggle on 'non match days' and if it wasn't for St. James' Park just roond the corner, it wouldn't survive!----One reason alone for NUFC NOT to relocate 'oot of Toon' to somewhere like the Gossy racecourse area, which haz been proposed in the past!

"LIKE WE SAY!---IF YI CANNIT GET TO WEMBLEY, SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL 'CLUB'!


Az the old 'Leazes End boot boys' song from 1969 gans:

(To the tune of 'I was born under a Wandering Star')

🎵I woz born in The Leazes End!---I woz born in The Leazes End!

Mee boots are Doctor Martins!---Aa wear mee braces slack!

And if aa see a sund'lind fan!---Aall smash hiz f*****' back!🎵




Tuesday, 11 March 2025

THE JELLIED EELS MOB OF WEST HAM 0. THE TOON 1 *** PREMYAA LEEGUE 2024-2025

Posted ‘6:00pm bells’ Tuezday 11th March 2025

TOON IN WHITE AND GREEN! “MIND THE GAP!”🔭

“BEFORE THE LORD MAYOR’S SHOW!”

Bruno’s outstretched leg goal halfway through the 2nd half from a Harvey Barnes cross, sealed the 1-0 victory ower The Jellied Ells Mob at London Stadium last neet! (Jellied Eels are a favorite delecesee aroond these parts!)

To be honest it wasn’t a very good game at aall with both sides strugglin’ to create and opening!

Just 15 seconds had passed from the kick off when Livramento missed the baall and it fell nicely to West Ham’s Soucek, who completely fluffed hiz lines by firing a shot ower the bar with just The Pope to beat in The Toon goal!



A lucky early escape, but after this we settled doon and had a couple of chances to take the lead through Harvey Barnes but he couldn’t find the net at the far end from where the 3,000 Toon fans were!

And that woz the 'excitment' from the forst period in a very flat atmosphere, in this vast former Olympic Games stadium!--Certainly nee good for futbaall, with fans so far from the pitch!

The 2nd half woz a bit better az we attacked 'wor end' and the breakthrough eventually came through Bruno's goal, az mentioned above!----Just before that a Jacob Murphy centre woz nearly torned into hiz own net by Kilman, but their goalie made a superb acrobatic save, with Alexander Isak unable to get onto the end of baall, az it woz punched clear!

You could  play a game of futbaall in the gaps between the back and front away sections!

And that woz just aboot it! Not a display that The Liverbirds will be shakin in their boots with, for next Sunday's showdown at Wembley, but a confidence booster at least---and with nee more injury scares its lookin a little bit brighter for NUFC, who are massive underdogs for that game!----Dafter things have happened in Wembley cup finals of course (Relegated Wigan beatin Man City in 2013, relegated Birmingham beatin The Arse in 2011 and not forgettin massive underdogs Wimbledon beatin Livaapoool in the 1980s!-----Lets have one of those underdogs results pleeeze!)

The win lifts us from 9th to 6th and level with Man City on 47 points---and just 4 behind Forest in 3rd place in the Premyaa Leegue table!---A place in The Champions Leegue iz 'still on' az well!



Attendance: 62,463 (3,000 Toon fans who made more noise!)

PS: There were plenty of empty seats scattered arond the groond, so attendance wise, it definatly wasnt full by any means!---and certainly not near the end az the disaloshand home fans left in their droves!)

Pub crawl pix in Hackney, London: 4   Runnin total: 66 different boozers this season!









Sunday, 9 March 2025

THE JELLIED EELS MOB OF WEST HAM V THE TOON *** MUNDAY NEET!

 Posted ‘high noon 🔔 bells’ Sunday 9th March 2025

THE LAST TIME WE WERE HERE LAST SEASON! A 2-2 DRAW (ISAK 2)

We heed for’The Smoke’ (London) for the umpteenth time this season, when we face West ‘am at The London Stadium for the 💩 kick off time on a 💩 day for a match!

And there’s a dilemma for Toon manager ‘Steady Eddie’ —-just who to pick to play, with the Leegue Cup final next Sunday! 

Pick a weak team withoot Isak for example, and risk dropping’ points in wor quest for Champions Leegue Futbaall next season, OR play him and risk injury for wor biggest game in 2 seasons!?

We sit in 8th position az of the time of writing this, and a win would send us back to 6th place and within touchin’ distance of the top 5! (And a  Champions Leegue place!)

Aall 3,000 away tickets are sold for this live telly game, which iz great, considerin’ we are back in London in 6 days time!

A full Geordie Times match (and boozer!) report will appear here sometime on Tuezday!

APU “Watch this space!”

UPDATED ‘high noon bells 🔔 Tuezday

On the train back from London!

Ride iz a bit bumpy, mmaking it a bbit difficultt to ttype, so the mmatch reportt won’t apppear hhere til laterr tooneet!—Grovellingg aapologeeez!



Thursday, 6 March 2025

NUFC SEASON TICKET PRICES 2025-2026

 Posted 3:55pm 🛎️ bells’ Thorzday 6th March 2025






Season ticket prices for next season were released at ‘2:30 pm 🔔 bells’ today and The Geordie Times iz forst (for a change!) to bring yoo the news!

🤪👍🏁

And this season’s prices! 👇



Wednesday, 5 March 2025

“KEEP THE FAITH! NUFC!”

 Posted ‘6:00pm bells 🛎️’ Wedinzday 5th March 2025



*Much doom and gloom haz been written aboot wor depleted line up for wor trip to Wembley a week on Sunday!—With many Toon fans writing us off against The Liverbirds, who look certain to win the Premyaa Leegue!

Anthony Gordon’s self inflicted wounds and Lewis Hall’s foot injury, rulin’ them oot, with possibly Sven Botman and (God forbid!) Alexander Isak missin oot az well, haz sent shock ⚡️ waves 🌊 through the NUFC fan base! 😳 

Well here’s some huge plus points from previous cup finals at Wembley this century, when massive underdogs have won converted silverware!

1: In the 2011 Leegue Cup final ‘The Arse’ were red hot favourites to beat Bormingham City!

Bormingham won 2-1 and were relegated at the end of that season!

2: In the 2013 FA Cup final, high flyin Man Citih were odds on favourites to beat already relegated Wigin Athletic

Unbelievably Wigin won 1-0!

3: Portsmoooth defied aall the odds to reach and beat Cardiff City in the 2008 FA Cup final—and yes! they were relegated the followin’ season—-never to retorn to the top flight!

So to aall the doom and gloom merchants oot there, give your heeds a wobble and cheer the lads on, IF yoo are fortunate enough (like me!) to get a final ticket!

Aa naa that we are massive underdogs, but it’s a one off game at a neutral Wembley Stadium and anything can happen, like wot happened to the above mentioned teams!—So pleeze!-pleeeeeze! keep the faith and divvint give up!

Fink (the mad-sad groundhopper!)





Monday, 3 March 2025

THE TOON 1. NE WHERE NEAR BRIGHTIN 2 *** FA CUP 5th ROOND

 Posted ‘just after high noon bells’ 🔔 Munday 3rd March 2025



“OH! (NO!) ANTHONY GORDON!”

It’s dead simple. If VAR hadn’t been used like in previous roonds of the FA Cup, we would have won 2-1 and Anthony Gordon wouldn’t have been sent off and wouldn’t have missed the Leegue Cup final later this month!

ISAK STEPS UP TO TAKE THE PENALTY

It started off so well when The Toon were awarded a penalty at the Leazes End in the 22nd minute when Mintah fouled Tino Livramento in the box— and Isak took it to put us 1-0 up!

Not lang after this, another goal by Isak woz ruled oot by VAR for a clear offside!

Brightin equalised after a defensive mistayk and Minteh ran through on goal and placed the baall beyond Dubravka in wor goal to level things just before half time!

In the 2nd period we just couldn’t find the net az we attacked the Gallowgate goal and then horror upon horrors, Gordon needlessly slapped Van Hecke on the back of the heed and after a VAR check, woz sent off for violent play in the 83rd minute! (Talk aboot self inflicted wounds!)💩What the ‘Hecke’ woz he thinkin aboot? (sic!)



To even things up Brighton’s Lamptey woz aalso sent off not lang after for a 2nd bookable offence!

MEEENIN! Gordon will miss the Leegue Cup final v Livaapoool, giving us even less chance of liftin a domestic trophy for 70 years!

Fabian Schar then won the game in the dyin seconds when he vollied the baall in from close range to send the crowd wild with delight in the 93rd minute!



But then the dreaded VAR got involved and after an agonising 5 minutes the goal woz eventually chalked off az he woz millimetres offside to the utter dispair of Toon fans!

HOW THE HELL IZ THAT OFFSIDE 👆???

Extra time now loomed and again we just couldn’t find the net!

Just when it looked az though penalties would decide the outcome up stepped ex mackem player Danny Welbeck to lob the baall ower Dubravka and into the net to win the game for Brightin at The Leazes End in the 2nd period of extra time!

From a 2-1 win to a 2-1 defeat! The agony of it aall!— Fine margins indeed!



Attendance: 51,566 (Just 1,000 Brighton fans-but they were very happy at the very end!)

*




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