Newsletter

Get your daily update and weekly newsletter by signing up today!

News

Emotive, Divisive, Potentially Influential – Just Another Matchday For Newcastle Fans

10 years ago
Share

This is mental. Today is set to be pivotal in recent history for Newcastle fans. Emotive, divisive, potentially influential; it’s like we’re ripping off the recent effort north of the border and re-appropriating it to football.

Today the Sack Pardew campaign will have their moment. I have to say first off, that I support this idea, and welcome any feedback in the comments below to the contrary. I hope (as the organisers of that campaign do) that the match v Hull can go ahead with the planned protest, while still supporting the team.

However, I also completely respect the views of anyone who takes issue with the protest, to a certain extent.

If you feel uncomfortable with the “mob” approach of 50,000 v one man, I can understand. If you feel that any replacement may be worse and are wary to tempt fate, then I can live with that. However, there is one key argument that is being spewed around the internet/world that I’m just not having. If you subscribe to the below viewpoint, I cannot accept your mindset or credibility.

The argument I’m not having is:

“If you protest, you’ll distract the team from the main business, which is winning the game.”

Before I get to the facts that disprove this, I would like anyone feeling angry at this point (or not) to try a simple exercise. Imagine that you are playing for Newcastle right now (we’ve all done it). Now, imagine the manager is a likeable, capable man who can get the best out of you given the chance to do so. You are about to walk into a cage of hate directed specifically towards this man.

As a talented professional in a well set out, professionally coached team, you will feed off the anger of an emotionally charged crowd to fight for the reputation of the man you know can drive you forward. Negative emotion will become positive drive as you fight with every sinew of your being to relentlessly batter hapless Hull, who will forever regret their misfortune for being the scapegoats on the day that the lesser educated members of the Toon Army dared question a formula, that will undoubtedly turn into a trophy-laden legacy of success.

If you don’t believe the above to be feasible, there are only 2 alternatives:

1.         Newcastle have the worst squad in the Premier League, are deservedly bottom and 5 wins in 2014 to date is a perfectly accurate return for the miserable set of individuals forced on the magnificently capable Pards, who has had his hands tied by Ashley (who he can’t stop complimenting btw).

2.         Newcastle United, with their current squad, are not being managed to the best of their capabilities, should not be bottom of the league and should have won more than 5 games in a calendar year. Ipso facto, Alan Pardew is not a good manager and this may well manifest itself in the form of a clueless surrender at home to Hull by a set of (on paper) superior talented players.

Whichever way you look at it, it’s just not reasonable to suggest that the protest can have any impact on the well-paid, under-scrutinised XI sent out on Saturday.

Either they’ll stand up in the face of abuse against their leader or they agree he’s a lost cause. Injecting real emotion into proceedings via this protest cannot possibly affect them negatively, and if it does, poor lambs, God help them if we get Galatasaray away when Pardew’s master plan gets us to the Champions league.

(To feature like Jamie, send in your articles for our website to contribute@themag.co.uk)

Finally, there’s the matter of the 5th minute protest. This is due to us winning a pathetic 5 Premier League games in 2014 to date. These consist of two away wins and two lucky home wins with injury time winners.

The exception? A 3-0 win against Cardiff when fans made their collective voice heard in an atmosphere described as ‘toxic’ and ‘unacceptable’, people who would maybe prefer to sit and benignly accept 3/4-0 defeats at home to Everton, Man U, Spurs and worst of all, the mackems, to hearing a bit of noise and passion, the key characteristics of the erstwhile Toon Army.

I respect everyone’s choice and will not be disrespectful to any fellow supporter. I only ask the same back.

Furthermore I’d like to thank everyone out there who believes that people power still counts for something. Let’s make our voice heard.

You can follow Jamie on Twitter @Mr_Dolf

Share

If you would like to feature on The Mag, submit your article to contribute@themag.co.uk

Have your say

© 2024 The Mag. All Rights Reserved. Design & Build by Mediaworks