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Opinion

Newcastle United fans staying away isn’t apathy as claimed – It is the exact opposite

5 years ago
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Interested to see the local media talking about ‘apathy’ amongst many Newcastle United fans.

In this the thirteenth season of Mike Ashley using and abusing our football club, we have gone through pretty much every emotion.

Now supporters are being accused of basically running out of them (emotions) and having no emotion regarding their football club…

The comment/accusation has being aimed by local media at those Newcastle United fans who are now staying away.

The thousands and thousand of supporters who haven’t renewed their season tickets.

The 8,000+ empty seats in the last home game a very visible reminder of  that. Plus of course the very sparse crowd for the Leicester League Cup match.

So is this apathy?

Definition of apathy: Lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern.

I would say that the Newcastle United fans who are making the conscious decision not to go anymore, are the very opposite of being apathetic.

The same with the many many thousands more who have stopped going since 2007 and especially since 2008, once Mike Ashley first exposed himself for what he really was. Kevin Keegan successfully suing for constructive dismissal, after Mike Ashley and his people lied to him, saying that Keegan would be in control of transfers in and out. Unknown to KK, Ashley had at the same time given the real authority to Dennis Wise.

People haven’t stopped going because they don’t care, if anything, it is because they care too much.

Apart from in very few cases, there is still plenty of interest, enthusiasm and especially, concern, for Newcastle United from the stay away supporters. The vast majority are indeed even more intense in wanting to do everything they can to make NUFC successful.

The point is that these fans think ambition and potential better times in the future are never ever going to happen whilst Mike Ashley remains. So the best way to achieve that is by staying away and helping to persuade the owner that he should be willing to finally sell up.

The simple fact is, that if there is indeed any apathy amongst Newcastle United fans, it lies with some of those who are still going to the home games.

This is where you find some fans who can’t really explain why they are still going, apart from it is just what they do. Yes they are inside St James Park but for some they have no real interest, no enthusiasm for what they are watching and arguably little concern about the state of the club.

I don’t suggest that this is any way a majority of those still attending home matches or indeed a high number BUT these people do exist.

People staying away aren’t like Aston Villa fans for example, who very much come and go depending on results on the pitch.

Newcastle United fans proved that to be the case when crowds actually went UP when we dropped into the Championship but Rafa Benitez committed to stay.

The same passion for the football club when over 51,000 turned up in the second tier is now being repeated by those staying away.

In many ways it would be just easier to keep on going but these fans bothered enough to give it up. In many cases as well, these are long-time season ticket holders who by giving up their tickets are also losing loads of loyalty points, in some cases hundreds of away loyalty points built up over these last 20 years or so.

Apathy is the last word I would use to describe these people.

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