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Opinion

What do people do without Newcastle United and alcohol?

4 years ago
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I love Newcastle United and alcohol.

I’m not scared to admit it, indeed proud to say it.

What on earth do people do if they aren’t fans of alcohol and/or Newcastle United?

It has been something that has puzzled me for many a year and I still can’t get my head around it.

Of course, your family and comes first, making sure they are looked after.

However, you also need those extra things in your life, the important things that make living that much more enjoyable and fulfilling.

I could have added friends to the mention of family above, they (friends) are the ones I tend to do the alcohol and Newcastle United with and are also very important to me. We are social animals and it is that joint experience that really makes it what it is.

I suppose the ultimate expression of my dual love is standing at the bar talking nonsense with my mates about Newcastle United. You just can’t beat it.

It’s not that I think it is big and clever to get such a ‘kick’ out of downing pints and watching 11 blokes kicking a football around, it is just what I enjoy doing.

With football I have long thought it was the pre and post-match hours and days where Newcastle United really comes into its own, rather than the actual 90 minute of action/inaction. The endless conversations about what has happened, what is going to happen and what might never happen.

Football is a strange beast and for me it is the only sport where you can have such endless conversations about it, most of it nonsense of course but I can bet that whenever you meet a stranger and end up in conversation, if they also like football then you will 100% have plenty to chat about.

Other sports just don’t do it in terms of lending themselves to endless analysis, The like of golf is just basically whether they hit it in the hole or not, formula one is just cars going round and round a track, rugby is a playing sport not a talking about one, cricket and tennis maybe there is something to talk about but not for more than two minutes.

However, football is the world sport, such a simple game and yet so many sides to it. Particularly when it is so ingrained in our culture in this country, especially in the north east. It is funny because a fair few times when I have been out with people I don’t know, as couples etc, if you meet a bloke from the north east who isn’t into football, they almost are apologising for the fact. It is just so expected that you will be into football and in particular, Newcastle United.

Which brings us to the current situation.

I can’t believe it is less than 48 hours since the Premier League and others announced no more football for three weeks.

I have only gone less than a weekend so far and already I feel like I am going cold turkey.

I know that the Coronavirus is a far bigger tragedy than me missing my football but it (football/Newcastle United) is something that helps distract me from the stresses and strains of the rest of my life, which I could do with more than ever as we all have this extra massive worry hanging over us.

We are used to having the ridiculously often international breaks for a fortnight but at least you know that normality is set to return at a certain time.

It is the not knowing with this, as we all know that this initial three weeks of no football will be only the start, nobody having a clue of when normality and Newcastle United will return.

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