A New Era

Ever since Graeme Souness took charge of Newcastle United we started on our slippery slide to the Championship. Some players bought by Sir Bobby Robson, who were frankly a disgrace to the club, were also to blame but Souness started the rot. Having stabled the club from the shock of Keegan's 2nd departure in Jan 1997, Robson built a team to at least challenge for a spot in Europe. However not all the fans were behind Sir Bobby and in the end neither was Shepperd.

Robson was then followed by Souness who was brought in to sort out the bad lads.

He lasted 87 games and took us down the table. Shepperd then got Glenn Roeder, who was running the youth academey very successfully, to help out along with Shearer and we picked up form and managed a 7 position finish - enough to see us into Europe. Roeder impressed and was given the job but things went badly wrong although we won the Intertoto cup and gained entry into the Uefa cup, our league form suffered as do most teams who enter the Intertoto cup.

Roeder took us down the league table and was then axed to make way for Sam Allardyce. As Shepperd brought in Big Sam he also sold the club along with the Halls to the present owner and Enemy Number One Mike Ashley. Ashley thought of Newcastle United as a bit of fun and began watching the away games amongst the fans with his xxx large replica shirt on. Things did not go to plan and Allardyce was far from pleasing the Geordie nation with drab football week in week out, it was only time before the fans got restless. Having spent many games amongst the fans; Ashley then fired Allardyce and paid him off . The club now had no debt but also no manager. In comes Kevin Keegan and Newcastle erupts with joy and confusion.

The media can't believe it saying it will all end in disaster but the majority of Geordies are happy.

Keegan is in the stands to see Newcastle take on Stoke and give them a thumping in the F.A. Cup replay. Keegan's first game against Bolton at St James' is an emotional encounter but the game itself was forgotten quickly. Another 9 games passed before we got that first win and the media were all over Newcastle United, again blaming the fans . I find it very difficult to understand how it's all down to the fans - is it because of our passion, money or patience? The press seem to have an agenda against the supporters of the club by printing rubbish and false statements, if only they did they're homework before they print. People believe the crap they publish but it's simple: all we want is good football so why bother paying if it's ugly?

So Keegan finally got the win we were looking for and the points started flowing in and we avoided certain gloom and our premiership survival was assured. The new season came with some question marks hanging over the club - Denis Wise, his signings, players up for sale.

Manchester United away was not the start we wanted but it meant we got it out the way early. Newcastle get a 1-1 draw and everyone was happy. This was followed by a home win to Bolton and an away win at Coventry and James Milner's last game. This prove to be the straw that broke the camels back as Keegan left the club because his hands had been tied in the transfer market. All Keegan wanted was to be able to buy some decent players and keep our best. As rumours circled that Owen was put up for sale and Milner was released, Keegan did the right thing and turned his back on Ashley not the club. Keegan is no puppet and would not pick Denis Wise's team each week. Although Ashley had an easy decision to make, Keegan or Wise, he picked his London buddy as the Media rubbed their hands together and proclaimed Newcastle United a joke club. Keegan still has his integrity and Ashley's seat was now empty at away games. He is not welcome to suffer with us and we can never forget what he has done to this great club. We had been dragged through dirt for many years now but Mike Ashley dragged us, through shit and left us there. He has released a statement to say sorry but it is weak and it's not going to get us out of the championship.

We need to get behind the new manager but we must also appoint the right man. Shearer, Bruce or whoever it is, we have got to keep going and supporting the club.

The club - who or what is the club? Mike Ashley and Derick Llambias, or the fans players and manager?

If the club is Assley and lameass then we need to take a long look and begin getting them out or turning our back on them and not going to the games. Personally I hope we get rid of the two and get a good manager capable of getting us out the championship.

Going away to Doncaster and scuntorpe will not be easy and we could stay down for years before we get back.

We must not forget that Ashley dragged us through the shit and left us there, we have to get him out and hope for a future for OUR club.

Wor Al

Statement issued by the owner on Tuesday:

"Seeing Newcastle United relegated from the Premier League has been a catastrophe for us all."I fully accept that mistakes were made during this and previous seasons and I am very sorry for that."I would like to say sorry to our magnificent supporters who have turned up in their thousands, home and away, up and down the country and who have given the team amazing backing throughout."And I would also say sorry to all of the Club's hard -working staff, who have gone about their jobs all year long."Bringing Alan Shearer back to Newcastle United was the best decision I have made. Alan and his staff did all they could to try and keep us up in the short space of time they had."Talks are now ongoing between us about how we can take this Club forward again."

Stoke City

So 0 points taken from Man U, Arsenal and Chelsea in our last games at st james and staring relegation in the face. We come up against Stoke City on saturday hoping again for a good performance and 3 points. If there was ever a time we needed 3 points since keegan joined as manager the first time its certainly now. Stoke have an impressive home record with only 3 defeats all season so we will have to be at our best. Shearer has come in now to save us from the drop and with a decent performance against chelsea we need to pick up a little against the smaller clubs as we looked a little tired on Saturday in the second half. Liverpool and Aston Villa now provide the most difficult fixtures on paper left this season and while West Brom and the Smoggies look to be doomed sunderland are looking increasingly likely to go down with difficult games against Chelsea, Everton and Man Utd to play and Hull who have been loosing games for a while now and only picking up draws here and there have a difficult task of Man Utd, Villa and Liverpool. So 3 point on saturday can really lift the spirits and give confidence to the players.
The doom mongers are all at us because we are a big club and they want us to go down but they have all been saying for years now we are not a big club and we dont have the best fans, well i hope to prove them all wrong by staying up first and then we will see.
so my prediction has now changed and i think we will finish above West Brom, Smoggies, Mackems and Hull yes i think the Mackems and the Smoggies are down with West Brom.
Lets hope the appointment of Alan Shearer will pay off and silence the critics again and then we can look forward to premiership football next season.