Dear tf,

With reference to the letter from Anthony last week – this is how Freddie Shepherd may have responded:

Darren Gladstone

Dear Anthony

Your naivety astounds me. But thanks for the support, I though Dalglish, Gullit and Souness were all good managers. Come to shearer's and have a drink on me.

Your best friend, Freddie Shepherd

PS: you sound as thick as pig shit. care to buy our new away strip? Only £50! Go on, buy two you mug!


Dear tf,

There is just one thing I can say, I know that England play like f***king Chelsea and that is absolute sh*te, but I am from Serbia and losing 6-0 to Argentina is fu**king shame. Can't wait for the new season to begin, everything else stinks. Best regards from Serbia,

Dinez, Serbia Mags


Dear tf,

Is Michael Owen the most unlucky English footballer right now or what. Had Crouch managed to hit the net, with the goal at his mercy, rather than row Z above the corner flag in the 41st minute then everybody (that's the press mind you ........I've been quietly surprised by most postings from English fans being agreement with what I saw) would have been lauding the front two. 1-0 up at half time would have taken pressure off, TnT would have to attack, leaving them open to counter and I'm sure that 3 or 4 would have been on the cards.

Michael still had chances but, like Lampard, snatched at them without realizing how much time he really had. Michael also suffers from the fact that all our English midfielders really fancy scoring when 10 yards from the penalty area and are disinclined to pass (same is true of Brazil in past World Cups so this may not be a problem).

The Swede's tactics are also a bit strange and he was extremely fortunate that they paid off, especially since both goals came and were created from players who started the 90 minutes (hope I'm correct about the 2nd since it happened so late I did not see any replays). Rooney posed absolutely no threat (is it me or did he look fat?), Lennon took on defenders who were visibly tiring but, like Downing, the final ball was poor. Suddenly up pops Beckham who decides to give a second world class centre and this time the bean pole scores (or did it hit Crouch on its way in?). After that Gerrard gets a well deserved attacking midfield goal and MO is probably bursting a gut with "why not me". Looking on the bright side maybe he can finally understand what it means to be a Geordie? In conclusion, if it was Newcastle, I would be very satisfied....except Robinson was shit.

Mark


Dear tf,

I support Sunderland and we are not very good. In fact, we were at our worst ever last season. I hope we get promoted next season but if not, i would accept winning the FA Cup.

Kevin Atkinson, Painter and Decorator, Chester-le-Street. (Chester-le-Street is 70/30 black and white but so what) Sunderland Till I Die.


Dear tf,

From The BBC BLOG: "I think your commentator Mick McCarthy has a boring voice; it nearly sent me to sleep. I would like you to sack him and give his wages to charity."

Glenn


Dear tf,

The English squad or English football?

How backward do we look? Unable and incapable of matching the verve, organisation, technical ability and out and out quality of a long list of World Cup stand outs ( Argentina, Ivory Coast, Holland, Spain, Czechoslovakia, Mexico, Italy), England have plummeted alarmingly from “most likely” to “least likely” with rumours of Premier League quality lost in the howling gale of laughter from the world’s football community.

Lets get this right: by all criteria Paraguay and T&T are third tier teams making up the numbers. That’s not condescending it’s just the fucking truth. Neither have done an Equador and properly surprised the shit out of people. Their just a couple of hard trying also rans. Back home by next Wednesday.

For 155mins out of a total 180 mins of English world cup football so far witnessed we have been no better than either of these sides. And things aren’t going to get any better. Believe me, a Swedish side wanting to avoid Germany in the second round are going to push Beckham et al way beyond anything so far displayed.

Technically we’re a disaster. Defenders bringing the ball out from the back? Full backs feeding midfielders who in turn feed forwards via triangular formulations and inter-exchanges of multiple passes? Said forwards waiting on defenders shoulders and exploding with pace into the penalty area? Everybody willing and able to transcend 4-4-2 and develop something more organic and fluid when called for?

What?....am I talking a different language? or are we happier with this:

Static central defenders and full backs who dare not advance any further than the show ponies on the wings? The inability to play any ball that isn’t directed at that goon Crouch’s head? A complete ignorance of what Owen is about ‘cos St. David don’t do balls on the deck? Two of the world’s best midfielders “lost in translation” and missing in action in a system that refuses to play to their strengths?

When Crouch scored last night I didn’t cheer and when Gerrard did what he does best I could barely raise a smile.

This is shit football executed by men who should know better and overseen by a manager and a posse of side-kicks who don’t know any better.

What about those substitutions? the blind and misguided cried. What about them? Rooney was shit and unfit and what is so revelatory about a winger taking on defenders? Wasn’t he just doing his job? And Beckham dropped to full back to accommodate it all? It worked out this time but fuck off for the rest of the competition.

Put Lennon in the starting line up by all means but drop the millionaire dead ball specialist on the touch line and tell Frank and Stevie to ignore anything and everything that Erickson and Mclaren has ever told them about football ‘cos it must be fucking bollocks. Put that shit head Crouch on the slow boat home (JUST WHAT IS IT WITH HIM AND HIS PLACE AT THIS LEVEL: ITS FUCKING EMBARRASSING MAN) and re-introduce Wayne and Michael to each other.

And get the fucking job done ‘cos on all available evidence Germany? / Equador? Won’t matter ‘cos they’ll both send us home.

Oh, and a word about the puppets on strings bouncing up and down and singing ‘Football’s Coming Home’ after going one up on T&T (an image replicated in pristine white shirts on the backs of girlfriends and boyfriends across the boulevards, plazas and Centres of Life of Britain)

“FUCK OFF….TWATS”

Don’t you just miss the hooligans? Where’s The Marseille Pig when you need him?

COME ON, AND STAND UP PLEASE, THE REAL ENGLAND.

Big Duke


Dear tf,

I've only just got round to the Rock n'Dole Years 87/88 in The Lion's tribute issue. You were quite right in your lead-in. The Drop (which I had totally forgotten having an early DJ hand in due to age, drug abuse etc) was meant to be both "uncompromising" in its musical policy (some of us actually liked all that stuff at extreme volume) and, yes, most certainly, "to scare off the Friday night Van Halen heads". All I remember is wanting to entertain friends and fuck up everyone else. Unsuccessful in all respects, no doubt, but happy days while it lasted and then we all had to grow up, if only slightly...

Keep up the good work/yours from somewhere in the lower tier of the Proper End.

Drax


Dear tf,

A group of Holland fans watched their team play in their underwear on Friday, after officials caught them trying to advertise a brewery at the Ivory Coast game by wearing garish orange lederhosen featuring the company's name.

The tournament has an official beer and Fifa protect their sponsors from 'ambush marketing' by other companies.

The greatest show on earth's one thing but how long can The Premier League and its shopkeepers peddle the dream. When the world cup fades away the circus will begin.

Moronho and countless failed English players faces plastered all over the back pages and Sky's seasonal assault of adverts shrieking at us that this will be the best season of all.

By what standard?

Watford - Sheffield Utd. - Reading - Portsmouth - Fulham - Villa - Everton - Wigan - Bolton - Blackburn - 'Boro - Charlton

Who's dreams are this lot living? What sub-section of the beautiful game do they represent? What beer company would ever want to ambush their party?

Big Duke


Dear tf,

I deem this campaign to be particularly relevant to our club, as we are seldom below capacity and the extra gates can only be a good thing! As a vehicle for the views of the fans, could a link to the campaign web-page be put on the true faith homepage? www.standupsitdown.co.uk. Keep On Keepin’ On ...

Jim Beaton

Ed: SUSD are regular contributors to true faith. We back their campaign 100%.


Dear tf,

Don’t get me wrong, I perfectly understand why long-term NUFC supporters have no time for England and what I detect from tf is a coolness towards the England side. In the past I can understand that and have to sympathise with it, especially as I’m a bit of a left of centre person myself and not overly fond of singing God Save The Queen or Rule Britannia bull-shit. Some of the right-wing affiliations of the BNP mob who used to follow the national team didn’t exactly make the team attractive to people like me. But I’m an England fan. I’m a Geordie born and bred and nothing will ever mean as much to me as NUFC but England is a close second and now I’m glad to say it’s not a guilty secret. I’ll tell you why. I’ve been to Germany for games this last week and a bit and England do have the best fans there. We’re good-spirited, warm-hearted and just a good laugh. The dick-heads have been kept away from Germany and no one is missing them. I’ll tell you another thing as well. No other side in Germany has a multi-racial following like England. I’ve bumped into England fans of Asian, Far Eastern, Jewish, Chinese and Black back backgrounds. All are sporting the “racist” Flag of St. George as their own. There are loads of women and children in Germany as well. What other team could attract such a varied following? The Irish are affable for sure but how many Protestants support the Republic? How many blacks follow Scotland?

Supporting England is all about being a decent bloke, having a few pints and singing your heart out for the team. All welcome. Things have changed. Keep up the good work with a truly magnificent fanzine and website.

Don, Cramlington

Got an opinion on Newcastle United, football in general? Let us have it here at true faith - all correspondence to: editor@true-faith.co.uk and we'll consider it for publication online in our weekly letters column, "everybody's talkin'" - a selection of those letters will also be printed in the paper fanzine as well.