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Ed:
People, “Everybody’s Talkin’ has really taken off and we’re really
pleased with it and want to continue it throughout the coming
season. We’re not into censoring opinions and all that but what has
to be asked is we treat each other with a bit of respect. We’re all
Newcastle United supporters and on the same side regardless of the
opinions we hold being vastly different on occasion. Try and keep
the personal abuse out of letters because we’re not running a daft
message-board for people to indulge in big man tirades in front of
their PCs that they wouldn’t think of on a face to face basis. Try
and play canny!
Huff over!
Dear tf,
Ref: Andy L’s letter – everybody’s talkin’ – 26/Jun/06 – www.true-faith.co.uk
Andy,
England are shite full stop and hopefully will be out in the next
rounds quick sharp as they're an embarrassment. Better squads such
as Germany, Spain and the Argies will tear them a new arse quicker
than sumluns return to the pits of hell from whence they spawned.
 And
as for Big Duke reckoning that he'd like to see a return of the
hooligan element to Gallowgate, I tend to agree with him. Since I've
been going to St James' for the best part of, oooh 17-18 years (now
32, first game 11 year old), I loved the 80's era (not for the
football as we were woeful) but for the sheer terror St James' held
for visiting supporters and teams. I loved seeing the pagga on the
way to the ground, up through Pink Lane, running opposition
supporters at Central Station when I was older and with the crowd,
and I'm sure a few lads could name more than me. Now though,
its all sanitised for families, sky tv, people in stupid fuckin hats
and face paint and cunts (notice not naming names as I don't know
anyone who does it personally and don't want to) who wave their
shoes in the air and think Tim Lovejoy is the be all and end all of
football (that fuckin EEEAAASEH chant - FUCK OFF!!!!!!). See, I'd
far rather be with people who know how to take care of themselves
and not run when scared or cower and take a beating at other
grounds. The new lot probably wouldn't.
St James' is now boring, a parody of what it used to be. Let the
radgees back in, then we'll see some great scenes again, alas it
will never happen as they've been priced out (and the place is worse
for it as well).
Also, where do you get off calling people 'scum' then? Especially
people that you have never met and indeed if you did meet and call
scum to their face, would probably get a good howking for your
trouble? A silly thing to do if you ask me and more so when you
don't know people you are calling.
Darren, Dunston.
Dear tf,
Ref: Andy L’s letter – everybody’s talkin’ – 26/Jun/06 – www.true-faith.co.uk
BRIEF INTERVIEWS WITH HIDEOUS MEN
(with respect to David Foster Wallace)
Case File 250467 Andy L, Durham
(Q.)
(A.L.) What?....’course I’m enjoying the World Cup. England are
still there man, that’s all that matters. At the end of the day
that’s all that matters.
(Q.)
Look man….people who say that, they’ve just got no understanding of
the game. ‘Am 27 man….’av grown up with the Premiership and Sky
TV….there’s people out there living in dreamland….exciting,
attacking football and fancy skills doesn’t always work….yer need to
grind it out….muscle it…..waste time….do anything….but make sure yer
win….win for the cause. Yer know something? Some people need to know
there place….’a don’t know better than Sven d’you? Can you bend it
like Beckham? Eh?....hah hah see what a did there? Howay man….smile.
Makes me sick, people thinking they know about football….’am 27
man….’a remember Italia ’90….aye ‘a was 11….we got the job done then
didn’t we and ’94 and ’96 and ’98 and 2000 and 2002.
(Q.)
What yer talking about?....we won games didn’t we….in all those
years we won games….tell me we didn’t.
(Q.)
It’s not about being the best team and winning the competition man.
(Q.)
What yer mean we weren’t at USA ’94?....’course we were….Taylor and
Carlton Palmer….best team we had….just got touched of in the final
by Holland….hav yer not seen the documentary….cost him the job….howay
man yer must know something about football….mind you not everyone’s
27 years old….been about yer know.
(Q.)
No….no steady girlfriend.
(Q)
1996….definitely….football’s comin home man….Frank Skinner, class
man.
Don’t like that Baddiel though….thinks he’s clever doesn’t he. We
used to go down the local fun pub….that’s what they called them back
then….’a had
every England top man home and away and….anyhow it was mental….went
crazy when Pearce hammered home that penalty against the
Spanish….get in man….d’yer know ‘a cried when we got knocked
out….never forget man, never.
(Q)
Always cryin man….y’ll hav seen uz on Sky sometime
(Q)
What d’yer mean when have ‘a cried properly?
(Q)
Dunno….oh aye….Princess Diana’s funeral. We even cancelled five a
side that afternoon.
(Q)
Look man….’am a Geordie….straight up and down. We know our football
and we care about people….hearts of gold. ‘Ad die for the lads ‘a
sit with at St.James’
(Q)
One of them’s from Kenton or somewhere….don’t know his name.
(Q)
Look when ‘a say die….’a don’t mean fighting or that man….that’s
just chav scum man with Burberry ‘n that from the estates. Don’t
even have season tickets man….nee jobs or nowt….don’t know what
football is.
(Q)
What would ‘a do?....like me dad says, hang their mams and dads,
sterilise their sisters….howay talk about football again man.
(Q)
The Keegan years….my era….the golden era….’a know its going a long
way back but ‘ad do anything for those days. Attacking
football….plenty of goals and worry about the points later. To be
honest ‘a wasn’t bothered we never won nowt it was the entertainment
that mattered.
(Q)
‘A was talking about England though....d’yer think ‘ad pay good
money for a season ticket at St James to watch Newcastle play like
England have been….yer jokin aren’t yer?
(Q)
What yer mean hypocrite?
(Q)
Aye well….call uz what yer want ….and for the record ‘a did think
Souness should be given longer but ‘a was still outside shouting
“Souness Out”
(Q)
Yes….I am a lover of the beautiful game
(Q)
Total what?
(Q)
Who’s Johann Cruyff?
(Q)
Best Newcastle player….well ‘am going back some way but it’s got to
be Shearer….no question.
(Q)
Aye England could do with him now….hav yer been watchin?….they’ve
been shit? 27 years of football tells yer that.
(Q)
Well aye….yer right….more like 10 years….9 actually….mam wouldn’t
let uz out of Durham ‘til a was 18.
Big Duke.
Dear tf,
Ref Andy L’s letter – everybody’s talkin’ – 26/Jun/06 – www.true-faith.co.uk
Andy from Durham, you are exactly the sort of knob gets the English
a bad name.
I am a loyal Magpie, from Northern Ireland, and I couldn’t give a
fuck about England, in fact, I am looking forward to you lot getting
out against Portugal, or whoever and then laugh at the excuses.
After Owen got injured, I supported Australia, as Moore is playing
for them, and he is our player. What you English just don’t get, is
the fact that you think you are a tidy team, - and you are not. As
we saw last October in Windsor Park, you are very, very beatable.
Mind you, you would think it was a shock that the current British
Home Champions would beat England. You lot are a bunch of overpaid
wankers, with a shite manager who I think isn’t the full picnic ' by
the way, (he keeps smiling too much for me) and coaches who just do
not know what they are doing.
 If
you had a decent manager, yes, you could make the semi or even the
final, but you don’t.
The worst thing about the world cup is having to listen to shite
from the commentators about 19 fucking 66 and all that. Honestly, it
is sad. Then we have the nauseating pish about England this and
English world class players etc.....no wonder I drink.
It reminds me of Chelski, England are the team who are never beaten
fairly, there’s always some excuse. So fuck England, and fuck the
World Cup. Except for Graham Poll, - he is now a great and should be
on world cup trump cards from now on.
As for the Toon, I am beyond words.
Well, obviously not, as I am still typing. The left back from
Ecuador looked good, give him a few donkeys and goats and about
£100k per week and he might come and play a few games a year like
Dyer, Owen, Ferguson, Marcelino, ah fuck I better stop, there’s too
many to type.
Also, why not buy Ronaldo from Brazil? He looks our type of player,
i.e. at the end of his career past his best, and probably only
wanting a few mill per month. Think of the shirts he would sell
Freddie? You know it makes sense.
Maybe a Japanese as well, and a Korean too, the shirts would go well
over there as well.
The club is a complete and utter shambles. I hope some Americans do
come in and give Freddie a few burgers and fuck him off. That way we
can at least have some cheerleaders and stuff before during and
after the match. It will be a lot better than the SHITE we will
watch this year.
Coops.
Ed: right then, Andy L will get a right to reply and that’s it,
put to bed.
Dear tf,
Great work with the website and fanzine!
 A
few thoughts on Owen and potential replacements for your site.
Maybe I'm just a twisted cynic, but it's hard to feel much sympathy
for Michael Owen following his new injury. How much football has
this guy played for Newcastle United, a few hundred minutes - for
£103k a week (how I would love to earn that much money in a year!)
and a whopping signing on fee! Obviously it's not his fault that his
bones are made of glass and his ligaments of plasticine, and he has
broken down again. But it is his fault that, to use the words the
Travelling Wilbury's, he has left himself "overexposed" and
"commercialised" in his time at Newcastle United. In recent weeks
I've seen his mug adorning TV and billboard adverts for Northern
Rock, Nationwide, ASDA etc. If he'd been doing the business, banging
the goals in, he'd be justified in raking it in, but on what basis
is he making all this dosh? Certainly nothing he has done in the
last year! When you're a crock and not contributing in the way that
you should be, whoring yourself around, fronting and advertising any
two-bit product, service and company going, is totally inappropriate
and undignified. Did Owen not consider that if he didn't contribute
for England, or broke down again, as he has done, he would look like
a money-grabbing prize plum? There is a word for this puffed-up,
undignified behaviour, preceding a fall, - "hubris".
I suppose my big gripe is that Newcastle United is just not high
enough on his list of priorities. My last word on this, which I
think says it all, is that I was browsing Michael Owen's website
(http://www.michaelowen.com/) today and clicked on the page 'Key
Dates in Michael's Calendar', the only actual 'date' in Michael's
personal diary was "15 Nov 2006 England v Holland - Friendly". I was
a little bit disappointed not to see any important Toon related
dates in there, say the first match of the new season, third round
of FA Cup!! But then, that says everything - he's an England player,
totally disinterested in the success of the Toon. Fatboy Shepherd
has once again been 'mugged' by a big name (as with Dalglish, Gullit,
Souness, Kluivert) for whom NUFC is low on their list of priorities,
somewhere below bank balance, lifestyle, image, family/personal life
et al. How I wish we could just write off this signing and have our
£17 million, plus £100k a week back please!
In terms of bringing in reinforcements for the striking positions, I
have got my fingers and toes crossed that Shepherd and Roeder don't
swoop for Dirk Kuyt. The guy was powder-puff during Holland’s World
Cup campaign. No better than someone like Andy Johnson. So Kuyt
scored 20 odd goals in the Dutch league - well so did John Dahl
Tomasson when he signed him! And so did Mateja Kezman, before
flunking it at Chelsea. I reckon Shola would get 20+ goals a season
against the might of FC Groningen, NAC Breda and Heracles Almelo.
Doling out £10 million on that sack of rubbish wouldn't be the first
time that Newcastle United has gone for an international player,
following a World Cup, who'd plundered a barrow load of goals in
their domestic league the previous year. Remember Stephan Guivarc’h?
Also, don't fancy Luca Toni of Italy, no pace and dodgy first touch,
reminds me of that gangly Italian guy who played for Forest 10 years
ago (Silenzi?). They signed him after one good season in Serie A and
he couldn't hit a barn-door.
Top centre forwards are thin on the ground and there is no
indication we will be able to entice anyone remotely good, with
Roeder and Shepherd the main draw. That said, Miroslav Klose would
be excellent, a real striker who would do well in England, and would
complement Owen (if and when fit, or he can be bothered to play). If
we're looking bargain basement, though he's got no pace, Dado Prso
of Croatia and Rangers is a good pro with real heart and a good
touch, who can hold the ball up. He's not really someone to get the
fan's going though.
Jonathan B
Dear tf,
 I
have followed your critique of the proposed US take-over bid with
much interest. Having watched the last few seasons at Newcastle,
surely the plot has been lost already. I've heard countless times
that the reason why no silverware has ever found its way to Tyneside
is because of the set-up – mind you that was true of things said in
the '70's and 80's when I was able to watch the lads.
I've also watched qualified managers who've won cups and
championships at every other team in Europe, come here then crash
and burn. OK, I can agree that they were (all) well passed their
prime. Now some real money-men (those who want results) threaten to
come in and everyone is quivering.
What has Newcastle got that someone wants to pay to take over?
Well, objectively, the second best supported team in the
Premiership, all-season ticket home attendances means a possibly
untapped international source of revenue i.e. TV rights. The gits at
Man U (they took the idea from Murdoch who had shares in Man U then
had Fox show nearly all their games a couple of years ago) will
split and break the current TV deal with Sky to take it
worldwide...surely the World Cup TV audience numbers is proof of
this and the timing is also suggestive.
It makes no sense to anyone paying a lot of money for essentially
the label Newcastle United to denigrate it. They need Newcastle to
become better (than previous seasons results), so that they can sell
it at a profit and I fully understand that these guys want to make a
quick buck. They look at Newcastle's management and see - oh I can
do better - and hope that all translates into a better performance
and then a greater profit. These guys are simply in it for the
money, but can you name one current NUFC player that isn’t? Its time
the players actually deal with those who understand them because I
don't and I suspect you don't either.
Mark Walsh
Ed: I think it’s perfectly clear that an investment company after
a buck will treat the club and the game as a cash cow. Like many,
I’m not happy about that because it means more of the traditions of
the game going west. I might be old fashioned but I like going to
the match at 3 on a Saturday with my mates and having a few pints
and a heated debate about the game after. Sunday at 5 or Monday at 8
just doesn’t do it for me. I’m not arsed if someone can have the
match on a in a pub in down-town Chicago buzzing away in the
back-ground to the disinterest of people in there regardless of how
much money that means going to the club’s owners and over-paid
players. NUFC belongs to the people of the North East. It has
reached such a pain in the arse for some hard-core Man Utd
supporters that they have chucked in following the most successful
club of the last 15 years and formed their own non-league club as
Man Utd has become over-commercialised, too expensive to support
(though we have always paid more at NUFC) and ever more distant from
the people who have sustained it over many years i.e. supporters.
Companies like this will encourage an ever greater division within
the game as they agitate for even bigger and better TV deals formed
on a European mega-club footing and doubtless we’ll have the further
destruction of domestic leagues as the big clubs (can NUFC seriously
call itself one? Really, go on be honest, given our record in
competitions?) run off to play each other and rake the money in. The
inequality of the financing of football currently means we have an
elite of two or three clubs in England (possibly only one in
honesty) who can possibly win the league and the FA Cup every year
and the sum total of NUFC’s ambition for the foreseeable future is
to finish 5th and get beat in the semi-final. That’s as good as it
gets. Is that what SKY and others are selling? Clubs promoted from
The Championship by and large need a wealthy backer to under-write
them but seldom last very long and slink back to whence they came.
Remember when Leeds and Forest got promoted and won the league?
Remember when Ipswich was a force in the land? The concentration of
money in the hands of the TV-friendly clubs in Western Europe has
meant the destruction of high quality club football in the East as
big mega Italian, Spanish and English clubs snaffle up any half
decent player. Local, home-grown players here don’t get the
opportunities they should as a result. This inequality has meant
excellent clubs like Ajax, Feyenoord, Sporting Lisbon etc just can’t
compete at the highest level of European football any longer. That
saddens me.
The argument supporting big money, wise-guy financial whiz-kids
coming in and running football and football clubs is remarkably
similar to the one heard when clubs floated on the stock-market to
become PLCs. NUFC is a PLC and it hasn’t made us any more successful
on the pitch. In fact we’ve gone backwards since we floated. More of
our money goes out of the club and the game has become less
competitive for all the market-economics spouted by the business
geniuses who have just about every club in The Premiership buckling
under a mountain of debt as they mortgage the future on mental
spending sprees just to stay on the gravy train. Leeds anyone? The
next time you are at SJP have a look around at the crowd – the
majority are now well over 30 plus and more. It’s the same all over.
Most fanzine editors are now in their late 30s/40s for cryin’ out
loud! In fifteen years time watching Premiership football (if it
still exists) will be the 2006 equivalent of carpet bowls. An old
man’s past-time! Children and teenagers have been completely priced
out of football and clubs, which should be the fulcrum of a
community’s identity move further and further away from them.
It doesn’t have to be that way. Barcelona is the best team in
Europe. It isn’t over-commercialised and anyone can get in to see
them. A tenner to watch Ronaldinho, Eto and Deco doesn’t seem bad to
me. They really do have a price for every pocket as some-one
memorably once said. He may have been a businessman talking shite,
mind! They are run by the members of FC Barcelona! They appoint the
board to work for their club. It may just be me but I love it they
don’t allow a sponsor to defile the Barca shirt. That’s tradition,
that’s class. Real Madrid is similar. Most German clubs (who are
currently pulling in attendances un-typically around the 60,000+
mark and have a fan-base demographic far more varied than our’s)
operate on the same basis – Schalke etc. It’s a lot cheaper to get
in to see them play as it is NUFC as well. And you can stand. The
atmosphere is brilliant because loads of young’uns are there and
they get excited. And the quality of stadia (as you can see clearly
now) is far superior to that developed in England over the last
decade. The draw-back is they can’t buy Albert Luque for £10m and
put the likes of Kieron Dyer on £80K p.w. though! A real kick in the
knackas that, like!
Football is NOT a business. Football is sport. Football clubs should
operate to the will of the people who support them and for the
communities they represent. Not for foreign investors sweating the
club for every penny, ruining the very thing that makes it special
and screwing the game’s structures and traditions for their own
short-term narrow self interest.
Everyone is entitled to an opinion though.
Dear tf,
 It's
your favourite club reporter here checking in from Germany. I was
just reading the paper talk section on your website and was
interested to read your comments on my blog. As ever, your criticism
was both constructive and witty, no really it was!
Look I know you hate Kieron Dyer - did he dent your car with his
hummer or something!? - and I know you think Kieron and I are in
some sort of relationship - as I said your criticism is always
constructive and always very witty, no really it is! However, I have
to pull you up on something if I may be so bold.
I was slightly confused to read your comments about my Nuremberg
entry where you say I talked about the irony of England's game
having a Japanese referee. Erm, unless irony is not mentioning this
at all, I think you will find you are wrong!
I'm actually a regular reader of both your fanzine and the website
and although you appear to have some irrational dislike for me as a
journalist (Kieron's mate as you'd probably dismiss me) but keep up
the good work. I find your editorials very interesting and
informative and the personal abuse, well I even find that quite
funny sometimes.
As for your opinions on the blog, I hope you like the football
stuff, but please realise it's supposed to be a diary column so I
have to do a little bit more than just drone on about England
formations etc etc...
Luke Edwards, The Journal.
And our reply …
Dear
Luke,
It’s nothing personal of course. We're twats to lots of people.
I didn't personally write the piece you refer to - that was another
malcontent, though as editor I take responsibility for certain facts
not being correct. I've not seen your blog so I can't comment.
I think you get a load of stick from several tf scribblers with
respect to Dyer because of the frequency of pieces that appear in
The Journal giving him what appears a very generous spin when in the
opinion of not just me, he is the biggest waste of money in the
club's history (hmm, Marcelino, Souness, perhaps not). The Journal
gives him and his mates (Bramble etc) a very easy ride and appears
to skate over the tit he has made of himself and the club over a
long period of time. It verges on PR. It’s not irrational. NUFC and
its many under-achievers get away with murder and the local media
has too close and cosy a relationship with certain officials and
players from where I'm sitting.
Its nowt personal with Dyer, though I'll never forgive him for
refusing to play for NUFC in a position he didn't like (separated
from reality in my opinion) and the whole thing at Boro and with
Robson. He crossed the line and he shouldn't be at the club. He's a
senior pro at NUFC these days for crying out loud and his name is
still attached to shite - see the stuff at a hotel in Norwich, which
I accept nothing has been proven.
Many thanks for your encouragement, it really means a lot, no really
it does ...
Keep On, Keepin' On ...
Michael Martin, true faith, Newcastle United Fanzine also at
www.true-faith.co.uk
Dear tf,
Firstly, love the honest comment on matters B&W. It's great to read
AND it's a good laugh!
No twatfully biased opinions in sight. BUT - please guys, don't tell
me you really believe that the 'world-cup' is better for
entertainment than your average premiership game,
When it comes to DIVING, CHEATING, WHINING, BLUBBING, WHINGING,
over-paid CUNTS; the world-cup has always had the monopoly.
And I've not even mentioned those c%$ts in the middle who get more
hard-ons from being the centre of attention than the 'players' than
a barn-ful of porn-studs in an "evil-empire" movie (fuck off, you
know exactly who I'm talking about). Christ it's a fucking lottery
at best - as long as FUCKING BRAZIL (THE CUNTS) WIN!!!!!!! - Then
apparently everybody's happy, except US!!
Anyway, I'm coming down a bit now so i'll try to be as sober as I
can. Really do hope we win the thing. If not just to shut some of
the twats on T.V. up. But let's look forward to the serious stuff
next season with whoever we've got on-board by then!!!
All the very best chaps, it's always a good read.
Signed a MAG in exile in Canada, British Columbia, Kitimat -
Doug.
Dear tf,
I see Shepherd has pin-pointed the moment he knew Souness wasn't
right for the job (Chronicle – 29/Jun/06). Fuck me its a pity he had
to let him spend £50m first. Shit he must have been the last person
on the planet to realise he was a crap manager. There's probably
undiscovered Amazonian tribes who've had no contact with the western
world who could fucking figure that out quicker! In fact, given the
resources at his disposal I reckon Souness is the worst manager in
our history.
Glenn
Dear tf,
 Just
before the machine that is NUFC starts up again for another year I
cant help feeling genuinely sorry for Glen Roeder. I think he's a
genuinely decent bloke with a thankless task! Just in case a member
of our illustrious board should see this PLEASE stop all the
rhetoric and end the f-ing pantomime you have turned our club into.
Nobody has black and white blood and we will only deserve to win
anything once we actually manage it. Exactly how GR is expected to
do that with the imbecile that is Freddie Shepherd at the helm I
have no idea. He has become expert at bleeding the club dry in my
opinion while posing as some kind of saviour, pissing OUR money away
every time his popularity dips. With media stooges in tow how can
Glen win. Is Fred going to win the lottery and find the cash to
compete with Chelsea et al...no, probably not. What I think we can
hope for is a couple of good cup runs home and abroad, inspired by
the likes of Parker and good old Shay. In them we have true
professionals that can produce the performances we can all be proud
of and Charlie Zog and Emre will be worth the ticket. We also have
the likes of Butt and Faye hanging about....god only knows what glen
is supposed to get out of them. What will life be like post Shearer,
we wont have to wait long to find out. I might be a pessimist but I
cant wait......Good Luck Glen
HOWAY THE LADS
Darren, Edinburgh
Dear tf,
You get the TV Coverage and Time Slots You Deserve Don't Yer?
Everton (h) Sun 24.09 @ 4pm
Bolton (h) Sun 15.10 @ 4pm
Charlton (h) (PP) Sat 28.10 @ 5.15pm
Sheffield Utd (h) (PP) Sat 4.11 @ 5.15pm
Manchester City (a) Sat 11.11 @ 12.45pm
Portsmouth (h) Sun 26.11 @ 1.30pm
They must be thinking interesting bottom half six pointers will draw
them in.
Fucking Hell Man!
Big Duke
Dear tf,
 Goodbye
to all that then and, as we turn our attention to all things B&W and
true faithful, what did we learn?
You get as far as your football deserves, that's for sure. And at
this World Cup, England got further. In a group any harder than
Sweden, Paraguay and T&T we'd have been writing the epitaphs a week
and a half ago.
Elimination yesterday came at the hands of a team nowhere near the
top order; Gerrard and Co. only coming to life, as is traditional,
when the issue was forced by the injury to Captain Inadequate and a
rush of blood to Rooney's still developing brain.
England FC is 90+ % a product of The Premiership and here in may lie
the problem now and in the future. Erickson's belief in those with
Champion's League experience was not wrong. But he could barely
muster a first eleven using those guidelines and back on the bench
the awful truth is a squad honed, week in and out, against
Portsmouth, Charlton, Fulham, Bolton etc. etc. ad nauseum.
For most of The Premiership it's an issue of survival. Week in and
week out with the football to match! Until yesterday, England did
little else but survive with the football to match.
And so some decided that "win ugly" was the be all and end all.
Desperate.
Points for Total Football, I wish. But one things for sure, as
England's Rose retires his captaincy one of the games masters
marches into the semi-finals:
Allez Zizou.
Big Duke.
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