Yesterday's game

[Geordie_Jacko]

I had a feeling we would win also . I knew Chelsea would attack relentlessly and we would pack our box with 9 bodies and goalie .
It's terrible to watch and relies on a lucky break to get anything more than 1 point ... And yesterday we got lucky again , stalwart defending and poor Chelsea creativity with such possession. If that 94th minute goal (from our only corner of the game )hadn't crept in , it would have been 2 points from a possible 15.. Relegation form.
But our luck/method is holding out as teams can't break down 10 men defence, but knicking the points from an isolated attack and 1 or 2 shots in 95mins is unsustainable . Looks like it has worked this season with probably another 8 points giving us safety .. But long term it's a recipe for relegation.

How is it luck? You say its luck then say we had stalwart defending and Chelsea lacked creativity. Do you not for one second think that lack of creativity is due to the stalwart defending you talk about? Because that's how I see it. We don't throw 9 men in the box, yes we play really defensively and yes it's pretty boring to watch but we stick to a solid structure and do it well. This inturn makes attacking teams like Chelsea often loose hope when every attack is thwarted before it can escalate into anything of note. If you want to talk about luck what about Joelintons header half an inch lower that's in off the bar and a massive goal for him and us. That was really unlucky for us but that's obviously irrelevant.

[Zippity]

I'm a bit mixed on this one, tbh.

It's harder for me to comment as i'm not going to the games so i can only go by what I hear from the commentary and then whatever paltry highlights the BBC give us; plus, of course, the opinions of my mates who still go. Splitters . Certainly the impression I've been getting is that teams have come away from our place shaking their heads and wondering how they haven't got all 3 points. I think in terms of chances that have been missed against us, it looks like we have, indeed, been lucky. But, I also take Jacko's point on board about luck not going our way, like Joelinton's header.

The more we edge towards safety, the more you've got to accept that it's not just down to luck but to the way Bruce has us organised. For the points we have at this stage of the season against the background of the poor squad and shocking injuries then Bruce absolutely deserves credit for where he's got us.

BUT-and i'm going to go back to my use of the word 'accept' here-I think a large part of the problem people have with Bruce isn't purely down to his appointment by our twat of an owner and his 'buying into' what Ashley is doing or his previous record or associations; it's to do with how we're getting these points. Our football is, by and large, appalling to watch-even Bruce himself admits it's not good to watch, ffs...but it's effective. It begs the wider question, is this how we want to survive? Is it entertaining and, given that it's not, do we have a right to expect more or should we just be grateful that we're keeping our heads above water.

I know you can't disassociate Bruce from the Ashley stuff but I think a large part of why people are still complaining after a win is because as it stands, this is our future..grinding out wins and draws with little or no flair or creativity and very little in the way of excitement (yes, last-minute goals are exciting but is it any good if the previous 93 minutes are dire to watch?). This style of football gives us no hope of pushing on-we're just 'existing' in the league and going to the games has become a chore because it's not enjoyable to watch so I can understand people's frustrations, even after a win.

Sorry for rambling.

[ghostrider]

I'm a bit mixed on this one, tbh.
BUT-and i'm going to go back to my use of the word 'accept' here-I think a large part of the problem people have with Bruce isn't purely down to his appointment by our twat of an owner and his 'buying into' what Ashley is doing or his previous record or associations; it's to do with how we're getting these points. Our football is, by and large, appalling to watch-even Bruce himself admits it's not good to watch, ffs...but it's effective.

I whinge a lot when we play, when I can see we're doing very little to have a go. But it isn't all the time. It seems like it is to some fans because they seem to have went into negative mode and even hate mode.
It's become the classic norm.
It's like a friend who told good jokes and was fun who then wronged someone who then blanked that person, followed by others who now listen to the jokes and do not laugh. Not because they're not funny but because they simply don't want to believe or accept it is.

That might appear to be a way off analogy but people are getting themselves into a rut by mass peer pressure to keep it up a negative mindset, instead of actually trying to pick the positives out of games and seeing positives within the game.

It begs the wider question, is this how we want to survive? Is it entertaining and, given that it's not, do we have a right to expect more or should we just be grateful that we're keeping our heads above water.

The simply answer is, no, of course it's not how we want to survive, but there's a much much wider angle to all this but many still want to focus on the negatives and simply pan a future of demise, out.

Look at most clubs in the premier league.
Many actually end up relegated and most that stay in generally just play.... see who can get closest to the elites. Ir basically most clubs simply fighting amongst themselves for bragging rights to take a place higher than bottom 3.

Can we expect better? Yep....but that applies to all the rest, so what do we do?
Either rap up being a fan and supporter and go about life doing something else to fill in, or do what we've always done and enjoy, endure and endeavour to stand by what we all love about Newcastle United...regardless.

We've had some good times under Ashley and we've had some dire times, plus the bits in between.
The problem is.... like I said, when hatred takes hold and peer pressure gets a grip, many people choose to see nothing but depression and negativity, throughout.

I know you can't disassociate Bruce from the Ashley stuff but I think a large part of why people are still complaining after a win is because as it stands, this is our future..grinding out wins and draws with little or no flair or creativity and very little in the way of excitement (yes, last-minute goals are exciting but is it any good if the previous 93 minutes are dire to watch?).

But that's not a truth.
The previous 93 minutes weren't all bad.
We had our chances and forages. The problem was it was overshadowed by allowing Chelsea too much time in our half, which makes the focus on just that, for some.
I moaned and what not but I got excited as well, like I do. And at the end I went absolutely off it. The smile on my face at the end was as wide as the widest wide on, ever.

This style of football gives us no hope of pushing on-we're just 'existing' in the league and going to the games has become a chore because it's not enjoyable to watch so I can understand people's frustrations, even after a win.

Sorry for rambling.

There's always hope but it depends on what that hope is, inside a person.
We might get to the final of a cup or we might sneak into Europe.
We did before.
We might not...but then again it's all about having hope, not simply losing it because the future is set....because it isn't set.
My hope, as it always stands is, for us to win every game we play.
I know in my mind it won't always be that way but I always have hope.

The wider hope is the things we can potentially win.
As it stands for some fans, there is no potential....but I disagree.

I genuinely think we have hope for further progress and I'll keep it.
And guess what?
I enjoy being a Newcastle United fan and supporter. I love it, through thick and through thin, even if I will have a moan when we play dire.