The Long and rambling rant.

[Ragatino]

Afternoon bonny lads and lasses.

It's been a good long while since I posted; around about a year since Masters and his bunch of crooks blocked the takeover in fact.

Just wanted to get a few things off my chest. I'll try not to bore you all too much.


Ashley / Bruce has turned Newcastle into Sunderland - the long slow demise of the club is in it's death throws

I grew up in the days of Shearer, Ginola, KK and Sir Bobby. First game 1991 SouthEnd Away - beaten 4-1, we truly were sh!te. The fans gave the players loads of stick but on that cold and miserable winter afternoon in Es*** there was a feeling of togetherness, of community spirit. These lads where sh!te but they were 'Our' Sh!te'.

Win or lose we had aspiration of better things and held an optimistic belief that with 3,4 good signings we'd see our team play that electric brand of wing play we had read about in old match programs of years gone by.

We had this believe and feeling that no matter what happened, win, lose or draw we would see something in the 90 mins that would have us talking all week and allowed the imagination to run wild at what the next 90 mins might hold in store.

After the 5th place finish, with Pardew basically a passenger.
That team - Cabaye, Ben Arfa, Ba and Cisse - the stars.
However we had a core of Cult heros that gave the side it's ballast - Jonas (1 ball spiderman), Coloccini (the missus is waiting pal) , R-aylor (over the wall), Lovenkrands & the worldie Perchino.

There was a definite NUFC identity about that rag tag bunch of guys. There was guile and willing, determination and endeavour in the ranks. The four lads at the top were the cherry of the cake. They gave us hope that we could do something. That season, something we did.

Vernon Anita was the only signing the following summer. The writing was on the wall.
We've basically been on a trajectory to become Sunderland since Ashley took control, that one season (save for the brief hope of a Benitez legacy) was a blip on the downward spiral to Bruce ball and our current state of affairs.


The easiest job on earth - Head of the Qatar's Winter Olympics Committee

Whilst having a pint with my Scouse Blue nose buddy we were joking about the easiest jobs in the world. As I'm based, live and run my business here in Qatar my buddy said it has to be 'Head of the Qatar's Winter Olympics Committee' - the small desert nation of 250,000 natives have 0.000001% of every getting close to qualification for any of the winter Olympic events, let alone medal in a single event. So that man or woman's day to day as gotta be pretty sweet. Qatar pays handsomely for such a position and lets face it the position is not expected to bare fruit, ever, so basically one could phone that bad boy in for decades and no one would every mad.

My counter was the MD of NUFC - basically the same situation. You don't make any decisions, expected to achieve nothing, don't deal with player development, transfers, staffing, media, advertising or anything else related to the day-to-day running of the football club. Even the club merchandise is managed by the SD people. Basically Penfold is a place holder. A crash test dummy could be installed in that office and be as effective.


Where has the money gone?

This was a huge point of contention when we sold Carrol, Cabaye, Sissoko etc etc etc etc etc. Now I don't hear anyone chiming in with this on any platform, here or anywhere else?

The club has been gutted, the riches of revenue stolen yet now we have such a malaise for everything people don't seem to have the same sharpness, same focus, same fight any more.

I read posts alot on this site from people who previously wrote with fire and brimstone about the passion for the club, players, the future etc, these days the comments are much more likely to be 'the match was on in the background whilst I was grouting the sink, clipping the dogs nails, nailing my face to the wall in absolutely boredom.

This feeds back into my first point, in a way, we have had or birth right, our passion our still beating heart ripped from our chest. The owner and his monkeys have shown it to us then proceeded to have a leather bottom shoe'd kick about in the conference room with it.

The indignity cuts deep.

10,000 walked away / why would people go back to watch this? Prem or Champ

The demise of a northern powerhouse - The TOON army. 10,000 free ticket give away - the desperation of a careless owner.

I just can't see people going back to the club when we are allowed back in the stadiums. Bruce is the final nail in the coffin. The football is clueless. We have broken it down in so many threads I'm not gonna repeat it again, we all know what we are seeing it the death of a relegation bound squad.

From a marketing point of view - how on earth does the owner expect to entice people to buy his product when we all see what is on sale?

It defines logic, makes ZERO sense in any metric of business. Even Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli would be scratching his head at this one.

The only way I can describe it is mystifying. As in I'm utterly bewildering or perplexing. Akin only to trying to drive after root canal surgery. Smashed on heavy aesthetics trying to function as normally.

The lunatics are running the asylum and the gov think they are doing such a great job.



Stats & XP - can be used to prove any point

However the facts don't lie. Being 20th in every category proves we are going down. Last season we got soooo lucky. bar a few clowns and Anti-Rafa idiots on here we could all see how Bruce fluked results as critical times. We all know the luck runs out. Class is permanent, form is temporary.

Rafa is class, tactically & technically is was fascinating to watch. His player management was outstanding, our injuries were the lowest we'd had in decades. The team was a unit, a warrior clan who fought for every ball and every inch.

Fast forward to the Shef Utd Match, or the last capitulation against Brighton. No one can say the see a game plan, tactics or any clue of how to rotate a squad.

When you see NUFC's metrics, every XP has been 20/20 it is clear that we don't deserve to remain in the league. Should we survive it will be to the discredit of the league and the 3 other clubs.


At the time of writing this, I feel like there has been a death in the family. Obviously I chose these words at a time where people have lost family due to the pandemic and I don't use them lightly.

My heart is so heavy when I think of the club. When I think of what we were, how we all felt, the electric, the optimism, the feeling that we could beat anyone on any given day, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, Man U. We rubbed shoulders with the gods, now we can only hope to mop up the larger soaked vomit from a pub fire place.

8-9 games to go, I don't even know or care anymore - it's all irrelevant garbage - just put me out of my misery. A bullet to the back of the head would be less painful.

Usually I have a rally cry to my ramble. A thin sliver of hope, a glint of diamond in the blackness of current NUFC slag bank. However, I just don't have one today bonny lads and lasses.

Stay safe, god bless ya all on Tyneside.

David

[Ragatino]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOMY8mAcuq0

This pretty much sums everything up.

[toonlegend]

ragatino, i couldn't fault or query anything written ther - and well written too

it is a VERY sad affair

not only has cashley lost todays punters, he is hardly enticing the punters of the future - the kids- either.

[Ragatino]

ragatino, i couldn't fault or query anything written ther - and well written too

it is a VERY sad affair

not only has cashley lost todays punters, he is hardly enticing the punters of the future - the kids- either.

Can you imagine being a kid? How hard must it be to watch, feel like supporting this joke of a club?

It must suuuuuuck when you're on holiday as a kid these days. Wearing your toon shirt whilst the other kids laugh at you for being utter garbage.

another reason to be sad.

[Zippity]

Great stuff, man.

We'll be back...one day. The damage this cunt has done runs deep, not only in terms of where we are and will be but in terms of what we could have been...the things he's robbed us of don't bear thinking about.

So it'll take a long time...but we'll have our time again.

[Jammy89]

Well said Rag.

Brilliantly and sadly put.

[toptoon]

Good post Ragatino. The club has had the life and soul gradually and systematically sucked out of it. It’s criminal that this has been allowed to happen not only for the sake of the people and city of Newcastle but also for the sake of football, sporting integrity and the Premier League.

[Ragatino]

Thanks for the kind comments.

Even today I don't understand how managers get huge pay offs for being complete failures.

I can't understand how it is accepted practice?

The contract should state 'if the win ratio is below X or the results don't track with the expected XP/GX' then the manager will sacked.

Without payout or benefit - why does the entire industry / sport of football promote failure.

Literally the definition of FRAUD.

[Sclox]

Thanks for the kind comments.

Even today I don't understand how managers get huge pay offs for being complete failures.

I can't understand how it is accepted practice?

The contract should state 'if the win ratio is below X or the results don't track with the expected XP/GX' then the manager will sacked.

Without payout or benefit - why does the entire industry / sport of football promote failure.

Literally the definition of FRAUD.

The football is secondary to the money making, and the staus quo maintained at all costs. Makes no difference who is up front or in the dugout.

It is sad to see kids choosing more exotic teams to follow and not their own club. Wherever I have lived I have tried to take an interest in the local team but the Toon will always be number 1.