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Boosden

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  1. Did not need a team we were gonna face have practice at pens like
  2. When Newcastle United travel to Brighton this weekend there is no hiding place, no excuse worth listening to, no hard luck story to fall back on for manager Steve Bruce. It is not a destination to travel to looking for a performance to take the positives from. It is not a game to simply tick off the fixture list while talking about the "accumulation of points" being all that matters. Its importance cannot be downplayed. If Newcastle are going to inspire renewed confidence in their ability to pull clear of relegation danger, with Bruce as manager, they have to beat Brighton. A win would see the Magpies fly above the Seagulls in the table and, hopefully from a Geordie perspective, five points clear of the bottom three, with a game in hand, if Fulham lose to Leeds on Friday night. A draw on the south coast, which would make it four games unbeaten, may be enough to keep Bruce in the job, such is the level of reluctance to sack him at St James’ Park, but a win will not only allow Newcastle to leapfrog Brighton, it will drag Burnley, Southampton and even Wolves back into the battle. That is significant in itself. Newcastle have already failed to beat another relegation rival, West Bromwich Albion, this month. It begs the question, if you cannot beat the teams directly above and below you in the table, where else are the victories needed to survive going to come from? Bruce will still struggle to convince many fans he is the right man for the job, long term, even with a win at the Amex Stadium, but he will silence all but the most rabid critics - for a while at least. More importantly, what he will do is offer encouragement to the more fair minded that, whatever has happened in his second season as manager, Bruce can at least clear up the mess they are in. That is all that matters now. Telegraph Sport understands Bruce may well keep his job even if Newcastle lose on Saturday night. Owner Mike Ashley does not want the hassle of sacking and hiring another manager, with all the extra cost and upheaval that brings. He has changed manager before at this stage of the season and the club were still relegated to the Championship - in 2009 under Alan Shearer and in 2016 under Rafa Benitez. Ashley would rather do nothing, as tends to be the case when it comes to the running of a club he bought in 2007. That thought defines the decision making process at St James’ Park, although, quite who is in charge in his absence is something of a mystery. Managing Director Lee Charnley is ostensibly that person, although sources have indicated that it is the secretive and publicity adverse lawyer, Justin Barnes, who is calling the shots. A man with no football expertise, who has not answered any questions from supporters or media regarding his role at Newcastle United, is said to be Ashley's eyes and ears. He wants "power not accountability" is how one well-placed observer has described it to Telegraph Sport, on the condition of anonymity. Barnes’ presence at St James' Park is strange. His arrival in the directors' box was once explained by the fact he was being employed by Ashley to sell the club. However, he has spent several years trying and failing to do that. So, what exactly has he been doing all this time to justify the billionaire retailer’s faith in him? Whether it is Barnes who makes the call on Bruce, or Ashley himself, the desire is to stick rather than twist. The Brighton game, though, is important in a wider, more symbolic way. Bruce needs a win to provide proof he can keep Newcastle safe in the top flight. His players need a victory to give them genuine belief, regardless of injuries, they are good enough to pull clear. This is the rallying point in a difficult campaign. They either fight and win or lose and slide ever closer to the Championship. This is the hold the line moment. Some supporters are already resigned to relegation, the refusal to replace Bruce cementing their despondency. Some are already planning not to renew their season tickets, but Newcastle fans, even while they complain and moan, are ridiculously loyal. They do not want their team to be relegated first and foremost. Everything else is secondary, even for those who have been desperate for Bruce to be sacked from the moment he walked through the door. Even so, they will want their team to win this weekend. If they do not, they should probably look up the dictionary definition of supporter and ask if that still applies to themselves. The crunch is for those who have stuck with Bruce, who have rallied against the populist movement that said he should not be anywhere near the job; those who kept an open mind, a sense of perspective and reason in their argument. They have taken scraps of comfort from three successive draws against Wolves, West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa, but they need more. This is the section of the Newcastle support who need something to cling on to. Lose to Brighton and you suspect Bruce will lose even their stubborn refusal to turn against him. A draw would be OK, perhaps, especially if Fulham lose. But it will not really change anything. And, after two wins in 19 games, something needs to change... for the better. Lose to Brighton and even if Ashley refuses to sack Bruce, it is difficult to see how he continues with anyone believing he is the right man to keep them up. With nine games remaining, who would want to come to a club that is still up for sale and in dire danger of a third relegation in 12 years? Who is going to do a better job with so little time to make an impact? These sorts of things would be the only justification for Bruce staying - not results. Newcastle could lose to Brighton and still stay up, but it will feel like false hope detached from a dire reality. When even those who have defended you lose hope, the game is up. Or it should be. Bruce may try to deflect all this in the build up to the Brighton match, he may well look to avoid talking about the game in such stark and brutal terms, but privately he knows what is at stake. Everyone associated with the club does.
  3. Tactics with a chance of meatballs
  4. Boosden

    Plane spotting

    Clockwise or anti clockwise?
  5. Boosden

    sunder↓and

    When was Graham Carr sacked?
  6. Didn't go on Sunday Just emailed them saying I'm not going back, Cancelled the Direct Debit. Lost out on £86 but paying any-more is throwing money away #Ashleyout #Wait
  7. Looks like a tranny there like. Boosden frantically saving the image.
  8. http://i.imgur.com/ijQxPUO.jpg?1
  9. Just noticed this beauty. I tell you what, go into the Bodega on a match day and say that to Biffa's face. http://i.imgur.com/cN6RqIa.gif
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