A&H

10 year challenge!

The Referee Store
(Toon) pretty much the same now. Currently three points less than 10 years ago but with one more game played. Interesting that bottom team and 12th place in 2009 table shows only 3 points the difference!!
 
That’s amazing from Bournemouth.
And Brighton especially given all the ground stuff.

Someone needs to buy Newcastle now while Rafa is still there. Give him 300 mil to crash the top 6!
 
Man City had just been taken over on transfer deadline day this year. We had a front 3 of Robinho, Elano and Martin Petrov which was brilliant too watch. It was only 2 seasons prior that we scored 10 goals at home all season due to some pretty negative tactics by the great hope of English management at the time Stuart Pearce. He did deserve credit for keeping us up but we made Burnley look like Barcelona. This was probably the most exciting time to be a city fan in my life. We had an investor who was promising the world (and stuck to it) and signing Robinho just seemed unimaginable. He was awesome in the first 8 weeks of the season before fizzling out, Elano never turned up for training before the tske over never mind when his place was up for threat and he was moved on. Ireland was one of the best midfielders in the league for 18 months. Petrov was the fastest player is seen since Terry Phelean and had a left foot like a hammer. Micah Richards looked like England's next centre back (before bulking up like Lukaku now and lost his mobility). Zabaleta was a walking red card who never got further forward than the half way line and was generally unimpressive for a couple of seasons before turning into our greatest ever right back. Joe Hart was emerging too. Everything seemed possible and the journey to what we are now was beginning. We were back.
 
Man City had just been taken over on transfer deadline day this year. We had a front 3 of Robinho, Elano and Martin Petrov which was brilliant too watch. It was only 2 seasons prior that we scored 10 goals at home all season due to some pretty negative tactics by the great hope of English management at the time Stuart Pearce. He did deserve credit for keeping us up but we made Burnley look like Barcelona. This was probably the most exciting time to be a city fan in my life. We had an investor who was promising the world (and stuck to it) and signing Robinho just seemed unimaginable. He was awesome in the first 8 weeks of the season before fizzling out, Elano never turned up for training before the tske over never mind when his place was up for threat and he was moved on. Ireland was one of the best midfielders in the league for 18 months. Petrov was the fastest player is seen since Terry Phelean and had a left foot like a hammer. Micah Richards looked like England's next centre back (before bulking up like Lukaku now and lost his mobility). Zabaleta was a walking red card who never got further forward than the half way line and was generally unimpressive for a couple of seasons before turning into our greatest ever right back. Joe Hart was emerging too. Everything seemed possible and the journey to what we are now was beginning. We were back.
The year the Russian flew into the immanently bankrupt Chelsea, Newcastle finished one place above them (or very similar)
Ten years ago, we were two points behind City
Virtually everyone bangs on about how some clubs (like NUFC) haven't won anything for aeons, but the glaring truth is that very little is determined on the FOP these days. Partisan droves of fans trawling every corner of the country count for nowt and gate receipts are virtually irrelevant. The only deterministic factor affecting a top flight club's fortunes, is who flew in on an a helicopter with a fat cheque book
Leicester, albeit fortunate with their ownership were the exception and I have some time for long established clubs who haven't just bought their trophies, otherwise i'm apathetic with a capital A
On a less depressing note, their is still a sense of sporting achievement below the top flight. A safe haven from VAR for people who value sporting merit :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Kes
Man City had just been taken over on transfer deadline day this year. We had a front 3 of Robinho, Elano and Martin Petrov which was brilliant too watch. It was only 2 seasons prior that we scored 10 goals at home all season due to some pretty negative tactics by the great hope of English management at the time Stuart Pearce. He did deserve credit for keeping us up but we made Burnley look like Barcelona. This was probably the most exciting time to be a city fan in my life. We had an investor who was promising the world (and stuck to it) and signing Robinho just seemed unimaginable. He was awesome in the first 8 weeks of the season before fizzling out, Elano never turned up for training before the tske over never mind when his place was up for threat and he was moved on. Ireland was one of the best midfielders in the league for 18 months. Petrov was the fastest player is seen since Terry Phelean and had a left foot like a hammer. Micah Richards looked like England's next centre back (before bulking up like Lukaku now and lost his mobility). Zabaleta was a walking red card who never got further forward than the half way line and was generally unimpressive for a couple of seasons before turning into our greatest ever right back. Joe Hart was emerging too. Everything seemed possible and the journey to what we are now was beginning. We were back.
You lot try and claim everything!!!.... While still a 15-year-old schoolboy, Hart travelled with the first-team squad of his hometown club, Shrewsbury Town, to Exeter City on 1 February 2003. He was a non-playing substitute on that occasion and fulfilled that role again versus Rochdale at Gay Meadow on 1 March 2003, still some six weeks short of his 16th birthday. He joined you lot in 2006..
Ironically,.......

Born: April 19, 1987 (age 31 years), Shrewsbury, United Kingdom
Height: 1.96 m
Full name: Charles Joseph John Hart
Spouse: Kimberly Crew (m. 2015)
Current team: Burnley F.C. (#20 / Goalkeeper)
Salary: 7.02 million GBP (2016)
 
Luton have done well to bounce back. Planning Permission granted for a badly need new stadium. I can see them taking the Geordies' PL position
Is there a worse ground than Kenilworth Road? Walking past people's laundry on the line at the turnstiles. Getting your head kicked in outside etc etc
 
You lot try and claim everything!!!.... While still a 15-year-old schoolboy, Hart travelled with the first-team squad of his hometown club, Shrewsbury Town, to Exeter City on 1 February 2003. He was a non-playing substitute on that occasion and fulfilled that role again versus Rochdale at Gay Meadow on 1 March 2003, still some six weeks short of his 16th birthday. He joined you lot in 2006..
Ironically,.......

Born: April 19, 1987 (age 31 years), Shrewsbury, United Kingdom
Height: 1.96 m
Full name: Charles Joseph John Hart
Spouse: Kimberly Crew (m. 2015)
Current team: Burnley F.C. (#20 / Goalkeeper)
Salary: 7.02 million GBP (2016)

I'm fully aware of Harts history (including his cricket), I simply said that he was emerging so I'm unsure what that rant was about???

Micah Richards came from Oldham, we bought Jadon Sancho from Watford too. Not much anyone can tell me about city over the last 35 years im afraid (although I'm not sure that's a good or bad thing). Foden is from 10 mins up the road from where I grew up so he is genuinely one of our own!
 
The year the Russian flew into the immanently bankrupt Chelsea, Newcastle finished one place above them (or very similar)
Ten years ago, we were two points behind City
Virtually everyone bangs on about how some clubs (like NUFC) haven't won anything for aeons, but the glaring truth is that very little is determined on the FOP these days. Partisan droves of fans trawling every corner of the country count for nowt and gate receipts are virtually irrelevant. The only deterministic factor affecting a top flight club's fortunes, is who flew in on an a helicopter with a fat cheque book
Leicester, albeit fortunate with their ownership were the exception and I have some time for long established clubs who haven't just bought their trophies, otherwise i'm apathetic with a capital A
On a less depressing note, their is still a sense of sporting achievement below the top flight. A safe haven from VAR for people who value sporting merit :)

Sheikh Mansour almost bought NUFC before he bought City. Shinawatra had to sell as his money laundering through city to get his cash out of Thailand came to an end when he agreed to go back home in a plea bargain with the government, for whom his wife was wanted for some very dodgy land acquisitions!

Football has always been about money. The only thing that changes is the scale.
 
I'm fully aware of Harts history (including his cricket), I simply said that he was emerging so I'm unsure what that rant was about???

Micah Richards came from Oldham, we bought Jadon Sancho from Watford too. Not much anyone can tell me about city over the last 35 years im afraid (although I'm not sure that's a good or bad thing). Foden is from 10 mins up the road from where I grew up so he is genuinely one of our own!
Great to see a youth player come through, shame Brookes slipped through the net being a Warrington boy!!
 
Back
Top