As I write this, my wife is in the other room whistling the Malick Thiaw song, having told me to stop doing it about half an hour ago. Since Saturday night’s cakewalk at the Hilly Dix, that ear-worm will not dislodge. I’d add “try as I might”, but I haven’t actually tried. Truth is, I love everything about Bella Ciao, despite never having heard of it until a couple of months ago. Blow me if its Italian folksiness and impeccable anti-fascist credentials aren’t the perfect musical accompaniment to a club taking its rightful place among Europe’s elite.
At least it’s taken pole position from that awful Woltemade / Isak dirge. At least in the North East of my youth, calling someone a “daft c***” (as opposed to just a c***) was, if not entirely friendly, then not outright hateful, and even indicated a kind of jocular familiarity. Or maybe you had nicer friends than I did. It was horrible to see him scoring – and Liverpool winning – on Sunday. All good things must come to an end, I guess. Not daft. Just a c***.
***
No time to dwell on the weekend just gone, though. Spurs roll into NE1 today. I don’t know what to make of them. They’ve got one of the best central defensive pairings in the league – Romero and Van de Ven – but concede goals for fun. They sold their star striker last summer but they look full of goals. They replaced Ange with the anti-Ange, but have somehow, inexplicably, become more Ange. They do not so much march in – as their signature tune has it (now there’s a dirge, by the way) – as lurch wildly from side to side with all the surefootedness of a man staggering out of an airport Wetherspoons after a six-hour delay to his flight to Zakynthos. This isn’t a preview – you’ve got the inimitable Freeman Mag for that today – but this is an impossible one to predict. He’s gone for twos each, but it could be anything. 6-0 United. 5-2 Spurs. While our ability to be superb one week and rank awful the next is causing hair to be torn out from Cramlington to Cullercoats, tonight’s opponents truly are in a class of their own when it comes to inconsistency. They are us, on steroids.
***
They’ve always been a bit like us though, haven’t they? A clear inclination towards mavericks and chaos theory, rather than actually winning things (until 2025, the last year in which the two clubs met while being holders of a trophy was 1951), and a fatalistic gallows humour among the support. I have lived in North London for over a decade and am yet to meet a Spurs supporter who does not think they are rubbish. Tell you what, mind – the combined Cockerels/Magpies XI is a delicious one. Fraser Forster in goal. Woodgate and Bassong at centre-back. Tripps on the right. Ginola nominally at left-back as he’s got to be squeezed in somewhere. A combative central midfield of Sissoko and Scott Parker, allowing Gazza, Waddle and Ruel Fox to roam free. Sir Les up top. A decent enough bench: Yedlin, Townsend, Jenas, Saha and Routledge. No room for Danny Rose, Sol Campbell or Stephen Carr. All terrible for us. Definitely no Garry Brady either. The manager would of course have to be a certain Osvaldo Cesar Ardiles, so – for all its attacking potential – it would find itself in a relegation scrap.
***
Tonight is the first of eight games in December. “Make or break” is a horrible phrase, not to mention an over-used one, but it applies to this month. The league table is tight – we find ourselves only six points off Chelsea in third, and yet we’re in the bottom half. By the time Jools Holland has his annual prance around the telly and gets us to link arms in that funny way, we could be looking at yet another League Cup semi, be odds-on to qualify for the Champions League knockouts, and have put the Mackems back in their box. Or, you know, none of those things.
Anyway, let’s start this big month as we mean to go on. The tree is up, the big coat is on, it’s dark, it’s cold, and – well – lads, it’s Tottenham.
Into these!
YOUSEF HATEM – @yousef-1892.bsky.social
TF Match Preview
TRUE FAITH – MONDAY MEMORIES
TF YOU TUBE
TF Match Report
Football Stickers of Tyneside and beyond
Church St., Liverpool
TF Review
Home Comforts
Smashing podcast discussing the England – Scotland international fixture first played 150 years ago and which helped so much to develop football internationally and globally.
Who owns football?
This is a great piece from the site More Than Football via Cultured Football. It deals with the vexed question of who owns football clubs and fan ownership. Very good read –
Holy Grounds
This is a great resource from NE Heritage Library for those with an interest in sport in the north east – where and how it’s been played over many years. Click on the image enclosed to get to the data base.
Reading List
For students of Newcastle United few would argue that even now, more than one hundred years since he last pulled on a B&W shirt, Colin Veitch stands as the greatest player our club has ever had. This book therefore is a must have for so many supporters. A review will follow.
Click on the image if you want to buy the book.
NEWCASTLE UNITED
Every 90 minutes, someone in the UK takes their own life. Newcastle United and @premierleagueare working with Samaritans to provide support for fans that need it most. You support us, let us support you. #TogetherAgainstSuicide
Join Newcastle United Supporters Trust
Join Newcastle United’s only members based, democratic, supporters representative association and become active in the issues that matter to Mags and fans across the country. Click on the image for more information.
Donate to Wor Flags
They do us proud every season and in every game but they can only do it with our support. Keep the flags flying and donate to Wor Flags – click here
Donate to the Newcastle United Fans Foodbank
Donate to the Newcastle United Fans Foodbank and support local people in need – click here The Special is dedicated to the memory of our dear friend and ally Glenn Ashcroft.
Art work by Peter Willis.
Michael Martin – @tfMick1892.bsky.social
