I was surprised in the week approaching this match at the trepidation Newcastle fans were approaching this fixture with. With hindsight, they were right to be worried. After a level opening to the match, Newcastle folded like a cheap pair of trousers once Juan Mata put United into the lead in the 39th minute with a fantastic free kick. Anders Lindegaard stopped picking his nose for the day and he made a couple of excellent saves early in the match, particularly from Papiss Cisse in the 24th minute.
David Moyes took a gamble with this side today, obviously with Wednesday night in mind. That it resulted in United’s best league result of the season thus far is a happy coincidence for Moyes and a bit of long overdue good luck for him too. I’m not sure if he knew just how well Shinji Kagawa and Juan Mata would play together but he will know after todays performance, just in case he had any doubt. Kagawa along with Javier Hernadez were instrumental in United’s 2nd goal, scored with casual ease by Mata. Hernandez and Kagawa linked up again in the 65th minute to make the score 3-0 and finish off any lingering hope of Newcastle getting back into the game. This gave prompt to possibly the earliest exodus I’ve ever seen a football ground from a pathetic and risibly overrated home support. People leave early for all kinds of reasons but never to this volume.
Milburn Stand rapidly emptying immediately after United’s 3rd goal
We are the Geordies, the Geordie boot boys,
For we are mental, we are mad,
We’re the loudest football supporters,
the world has ever had…
United fans got bored with the nearby mute Toon platoon in the Leazes and the Milburn Stand. We couldn’t hear a peep from the rest of the ground either although to be fair, we were so high up in the Leazes Stand that we could hear passing aircraft before anybody else in the ground. The atmosphere in the ground from reds was quite subdued for the first 15 minutes. I put this down to the fact that everybody in there was so knackered after climbing the seven levels to get there, the last thing on anybodies mind was singing songs of any kind. Reds tried engaging the locals with songs like “where’s your famous atmosphere”. With a wit that the New’astle fans are not famous for, they stated very hurtfully and less than half heartedly that we were “just a shit Man City”. United fans opened the songbook with tunes in homage to Roy Keane, George Best, Jaap Stam, Andy Cole. The confused look on the faces of the knowledgeable locals (© every clichéd commentator) was a picture of vacant confusion. As the Geordies gradually left the ground to virtual desolation, Adnan Januzaj made the score 4-0 in injury time. This was much to the chagrin of the equine division of Northumbia Police.
Bud the horse gets belted by Newcastle united fan Barry Rogerson in April 2013
Ant & Dec, Mark Knopfler, Jimmy Nail, Sting, Tory Blair, those Geordies that were always crying on the telly in the 1990’s and Alan Sheeera, your boys took one hell of a beating
25th March 2014 as the 3rd goal went in Old Trafford remained seated and the crowd stayed to chear on Moyes boys! I DONT THINK SO! Short memory manutdfansblog.com
Do you mean when Yaya Toure made the score 3-0 in the 89th minute as opposed to Mata making the score 3-0 at the 65th minute at the Sports Direct Arena on Saturday? Can you clarify exactly what your point is as I can’t decipher what you’re actually saying.
I can tell you that Old Trafford, like most other football grounds has a substantial amount of people leaving early no matter what the score is for reasons that are obvious (even if I don’t agree with them).
Mags, did you see the empty seats at the Tripe Colony. I bet that amused you. But that gives credit to your view of the ever loyal, but cheesed off Geordie lads and lasses. At least they turn up. City chasing a League title couldn’t do that. In a smaller ground. Previously they have claimed Sunday KickOffs for poor turn outs on those missing being in church or chapel etc. But Saturday? Shabbos perhaps. It’ll be a laugh, if they extend the ground. It will have be filled with non Mancs. You know, day trippers and that. What do think Mags?
Hi Murph, I am gonna weigh in here in some defence of the geordies, as I know a couple exiled in manc (but still go). They have lost I think four on the bounce at home, treated the cups with complete contempt, and in January sold their best player again with no intention of replacing him. Again. In other words, I’m suprised how many still do turn up.
As for the atmosphere, Ashley actively banned/split up that section in the corner in the away end, as there were protests against him starting up. A bit like when utd put the wheelchair enclosure in east lower. So they suffer a lot of the same issues we do in the ground.
On the pitch, bodes well for Weds, and a mata-kagawa axis is one I look forward to in the future. Those types of player need others on their wavelength, I just hope they can flourish together with the right players around them.
That Newcastle fans have been treated poorly by Ashley’s regime is not in doubt. What gets up my nose about football fans from the North East in general is their own self glorification and the enthusiasm to believe all that patronising crap in a media that is forever blowing smoke up their arses. I know a few Geordies myself and they’re usually alright people. For all that, I take nothing back in what I originally said, when they themselves go on about what great supporters they are, they are fair game for what was said above.
Wow great to see Mata and Kagawa play so well together and we really looked a team today, but lets not to carried away Newcastle are a very poor team at the moment and there are bigger and harder test’s to come !!
But it give’s Moyes food for thought and surely Mata must play behind our main striker ???
Sure Newcastle have a rubbish side but it’s still normally a tricky away match. They also won quite convincingly at Old Trafford in December, far more emphatically than the final 1-0 score suggested.
I was still excited to see Kagawa thrive so well playing with Mata. He looks like the man Kagawa’s been waiting since he signed in 2012. It’s just a shame that Mata is cup tied as they could’ve caused Bayern a problem on Wednesday night coming. Having seen that performance on Saturday, I’m now hoping Kagawa sticks around. Before Saturday, I wasn’t that bothered whether he stayed or went
MUFC have a succesfull 25 years or so and a lot of there younger fans have not seen a poor side. Try supporting NUFC for that same period and you will understand the lack of vocal and passion towards our club.
I would imagine its easy to support a succesful side, not that we will ever know.
The opening line is obviously true and I can apologise wholeheartedly on their behalf for them not suffering the same hardship as you over the last twenty five years.
Regarding your second point, if you email me your address, I will send you a medal so that you can then have the same amount of medals that Alan Shearer won in his career