THE SPECIAL - Brum away in the Cup

Birmingham City v Newcastle United, FAC 4th Round, St Andrew’s 8/Feb/2025, KO 17:45. Live on BBC

Are you still basking in the afterglow of Wednesday night? Have you told your mother that, if she’s going to bother making her famous cauliflower cheese on 16th March, then she can just freeze yours? Have you looked into whether you can park at Costco in Wembley on a matchday? (Don’t bother. I’ve checked. You can’t).

Do it. Bask. Keep sniggering at the increasingly deranged excuses coming from Señor Lego. And – while you’re at it – have another read of Ordy’s orgasmic match report and Ed Cole’s ratings (links below). You’ll fall in love all over again.

Wednesday’s result has not been seen by all as a triumph for all mankind, though. Jonathan Liew, in The Guardian, provoked a predictably knee-jerk response from some Newcastle fans this week by writing the following: “Guimarães has come to embody this Saudi-owned sporting vehicle: a saviour in villain’s clothing, a thing of pure hunger and yearning, a cleanness wrapped in an entirely unapologetic dirtiness.”

Tempting to play the man: Liew – North London beyond parody, writing for the local paper and claiming his two favourite teams are Spurs and Arsenal – tackling the serious issue of Saudi ownership with all the subtlety of a late Lascelles lunge. Don’t rise to it. Nobody’s saying we can’t support Newcastle. Think of Wembley, not of poor Jonathan, who is trying to come to terms with his local favourites having lost to Newcastle five times already this season, three times in the last five weeks alone.

It feels a bit different this time. If Howe-Ball 1.0 was about being here to compete, then Howe-Ball 2.0 is about being here to win. There will be no tear-jerker videos in the dressing room. George Caulkin will not collate letters to the players from their mums and dads. Everything will still be in the tank, come kick-off, and just as well, because Liverpool are some side. Am I pushing it too far to venture that we – the fans – are more serious this time, too?

Wembley 2023 was a stag do, the actual football being much like the paintballing or brewery tour so earnestly organised in advance, but doomed to failure due to everyone not really feeling up to leaving the hostel. I, for one, won’t be waking up at High Barnet tube at 3am this time. I won’t even be going into town the night before. I’ll stay in my cosy local out in Zone 4. Trafalgar Square, apparently, will be closed to large gatherings on the Saturday as it is being prepared for a St. Patrick’s Day event. Good. We shall party on the Monday, with the big Guinness hats on, and – wait for it – silverware in tow. Believe.

I wasn’t at SJP on Wednesday, but from all accounts it was the best atmosphere of the season, comparable to the storied night against PSG. Interesting, then, that it came just a day after Luke Edwards’ exclusive in The Telegraph, about the club’s Board supposedly on the verge of approving a plan for a new stadium. Famous nights under the lights at SJP can make people think in different ways: some will wonder why we’d ever want to leave somewhere that gives us nights like those; others will see such nights as proof of untapped potential for growth.

I’m against moving, or expanding. I’m in the minority, one which is probably dwindling, too, as people start to see what is proposed. There will be a TF article going up in the week: I won’t steal my own thunder now. Just think on this, though. One. Things are now starting to happen on the stadium front. Two. We are in as optimistic, forgiving, and starry-eyed a place as we have been for quite some time. Could one and two be connected?

And so to Birmingham. Said nobody ever, when planning a romantic getaway, but an occasion it will be, all the same, not least for the 5,000 Mags who will pack out the Gil Merrick stand (Merrick, in case you were interested, played in goal for Brum for 21 years, and was the England keeper in the infamous 6-3 defeat to a Puskas-inspired Hungary in 1953). A tricky game: I’d much rather be facing a Championship side in poor form, than the team running away with League One and undefeated in sixteen matches. Lee Forster has the preview here, and it’s as brilliant as ever. Get it read.

My mind goes back to that 5-1 home defeat to the Blues in the Third Round in 2007. They were managed by Steve Bruce. We made Gary McSheffrey look like prime Riquelme. Steven Taylor was woeful. After the match, at The Goose in the Haymarket, one lad was trying to assemble a group to get a taxi out to North Tyneside and brick Taylor’s house. No, I didn’t go, and nor does history record whether any such taxi was ordered – someone at Blue Line might know, mind – but if we needed any extra incentive to beat this lot, just remember we were once the victims of that rarest of beasts: a Brucie masterclass.

A 5:45pm kick-off on Saturday. Which, unless you’re heading to St Andrews – or “St Andrews @ Knighthead Park”, whatever in blue blazes that is – means that there’s plenty of time to take in a match at the proper time of 3pm, before settling down with a Horlicks / Jakehead IPA to watch the Cup tie on the telly. Our man Scott Robson suggests Darlo v Marine, South Shields v Chester, North Shields v Shildon, or Newcastle Benfield v Whitley Bay.

Buy a pie, a pint and a programme safe in the knowledge that your coin won’t end up being put towards a pony for Jamie Reuben. Chances are you’ll be among a fair number of fellow Mags, and can spend half-time agreeing, or disagreeing, over whether you’d bring in the likes of Pope, Tino, and Wilson (I would, but I reckon no more than four or five changes in total for this one: these aren’t Prem, but nor are they Bromley).

Win this, and we’re just two games from another Wembley trip just after Easter, and mothers across the North East being given yet another night off cooking duties. Into them, lads.

Yousef Hatem

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LISTEN UP!

As ever our TRUE FAITH podcast comrades have been busy this last week with a mountain of content. There are reactions and analysis of the Fulham defeat but obviously loads of coverage before and after the massive win over Arsenal to take us Wembley bound.

Not that today’s mission goes without its commentary either. There will be plenty afterwards too.

You can get access to everything by taking out a patreon subscription for a very modest monthly stipend.

Get on it here …

https://www.patreon.com/tfpodcast

Building Works

Off the pitch attention amongst Mags has been focused in the last week on news revealed by Craig Hope (The Mail) about the new training ground and Luke Edwards (The Telegraph) about the potential new stadium on Leazes Park.

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Craig reported Populous would lead the design of the site (largely thought to be on Gosforth Racecourse) and their previous work included the Real Madrid training ground. Here’s a glimpse into what Populous achieved at Real -

Similarly there’s been some reporting from Luke that the new United stadium would have the kind of bubble wrap exterior Bayern Munich have at their Allianz Arena. Here’s a look at that too. Architect KSS has been spoken as potentially leading the design

Regular TF readers might remember a piece regarding planning permission for a possible stadium on Leazes Park. If you didn’t see it last time, here it is again …

A New Stadium in Leazes Park – Not Impossible

Forza Calcio

I stumbled over this through Substack and have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this quick read on some of the doings in Serie A. The first piece regards the troubles at AC Milan is a great read provided by Luke Taylor:

What the f*** is going on at Milan?

Money and Share

Man City are just not going to let it lie with this sponsorship stuff - from The Guardian - City’s latest legal manoeuvring against the cartel.

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Spiv

It’s always the ones you least expect isn’t it? Cough.

If ever there was a conflict of interests, it’s this … this surely cannot stand and good luck to the Chelsea Supporters Trust in challenging this head on.

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East is East

Older Mags will remember the days when European football had its fair share of clubs from beyond the iron curtain making a huge impact in the continent’s top competitions. Red Star Belgrade, Dinamo Zagreb, Hadjuk Split, Lokomotiv Moscow, Dinamo Kiev and many others were great names but few stood out more than Steau Bucharest.

Here’s a great tale of how the Romanian side has faired in recent times in Mundial.

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Join the Newcastle United Supporters Trust

Now more than ever we need a supporters organisation that we can rely upon. Ticket prices, KO times in general but with talk of a new stadium we need to have our voice heard in the corridors of power so we have a home for supporters and not just corporate interests.

NUST is democratic, accountable and transparent - it is who the club meet and works with on a regular basis.

Join up, have your say: https://nufctrust.co.uk/

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Wor Flags at Wembley

We’re back at Wembley and everyone’s favourite tifo organisers intend to turn our bit of the world famous stadium Black & White.

But it needs paying for - make your donation here and be part of the support whether you’re inside the stadium or watching on TV:

https://worflags.org.uk/

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Support the NUFC Fans Foodbank

The Foodbank collectors and their stand have become a regular sight on matchdays outside St James’ Park and on Strawberry Place in particular. They are the best of us doing brilliant things for those in our community who face significant need. The need is greatest amongst families with children.

Don’t walk by, make a donation - here or at the match.

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That’s it for another time. Many thanks to Peter Willis for his brilliant artwork. See you back here for the Man City game.

True Faith

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