It’s Almost Time Lads!!

We are just about a week away from the start of the 09-10 season!! I can’t believe it. The world is different. Leagues are different.  Clubs are different. Some teams new kits are……horribly different. And even though some of us are still dealing with the cold hard truth behind relegation the fact remains true that it’s almost…….FOOTBALL DAY!!

New NUFC Footy Friend Site

I am happy to announce a new Footy Friend for all who are following the drama at St. James Park. The site is called Newcaslte Daily News. There you will find the latest news from hardcore Magpie fans. I’m proud to add these guys to the Thug family. Go NUFC!

The Chosen One?

The Chosen One would like to be the one chosen to take the reins after the departure of Sir Alex.

Jose Mourinho told the Daily Mirror, “I would consider going to Manchester United but United have to consider if they want me to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson. If they do, then of course.”

This by no means signals the end of the 23 year-old legacy of Ferguson, but at 67, the end may be insight even if it is a few titles away.  United must find a large ego once the manager applications start rolling in, and Mourinho has assured the football world that his ego rivals the biggest in the game.  This may be the right fit, and he may be worthy of such an honor.

His last quote was my favorite, and proves my point.  Speaking of his “divorce” with Chelsea he says this: “Since I left I became champion again but they have not been champions again. I keep on winning and they don’t.”  Classic.

Cautiously Optimistic.

I’m not one to follow friendlies, and I don’t believe the results mean much.  However, in this case I have been monitoring the progress of the “new” Red Devils.  The “new” emphasis is not directed at the new signings, but rather the new formation, strategy, and mission of United.  I am desperate to see how they attempt to answer the question left by the departure of Ronaldo.  I know Tevez left too, but that question was answered before he chose his own fate.  The chasm left by such a game changing player is surely going to be felt, and I am as curious as ever to see how United, and Sir Alex respond.

Here is why I am left cautiously optimistic.  The entire United strike force has found the back of the net.  Owen has netted two, including a game winner.  Rooney seems to be in mid-season form.  Macheda scored a mature striker’s goal.  And Berbatov even headed home (last year he headed over quite consistently).  I know these are friendlies, however, I also know how important it is to a striker to find the back of the net, even if it is a friendly.

Only 15 days my friends (Community Shield match, 21 days for the rest of you lot). I just got the chills.

Where’s My Silver Lining?

Well it’s been about a week since my last post. My routine has not changed though. I get home from work and check my normal sites to see if there is any news about my Magpies. And everyday it seems that life at Newcastle United is getting worse.

We still don’t have a new owner (even though we have been told that the club was going to be sold two weeks ago).  We don’t have a manager (how long is Shearer going to sit on his ass before he gets sick of waiting for Ashley to make a move and bails to another club?). Newcastle management refuses to accept any transfer papers from any players wishing to leave (yeah….that’s great way to start the season! Force them to stay!). Reports of the City Council getting involved to help the sale move quicker. Fans are outraged. Players are pissed. Oh yeah…in all our friendly matches…we are wearing yellow and cream color kits. So I ask any of you reading this…can you find me a silver lining?

Putting Becks on notice.

This will be a rare post for sure, but I am going to speak a little MLS if you don’t mind.  This has nothing to do with the game, the opposition, or the draw.  This has to do with the fans, the Los Angeles Galaxy fans in particular.  First I have to point out that they probably have the worst nickname ever, literally ever, in the history of sports branding.  The L.A. Riot Squad?  Really? This name is a perfect representation of the status of football in the United States.  Stretford End versus L.A. Riot Squad, just like the football, it doesn’t compare.  This makes what I’m going to say very painful.  I’m proud of the Galaxy fan, and here’s why.

They proved that they truly are fans of their team.  They proved that football is bigger than one player, and that one player, even in the MLS, does not make a team or even a club.  These fans made a stand against the biggest name in American soccer since the arrival of Pele to New York, and showed that they are there for their team.  They raged, booed, and protested his every touch of the ball, and were ready to fight.

You must remember that this is one of the biggest names in football.  Becks has played in the largest stadiums in the world, on the biggest stages in the world.  I’m sure he’s faced more hostile environments than the small confines of the Home Depot Center.  However the “L.A. Riot Squad” (still painful to type out) got under Becks skin enough for him to notice, react, and even call a fan down to the field for a personal friendly.

Whatever they did, they did it right, they made their point, and they put Becks on notice.  They let him know that they are there for the team, not him.

Link Addition – EPL Talk.

Now I have been losing hours of my day following EPL Talk for the past week.  Apparently I have been trying to update myself of their entire archive, which dates back to 2005.  This site is self-promoted as the number one Premier League related blog in the world.  I think if there was an official vote for such an award, EPL Talk would get my vote.  It’s not often that I read a site until my contact lenses dry up and fall out (I’m actually not that big of a reader).

EPL Talk states, “With more than 300,000 unique visitors a month, EPL Talk provides daily news and analysis to football fans in 210 countries. The mission of the site is to provide readers with intelligent and interactive content focused on the world’s most popular sports league, the English Premier League.”

We here at Among the Thugs thank you Gaffer, for notifying us of your existence.  We will be one of the 300,000 visitors each month, guaranteed.

Updated: The Sources

EPL, it is time for a technology boost. Twitter me.

Now we may be new to the whole blog universe, but we are not new to the passion.  Among the Thugs was an idea that we started because we just have too much football to talk about.  Naturally our conversation transitioned into this blog, where we are able to share more stories, news, thoughts, and personal comments (read: verbal abuse) than time, or our families, would allow us.  This has allowed us to be able to document our everyday conversation.

The same way that we have taken this natural step, I feel it is time for our teams to do the same.  The second we stepped into the blogging world we discovered so many things that we were missing out on.  Not to mention all of the great news and stories from our new friends (The Sources), but some of the best commentaries about football I have ever witnessed (soon to be updated: The Sources).  This new world has overwhelmed us a bit, so forgive us as we try and digest all of the new information we have discovered.

One thing that we started here was a Twitter account (follow us).  I thought Twitter was silly, actually, Twitter is silly, until you give it to your favorite club.   This could be a powerful tool for clubs to keep the faithful informed of new and interesting highlights from an insider’s perspective.  I’m not talking about updates like, “Torres is eating Mexican food…ooooo, spicy,” or “Rooney hit the loo again, he’s just like an 8 year-old,” but more about details that the normal fan would stop to think about.  For example, “Pulling into Anfield now, skies are a little grey, rain may be on the way.  Good chorus of fans outside already.”  Now reading an update like that would give me chills, and I’m thousands of miles away!

Somehow this needs to happen.  Read this article by EPL Talk to see the status of Twitter accounts and EPL clubs.

Manchester City just put in a bid…for me.

I’m sorry, but who hasn’t Manchester City been linked with this summer?  There is a new story this morning! Every single rumor either has had their name all over it, or in the least, the article ended with, “…and Manchester City is always an option”.  Well maybe not every single transfer of course, just those players who carry a value higher than £15m.

For those of you who are fans of clubs that run a good academy, scouting program, or your manager finds hidden gems, don’t worry, your players are safe.  Manchester City clearly is not looking to develop players, or looking at developing players, actually, I’m not sure if they are looking to even develop a team.  The only common thread that their signings seem to have is expense.  It seems that the only statistic they are interested in is the price tag.

Look at the list of strikers they either have, or have negotiated with. That is just the list of strikers!

I hope for the sake of football that this does not work.  I hope they fail miserably.  Not because I can’t stand City (even though that is reason enough), but rather for the game.  Otherwise you will see an influx of billionaires looking to buy mid-level clubs and treating the sport as if it were a game of Monopoly.

Stereotypes

Now I know stereotypes can be an unfair judgment on someone. Just because a person is of a certain gender, race, or religion does not mean one can assume to know how they act, think, or behave. With all this being said stereotypes DO evolve from a certain overwhelming characteristics that a group may have.

I was at the park today signing both my son and daughter up for football in the fall here in Long Beach CA. I noticed one of the coaches there wearing a Chelsea FC t-shirt. I slowly walk over to him and at attempt to start up a conversation. Not even 5 seconds after hearing that I am a Newcastle United supporter his eye brows lowered and he looked me up and down to size me up. He then had turned into a guy that suddenly had more important things to do. As he walked away from me while I was in mid sentence I heard him mumble “at least you’re not a Manchester Moron.”

Since I am not a Manchester Moron I didn’t chase after him. But as I went walking back to my car a huge smile went across my face. Some stereotypes are very close to being 100% true: CHELSEA FANS REALLY ARE BITCHES!