In Praise of Geordies

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Thu, 2008-01-31 14:30

This posting has nothing to do with writing or reading books. It has to do with sport. By that I mean sport as it used to be......let me explain.

I went to The Emirates on tuesday evening to see Arsenal, a team I have supported since 1939, play Newcastle. It wasn't the best game I have ever seen but I enjoyed it enormously. So did about 61,000 others. During the match the usual insults, jibes, rude remarks and even ruder gestures were exchanged between the supporters of both teams. The Geordies though many less than Arsenal supporters gave every bit as good as they got. Not the least of which was rubbing our noses in the 5-1 defeat by Spurs.

You would think that having lost for the second time in a few days that the Geordies would would be more than a bit niggled. During the match they were, but at the end to my utter amazement they crossed the barriers between them and us and SHOOK HANDS WITH EVERYONE OF OUR STEWARDS AND SUPPORTERS THEY COULD REACH....YES!!! SHOOK HANDS AND SMILED. Said it was a good game and they'd knock hell out of us the next time we met...just like Spurs had.They could have left the last bit off.....

I haven't seen such sportsmanlike behaviour for many, many years and I wanted to record what I saw on tuesday. If only all football matches could be so sporting. Such supporters deserve a better team and I for one hope their recovery is dramatic and very soon.

I raise my hat to the Georgie football supporters!

Fri, 2008-02-01 19:25

tcook

That's a delight to read. I'm afraid that the richer Southern supporters love to rub our Northern friends noses in it every time they go up country - even after the game - and that rankles. This was a real act of generosity by the Newcastle fans and I hope it is reciprocated next time you lot go to St James's Park.

Fri, 2008-02-01 19:50

patmac

Wey, eye, man! Ar ye goon doon on the toon? Yer al reit, man. I was in Geordie-land for a wiel, man. It's al reit. My latest killing is: http://www.bookscape.co.uk/short_stories/human_sacrifice.php

My latest killing is:
http://www.bookscape.co.uk/short_stories/human_sacrifice.php

Fri, 2008-02-01 21:08

Enzo

Yeah, I was at that too and the poor Newcastle fans just kept going. I was at the FA cup tie as well, where their allocation was as big as any I've seen at the Emirates and blimey you could hear them. It's a long way to go to see your team fail to score and concede 6 in two games but they just don't stop singing. When we beat them in the 1998 cup final they were fantastic too and a lot of handshaking went on then as well. Enzo.. www.thedevilbetweenus.com

Sun, 2008-02-03 16:04

brooosh

I'm sure there are exceptions, but Geordies always seem to me to be straight talking and big-hearted. Geordie is supposed to be one of the accents that is most trusted by British people, which apparently is why a few years ago companies used to site their call centres in Geordieland.

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