Monday, February 7, 2011

Crisis of Conscience

I woke Sunday morning after the hottest week everTM to discover some stupefying, stunning, disturbing news: my beloved Toon drew 4-4 with Arsenal.

It wasn't the result that planted a nasty, sinking feeling in my stomach - it was that I missed all but 26 minutes of it.

Y'see, Newcastle were down 4-0 inside 26 minutes after some of the most woeful defending I had seen from the black-and-whites.

Arsenal, who have long had a reputation as the most fluent side in the EPL, were running rampant - everything they tried turned to gold.

Fabregas, van Persie, Asharvin and the rest of the Gunners resembled a firing squad, not a football team.

It had been another weird week Tyneside - Andy Carroll had been sold to the Red Merseyside Scum Muppets Liverpool for 35 million pounds and plenty of Geordies were filthy about it.

Me? I found it hilarious that Liverpool believed a bloke who is injured and has only 11 goals in England's top flight is worth anything like that amount. Luis Suarez, who came at a third of the cost, will be a much better buy.

But as I sat there in the wee hours of Sunday morning sweaty, exhausted, thirsty and dog tired, it was just too much to bare.

Newcastle looked clueless. Arsenal looked awesome.


My bed called and I accepted the charges.

"No way they can come back," was the thought running through my char-grilled mind.

"We looked uninterested, Arsenal are sharp and they need a win to stay with United.

"This could end up seven or eight-nil."

Famous last words.

What happened next was every football fans' dream: their team comes back against all odds to get something out of a match that was a lost cause.

Four goals in the final 15 minutes.

The biggest comeback in EPL history.

An instant winner of match of the season.

A certain fixture as an EPL classic match on Fox Sports when they've got nothing else to put on.

I feel sick and it's nothing to do with the recent heat.

It's that I realise I'm a fair-weather fan - sure, I have the jersey, read plenty about the lads on the net and call Sunderland players and fans filthy dirty Mackem Scum, but I feel bogus. Like an impostor. A try-hard. A wanna-be.

There will be millions of Geordies around the world who will be able to tell you where they were during the miracle of St James Park.

I can, too.

In my bed, fast asleep.

It will forever be a source of shame.

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