By Nick Raynor
April 21 2005

Sometimes things just don’t go your way, and you know this when Newcastle lose 2-1 to Norwich

OK, crashing out of both cups was not the perfect weekend. Actually, it was a little less than perfect…It was devastating.

 

But I’ve already made my feelings perfectly clear about that in pervious articles. People are looking for a scapegoat; somebody to blame, but in times like this we MUST stick by the club.

 

So, great, we lose to Spurs 1-0 and obviously Spurs and Toon fans have a big rivalry here on Sportnetwork so to lose to them was…devastating.

 

My uncle then died (no kidding, but he was old and was very ill…anyway that’s another story) so to cheer me up that same day I would have loved us to go through in the UEFA Cup. The slight hitch in the plan was conceding 4 goals to Sporting Lisbon and crashing out in embarrassing fashion. Again…devastating.

 

So we really needed a win against Manchester United to get into Europe next season, have a chance to win some silverware, have a chance of glory on Tyneside…Ah, but again we concede 4 goals and crash out for the third HUMILIATING defeat in 10 days. (My uncle had just died for flips sake; it wouldn’t kill to see my favourite team WIN a game).

 

So no cups, no Europe (apart from Intertoto maybe), one dead uncle and a pretty down right **** few days.

 

Why? Well morale was on the floor for starters (they heard about my uncle), the whole punch up, certain French left-winger’s moaning AGAIN. Numerous injuries to the squad and suspensions which didn’t really help and it all came at the wrong time. Bloody sods law taking its toll on Tyneside again.

 

Ah well, lets move on and get on with it. So we go to Norwich. We only have 15 players because we are literally down to the bare bones.

 

Now it’s my uncle’s funeral on Friday and I’m feeling pretty down about it. I’ve never been to a funeral before and I loved my Uncle Stan. I have my GCSE’s in a few weeks time, everything is falling apart…Let’s just beat Norwich. Please, cheer me up. He wasn’t a real football fan or anything but…come on…its Norwich…they are bottom…what could POSSIBILY go wrong…?

 

Oh dear, we are so injury and suspension struck we only have 15 men.

 

Oh dear…Safri scored.

 

THANK THE GOOD LORD JESUS CHRIST, PATRICK KLIUVERT EQUALISED IN INJURY TIME and as I danced round the living room and ran upstairs my Dad shouts, ‘Norwich have won’.

 

“What?!?”

 

Oh dear…Ashton scored.

 

True, we have little left to play for but it was again…devastating.

 

Now I am telling the truth, my uncle did die last Thursday and it his funeral on Friday, but I know he wouldn't mind me using his death in a comemerative but humourous way. .

 

Let’s stick by the squad, it’s been a hard time, but we can get through it and things will get better…like they will in my life after my uncle’s death.

 

Now smile…laugh in horror that we lost to Norwich…and GET ON WITH IT :-)