HELLO my good football people, I trust all is well with you! And for the few Newcastle fans dotted around Cape Town… (big up Nathan Adams). Lovely, it’s about time, 70 years since they last won an English trophy. And it couldn’t have happened to a better set of dedicated fans.
It always felt like it was going to be Newcastle’s day (and yes, you can check with my Liverpool mates who I said the same thing to pre-kickoff). There were a couple of reasons for it.
Saturday night, the streets of central London (Covent Garden being the focal point) were packed with tens of thousands of Geordies, drinking and singing until the early hours. That all kicked off again on Sunday morning, but not a Liverpool fan in sight?
This was a massive weekend for the famed Toon Army and like genuine supporters of any club, they made their way to Wembley at the top of their voices. Each seat in the stadium had a black and white scarf, mesmerising their Merseyside counterparts in the opposite end. The legendary atmosphere at Anfield (especially on floodlit European night’s) was totally missing against Paris Saint-Germain last week.
You could even hear Virgil van Dijk moaning at his teammates. Following the traditional PA-assisted You’ll Never Walk Alone, it was 90 minutes of 3 000 Parisians echoing around the stadium. So what’s going on? Is it nerves?
Or, has this season peaked now that the Premier League title is pretty much assured, and players and fans alike can’t pick it up a gear? Besides going from “we’re going to win the quadruple” to “can this season just end” there is no doubt performances in the league of late have been on the shaky side, while PSG schooled the Reds over two legs.
Liverpool are doing just enough though to keep the Gunners off the trail. But it feels like the realization has dawned, they’ve been good… they are good, but not that good.
It’s been the worst quality Premier League in years and (with the incredible first half of the season) Arne Slot’s team have done enough.
But this past weekend was a real lesson on the “12th man” and how important it is for a fan base to get behind a side, whether it’s Liverpool, the Springboks or your local netball team. It’s what makes a difference.
I fight all the time with Chelsea fans on social media who bitch and moan wherever they can, and yes it’s okay to be critical, but to drown atmosphere, backing and hope is just ridiculous.
Get behind your f******g team! Liverpool fans need to pick their s**t up to see out the last part of the season.
Take a leaf out of that Geordie fan performance, every tackle, every shot, every block roared on by every one of the 40 000 at Wembley! Newcastle were all over the Reds and could have gone three or four up.
Only a late Federico Chiesa strike made it look like a game. I guess the worry following the collapse is the lingering contractual stuff with a number of key players. How will they be feeling?
Capitulating at the top end. Not the most positive environment, while the likes of Real Madrid are on the prowl.
Meanwhile, in north London, Arsenal kept up their theoretical chance of nicking the title with a tight win over Chelsea. It was a really poor game, lacking quality and any real attacking momentum from the Blues.
It was two striker-less teams playing like two sides without strikers. Looking at the fixture list, I think Chelsea will be fortunate to make that all important top four (or possibly fifth) place.
Well, it’s that time again for an international break. This one has a bit more importance for those of you interested to see how predominantly Premier League players start under new England coach Thomas Tuchel.
He has opted for more experience than youth and as always there are a few controversial picks, not least Chelsea captain Reece James who has played very little football over the last year.
They do however have a great relationship from Tuchel’s Chelsea days and he’ll be counting on fitness and game time behind him before the 2026 World Cup.
Before I sign off… with all the massive global moves Donald Trump and Elon Musk are pushing on a daily basis, not least the huge trade tariffs imposed on neighbouring countries Canada and Mexico... How will that impact the World Cup (held in the United States, Canada and Mexico)?Interesting times…Chat next week… bye bye.