United axe there lap of honour

United axe there lap of honour

HA HA HA

Lap of honour axed by United

May 4 2005

By Alan Oliver, The Evening Chronicle

Newcastle United have decided NOT to do their traditional lap of honour when Chelsea bring down the curtain on another season at St James' Park a week on Sunday.

Instead, on the final whistle the United players will go straight into the centre circle and acknowledge the club's supporters.

It's a decision the players and the club have taken collectively, and it is easy to understand, especially as Chelsea will get a tremendous reception from their fans at St James' Park for what they have done this season despite last night's Champions League exit at Liverpool.

Obviously everyone connected with United is bitterly disappointed at the way the season has ended and they will remember only too well what happened in the last home game of the season against Wolves 12 months ago.

Then the ground was almost deserted by the time United completed their lap of honour and a couple of players, Laurent Robert and Hugo Viana, suffered the embarrassment of being booed by their own fans.

And this even though United still had two games to play at Southampton and Liverpool and were still in with a chance of qualifying for Champions League football.

Now United are clearly not taking any chances, especially when players like Nicky Butt, Celestine Babayaro, Patrick Kluivert and even Robert are not regarded in a good light by some supporters.

Yet I must confess I will feel a trifle sorry for the United players next Sunday. Lisbon and Cardiff could hardly have been more disappointing but United did have a real go in the cup competitions.

They played 19 games - half a Premiership season - in cup football this season, winning 15 of them, drawing one which did not matter in Europe, and losing to Chelsea in the Carling Cup, Sporting Lisbon in the UEFA Cup and Manchester United in the FA Cup.

United scored an impressive 38 goals in Europe and, despite the debacles in Lisbon and Cardiff, only conceded 17.

However, since the cup exits, United have run out of both players and steam and the end of the season cannot come soon enough for everyone connected with the club."

Yeah, sounds fair.

the last few paragraphs are interesting to read, while we have ultimately crashed, we had a pretty good run all in all.

im not too downhearted about the whole affair, like most just waiting for next season so we can patch up the leaks that appeared. on the whole tho - the side is only really in need of light 'renovation'.

I read in the Sunday Sun at the weekend he is in for Brett Emerton if thats the standard of player he is looking to buy with the reported £25 million he has i would be very worried about next season.

Good fooking call as well as I wasn't on planning stopping around anyway & I didn't hang around last year either. Underachievement should never be seen as achievement: Leeds going down last year & all the fans on the pitch carrying Smith on the shoulders, what a great call that was I bet they even sang "WE ALL STAND TOGETHER...". Sunderland having a parade for winning the Championship, any fan who believes Sunderland should be in the Premiership shouldn't go to the parade.

Anyway this Saturday is what it is all about anyway the last away game of the season.

true spence... i heard someone say "oooo the stadium has sold out for the first time this season" - what AFTER they win the championship?

i always rated brett emerton @ feyenoord. i would gladly take him as a defensive midfield / right back cover option if we can get him playing how i've seen him play in the past.

besides, i heard an interesting story when we were originally touted to be signing him - i'll not say too much, but if my sources were correct i can't see brett being keen on coming to us anyway... after all we had him all but signed before he went to blackburn - there's (supposedly) a personal reason he didnt come here and if he took such offence then, i expect it still stands

Feyenoord

who what?

me? nah

lol... i would like to blame that on how busy i am, but some of you know me better than that...

:laugh:

More there for a first division game against Stoke though than you lot managed to attract for a semi final of a major European competition. So untill you lot sell out every single game you play in your not really in a position to talk about other peoples crowds are you ?

What was Leeds crowd for the Champions League semi anyway?

He's shit to be fair

Cant even get his game for blackburn. Says it all

why not...? In your eyes do we not deserve to be there...?

Surely winning the Championship and getting into one of the best leagues in the world is an achievement. Imo a nice way to say a last thankyou to the fans.

He is a bitter bitter man

Am i right tho....?

Your spot on, of course we should be in the premiership everything about the set up of the club is premiership standard. He is only saying that cause he is bitter that we have come up and that his team is fucking wank

exactly. our crowd was in keeping with the general turnout in the uefa cup to date, and we still got 36000+ anyway.

also:

our premier league stats - if you will.

2nd (in premleague stats behind man u)
Newcastle United
Average: 51.799
Vs last years avg: -0,3%
Highest attendance: 52.323

Our averages also place us 11th overall out of the top 30 european leagues. not too bad really.

Lets see what it is next season now times are hard

well, we'll just see wont we.

You won your league very easy in the end so you most certainly deserve to be there & for me losing the Brighton away game was the key to the charge.

As for the parade it is all about setting standards if Bob Murray sees the streets lined with people he will give similar backing to what he give Reidy when Sunderland got promoted in the past & in the end that equalled relegation with a stay of was it 2 season twice & 4 at most in the Premiership? Next year if I was Sunderland fan (SICK) I would be ecstatic at finishing 17th but I wouldn't be happy if they finished 17th the season after because its not moving on. We have went down the league so I am not pleased & I wont be renewing my season ticket for the date the club set to show my feelings but I will buy one in August instead as close as possible to the first game of the new season.

I like the way Roy Keane often has digs at other Manchester United players because he wants the best & he aint going to settle for 2nd place nevermind 3rd or 4th.

If a player does that at the toon now there out the door just about !