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Next Game: Oxford City At Edgar Street On Tuesday 5th November At 7.45pm

Friday, January 04, 2008

We're pig-sick of seeing Radford's Goal

They still worry about it around the Tyne. If they had their way recordings of Ronnie Radford's goal against Newcastle back in 1972 would be banned.

Lee Ryder's Newcastle United Blog reminds us.

The minute the draw was made they just couldn't wait to arrange for the TV cameras to make it a date in Stoke on a Sunday night.

Just like they did at Hereford, just like they at Stevenage and just like they did at Yeading, they did it at Peterborough too and they are doing it all over again!

I think they see it, yet again, as a banana skin tie.

Yeah, yeah I know, romance of the cup and all that goes with it and I know that the cameras will be at Luton for the Liverpool games as well as Burnley for the visit of Arsenal

But is it just me or does the rest of the country just love watching Newcastle United and the Geordie public suffer?

We can all put our hands up and say that Newcastle have been poor at times this season.

And after going a goal down in the last SIX away games it's not a surprise that away fans have took delight in chanting "you are getting sacked in the morning" to Big Sam.

But this problem of fans, not just down the A19, taking delight of knocking the Magpies and waiting to see us fall runs pretty deep.

In modern history it was petrified Manchester United fans - previously scared they were about to lose to a team playing the best football the world had ever seen - gloating that they'd pipped us to the title in 1996 with chants of "we saw you cry on the telly" but beyond that nobody has been allowed to forget Ronnie Radford's goal for Hereford in the FA Cup in 1972.

In fact the Radford goal is shown more times than anything related to our total of SIX FA Cup wins - it's rammed down our throats isn't it?

They conveniently ignore the fact that we are still in the top five of the Premier League table since it started, forget the fact that we've got the best fans in the world and don't even mention we gave the world Shearer, Gazza, Chrissy Waddle, Peter Beardsley, Sir Bobby Robson, Milburn, Broon Ale, The Tyne Bridge, a watering hole to have your stag/hen do in the shape of the Bigg Market, the Metro Centre, Sting, the Evening Chronicle, Viz, Byker Grove, The Blaydon Races or the Great North Run!

No they all mean nowt to the doom merchants out there, just put on a clip of Ronnie Radford to sum us lot up, I mean would you credit it?

I mean I wasn't even born for the Radford goal and I feel like I was there on that muddy pitch and wearing one of those stupid coats!

You watch before the Stoke game, Ronnie Radford all over again - just like Stevenage - just like Yeading, or any other FA Cup game that we stand a chance of being "humiliated" in.

So now we have to go through it all again on Sunday with the whole country baying for our blood at the Britannia Stadium to see if Stoke can dump us out!

Oh it won't be as big a "humiliation" as say Hereford but remember Wolves in 2003 the BBC describe on their website today still as an FA Cup classic.