True Faith

While many have seen our transfer business last summer as something of a disaster, Ed Cole argues that signings like Lewis Hall point the way forward to success. The era of big money vanity signings should be consigned to history. *** It hasn’t been a great few weeks for football purists. FA Cup replays were...

Well, some things are as predictable as the sun coming up in the morning. Newcastle United will conspire with themselves to make any game, even against the team that can’t stop conceding, look difficult. Today they managed to make it look as if they were playing 1970 Brazil for periods of the first half. The...

SCOTT ROBSON is your man with the scores on the doors… Martin Dubravka – 6. Made a couple of decent saves from Brereton Diaz, but didn’t have a lot to do despite us being overrun at times in the first half. I bet he was secretly disappointed he didn’t get the chance to save a...

Eeesh, where to begin? I would like to preface this preview with a disclaimer that I was unable to watch Wednesday’s match and couldn’t even get it on the radio. After about 15 minutes of trying, I gave up and watched the deeply amusing Merseyside derby. I can’t stand those Scouse Mackems as much as...

November 25, 1989. Football League Division Two NEWCASTLE UNITED 2, SHEFFIELD UNITED 0 Gallacher 7, Quinn 37 Att: 27,170 NEWCASTLE: Burridge, Stimson, Kristensen, Scott, Ranson, Brock, Dillon, Gallacher (Fereday), O’Brien, McGhee, Quinn. SHEFFIELD UNITED: Tracey, Stancliffe, Hill, Morris, Rostron, Booker, Lake (Webster), Gannon, Bryson, Deane, Francis (Duffield). *** It’s probably a knocking bet that this...

On another sobering midweek night in London, Emma Thompson was in the Arthur Wait stand for True Faith. It wasn’t pretty. *** “PALACE SAINT-GERMAIN!!” was the cry from the home faithful as we trudged out of a freezing Selhurst Park last night. Witty enough, lads – and not entirely without merit based on what we’d...

Selhurst Park, Premiership, Wednesday 24th April ‘24, 8pm ‘Live’ on Snidey Sticks. *** CPFC 14th, P33 W9 D9 L15, GD -14, 36 Pts NUFC 6th, P32 W15 D5 L12, GD +17, 60 Pts *** Following a free weekend due to FA Cup football, with all its accompanying VAR-drama, United are back on the road again....

YOUSEF HATEM has fond memories of a trip to Selhurst in October 2021.  YouTube highlights (including Callum Wilson’s equaliser) are here… A shabby 1-1 draw, this, between two sides who ended up finishing eleventh and twelfth that season.  A match unlikely to be remembered by anyone who was not there.  Unlikely, even, to reside within...

What’s your abiding early FA Cup memory? It might be Shearer smashing the ball in against Spurs at Old Trafford. Or Rob Lee’s bullet header of an equaliser at Wembley against Chelsea. God, if you’re in your early (hundred and) teens, it might even be the last time we won the bloody thing. Mine? Listening...

This book review first appeared in Issue 159 of the hard-copy version of the TRUE FAITH fanzine and we thought it was worth republishing for those who might have missed it first time round. Thanks to John for his well crafted review.  ‘Garrincha’, ‘The Angel with Twisted Legs’, ‘Father of the Dribble’. Manuel Francisco dos...