How one neutral saw last Saturday's visit to the Liberty Stadium for the Newcastle clash

The following text has been reproduced with the kind permission of "A Voice Of Spotland" - Rochdale's official match programme.

by Scrutator

Scrutator likes to ground hop. Last Saturday took Scrutator within 4 grounds of doing the full set as Swansea’s Liberty Stadium was ticked off.

It was a trip of interest as a friend had managed to get us two tickets in the Newcastle end, and I’d never sat amongst the famous Toon Army before. It cost £30 (thirty) for the privilege of sitting behind the net to watch Swansea.

Personally, I miss The Vetch Field which was a ground with character and atmosphere and excellent acoustics as those who have stood on the away end would confirm. Especially from the Jack choir to the left who could be relied upon to hurl anti English abuse at the 100 or so Dale fans scattered on a large crumbling terrace.

The shiny new Liberty Stadium is pretty much the same as every new stadium. It serves its purpose but it doesn’t evoke anything when you walk in. Go to one Ten Pin Bowling Alley and you’ve been to them all. The same is true of new stadia.

Swansea’s ground is served closely by one pub. A Harvester. There was a Frankie and Bennys nearby, and a sit in chippy. A sit in chippy? Give me Willbutts Lane or Grimsby anyday before a sit in chippy. What do you do with chips when you’re sitting down? I know the Lord Justice Taylor Report made football stadia all seater, but which Lord has suggested chippies go the same way? I was incandescent with rage and refused to enter the establishment!

The chippy had given me a downer on the place. The area of Swansea the ground was in was a bit run down. Think Coronation Street in Wales, knock off a nought and divide by two.

But still, I was going to sit amongst the passionate Toon Army. In I went, purchased my lunch (12.45 kick off) and ate it standing up. I squirted some ketchup down my coat from one man sized bite of my burger. I should have been sitting down! Where’s that Lord?

Getting to my seat I was impressed by a Toon following of nearly 3000. Not bad for an early kick off some 550 miles away.

You might smile wryly at this, but Swansea still sit to the left and still create a good atmosphere angled in the anti English genre. They chanted at a packed away end that the support wasn’t very good, and the Geordies responded with a witty rendition which pointed out the empty seats in the home stands. I enjoyed the wit.

What I didn’t enjoy was the old lonely bloke next to me who kept waving his scarf over his head Lazio style. Not only did he knock my wig off, he nearly had my eye out! I can do without the wig, but…

Is the Toon Army something special? No! They are no different to the rest of us. How they have created this media myth I really don’t know. They do exactly what we do. They sing when they are playing well, they criticise when they are bad, and they go ape when they score a late equaliser.

On the pitch, Newcastle were shocking. But, they went top with a 1-1 draw. Take it from me, had they been at Spotland and we were on our game, we’d have stuffed them. I was embarrassed to watch big name players going through the motions to pick up their big pay cheques. If you ever wanted to know why Newcastle have fallen from grace it was there at Swansea. They have a lot of bone idle players who have no passion for the club!

On closer scrutiny, a chord struck with me. The really useless players were the ones signed for big money in the Premiership days. The younger home grown players were carrying Alan Smith and Kevin Nolan. I was embarrassed for the former Bolton player; it’s only a few years since he was talked of in England terms, and in this Newcastle side he was overweight, un-interested, and generally hopeless. Smith meanwhile showed good intentions, but he’s now a holding midfielder for Newcastle and not a wiry centre forward. How things change.

It reminded me of Hillcroft’s policy. Get them young and enthuse them, train them and make them hungry.

This is the only way.

Newcastle are doomed, even though they are top of the Championship! 

Photo: Action Images

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