FOREST AWAY: Newcastle United, Sunday 5th October – Fan Guide
As the Midtjylland attacker composed himself in front of the Forest goal, about to make it 3-1 to his side, all manner of thoughts clicked through my head. Chiefly, like your own no doubt, it was ‘Oh no’, but I also gave the briefest of considerations to what was about to happen in the stands.
Anger certainly felt the right emotion at the time. Clearly, the ire was mainly directed at Postecoglou. He looked a bit ridiculous with his hands on his head but I’m not sure what else you do in those circumstances, in fairness. Having thousands of supporters demanding your removal in your second home game is never going to be pleasant, but unfortunately for him we have quickly moved past pleasantries.
I have seen many bad Forest sides, and to be clear this one comes nowhere close, but I have never seen a Forest team regress like this so quickly. While our record was not particularly sparkling before Postecoglou’s arrival, we did at least seem to possess some sort of idea of defending our back post and being able to know who was going to head the ball away. It isn’t just bad, it’s actually bewildering.
At times in recent games, but especially on Thursday night, I watched with my mouth open as the opposition passed the ball to a forward player in oceans of empty space. Neco Williams, who is arguably our most reliable player, now seems to quite often to be yards and yards away from his man. I don’t single him out to be harsh on him, I use Neco as an example of how we appear to have collectively lost the plot when it comes to defensive strategy. It’s not like, a fantastic 20 minutes against Betis aside, that we have even looked particularly impressive in attack either.
I need to catch myself a little bit here and remember that we are six games in. We know it will take time to impose a philosophy, but I’m honestly not sure I want to see how it plays out and hope it works. Because a lot of what I have seen so far is idiotic, harrowing football.
I can’t but think part of the response from the crowd was utter despair at how this has all been undone. This was to be a monumental return to Europe and we weren’t just being talked about as a club simply making up the numbers; there was talk about how we could go far. The City Ground was waiting for a performance on Thursday and it could have been magical, one of those famous European nights on Trentside that many of us had dreamed of. Only for us to put in a performance so meek it was actually upsetting.
There was too frustration in there, we have to acknowledge, at the owner and the club hierarchy. While much of what has unfolded at the club in recent months has been difficult to establish and comprehend, the Postecoglou appointment was always going to be something Marinakis was directly judged on. The coach draws the fire much of the time but we do also need to look beyond Postecoglou for wider accountability how this has gone so badly wrong. Our ability to damage our momentum by trying to jump too impatiently to the next phase of our masterplan is something we have seen before under this ownership. Pointing at winning trophies and the like is great to hear, but I’d rather we took a breath and worked out the best way to do that, not necessarily the quickest way.
I have one final point here; I’m not sure how important it is, but it does feel relevant. In some part, I think our actions as a club are harming us a little bit now. We have been loud and brash at times over the last couple of years and it feels like we have become a target. This isn’t so bad when we are flying high and can brush it off, but when we are struggling it does add to the pressure around the place.
We know that sometimes we have found ourselves unfairly cast as the villain, as with the Palace saga, but our social media exploits, barmy statements and episodes like the owner being on the pitch does ultimately not reflect on us well. And you can see now that the knives are out.
This is a pressure-cooker of our own making, and it didn’t need to be this way.
AWAY DAY No. 6 – Newcastle United, Sunday 5th October, 2pm KO.
Last Visit: A 4-3 defeat in February which sprang ino life in the closing stages as we tried to fight back into a game that looked like it had slipped away.
Famous Visit: A Fourth Round FA Cup victory in January 1997. The Reds trailed into the final fifteen minutes but a sublime Ian Woan brace won the tie. Stuart Pearce was in caretaker charge that day (and also played) but would join Newcastle the following summer.
Useful information: Forest fans will again be housed at the very top of the Leazes End. It’s a big climb so allow plenty of time ahead of kick-off.
Sunglasses / hat requirement: 3/10.
TRAVEL
RAIL: Travel by train doesn’t look great. A first glance shows a bus replacement from Nottingham to Derby at 08:25 followed by a train at 09:45 which gets in at 12:28.
The better option if using this route is to try and get to Derby and then the 08:28 which changes at Sheffield and arrives in Newcastle at 11:28. There is a 16:40 return which gets back to Derby at 19:21, with a train to Nottingham at 19:37.
An alternative is to use the East Coast Line from Grantham but this still involves a change at Doncaster. The first advertised service from Nottingham departs at 09:18, arriving at 12:22.
Unfortunately, return fares are generally in excess of £100. If train is your only option then look at breaking down the journey with individual returns – Grantham to Doncaster etc – which might help. I always advocate acquiring a Two Together Railcard too which offers a third off and will pay for itself on a trip like this.
Newcastle station is around a 15-minute walk to St James’ Park.
ROAD: From experience I find the best way in towards the stadium to skip around the city by staying on the A1 over the Tyne and heading in from the west using the A186. There is a big residential area to the left which we have parked at for the last couple of visits without much trouble. If you look for Nuns Moor Park there was ample parking between here and the A186.
The decision to make is how close you get to St James’ before you ditch the car; we have tended to have a 25-minute walk but you can feasibly get closer if you are willing to sit in more traffic after the game.
The A186 back to the A1 was a pain last time to get away so I’m wondering this season if there is any mileage in trying to use the A167 (north of Nuns Moor Park) back to the A1, but it’s likely this will be just as slow.
There is the more direct option to head in and out of Newcastle through the city, but I suspect this route is the busiest of all and likely doesn’t offer the same amount of free street parking.
PUBS
Newcastle is a welcoming city and it’s unlikely you’ll have many issues drinking anywhere across the city, including in pubs very close to the stadium.
The Victoria Comet remains the main venue for away fans, opposite the train station and around a 15-minute-walk to the stadium. The nearby Gunnar Tavern will be a more even split of home and away fans. A little further up, Tilley’s Bar was a good shout for us in 2022. Last season we drank at the Duke of Wellington on High Bridge Street. It wasn’t hugely busy, and we were made very welcome by a couple of the locals.
There is also several options round the stadium, including the Gate complex which has bars inside and out, which, although often extremely busy, will allow in well-behaved Forest fans. For the Boxing Day game in 2023, a group of us had no issues at the Newcastle Arms which is a stone’s throw from the stadium.
You may have also seen Forest themselves are advertising a pre-match event with front of shirt sponsors, Bally’s, which will be held close to the ground at their casino on Stowell Street. Stuart Pearce will be in attendance for a Q&A with supporters. It is free to attend but ‘spaces are extremely limited.’ Those attending must be over 18 years of age. There was a registration process for this so I don’t know for sure if any spaces remain.
Safe travels to all of you heading up to Newcastle.
Let’s hope for a change in fortunes.
You Reds.
Matt