Goodbye to the Fizzy Pop League
Well this could be the last few days you can consider yourselves a Championship supporter and while it has been a sobering experience with a few laughs along the way, you certainly can't say it hasn't been interesting can you?
We certainly expected Toon fans to pack out Championship grounds up and down the country and there haven't been too many stadiums which have not resulted in a sell out in the away end.
To see it in practice has been fantastic and in turn most home fans have came out in force to see Newcastle United potentially slip up in the Championship.
But there have been just a few occasions (four so far) when they have lost and only one game when the winning margin was more than one goal (Derby 0-3).
From a reporting point of view there have been some very different experiences compared to the plush surroundings of Old Trafford or the Emirates or all of the history that comes with Liverpool or Everton or even West Ham.
And with many sides like Bolton, Stoke, Hull, Blackburn and Wigan having top facilities, fighting my way through dusty and smashed up telephones that had been there for what seemed like 100 years just to get set up at Barnsley summed up just where we'd landed.
The toilet was a wall and compared to the fine foods of Chelsea and Arsenal, just a cup of tea was on offer from the Tykes!
But as they told us at the time, it was a "good cup of tea!"
At Blackpool they couldn't even offer the last man to lift a trophy for Newcastle in Bobby Moncur a cup of coffee!
So me, Moncs and the NUFC Press officer had to make use of a bus stop and a packet of fish and chips on the seafront!
Nice view of the tower it may have been but more crazy scenes followed at Cardiff when the ceiling of the Press room caved in due to a flood and soaked a row of journalists filing copy, and that was at a new ground.
Scunthorpe reacted as if they'd beaten AC Milan at Glanford Park, Toon fans missed Andy Carroll's equaliser in order to get out of deepest darkest South Wales in time for the last train and some fans had to leave Bristol City at half-time in order to catch their flight home after Sky moved the kick-off time!
I wouldn't want to sound like I'm slating the Championship but the point I'm trying to make is that if that's what it's been like for us mere hacks, it must have been a test of character for the players too.
Football is full of players who believe they are destined for the big time.
And many expected the current Toon squad to fold in this division because they felt they were too good for it.
But they have been first class professionals and done their jobs to date.
At Peterborough we take in another ground for the second time this season that has hosted its fair share of lower league football.
And if Newcastle rise above the whole "cup tie" mind-set once again, there would be no better place to bid farewell to the Championship with 4,100 fans making the journey down to Posh.
This game won't be televised of course but after over 20 fixtures have been moved for the box it will be somewhat ironic to seal promotion on a day when we experience a good old fashioned 3pm kick off!
HAVE YOU GOT ANY EXPERIENCES TO SHARE FROM FOLLOWING UNITED IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP?
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Lee Ryder - Proudly born and bred on Tyneside, the Chronicle's chief sports writer has followed the fortunes of the club over the last three decades as a Toon fan and football writer.
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It must be hard being a Journalist Lee with all those things you've had to put up with, but what have we fans had to endure all season? Overpriced tickets in rubbish grounds, long rail journey's, kick off times being moved at will and we can't claim it all back on expenses you know. As I've said on several Chronicle Blogs I have hated everything about the Championship and can't wait to start watching Prem football again, although I am fully aware we are not there yet. How many of these teams will fill their grounds again or take 3-4000 fans away ever again like when they've came to SJP? The Championship will miss us badly, weren't we supposed to be there for at least a couple of seasons? but we won't miss them, not one little bit.
Ryder's reply: Yes I have a lot of sympathy for you, my family travel to games home and away too, so I know that it hasn't been cheap.
I also had over a decade of travelling home and away as well.
Agreed. You can almost taste the disappointment from the rest of the Championship too (not to mention the likes of Sky and most of the national press) that we're heading straight back up. Oh how they wanted another Leeds. The Championship will be dull as dishwater next year now they've not got a target to pop at each week. The standard of football has been mainly dire and some of the grounds were like a throw-back to 1983. Good riddance.
Laads Laads Laads - what are yez? Moncur's cuppachino not sprinkled with choco flakes ??? Whats yer history - cos I'll tell you mine. Its braving he dark at St James's Park an the Gallowgate End in the rain (RIP Buska). Its the Leazers - its standing watchig footy behind cages.
Lee - tell Moncs to get down the Metro arena - he can watch Len Goodman and the lads in thier sparkles dance the tango if he wants his action on the warm with a cuppa ! ! ! !
This season has been great - I have switched the radio or wireless on and not kicked the dog - not like last season. I love winning - and hated been inthe championship - but i had a smile onme face for a year - and it made a nice change (apparently).
Great year - great season - great tetleys (not bitter).
Ryder's reply: Some good points Relton as ever.
But perhaps you should try plugging you laptop in somewhere on the terraces and writing a match report as the game goes on!
well putting MA and DL to one side, yes going to these grounds (i admit i've only been a few this season) aren't exactly like a trip to centre parks, more like camping at planky mill but we can't knock the CCC too much. after many seasons in the PL struggling to stay out of the bottom 3 its been great to see a team come together and just bloody get back to winning ways. don't get me wrong we shouldn't of been in such a poor position where we were eventually religated but its been coming long before MA turned up if we're honest. i for one am not going to knock the CCC because you never know we might end up back here sharper then we'd like. fingers crossed that never happens. thanks CCC see' ya laters!
Its always a disappointment when these things happen....specially if you follow it with the intensity of a journalist
Well only paying ã3 for parking at Scunthorpe was a highlight for me however the cramped toilets and the woman behind the burger van in Scunny asking me if i had come all the way from Newcastle were hilarious!
good thing about the CCC was so many games on tv(maybe not good as a travelling toon suporter)but livin in ireland and getting to see newcastle on an almost weekly basis was a nice highlight and winning again of course :D