Comments on: What constitues a football hotbed? Newcastle fans look away now…

By: Richard

Richard — Fri, 16 May 2008 08:28:07 +0000

Oh dear! I hope you weren’t paid to write that!
It really is quite embarrassingly poorly researched. Why, anyone would think you’d made up your mind about the point you wanted to make before doing the research! Surely not – after all you are a ‘professional sports writer’!
I have no reason to stick up for the North East, being a Londoner, but can recognise the fact that, as Johnny said above, the region has a quite remarkable history of producing top talent (not to mention large crowds who commendably continue to support teams who never win anything!).
Let’s take Charlton and Gascoigne – Bobby was arguably the most talented and respected player of his generation, not just in Britain but also in Europe, standing side by side with the likes of Eusebio and Rivera. As for Gascoigne – well, most people who know what they’re talking about would have him down as the most talented ball player of his generation in Europe. Roberto Baggio once admitted as much himself.
Indeed, the Tyneside ‘Golden Trio’ of Waddle, Beardsley and Gascoigne are 3 of the top 5 most skillful ball players that Britain has produced in the last 30 years (the other two being Hoddle and Le Tissier).
Very poor article.

By: Tom

Tom — Fri, 16 May 2008 07:53:13 +0000

Ridiculous article really. I advise you to take a refresher course on writing.

When your opening sentence defines the terms — “The North East of England is often described as a â€˜football hotbed’ — an area that is widely accepted to be rich in the culture, tradition and passion of the beautiful game” and then you go on to try and prove the opposite by a completely different definition (local talent produced), you make yourself look incredibly foolish.

By: johnny

johnny — Thu, 15 May 2008 23:13:54 +0000

Simon,

I think most people say a place is a hot-bed of football cos the area lives and breathes the game. it is not neccessarily true that these areas produce clubs that are successful or that the area produces top players and coaches, but in the North-East’s case it happens to be true.

looking at tyneside, north durham and south northumberland alone, that part of the north east has produced footballers that few other areas of comparable size can match.

Stan Mortensen, Bobby Charlton, Paul Gascoigne, Alan Shearer, Bryan Robson, Peter Beardsley, Chris Waddle can all claim to be amongst the best footballers in the world at the time they played. then there’s players like George Armstrong (Arsenal’s record appearance holder), Albert Stubbins, Jackie Milburn, Norman Hunter, Jack Charlton, Colin Bell, Frank Clark, Steve Bruce, Michael Carrick etc who were or are amongst the best in the country. further afield there’s the likes of Trevor Steven, Woodgate, Clough, Mannion, Pallister etc

Then looking at Managers there’s Bob Paisley one of the most successful managers of all time and the only man in the world to have won the european cup 3 times(i think), Sir Bobby Robson, Howard Kendall amongst others (widen the net to the whole north east and you also have the legendary Brian Clough and Don Revie).

P.S. Listing Carrick as being from West Ham’s catchment area in an article deriding the north-east as a football hotbed is a bit of an embarrasing mistake!

All in all a pretty weak article.

By: Simon Barlow

Simon Barlow — Tue, 13 May 2008 17:31:52 +0000

Hi Devo,

Indepeniente are from Avellenada (not BA).

Zanetti is record caps holder for Argentina so I’m not the only one that rates him, about six coaches did too!

By: DEVO

DEVO — Tue, 13 May 2008 09:54:31 +0000

re Buenos Aires:

you forgot Independiente’s 7 Copa Libertadores; more than any other.

Also, and he’s been a very good player and fantastic pro, and I know its just a matter of opintion, but Javier Zanetti in the top 3 players from Buenos Aires? Are you related??

By: GT

GT — Sat, 10 May 2008 10:34:41 +0000

Cairo? Joburg? Are you fucking serious? I know many football hotbeds than those. Turin, Madrid, Munich, Bucharest… You call Mido and Ramzy talents? And who are Khumala and Radebe? What about Del Piero, Lahm, Raul, and Chivu? Whoever wrote this article is either a complete retard, or he was on drugs when he wrote this. What bullshit.

By: Boom! Gunners!

Boom! Gunners! — Thu, 08 May 2008 00:21:39 +0000

Are there really only two players to come from Marseille? I mean really, Flamini? He has only had one good season. Is he really in the same class as Zizou and Cantona?

Ok, so I am bitter he is leaving for Milan. We will see his true quality next year when he isn’t playing for a new contract.

But he still will never be of the class of the other two mentioned.

By: Anthony

Anthony — Wed, 07 May 2008 22:41:26 +0000

Ahmed, completely agree with you!

Betty, the fans up there only follow when it suits them, it always irritates me to hear that area called a hotbed. Sunderland always mysteriously lose 24,000 fans from that stadium when they’re in the middle reaches of division one. The amount of empty seats whenever I see Middlesbrough play makes me even more certain of it. The 3 clubs combined were getting no more than around 35,000 fans a week in the late 80s and 90s til Keegan went to Newcastle and made football fashionable up there again.

Leeds, Forest and Sheffield fans to me have more loyalty than the above.

By: baldthemackem

baldthemackem — Wed, 07 May 2008 22:40:06 +0000

This is a rubbish discussion. sunderland and newcastle have both got poulations of 300,000 approx. Include the 3 premiership cities and thats 1million.

Sunderland pop 300,000. 45,000 a week going to see them (more than liverpool) 15% of the people watch the football live. Construct your own argument from that you parraquat

By: betty

betty — Wed, 07 May 2008 19:07:20 +0000

being a hot bed of football doesn’t just mean the stars that the area has produced, you quite rightly point out that nothing has been won in the north east for however long but yet the passion for football is one reason it is a hot bed for football newcastle attract 52k every week sunderland top 45k+ each week forget about boro but they still manage 25k. I would like to see what the top clubs could attract after so many years of mediocrity?