PNE

PNE Who are You?: ‘stick with it Mackems; you’re a big club with loud, passionate fans’

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Norm Shilcock with Preston born and bred Kevin Kilbane, who started his career at Deepdale

Monsieur Salut writes: thinking Kevin Kilbane had a bit of a raw deal from SAFC fans isn’t the same as thinking he was a rip-roaring success for us. I saw him play badly, but also saw him play well and still be slagged off. To our PNE ‘Who are You?’ interviewee Norm Shilcock*, he’s a ‘great homegrown hero’ and he should know because he used to teach philosophy.

Norm, who ‘blogs, blags and comments’ at www.thesocialnorm.co.uk, nearly didn’t make it to Salut! Sunderland. Incompetence sometimes rules around here and I sent the questions to someone else not just once but twice before realising. So hats off to him for turning in his answers so quickly. Stand by for some terrific thoughts on us, Grayson and Coleman, David Beckham, PNE’s chances of staying up if they made it to the Premier League …

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Beware the ideas of March

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John McCormick:
John McCormick: Marching on

 

As we’re not playing this weekend, I thought I’d provide some March-flavoured comment. I see it as my duty as a citizen of the European Capital of Culture (2008) to bring enlightenment to the denizens of the runners up, Newcastle-Gateshead. You’re one of them, by the way. The Angel of the North is part of Northumberland according to the opening of Robson Greens’ latest TV series, and Hadrian’s wall marks the border with Scotland according to independence referendum pundits, so anywhere up north must surely qualify as part of Newcastle-Gateshead, which are and always will be two distinct towns as far as I’m concerned.

I must include references to football, of course, which allows me to begin by saying March down here saw quite a few miserable faces following Everton’s exit from Europe and then Stevie G’s early bath, which no doubt contributed to a defeat at the hands of Liverpool’s arch arch-enemy. Ha!

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Soapbox: proud Preston, perfect penalty takers

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soapbox


It sounded a creditable effort, ahead twice – right up to full time and again right up the end of extra time. Then the phrase Sunderland fans have come to dread: the penalty shoot-out. Pete Sixsmith witnessed the inevitable outcome …

Brrr, it’s a cold Wednesday night and there is an interesting Carling Cup semi on terrestrial TV, a bottle of Tullamore Dew on the go, a decent book to read and a warm fire. So bugger all that, let’s go to the Stadium of Light and watch the Under 18s play Preston in the FA Youth Cup.

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