I am gonna say it right now, I like Jacob Murphy | OneFootball

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The Mag

·3 October 2022

I am gonna say it right now, I like Jacob Murphy

Article image:I am gonna say it right now, I like Jacob Murphy

I didn’t go to Fulham, I had an appointment with punk legends Stiff Little fingers in Sheffield, Stiff Little Fingers fronted by honorary Geordie and Newcastle United fan Jake Burns.

He was obviously in huge celebratory mode as the whole band played yet another blinder, four or five times I have seen them this year and each time it simply gets better, well apart from my knees and lungs as pretending to be 16 year old again is taking its toll, time for some well earned rest for the band…..and me! Although I am sure SLF drummer Steve Grantley will have his other band RT-Zed up to something while the dark nights close in, check them out they are well worth a listen.


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Whilst I am on music, check out another local Magpie supporting band ’The Avelons’ who might just be destined for good things also…

However, back to football (Newcastle United) and I did manage to watch the game (ahem) and I also caught Match of the Day on Sunday morning, where it was obvious Alan Shearer and Ian Wright had been practising a little bit of quirkiness, step forward Tony Basil!

Who is Toni Basil you may ask? Well she is 79 year old Antonia Christina Basilotta, mainly known for being a top Choreographer and dancer who has worked with superstars like David Bowie amongst others. However, in 1982 she had her one and only hit single – Mickey, have to be honest it was a bit naff but still made the top ten of the UK charts.

So Shearer and Ian Wright have their own bit of verbal choreographing as Wrighty says, you want to talk about Miggy, as big al responds with ‘Oh Miggy you’re so fine, you’re so fine you blow my mind hey Miggy’, the words pinched from the Tony Basil song, I am not sure if our lot sang it at Fulham but I am sure at some point it may catch on!

I cant believe I am talking about Punk Legends SLF in the same article as Toni Basil but needs must.

Anyway, moving on and that win was huge, all across the park we dominated, and in a way that the best teams do. OK we are not Man City and of course Fulham only had ten men, but only in the last ten minutes when changes were made did we look a little ragged, not unlike Man City yesterday after they had put Man Utd to bed. Make no mistake, the three goals flattered Man Utd just as much as the one goal flattered Fulham.

Would it have been any different 11 v 11? Who cares? You can only beat what is in front of you and we already should have been ahead before the red card. As a footnote, Longstaff is lucky he did not suffer serious injury, such was the nastiness of the tackle.

I wonder however how many people raised an eyebrow when the team was named, yeah there were a few surprises, including Jacob Murphy.

Now, at the risk of some normal commenting negativity, I am gonna say it right now, I like Jacob Murphy.

For sure he flatters to deceive at times but he does not hide and is a willing worker. Would he be in our best first eleven? Of course not! Will he be in in our squad after another transfer window? Well, unless he adds consistency, the answer is probably no as well, but right now Eddie fancies him and that should be enough for all of us.

On Saturday, everyone played their part and of course when Bruno is in your team things can happen, he has the ability to pick out the unexpected and his so calm and controlled on the ball. Also, with a fit Callum Wilson it takes things to a different level. We are getting there, make no mistake, and the future is going to be ours at some point in the not too distant future.

Moving on to Brentford, up here on Saturday, a good old fashioned 3pm kick off. Brentford are not a bad team and in Ivan Toney have a player who can make things tough, but if our players are all fit and with ASM possibly itching to play, we should have too much for them up here. A little bit of confidence will make all the difference and just maybe we would be knocking on the door of the top four come 5pm on Saturday night.

I saw another article earlier today, saying we should be targeting Man Utd. I completely agree and also those around them. Apart from Man City every other team is reachable. Of course we will lose some on the way but we can be competitive against everyone. Arsenal have improved but they also should be within our target area.

So, what happened elsewhere?

Well, Freddie Woodman silenced the boos as he kept a clean sheet down the road, the biggest cheer according to RTG is the fact they clapped their own attendance announcement. Well I take my hat off, well done you lot, we shall join you in a round of appreciation. Joking apart, if we forget the malice, the bitterness, the jealousy for just a second, they are getting decent attendances, but their chances of joining us anytime soon are slim at best. Also in the North East, I notice Middlesbrough have sacked their manager while somehow (unless something happens today) WBA have not yet sacked theirs. Looking further afield I see Sunderland ex manager Alex Neil starting well at Stoke with a 4-0 hoofing of somebody or other at home.

Roll on Saturday and no doubt the pubs will be alive both before and after and this is what football should be like. I may even see my mate Monk in ‘Peppers’ after the game, as he popped in last time to say hello, he aint all bad you know!

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