Set in glass

This made me laugh.

Excuse the slightly crap mobile picture. I should explain what you are looking at.

There was a broken window at Jesmond Metro station. I caught a train from there following a couple of late afternoon beer garden beers.

It had one of those emergency glass patches clagged on. You know the type that are little more than a holding job until proper reglazing.

Anyway, in the glue was clearly spelt out:

SMB

NUFC.

For the uninitiated that’s Sad Mackem Bastards followed by Newcastle United Football Club.

Or to explain further, the next city’s football team (Sunderland), in derrogatory terms, followed by ours in full.

All beautifully written out in glue.

I guess you could call it grafitti, if it wasn’t so obviously written by the people whose job it is to clear up after vandals.

Anyway, the new season starts on Saturday. Away to Bolton and I’m strangely optimistic. When I first considered leaving Tyneside, I feared that Newcastle United would break the habit of my lifetime and actually win something and I wouldn’t be there to see it. I was assured by more sensible people that there was absolutely no chance of this.

They were right. Too right. We only got worse. So much worse.

But we’ve a new manager. A new chairman and new players too.

Whisper it quietly - but my optimism for the new season might just have had the teeniest influence on me heading home.

Except that would just be stupid.