This week the Newcastle Jets came from 2-0 down to draw equal with Melbourne Victory but then fell a goal behind again and lost their match. This week the Wellington Phoenix came from 2-0 down against Melbourne Heart to draw equal and then we went ahead to win our match. Some of you may recall when we last met Newcastle we won 3-0, in Newcastle.
Currently we are in 6th, Newcastle 7th on the table, you might say we are similar in many respects – teams from small towns that punch above their weight on a per capita crowd basis and have a hard job competing with the far richer clubs of Melbourne and Sydney. Our fan bases are both staunch.
One difference between Newcastle and Wellington is that the Australian city’s local newspaper is continually supportive of its team, constructive critics of performances but die-hard loyal. That is what you expect from your local newspaper, to accurately reflect the sentiments of its community, something the Newcastle Herald does admirably. The commentaries carried by the Newcastle Herald reflect the unconditional support of their local team. Compare the coverage of this weekend’s games.
“Brave Jets fall short”, “the Jets rallied courageously” – Robert Dillon, Newcastle Herald.
“Entertainment has been in short supply at Westpac [Stadium]this season”. “it [Thursday’s game at the Westpac Stadium] wasn’t always high quality” – Sam Worthington, Dominion Post.
You wouldn’t think we’d done better would you? The Newcastle public is blessed to have a local newspaper whose football reporters are supportive of their team, no matter what.
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