Bez: Fans allowed to get carried away now
NEWCASTLE United ambassador John Beresford says he has no problem with Toon supporters getting carried away this summer. After all they have spent so long in the doldrums under Mike Ashley, the passionate Geordie fans deserve all the positivity that is coming their way under new ambitious owners.
Beresford will sign off for the season at Central Park with a Newcastle-themed party and will team up with former United star Steve Howey to provide entertainment in the build-up to the weekend’s Premier League finale.
Summing up the mood in the city ahead of the event, Beresford told The Chronicle: “Fans just can’t wait for the next game to come now. The minute one game finishes, everybody is looking forward to the next one rather than dreading it.
“It’s a weird thing, and I know we get a bit of stick on TALKSPORT and Sky Sports and stuff, where they say the Geordies get carried away. And yeah we do! Because it makes such a difference to a lot of people’s lives and some people don’t understand that passion up here.
“I wouldn’t change that passion for anything and the players have to learn that as well. You get certain players who have said, ‘I find it all a bit intense.’ And I always say, ‘Well maybe Newcastle is not for you then mate.’ It’s about the character and profile of players.”
Beresford was delighted to see a fully-fledged member of the fullback union in Kieran Trippier arrive on Tyneside in January. And he feels that type of signing can help take the club to the next level.
The popular former full-back said: “Kieran Trippier is a great example, because firstly he’s got the ability and secondly he’s played at Atletico Madrid.
“So he’s had that intensity and
understands what it all means. When he was at Spurs he was involved in those Spurs-arsenal games and he gets it, he knows what it’s like for the fans.”
Beresford sees similarities between Trippier’s arrival and former Liverpool and England star Barry Venison. The Wearsider helped spark the Entertainers era as Newcastle built from the back.
Beresford added: “When I went to Newcastle, Barry Venison came in at the same time. He’s been at Liverpool for a long time and he’s played for Sunderland.
“He understood it all straight away. For the first two months I was staying at the same hotel as him and going out for a drink with him, you just saw the reaction of the supporters. He got some stick as well with his Sunderland links but you learn
on the job. I learned what football meant in the North East very quickly.
“You get a grasp of it. With somebody like Barry Venison, even in training if the standards were not there he would be in people’s faces and it shocked a few players.
“People were trying but the standard had to be there and adhered to. That was what people like Paul Bracewell and Kevin Keegan demanded.
“It was miles above what I’d come across. I’d been at Pompey and Barnsley and it was way above. But it’s up to you to get to that level – if you can’t get to that level you will be on your way.
“And I think with people like Trippier around this is what will happen with this team.
“There’s going to be players who can embrace and want to be here for the ride. If you want to be part of something special you have to adapt to it.
“If you are there now grab it with both hands. It’s always been a special football club but now you have an owner who will be able to take you to the heights that could be ridiculous.”
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