The Newcastle United protest mailbag: From extreme to the creative as fans eye fightback against Magpies’ woes

To protest or not - that is definitely the question on many Newcastle United fans’ lips.

Is it worth it? Or will it achieve nothing, like many before?

We asked for your views last week and the responses came flooding in via social media - so, here’s an NUFC protest mailbag we put together, with some of the more creative and impassioned responses.

All views expressed in this piece are strictly held by the author and not the writer or publication. This piece is not an endorsement of said views.

Time to turn our backs on the Premier League

I get the extreme measures some want after seeing Man Utd’s organised protest. However, I’m not one for rioting. Imagine what the EPL would do to us? I’d suggest that on 18 minutes all fans stand turn their back on the match and stay silent. This could be sold as the 18 month the Premier league and government have turned their backs on NUFC and said nothing to our questions. @Gary178371741

Peaceful protests? They get us nowhere

The sad fact is, no matter what we do, it won’t make any difference to the situation we find ourselves in. Is the only way to get noticed, even though it’s wrong, a pitch invasion during a game? It would result in sanctions, but at least we’d get a response from the club and Premier League. We’ve tried peaceful demonstration in London and got nowhere. @geordiemalik

‘Simple and powerful’

All fans should attend as normal and then stand in silence with their backs to the game. Simple and powerful. Enough is enough. It’s time to act. @Huthart44

Take away the club’s major selling point

The best thing is for fans to stay away. Don’t go to the ground and not turn up, anything vitriolic is going to be used against us, and it just doesn’t work. The club is known for its fans, it’s our selling point. Taking that away from them, the owner and co, is worth a lot more than angry protests in the ground. @Chris_Winter8

Large-scale protest is the ONLY way

I went to the NUFC Protest in London - the EPL contempt for the club is my main reason for protesting. We’re just not being listened to by anyone (including Mike Ashley). A large protest seems like the only way to get oxygen into our issues, it’s ridiculous what the club is going through. @BitcoinyodaF

Premier League AND Mike Ashley in NUFC fans’ sights

100% behind any protests, whether it be against PL or Ashley. @MickeyAdamson

‘NUFC Twitter Wars’

Newcastle United’s fanbase is fractured. At a time when they’ve united at clubs such as Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham, what do we have? An ever growing list of podcasts, wannabe celebrities and pundits, new protest groups and so-called ‘In The Know’ (ITK) accounts. In the absence of any official communication from the club except Steve Bruce and his often ludicrous interviews, the vacuum was filled by what can only be described as the NUFC Twitter Wars. Whether you’re on a particular side or just stay out of it entirely, I think everyone can admit that it’s beyond shambolic from grown adults. @XI_Delta

All eyes on the Premier League & working WITH Mike Ashley

I personally think regarding the protest that it should be directed at the premier league. As much as I hate Mike Ashley, fans should be working with him to try and get this takeover through. Flags and banners similar to the ones Wor Flags used to do should be all over the stadium at the Leeds game so they can’t be missed by the Sky cameras. @bmurwin_10

‘We’d be in dreamland now if not for the Premier League’

To protest against Ashley would be a complete waste of time. He ain’t budging unless he gets his price for the club. For me, the protest needs to be against the PL and it needs to be done on a grand scale. We’d be in dreamland now if it wasn’t for the non-decision on the ODT so in my opinion we need to make it loud and clear to the rest of football that we’ve had enough and we’re not taking it anymore. @Pearsop2

Manchester United set out the blueprint

In my opinion best action for a protest is to do similar thing to what Man United did. We need to call out the Premier League for answers and get across to Mike Ashley, Lee Charnley & Steve Bruce that we don’t want them here at all we want them gone. People need to grow a pair and start to stand up for what they love. @Bashane40

No appetite for ‘real’ protest at NUFC

What Man United achieved with the ESL, what Liverpool achieved to get the previous owners out, what West Ham achieved to get their owners to spend will never happen here. Too much fighting amongst fans with differing views and too many fans who are just happy to accept what’s being served up because we are used to it. @LaurentAlhadeff

Empty St James’ Park

By supporting the team, you line Mike Ashley’s pocket. To line Ashley’s pocket is creating the vicious cycle that he’s absolutely okay with. Season tickets, shirts and all that goes with it continues to make him money that our club never sees. I believe an empty SJP would create a HUGE statement that the media simply could not ignore. @NUFC_Danny

Tennis balls on the pitch?

My idea which has been used by several other clubs is throwing tennis balls on the pitch to delay the match at a peak time. This has worked at other clubs such a Charlton Athletic. I think unless the protest is done in the ground and is widely visible to a TV audience it wouldn’t be worth it. @SDIXON1902

Boycotts would be booed... AGAIN!

Walkouts, boycotts, etc, won’t do anything. I’d say 80% of fans are happy we can go back in the stadium. Boycotts have been booed on several occasions in St James’ Park. I would, however, whole-heartedly support a boycott. @MrPaulSampson

A tennis ball version of Agincourt

Before any civil disorder/protests/pitch invasions and possible arrests, I believe the first act should be a coordinated throwing of tennis balls en mass (a la Agincourt) onto the pitch during a live broadcast game. Combine it with the usual flags and chants and I think this would be an effective and visual way of drawing the medias attention to the NUFC fanbase plight. @_Hypnotique

Motives need to be explored

I think anger and frustration seek an outlet - and action is always thought of as the immediate. But what is the outcome that is desired? Has the desire for a takeover been overtaken with a desire to be the richest club in the world (hence all the ‘corrupt EPL’ tag lines)? Ashley wants to sell, but needs a buyer… so there’s no need to persuade him to sell. Perhaps could protests be used to push a change of manager? @singram999

Hit Mike Ashley and the PL where it ‘hurts’

Protests need to happen. But not just stand outside of a stadium shouting. Mike Ashley and the PL only understand one thing and that’s money. So hit them where they hurt. We could throw tennis balls or cabbages (ironic) to get the game stopped. Especially the televised ones. @laaurenmoore94