Back to Anfield after a two year absence and little has seemingly changed in L4 - the same boarded-up houses, the same maudlin records on the PA, the same faded "new" stadium plan on a signpost in Stanley Park...

And unfortunately the final score and our performance harked back to past demonstrations of incompetence here, as the current crop extended our goal drought here past the eight and a half hour mark. That's equivalent to watching all three Godfather films back to back, with decidedly less accurate shooting, at least from our lot... 

After scoring early on, the home side seemed content to sit on a one goal lead in the sunshine and Anfield seemed to snoozing as United gradually came to shade possession, funneling most of their efforts through Enrique and Gutierrez down the left but failing to register an effort of note on goal.

Joey Barton then failed to tuck away a good chance at the start of the second half, before the home side awoke from their slumbers and were duly rewarded for the increased efforts with two further goals. And with the game then won, the inevitable appearance from the bench of substitute Andy Carroll managed to claim most of the headlines - even if he looked less than 100% due to his ongoing knee problems and never came close to netting against his former employers.

The ex-factor had been much hyped beforehand and first manifested itself on the approaches to the stadium even before the confirmation of you-know-whos involvement was received, as rival fans arrived clad in their traditional colours - with the "Carroll 9" evident on the backs of both. 

There is of course nothing new about that (Blackburn's sale of Alan Shearer in July 1996 left a heap of freshly-acquired but never worn in anger "Shearer" 9 shirts lying discarded across Lancashire) and the away fans could hardly patent their audible indignation at Carroll's presence. Some of their abuse was freshly-minted though - to misquote Dylan Thomas, "we are a lyrical (Geordie) nation".

The reaction of a majority (though not all) of that 3,000 strong throng has been both analysed and criticised by all and sundry, but in reality was nothing more malicious than pantomime booing - vulgar but not a physical threat, as was the case when travelling Liverpool fans abused senor Torres at Stamford Bridge earlier this year or Owen got the treatment on Tyneside recently. 

(Digressing for a moment, that latter abuse was held to be the worst in living memory. However one long-term SJP watcher of our acquaintance remains adamant that it was less severe than the 1960 return of contract rebel Judas George Eastham with Arsenal).

Back to Sunday though and those who did exercise their right to rant and rave at their former hero may also reflect on his efforts in black and white earlier this season. 11 goals in 18 Premier League starts for us helped gather enough points to allow his old colleagues to get away with this feeble display, without real fear of it costing them any more than a win bonus.  

But what the current custodians of the club doubtless fail to grasp is that for every lagered-up lad with his underpants sticking out gobbing off about one greedy b*st*rd, there's someone in the row behind (or watching the telly) who has seen it all before. Call it the loss of innocence or the point when indignation gives way to indifference, but flogging Carroll awakens unpleasant memories. The names may change, but the lack of success remains our defining characteristic.

See that loveable reserve coach with PB on his jacket? Twice a Geordie hero, but in between deemed a traitor to the cause by the rank and file for deserting his hometown team in favour of medals and money. 

The parallels between Heworth-born Chris Waddle scoring a cracker against Spurs before joining them and Carroll slamming one past Reina at the Gallowgate End last December are clear enough, while Gazza's similar exit to White Hart Lane completed a trio of departures and saw us relegated within a year. 

All three transfers were hailed as good business by the club at the time and the line about the players angling to leave was trotted out then, but our attempts to use the funds for widespread team strengthening proved to be as misguided as John Robertson's attempts to find the net. 

Let's hope at least that we get something more mobile this time round for the money that the stand that Pedro's wedge paid for...

For a gambling man, Ashley seems to be on something of a winning streak at present. Seeing his sportswear brand return buoyant trading figures and his football retain top-flight status despite cashing in on their prime asset, he would doubtless have found amusement that the abusive chants emanating from the away end here were of the "Greedy Geordie" than "Fat Cockney" variety.

Regardless of the rights and wrongs and perceived injustices that divide fans though as to whether Carroll was jumped, pushed or a combination of both, Alan Pardew surely knows that his destiny will be decided by what he is able to achieve between now and the first week of September. 

Armed with £35m (and with more funds surely available for team strengthening than just that windfall), the challenge for him and his paymasters is to banish memories of Carroll by supplying new heroes whose names can grace the back of our new Bukta-derived home shirt. 

Popular logic dictates that our first season back in the Premier League was all about survival and that finishing above a relegation spot would mean that we'd fought a successful campaign. In reality though, when Andy Carroll was sold in January the club were sitting pretty in seventh place and poised to push on - given some suitable investment. 

Instead, we took the money. 

That we've struggled to open up the box even since is no shock, but even in this era of reduced expectations among disillusioned fans, to be aiming for 17th spot next season is unacceptable.

Even if the manager's plausible comments and the local press attempting to accentuate the positive give the impression that we have greater ambitions, actions really will speak louder than words in terms of our transfer dealings. 

Pardew's nice long contract won't offer him any more security than those that messrs Souness and Allardyce enjoyed if the "product" isn't right. He may not have seen any of this before, but a great many toon sympathisers certainly have.

PS: Maybe it's seeing the Hillsborough memorial en route to the turnstiles here, but we're going to add in our tribute to this report rather than the away season closer at Stamford Bridge. 

Too many of our fellow fans have passed away recently both at home and overseas. No names but we'll pause to remember those who have gone as they were in happier times. Howay the lads. 

Biffa