Newcastle United

Newcastle United is a professional football club that was formed in 1892 following the merger of two clubs, Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End. They have played at St James' Park, which overlooks the city since their formation.

The club was elected into the Football League for the 1893-94 season, from where they were promoted to the First Division following its extension in 1897-88. ‘The Magpies’ or ‘Toon Army’ began a fierce rivalry with Sunderland since the first Tyne-Wear Derby in 1898. Newcastle were crowned English league champions in 1904-05, as well as reaching the FA Cup final, where they lost to Aston Villa at Crystal Palace. 

United were beaten finalists the following season against Everton. A second league title arrived on Tyneside in 1906-07 before the team lost their third Cup final the following season, against Wolverhampton Wanderers. The 1908-09 season saw United win the league for a third time.

The FA Cup was finally lifted thanks to a 2-0 replay win against Barnsley at Goodison Park, thanks to two goals from Albert Shepherd in 1909-1,0 before United were runners-up to Bradford City. A second FA Cup triumph came in 1923-24 at Wembley as two late goals from Neil Harris and Stan Seymore overcame Aston Villa. 

These previous triumphs came as the team was selected by a committee headed by Frank Wall. Hughie Gallacher became the hero of the Gallowgate crowds for the next five years following his signing from Airdrieonians in 1925. His spell saw a fourth league title arrive in 1926-27. 

Andy Cunningham was appointed as Newcastle’s first sole team manager on his appointment in 1930. In 1931-32 ,United won the FA Cup once again with a 2-1 win against Arsenal, thanks to a brace from John Allen. However, the team was relegated to Division Two in 1933-34, only escaping relegation to the third tier on goal average in 1937-38 under the management of John Mather.

Former player Seymour became manager in September 1939 to oversee another great period in the history of the club. The team won promotion back to Division One in 1947-48 before the 1950’s saw Newcastle win the FA Cup three times. Local forward Jackie Milburn wooed the crowds along with fellow stars Joe Harvey, Bobby Mitchell, George and Ted Robledo, Ronnie Simpson, Jimmy Scoular, Vic Keeble and George Hannah.

In 1950-51 Blackpool were beaten 2-0 with two Milburn goals, before a George Robledo goal saw off Arsenal in 1951-52 and then Manchester City were beaten 3-1 in 1954-55 thanks to efforts from Milburn, Mitchell and Hannah to complete six Cup triumphs.

The team began to break up and was relegated in 1960-61 under manager Charlie Mitten. Former player Joe Harvey was appointed as manager in June 1962 ,as he rebuilt the team. Promotion was won in 1964-65 with the likes of Ron McGarry, Stan Anderson and Dave Hilley starring.

United consolidated their top-flight place before embarking on a run in the European Inter-Cities Fairs Cup of 1968-69; defeating Rangers in the semi-final and then Újpest FC of Hungary 6-2 on aggregate in the final. Stars of the day were Bobby Moncur, Willie McFaul, Frank Clark, Bryan Robson and Wyn Davies. 

The signing of Malcolm Macdonald, Terry Hibbitt and Tony Green, who was forced into early retirement, gave the team a new lease of life as they reached the 1973-74 FA Cup final before losing 3-0 to Liverpool. Harvey was replaced by Gordon Lee in the summer of 1975 as his side were defeated by Manchester City in the 1975-76 League Cup final. 

Richard Dinnis arrived at St James’ Park in February 1977, lasting until November of the same year when former player McGarry took over. He could prevent relegation in 1977-78 as the club hit a spell of decline. Arthur Cox was appointed as manager in September 1980 as the team began to be rebuilt, featuring Chris Waddle, John Trewick and Mick Martin.

However, the signing of Kevin Keegan in the summer of 1982 along with Terry McDermott galvanised support once again. They were joined by Peter Beardsley for the 1983-84 campaign as Newcastle won promotion and Keegan said goodbye with a goal in his final game.

Cox departed after a fallout with the board as Jack Charlton arrived in his place for a year before former keeper Willie McFaul took over team affairs as a young Paul Gascoigne broke into the team. Gascoigne was sold with McFaul lasting until October 1988 before Jim Smith became the latest incumbent of the permanent manager’s position.

Brazilian forward Mirandinha gave fans plenty to cheer ,but the team couldn’t stave off relegation at the end of the campaign. A new forward partnership of Micky Quinn and Mark McGhee was forged as the Toon Army reached the play-offs in 1989-90, only to lose out to Sunderland.

Smith departed to the end of the following season as Osvaldo Ardiles took over and soon had his young side playing attractive football as local lads Steve Howey, Lee Clark and Steve Watson became features in the team.

Kevin Keegan returned as manager in February 1992, as new owner Sir John Hall oversaw much-needed changes and the start of the upgrade of St James’ Park. Keegan’s side, including Pavel Srníček, John Beresford, Barry Venison and Gavin Peacock,k won promotion back to the top flight by winning the title.

Andrew Cole would bang in the goals the following season as United ended in third place in the Premier League as Robert Lee was added to midfield. Beardsley returned for the 1994-95 campaign along with defender Philippe Albert as further ground improvements were carried out.

Big signings Les Ferdinand, David Ginola, Warren Barton, Shaka Hislop, Faustino Asprilla and David Batty joined the club as Newcastle led the table by nine points at one stage of the 1995-96 season before being eventually overhauled by Manchester United. Record signing Alan Shearer arrived at United in the summer of 1996, but Keegan resigned and was replaced by Kenny Dalglish the following February. 

Once again, the team ended in the runners-up spot. The 1997-98 campaign was one of disappointment in the league, but the team did reach the final of the FA Cup, where they were beaten by Arsenal. Ruud Gullit took over as the new manager in August 1998, taking United to the Cup final, where they suffered defeat to Manchester United as Freddie Shepherd took over as chairman.

Sir Bobby Robson became the new manager in August 1999 as Shearer continued to bang in the goals with Nolberto Solano and Gary Speed becoming fans favourites. Robson’s team finished fourth in 2001-02 before ending one place higher the following season.

In 2003-04 United were eliminated from the Champions League but went all the way to the semi-finals of the Europa League where they bowed out to Olympique de Marseille. Despite these fine achievements Robson was sacked by the board in August 2004 after a series of arguments with the board.

Graeme Souness was appointed as the new manager with Michael Owen being signed to partner Shearer. Souness’ side reached the last eight of the UEFA Cup in his debut season before he was dismissed in February 2006 to be replaced by Glenn Roeder.

Shearer retired after the 2005-06 campaign with 206 United goals to his name. Roeder led the side to seventh and then thirteenth position but departed in May 2007 with Sam Allardyce arriving in his place. Mike Ashley completed his takeover of the club in June 2007, with Allardyce being fired in January 2008. 

Kevin Keegan returned as manager to a great fanfare before Ashley appointed associate Derek Llambias as chairman at the end of the season. Keegan’s side finished in mid-table in 2007-08, with the manager criticising the owners' lack of investment in the team. He resigned a month into the new season with Joe Kinnear coming in as the new manager before ill health forced him to stand aside in February 2009. 

He and the owners had upset many supporters and local journalists. Shearer stepped into the breach in a caretaker capacity but could not save the team from relegation at the end of the 2008-09 season. Chris Hughton was appointed as full-time boss before Ashley withdrew his offer to sell the club as protests grew louder.

My hand-drawn kits and impression of St James Park (1990)
Click on the images to enlarge 

The goals of Andy Carroll and Kevin Nolan helped take ‘The Mags’ to the Championship title at the first attempt, for an immediate return to the Premier League. Hughton was popular with the Geordie support but was sacked in December 2010. The fans were not impressed with the appointment of Alan Pardew in his place and the perceived “cockney mafia” at the club. 

A month later, the new fans' hero, Andy Carroll, was sold to Liverpool for £35 million,M to much outcry. Pardew stabilised the playing side of the club over his first few months in charge, before bringing in some excellent signings such as Demba Ba, Papiss Cisse and Yohan Cabaye to mix with those already at the club, including the returning Hatem Ben Arfa. 

The team ended the season in fifth place to qualify for the Europa League the following season. Despite this, Ashley had still managed to cause a storm by re branding St James Park as the Sports Direct Arena in November 2011. Managing Director Derek Llambias told fans that the move was necessary to try and tempt another company to purchase the future naming rights to free up money for new signings in the future.

Pardew was rewarded for his efforts when he signed a staggering eight year contract in September 2012. Pardew soon became as unpopular as Ashley as the team suffered from inconsistencies as the better players were sold to be replaced by new men mainly spotted in France by chief scout Graham Carr.

The inevitable came about in December 2014 when Pardew moved on, lured by an offer from his former playing club Crystal Palace. Coach John Carver was put in charge until the summer of 2015. Meanwhile, Ashley's popularity with the fans continued to simmer as the club appeared satisfied with mid table finishes despite the crowds packing St James' on a regular basis. 

This was not helped as the supremo appeared to be consumed with trying to gain control at Rangers, north of the border. Carver departed at the season's end before former England boss Steve McClaren was appointed. Ashley vowed that the club would take the cup competitions seriously, and the purse strings were loosened to allow McClaren to make new signings. 

Among the standouts were Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrović from Anderlecht and Jonjo Shelvey. McClaren was sacked in March 2016 to be replaced by former Liverpool manager Raphael Benítez, who could not save the team from relegation. However, the Spaniard led his team to promotion as champions of the EFL Championship in 2016-17 as Dwight Gayle banged in the goals.

Ashley put the club up for sale again in October 2017, with Amanda Staveley and her PCP Partners Group looking to buy before talks broke down in January 2018. Benítez took the team to tenth place as Ayoze Pérez top scored. Mitrović departed for Fulham after a successful loan spell in the summer of 201,8 as Salomón Rondón was tasked with scoring United’s goals. 

The contract of Benítez wasn't renewed as he was replaced by Steve Bruce in July 2,019 to increased fan anger. The team ended the 2019-20 campaign in thirteenth place for a second successive season. Twelfth place followed in 2020-21 with both of Bruce's seasons affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. A new era began on 7th October 2021. 

Ashley sold the club to a consortium of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, RB Sports & Media, and PCP Capital Partners for 305 million. Bruce was given a payoff and replaced by Eddie Howe. While Toon fans rejoiced, the rest of the football world was alarmed by the ownership of a football club by the Saudi state. 

Howe led the side to safety despite them not winning any of their opening fourteen games. Big money began to be spent in the transfer markets, which saw Newcastle end the 2022-23 season in fourth place to seal a Champions League place. Sven Botman, Tino Livramento, Harvey Barnes, Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali, and Alexander Isak all arrived at the club. 

They were added to star players such as Kieran Trippier, Callum Wilson, Bruno Guimarães, and Joelinton as United looked to become leading players in the English game. Howe's side went to lift League Cup in 2024-25, defeating Liverpool 2-1 with goals from Dan Burn and Alexander Isak, as well as finishing fifth in the league.

Newcastle United FC will play in the Premier League in the 2025-26 season.

My visits

May 1984

I had wanted to visit Newcastle United for some time after seeing highlights of their games numerous times on Tyne Tees TV in the good old days of football being shown in regional highlights form on a Sunday afternoon. 

My enthusiasm was highlighted when the club made the sensational signing of Kevin Keegan, funded greatly by Newcastle Breweries. His two years as a player transformed the club with the ground being full to capacity for many home games.

At the end of his final season, in the summer of 1984, I visited the city with my brother Nick on a shopping bus from Scarborough. This was for us to buy some clothes, see the city and to do a little groundhop of St James' Park as well as Whitley Bay and North Shields FC's. We couldn't get inside the ground, but we had a good look around.

Newcastle United 1 Liverpool 4 (Sunday 20th September 1987) Division One (att: 24,141)

My first game at St James' Park was in September 1987. It was an extremely rainy day on Tyneside and I travelled up in a car with some good mate, Steve Halliday, Dave Harr,op a Liverpool fan and Newcastle mad Steve Robinson. The game was to be shown on live TV for ITV's The Big Match. The introduction to the game can be seen here: 

Mirandinha was the locals' hero of the time, but he was put in the shade as Liverpool outclassed his side. Steve Nicol put the Reds ahead before John Aldridge doubled the lead. Nichol scored again after being set up by the excellent ex-Toon man Peter Beardsley. Neil McDonald pulled a goal back from the penalty spot before Nicol completed his hat-trick.

We stood on The Gallowgate open terrace in the good old days when you paid on the gate. The atmosphere was electric but Liverpool gradually dampened it as the Geordies were soon into choruses of "Sack the Board". 

Indeed, everyone apart from those in the seats got saturated. The Gallowgate End was a decent-sized terrace where the more vocal of the Toon Army congregated, especially since the roof was taken off the Leazes End, which stood opposite. This was now a truncated open terrace split between home and away fans, with a large wall at the back. 

To the right, the once-imposing cantilevered East Stand sat above a section of open bench seats, which was once terraced. The old Main Stand, which once had a barrel roof containing a TV gantry in the semi-circular gable, was demolished. It previously had seats at the rear with a fair-sized open terracing at the front. 

The ground badly needed investment and covered accommodation, and this was the first stage of its redevelopment. We gradually dried out on the journey home, which somehow took us initially past the old Gosforth Greyhound Stadium. 

Newcastle United 2 Hull City 0 (Tuesday 7th March 1990) Division Two (att: 20,499)

The Main Stand had been replaced by The Milburn Stand, which towered over the ground but kept its terracing at the front when I next attended for the visit of Hull City. Two carloads of us went up for the Wednesday night encounter in March 1990. There were the usual City fans and a car aimed by Scarborough fan and wannabe Grand Prix driver, John 'Doomie' Dyer. 

We had a couple of pints in Gateshead and found a good parking spot and all seemed well.

Toon were pushing for promotion, so a big crowd was in attendance to see them ease to a comfortable 2-0 win with a brace from Mark McGhee. Sadly, there had been some trouble at the FA Cup tie between the sides earlier in the season, and some Geordies were intent on revenge. 

Some of their fans were in our section in the Leazes End and were passing and receiving notes that were being delivered by the ball boys at the side of the pitch. We were quite concerned! At the end of the game, the very vast majority of City fans were escorted to their coaches. We spoke to some police and explained our predicament. 

It was obvious we were being lined up outside the ground for some kind of attack. The police were helpful and walked down towards our cars, which were parked behind the brewery near the ground. After a while, the home fans were gathering in force, so the officer in charge said, "Hope you can run, lads, because we can't hold them off much longer". 

Fortunately, we could in those days and we got to the cars and drove off at speed without knowing where we were going, initially heading west towards Blaydon. Eventually we found our way back over the Tyne and both cars stopped in a lay by. It was agreed we'd come off the A19 and find a pub for a beer. We ended up in the old mining town of Horden, near Hartlepool. 

We walked into a pub that was nearing the end of a darts and dominoes game. The locals asked where we'd been and how strangers had found their pub. We needn't have worried. The pub was full of Sunderland fans who on hearing of our treatment by their hated rivals, made us most welcome. 

A buffet was produced and we got a lock in! Later in the season when City played at Sunderland, some of the lads stopped at the same pub where the landlord had booked a mini bus to take everyone to the game. It's just a shame not all fans are like that.

Friday 2nd and Saturday 3rd October 2008

In early October 2008, I visited the area to do some groundhopping around, seeing Scarborough Athletic play at Esh Winning in the FA Vase. I visited St James' on Friday night for a look around and a beer in the area. Naturally, everything was locked up around the imposing arena. 

Instead, I had beers in the superb Strawberry pub and the ordinary Shearers Bar under the Gallowgate End. Not to be perturbed, I returned the following morning to at least take some photos from the outside. The stadium was now one of the most prominent landmarks in the city. Roads run underneath two of the sides, and new car parks and landscaping have improved the entire area. 

I was walking behind the old East Stand and saw a gate ajar. I thought about it for all of a second and decided to go in. I shouted to see if anyone was around to ask permission to but no-one answered. I walked through the concourse and into the lower seated paddock and found myself at the pitch side. 

Nick had told me he'd got in exactly the same way a few years earlier. The stadium had altered dramatically since my last time inside it. The Milburn Stand now has an extra tier which goes round the corner to the Sir John Hall Stand (Leazes End) which is the same mind blowing height. 

Away fans are placed right in the top corner of here. On visiting my mate, Crusher said he was expecting Sherpa Tensing to show him to his sea,t and when reaching ,it said watching the game was like looking down on a game of Subbuteo. The stand has a lower corner section joining up with the original East Stand which now looks tiny compared to its neighbours. 

There is very little chance of any development on this side because the row of terraced houses, which accommodate students, are listed by English Heritage. The Gallowgate Stand is the same height as the Milburn Stand when it was first built. All in all it is a pretty amazing place, enhanced by the fact it sits on a hill overlooking the city so it can be seen from lots of locations in the far distance.

Newcastle United 1 Norwich City 0 (Sunday 18th March 2012) Premier League (att: 47,833)

I was due to be in Scarborough for the weekend, and after taking Dad to Middlesbrough for the England under 21 game at Middlesbrough and Fulham's game with Wolves a few weeks earlier, and having such a brilliant time, I looked for another night away for us. 

As it happened the Sky live match at St James Park, or Sports Direct Arena as the owner Mike Ashley had controversially rebranded it, offered a great opportunity.

I managed to get tickets at the excellent price of £26 with a concessionary ticket of £21 in the Gallowgate End. I also managed to book us into a budget hotel, the Rooms Inn, for just £40 for the room. Dad agreed to drive as long as I navigated.

We set off bright and early and found ourselves outside the hotel very early. They allowed us to park up so we could go for a walk before checking in at 2pm. We walked into the city centre and down the steps to the Quayside, where there was a Sunday market taking place. We had a good walk up and down before heading back via the Metro FM Arena. Dad hadn't been feeling at his best as he had a chest infection, but as ever, he just got on with it.

After a chang,e we walked down the hill towards the station to join the crowds heading up to the stadium overlooking the city. We went into the ground so we could feel the atmosphere in the build-up. The facilities inside the ground were a far cry from my previous visit. 

We climbed the stairs to the concourse, which was like a large conservatory with city views. The long bar served me a cracking pint of Guinness for £3.90. After checking out the teams on one of the many screens, we went upstairs to our seats. 

I was getting as much pleasure seeing my Dad's face. He commented that it was a bit different to Craven Cottage, where we'd been a few weeks before. There was a minute's applause before kick-off for Fabrice Muamba, who had miraculously recovered after suffering a cardiac arrest on the White Hart Lane pitch the day before. 

The game was a cagey affair, but it was The Toon who went ahead through another clinical finish from Papiss Demba Cisse. The Canaries had plenty of play, but they seemed lacking in attacking intent when we felt the Newcastle defence was vulnerable.

The pattern continued throughout the game. City should have really gone for it, while Toon created a few chances without extending John Ruddy in the visitors too far. The occasion definitely overshadowed the game for us.

We headed with the masses and went back to our room to get a shower and a change before heading out for the evening. We weren't too hungry but needed something later. After popping into Wetherspoons' immaculate Union Rooms but finding it devoid of any ale choice, where the revellers from St Patrick's Day and the match no doubt supped them dry, we visited the same company's Mile Castle. 

We had a great pint before heading off to try and find The Barbican, which Karl had recommended. The pub had changed hands, but we had a lovely walk around the city centre. Newcastle really was a superb place. We returned to our previous watering hole and tried all three floors. 

Dad declared it the best 'Spoons pub he'd ever been in. The Ruddles was perfect and only £1.75. I just wish Dad had felt better so he could have enjoyed it more. After amazingly finding Gregg's still open, we grabbed some takeaway pasties for supper. The following day, we decided to have a bit of a wander after the hotel said we could leave the car there until 2pm. 

We walked down to one of many bridges and on into Gateshead and bought a one day travelpass, catching the Metro to South Shields where we had breakfast in The Wouldhave. 
The ferry took us over to North Shields for a bus and then Metro to Tynemouth, which Nick had told me was a lovely place. 

He wasn't wrong and everything from the refurbished station to Front Street and then The Priory was top drawer. We hadn't had a long walk but we put that right as the fresh air from the sea did us the world of good as we walked along the promenade through Cullercoates to Whitley Bay, which still looked like a poor mans Blackpool.

We rode the Metro back to the city centre and then walked back to St Andrews Place, a goal kick away from St James. I had seen The Back Page bookshop the day before and checked it out online. It was a brilliant store dedicated to selling merchandise, books and programmes of all clubs, with the emphasis on The Toon. 

I bought the brilliant book Black and White Daft. Dad went in for a look and got chatting. He was chuffed to bits with the welcome, especially when they gave him a free fanzine and told him they thought Scarborough was the greatest place on earth. We headed back south and went for tea at Scalby Manor. It rounded off a truly wonderful thirty hours. We vowed to head back north when we got the chance the following season.

Wednesday 14th July 2011

The Covid restrictions were gradually being loosened and I decided to make full use of a week off work knowing full well that I would be moving to live in Thailand within the next few months. I decided to do my own zig zag tour of England catching up with friends and seeing places I wanted to visit.

After Scarborough, Keighley, Leeds, and Chester-le-Street, I arrived in Newcastle for a couple of nights, staying at Sleeperz Hotel on Neville Street. I enjoyed an active Tuesday visiting Berwick and going to the friendly between Hebburn Town and Whitby Town.

My train to Whitby wasn’t until midday so I decided to make the most of my time and explore a city centre I really liked and head to St James Park to visit the Sir Bobby Robson statue and maybe sneak a look inside.

Everywhere was locked up, with the pandemic quite possibly tightening up security. I took some photos outside and visited The Back Page to purchase a signed copy of Harry Pearson’s excellent book, The Farther Corner, all about his visits to football in that part of the country.

There was time to read the first chapter while enjoying a bottle of Newcastle Brown and raising it to my dad in The Mile Post. How I still miss him.

The old black and white photos of St James's Park have been taken from the internet.