A new thread…. more positive than all the other ****e Me - I am not from the NE. I am from Kent. I was late to playing football - 16 - and needed a target for my support. So I was wearing a BHFC scarf in ‘83 … my most local league team if you dismiss Gillingham (which I do because Bruce played for them). Man U beating BH was a disappointment but it didn’t have any lasting effect, it was like your first girlfriend… the one that comes before you fall in love. My concentration was then caught by a front line of Keegan, Beardsley, Waddle getting promoted that year or the year after…. I was absolutely caught by the beauty and smoothness of that football and by the passion that could be heard and felt through the telly and came right down the spine of the country, like a waterfall of champagne honey (to me). Liverpool were in their ascendancy. But there was something unromantic about the scousers. It was all a bit obvious. Money to spend (Pools money - before the rules that pulled the ladders up - traditional self sufficient club my ****ing arse) , glamour players, entitled fans as far as I could tell - they ‘expected’ success. Too easy. I quietly supported the toon’s results, cos I had no idea how to be loud about them, eventually chased a ticket, which came from some obscure phone number that I’ve no idea how I got hold of, and was at West Ham for a loss the year after the ‘86 Mexico WC - that’s when football took off for me. Goddard up front; workmanlike. I found out my cousins were moving from South Africa back to the UK and they settled in Tyneside, **** me! one was a go-getter and opened a dry cleaners in Bensham, Gateshead… actually had the kit wash contract for a season (maybe he was ****!) … he (and his brother at Newcastle Uni) both had season tickets late 80s onward… then my Dad started working alternate weeks in Prudhoe (paper company) and I’d shank a lift now and then when the cousins or one of their mates couldn’t get to a match. Started driving myself up on the A1 in a VW… only a couple of times a season, but my cousin went on a break - and one of his mates couldn’t face another loss to Man U - which freed up two season tickets for me and my then lass - so I was there for the 5-1 …any other games I struggle to remember the scores because everyone got SO pissed before a game - I can’t do that these days, it feels a waste! I’ve got some really shot blur photos of two or three David Ginolas taking corners against Leeds… you had to get photos developed back then. Being down here, through the 90s and 2000s I’d also find tickets for the south games; Palace (wins, Beardsley last seconds winner, Ketsbaia) Wimbledon (at Selhurst when they groundshared… draws and losses), QPR with Les up their front, QPR with Les up front for us, Spurs (Foxy still on our side), Arsenal (always lost, Ginola getting ****ed by Dixon)… and of course Brighton more recently … including when they definitely won the Championship scarf printing race! **** but beautiful goal by Diame (had to google that, couldn’t remember his name, could only remember seeing a far away bounce/rebound/up&over from a mile away …. and then the euphoria). Last game was Sheffield Utd (5-1) thanks to @Magdad My connection is not geography, my connection is emotion, loyalty and the joy of stupid unthinking hope. I don’t control the club. I’m inured to disappointment, I laugh in its face. But every little pleasure it gives me is wholesome and utterly ****ing brilliant. Anything bad in football results is completely “not bad” when held up against a lens of Gaza, Ukraine, Russian dictators, China dictators, Trump, poverty, etc etc I’m not deluded or entitled. I also know new rules have been brought in specifically to make sure Newcastle Utd can’t soar as they otherwise would do. I’ll survive. And those rules make me less likely to call my club a basket case of mismanagement… A loss is a ****ing downer, but we’ve got people to love and jobs to do. And there’s always another game while there’s a club, and there’s always a club while there’s supporters that love and support it. there, that feels better
I honestly can’t remember. There’s an expression that’s used which I wholeheartedly feel is true. “It’s in your blood”. And that’s how I feel. I’ve loved NUFC as long as I can remember. Some of my fondest memories are when I took my kids for their first games. The look on their faces as they approached St James’ their taking in the noise, the atmosphere and the feeling. I don’t pretend that it’s just Newcastle fans that experience this but….. Excellent post.
My whole family were NUFC fans. So I didn’t really have a choice. Started in 1991 when Ardiles was sacked and Keegan took over in division 2. Which then became division 1. I used to have one of the cardboard charts with 90 odd football teams on triangle cardboard cutouts and every week I would move them all around in the tables. I remember exactly where I was when we won 7-1 on the last game of the season against Leicester in 92/93.
Nice thread @CaraMatt Like you, I also grew up in the south, but all my family are Geordies. My parents moved south for work before I was born. So lots of fond memories of family holidays to go up and see grandparents, aunts, uncles & cousins. Great times spent at Tynemouth, Cullercoats, Whitley Bay (yes, when the old Spanish City was still in force), Alnwick castle, Bamburgh, Beamish, Lindisfarne and exploring the Northumberland countryside. And the bonus was when our dad would get us tickets to the Toon match. Now context first, my nearest 'big club' at the time was Reading FC back in the dreary old days of the ****ty Elm Park stadium in the old 3rd division. Average around 3,500 fans per game. I've no idea how they would have measured possession stats back then, as the ball spent half the game in the air, being hoofed or headed from one team's centre backs to the other. So a ****house club, in a ****house stadium, playing ****house football, in a ****house league. What a treat. So walking into St James' for the first time, with thousands and thousands of fans, just felt electric - and to top it off, in my first game Toon won 4-0 with Keegan and Varadi both scoring. Couldn't have gone better. I recall various other incredible games, with Waddle, Keegan, Beardsley and Gazza all getting the crowd excited. And games where Beardsley danced around the box, putting about 4 Everton players on their arses, before calmy scoring. And Big Billy Whitehurst (legitimately) shoulder barging Everton's defender what seemed like 10 yards off the pitch, to a huge roar from the fans. Then along came Keegan's entertainers. Enough said. That's how I fell in love with Toon. Each and every visit already felt special - going back up to the north east to see family and visit beautiful places. Then the passion and pride in the football stadium was just something else. Yes, there were complaints and moaning from some fans back then too. It wasn't all fairytale stuff. But they were all special times. I felt privileged every time I was able to go to a Toon game. I still do.
Like all kids at the time I played football regularly in the street, two opposite back lanes as goals, or doors in the lane. Sometimes in the nearby school yard if we got chased from the street. First games I watched were on a local pitch. North Shields St. Columbas. Could chat to the goalie lol. Started going alternating weeks to North Shields and Whitley Bay (on the Hunters Bus). When I asked my dad who our local big team was he said Newcastle United so that was it. They were my team. Remember getting the Newcastle Breweries photo card with the fixtures on from my Uncle. Strangely though the first games he took me to were at Sunderland on the Priory coach from North Shields. Dad was a traditional all North east teams man although mainly Newcastle. I enjoyed going but didn’t feel any support for them. Was considered too young to go to Newcastle in the Fairs Cup winning season but kept a scrapbook of Chronicle cut outs during that time and of course there was the rare event of the home leg of the final being live on TV. Got my photo taken with the cup at Whitley Bay flower show on the links. My first game was a 4-1 win over Wolves in 1970 on a Wednesday night in the Milburn paddock in the pouring rain. Got soaked but loved it. Noise, Chanting, atmosphere, the smell from the Brewery, people selling peanuts. Hooked for life. Gallowgate terraces with my Dad, Leazes later with my mates, was in Leazes for Frankie Clark’s first ever goal and Blyth Spartans v Wrexham. Back to the Gallowgate when the old Leazes closed. The Corner. First season ticket was when forced to in Keegan years, part season ticket in west Paddock then first full ticket in Gallowgate. Probably been in all areas of the ground, old and new over the years. Now still suffering in Milburn/Leazes corner level 4 lol. My sons first game was 3-0 v Liverpool, Cole hat trick, Gallowgate terraces.
We have probably seen each other when kids. From about 1964 onwards I would be taken by my old man one week to Newcastle and then the other week to usually Whitley Bay or North Shields if WB weren’t at home. The big year for WB and NS in 1967 when both reached the FA Amateur Cup semi finals with WB losing at Roker Park (I was devastated) and NS going on to win it. Was at the WB game as NS were only my stand in team if my real teams were away. Might be before your time. The above continued up to going to Uni in 1977.
This I guess, had been to a few matches a few years before but was very young then, and only really started following in that hideous 91/92 season. Went to quite a few matches the next season, Barnsley 6-0 with the Cole hat trick, and away at Grimsby when we cliched the title were the best.
Son of a mackem from Ferryhill. Nephew of a mackem. Born in Bridlington (that's why I'm tight). Dad used to drag me up to Roker Park (operation Yew Tree investigation pending so can't say more) until I was about 9 when I found out his cousin was Paul Stephenson who went on to play a pivotal part of the 1985 cup winning side before signing for Millwall for £300k. I found out he was my second cousin because Paul sent me loads of merch and a kit and invited me round his in Wallsend and some of that merch was signed and annotated by a very young Paul Gascoigne (who used to sign 'Paul Gascoigne) an ugly Peter Beardsley and the likes of Thomas, Baird, Allon etc.... Paul was quite proud of his conversion of me from he dark side. The removal of my sixth digit and the weaning off cheesy chips and blue pop and cowboy meals would take some time though still and I still bear the physical and mental scars.. I've pissed my dad off ever since following the path to the light side... but he's a good sport and he will still, when he loses a bet with me, don a Toon top as a penalty if I insist. He was the one who actually introduced me to not606.com btw... true story.... and no he's not smug. My first ST was when Pardew signed and I chucked it due to being forced to work many weekends just before covid.
I followed North Shields in that run although I wanted a Shields Whitley Bay final. Didn’t get to Wembley, can’t remember why. Sure it was 1969. Probably did see each other here and there lol
