Mick

I first started to go when we still had the Popular, a name which is hardly ever mentioned these days. I also remember the Wressling hall opposite the Gallowgate before they built the Metro. I remember staying in the doorway of the wressling hall all night for tickets for some game, possibly the Fairs Cup.

I remember going to Ashton Gate twice in the same season to watch Newcastle play in the league. Bristol Rovers had a fire in a stand so they shared grounds for a while. I also remember Vinny Jones getting away with murder the day he grabbed Gazza by the nuts. We could all see what was happening behind the goal but none of the officials could see it. I also remember going to Everton for some stupid worthless trophy, I can't remember the name of it. We got slaughtered and I remember seeing quite a few of our supporters after the game who had been slashed with Stanley knives by some cowards in Stanley Park.

Two train related stories. Coming back from the North West, probably Man City. We came back by train and had to come through this long tunnel. It took less than 5 minutes to get through it on the way down and almost half an hour on the way back. Somebody pulled the emergency cord as soon as we entered the tunnel and that went on and on and on. On the tube, we were going to Milwall and somebody stopped the train and we all got out and walked along the lines, I think they had to turn off the power to the track and we had that section closed for quite a while.

They were brilliant times.

Going to Yarmouth after playing Norwich. We booked a B&B before the game and got the train into Norwich with a few other Newcastle fans who had the same idea. I couldn't believe my eyes on the way back to Yarmouth. We got a train and it was packed out with Newcastle fans staying at Yarmouth, we managed to get the first train but many hundreds had to wait and we met a some lads later who had to wait for 3 trains before they could get one. Every train was full of Newcastle fans and it was like being at home that night. Every pub and night club in Yarmouth was full of our lot, I've never seen anything like that before or since. The thing that sticks out was watching the news in the B&B before going out that night, it was the day of the Bradford fire.

Getting turned around from Hillsborough by the police, our Luton van was stopped and the back lifted. As soon as they saw the beer we were told to park up next to dozens of other vans and mini buses. We were told that we would be escorted up the M1 and that we had to pull over when told and we would be escorted all of the way home. We were going up the M1 and saw a gap in the police cars escorting us so we turned off and went to Wakefield where we spent the rest of the day and evening getting pissed.

Going to a game in a TR7 with 6 other people, I was in the passenger foot well. We also went to Southampton with 7 in a Mini Metro. 2 in the front, 3 in the back and 2 in the boot. We would take turns each to go in the boot which was more comfortable than having 3 on the tiny back seat. It was the first game of the season and it was boiling in the car, we slept in the car on the Saturday night at Bognor.

I was never in the ground with more than 5 minutes to spare, too busy going to see the strippers and getting a skin full. I doubt you would get into the ground now if you got into the state we did.

Going clubbing on a Friday night with my brother and my next memory was standing on the M62 just outside of Manchester. We'd hitched a lift on our way to Wrexham and got dropped off at the services on the M62. We decided that we should walk along the M62 and try to hitch another lift. We got stopped by a traffic car and were going to get arrested for walking along the motorway. The beer was wearing off so I quickly said that we'd been jumped on by some Man U fans and came away from the service station go get away from them. The police fell for it and drove us into Manchester where we got a train to Crewe and then another into Wrexham. We got to the ground at half time and were let in for nothing and met up with some mates and came home with them after another night on the beer somewhere in Lancashire.

I don't think you can get away from the fact that the best have cared about the club, imagine getting a job which you loved for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks of the year. I think a good manager who cares about the club has a very good chance of doing well.

It's amazing when you look at how long Joe Harvey managed us. In the 30 years after the 2nd World War we had 5 managers and in the 34 years since Joe left the job we've probably had more than 20 managers, either permanent or temporary.

Fixed.

I've got 14, McFaul, Smith, Ardiles, Keegan, Dalglish, Gullit, Robson, Souness, Roeder, Allardyce, Keegan, Kinnear, Shearer and Hughton

Yes, I didn't expect him to pack in even taking into account the stick he was given.

I was in the proper seats at the top, I was with my nephew who was going mad at Charlton and he didn't know who he was as he was only 4 or 5 years old. How many managers have we had since he left?

Going to watch Newcastle play Queen of the South, just because they had all day drinking and we didn't, the game was shit but the drinking made up for it.

Sitting in the East stand for my one and only game when Jack Charlton walked out because he was getting stick off the crowd.

Harper is one of only two of our players that I would feel happy with starting for us next season if we do go up.

Going to Watford for a game which was called off because of Snow. Some prick from Watford was complaining in the bar that the pools panel had awarded an away win and we didn't deserve to get the points.

That noise came from a lad in the East Stand seats, right next to the corner of the Gallowgate.

Once again we've proven that we're playing in a very poor league. Nolan scored but did very little else during the game but at least he always gives us an option up front. Guthrie is wasted on the right and offers no width but that seems to pass by Hughton. Carroll and Harewood offered nothing at all although they didn't get too much service from our midfielders. I'm not sure we deserved 3 points but neither did they, they are just an average team in this league.

I can't understand Harewood getting a game, Hughton really is spineless, at least he's been forced to go 4-4-2.

I remember going to Colchester in the FA Cup. We won the game but what stood out was the weather. I've never seen fog like it in my life, we ended up in a field at one time when the road had a bend and we went straight on. I was really lucky that the field had an open gate right where I expected the road to go. It took us 4 hours to get from Colchester to the A1 and 6 hours to get home when it should have taken no longer than 3.

I remember going to Grimsby, the game was all ticket, probably Boxing Day, but me and my brother were ticket less. We managed to buy a couple for the home end behind the opposite goal to where we usually stood. We got in and decided that it might be a good idea to say nothing as we were slightly outnumbered. We went right into the middle of the terraces and noticed somebody wearing pyjamas. We were 90% sure that he was a one of ours so went next to him but said nothing. All of a sudden he decided that it might be a good idea to sign Blaydon Races. He was getting knocked about a bit but nothing too bad so me and my Brother started singing at the same time. They must have started wondering how many more were in so they all backed off until the coppers came up and got us then they ran towards us. We ran at them and got pulled back but they bottled it and thankfully ran away. We were taken around to our end and watched the rest of the match.

I didn't miss a Carlisle game because my Grandfather was from Cumberland and supported them so I always felt that I should go. I remember we always stopped off at Brampton on the way to the game and wherever we were at 6pm on the way back which was usually Haltwhistle.