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On this day...


Tooj

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Guest Howaythetoon

It was our golden period, by far the best team in world football. The 50s we were the Cup Kings and famously gave up on a genuine title challenge to concentrate on the FA Cup (we won) which back then was considered glamorous, and for players laden with bonuses. The league back then was a slog and not considered glamorous at all. Friendlies against exotic teams from abroad and even Ireland would often draw in bigger crowds than league games and considered more lucrative for players.

 

NUFC as an institution is historically a key club in the history of the game. We were heavily involved in the creation of what is now known as the modern off-side law and the play-off system.

 

Players would arrive at the Central Station, here a whistle and think bloody hell we aren't even on the pitch and the ref has blown for off-side. That's how good defensively we once were.

 

So good they changed the god damn law...

 

Back to Hughie Gallacher, he arrived here and no-one knew anything about him other from a few lines of press clippings so when he first took to the pitch there were audible gasps from the crowd used to 15 stone plus Albert Shepherd, a beast of a CF for us btw. Not black either TCD...

 

5ft 4in or whatever, they laughed and thought no chance. He would terrorise defenders, however. Kicked black and blue, but never bettered. He famously went in at half-time during one match having taking an almighty kicking and chinned a referee for not protecting him more. His retaliation was to nut meg defenders, dribble around them 3 or 4 times, and then lob the often behemoth 'keeper from 25 yards before jiggling away to the delight of 60K plus crowds who would chant his name and make him the first darling of the Gallowgate.

 

We sold him to Chelsea for a world record fee and our highest ever attendance to this day stands the day he returned as an opposition player. Bear in mind back then the away team got 15% of the gate... the club fiddled the true figures. I've read reports from then respected journalists who reckoned 100K attended, with thousands outside and on the roof tops of the Leazes houses.

 

He was a flash bugger, he would wear a genuine fur skin coat, smoke expensive cigars, swig brandy and walk around in top hat like royalty. He famously gave his coat to a beggar at the Central Station, a packet of fags and a few shillings. A hero, but a man of the people and they loved him for it.

 

A wominser and alcoholic he tragically killed himself jumping into a train at ironically no man's crossing in Gateshead. He threw an ashtray at his son which struck him and marked him, social services got involved and he basically couldn't live with himself. He had lost his first wife too at that stage, was a drunkard and obviously couldn't cope without football.

 

A tragic end for a tragic figure who for Newcastle United scored the following in the following matches:

 

143 goals in 174 matches

 

Only Andy Cole has a better goals to minutes record.

 

Hughie Gallacher for me is our greatest ever player.

Greatest ever player for us ? I'd still go Colin Veitch mind and no I never saw him live.

 

You are probably right, but Gallacher probably epitomises our club more than any other player in the club's history.

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Three years ago today we beat City at the Etihad with a front six of Ryan Taylor, Obertan, Colback, Abeid, Aarons and Armstrong.

The "He's here forever" post :lol: :lol:

 

:lol:

 

Someone find it and hoy it up again, I can't.

 

http://i.imgur.com/S26VnXc.png

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:smitten:

 

heres a quick summary for anyone who didnt see the match.

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                      ;D

                              ;D ;D ;D ;D

                              ;D ;D ;D ;D

                                    ;D ;D

 

                                        v

                                       

                                        :weep:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                          :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[

                                            :crazy2:

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  • 2 weeks later...

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