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Newcastle's first black player?


Guest Howaythetoon

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Guest reefatoon

Mick is right about the black broon playing for the toon song being about Gayle.

 

Cunningham got There's only one blackie milburn.

 

 

It was both players to be fair.  I clearly remember being in the ground and hearing it towards Cunningham.

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Yep, I remember watching Tony Cunningham when I was young. I also remember chants of "he's black, he's brown, he plays for the town". Must have been so hard playing back in the 80s with all the racism.

 

That song was about Howard Gayle.

 

I remember being in the scoreboard in the 80's and it was towards Cunningham.

 

The song went, He's black, he's broon, he plays for the toon, Cunningham, Cunningham to the tune of the Mickey Burns ditty

I was in the Gallowgate this season, and Cunningham was never sung it was altered to a double oo. Unacceptable - yes, nasty - definitely no - he was well liked for his effort

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Mick is right about the black broon playing for the toon song being about Gayle.

 

Cunningham got There's only one blackie milburn.

 

 

It was Jack Charlton who gave him that nickname.  :lol:

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Guest Howaythetoon

What was the reaction to opposition black players from Toon fans?

 

 

 

racist abuse

 

I know that, but how bad, how much etc? I've read a few things here and there, but nowt really reveals the true extent. Watching the documentary on the Chelsea player, fucking hell man, what a vile society/game at the time. I wish Pat Nevin had revealed the player who was racist to Paul Canoville. Btw Pat Nevin seems a top bloke like!

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Yep, I remember watching Tony Cunningham when I was young. I also remember chants of "he's black, he's brown, he plays for the town". Must have been so hard playing back in the 80s with all the racism.

 

That song was about Howard Gayle.

 

I remember being in the scoreboard in the 80's and it was towards Cunningham.

 

The song went, He's black, he's broon, he plays for the toon, Cunningham, Cunningham to the tune of the Mickey Burns ditty

I was in the Gallowgate this season, and Cunningham was never sung it was altered to a double oo. Unacceptable - yes, nasty - definitely no - he was well liked for his effort

 

That's the era I watched you a lot, and I can remember that song and the double-o bit.

 

I remember coming from Birmingham hearing a lot more racism in Newcastle (in general, I mean), but there were just so few Asian and black faces around the city at the time, it didn't really surprise me.

 

Of course, you need to see all the above in the wider context that Britain itself was a lot more racist back then than it is now.

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What was the reaction to opposition black players from Toon fans?

 

 

 

racist abuse

 

I know that, but how bad, how much etc? I've read a few things here and there, but nowt really reveals the true extent. Watching the documentary on the Chelsea player, fucking hell man, what a vile society/game at the time. I wish Pat Nevin had revealed the player who was racist to Paul Canoville. Btw Pat Nevin seems a top bloke like!

 

You really only need to watch a bit of telly from the 80s and earlier to get an idea of how different things were in general back then.

 

 

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Mick is right about the black broon playing for the toon song being about Gayle.

 

Cunningham got There's only one blackie milburn.

 

 

It was Jack Charlton who gave him that nickname.  :lol:

 

:facepalm:

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What was the reaction to opposition black players from Toon fans?

 

 

 

racist abuse

 

I know that, but how bad, how much etc? I've read a few things here and there, but nowt really reveals the true extent. Watching the documentary on the Chelsea player, fucking hell man, what a vile society/game at the time. I wish Pat Nevin had revealed the player who was racist to Paul Canoville. Btw Pat Nevin seems a top bloke like!

 

 

I think it was bad, and a lot. certainly every game that involved a black player. Monkey noises, people hoying bananas, every known verbal racist insult, racist 'songs'  I thought all this was normal.National front handing out shite outside the ground. I got strangled by a policeman who saw me throw it on the ground- everyone was thowing them down, but the big bastard fancied being the big man with a 12 year old.

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Guest Howaythetoon

Urgh...

 

Sadly I think racism still exists, its not as openly widespread as it was, but it exists, hidden away in the minds of people etc.

 

Back to the bloke I know, he reckons when he first came here people looked at him differently and called him a few names etc. but there was no violence and no real harm or malice etc. He has been here what, over 50 years or so and he reckons he has been racially abused more in the last 10 years than in his whole life here. He's fucking Toon daft as well and one of his relatives used to 'play' for us... so sad!

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Since football only began in 1992, when Kevin Keegan was born, it was Andy Cole obviously.

 

Andy Cole was the first black player that achieved hero status here, and that changed attitudes quite dramatically.

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Guest Howaythetoon

Since football only began in 1992, when Kevin Keegan was born, it was Andy Cole obviously.

 

Andy Cole was the first black player that achieved hero status here, and that changed attitudes quite dramatically.

 

True story...

 

A year or so back, on Benwell, some Toon shirt clad tosser with Cisse 9 on his Wonga shirt hanging out of a car window shouting "EDL-EDL" at a passer by who happened to be black.

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What was the reaction to opposition black players from Toon fans?

 

The abuse handed out by our fans was second to maybe only Chelsea, it was disgusting.  I didn't hear anything racist towards our own players and never have even though I know it almost certainly will happen.  Howard Gayle was a good player and I was over the moon that we finally had a black player to shut our fans up.  I know what happened with monkey chants was racism but I think in those days players were always picked out for abuse.  Ginger, you got it.  Slightly overweight, you got it.  Losing your hair, you got it.  Had an affair, you got it.  Black, you got it.  Basically, our fans abused the opposition players or managers for any reason they could find in an attempt to put them off and black players were massively and disgustingly targeted.

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