I supported Newcastle when....

[AJ9]

My first proper game I remember was a 1-1 with Blackburn in the cup in 1995, Rob Lee scoring. My dad took me - wasn’t too long after my mum and dad had split up and he was doing  special dad days for us all at weekend. My special day was going to the match (and McDonalds). I remember just being so excited even before the day. I was obviously aware of the club as there’s loads of pictures of me as a kid wearing the strips, with NUFC annuals and all that, but that was when the whole thing came together around an actual match. Was absolutely buzzing. From then on it was about selling my soul to get any kind of ticket for European games, cup matches etc. Eventually went to sell the Mag and got tickets through that…and then had a season ticket for a while. Some memories. I wasn’t always like the happiest kid, but football/Nufc  was pure escapism and continues to be today. 

[Alby]

43 minutes ago, Conjo said:

 

In the 90's there was a show called Goal which showed all the goals of a round.

Haha I thought u meant the film "Goal!"......

 

Yes, it was a weekly program that showed all the goals scored in the premier league that week. Another source of footy matches was BBC Radio live (remember there was no fucking internet back then!).

[TheGuv]

When Richard Branson said he was happy we beat Man Utd by 3 goals to love.

[OverThere]

When I was little and people climbed the floodlights. We lost 2-0 at home to Liverpool and were relegated. Happy Days!!

[OCK]

Ozzie was sacked and had no idea why people were so excited about Kevin Keegan. It was so much easier supporting football when you were younger and not caring about anything other than seeing a few goals. 

[Kid Icarus]

When I almost supported 'Holsten' because I clocked this in Parishes on Shields Road after Italia '90 when I was 6.

 

 

Not long after, my dad saw the figures of Gazza, Lineker, and Mabbutt in my room, he went out and got me a Newcastle strip and an annual. Without really knowing what had happened I supported Newcastle and my favourite player was Micky Quinn. I then got the ten out of ten video later and Gavin Peacock became my first proper favourite player.

 

Can still vaguely remember the 2-1 O'Brien over the wall derby and very strongly remember the 7-1 vs Leicester. My auntie worked for Tyne Tees at the time and I got the script for the The Big Match (I think it was called) signed by Keegan, Terry Mac and all the players. I still have it now.

 

My first match was the 4-2 Vs Sheff Wed with Alex Mathie scoring twice. Still remember the chants of Judas to Chris Waddle and Andy Sinton. Not understanding the connection, I just started calling all non-Newcastle players Judas.

 

Then it was a case of getting to any match I could or going to The Odeon. I went to the Royal Antwerp 5-2 and missed the first 2 goals because my dad forgot the tickets, the Bilbao loss, losing to Chelsea in the FA Cup in 95/96 with Wise, Petrescu, De Matteo, and Gullit all becoming hate figures. Dalglish spoiled the party by shunning and then selling my favourite player (only for him to win the PFA player of the year award at Spurs)

 

Lost interest in football altogether for ages then picked it back up perfectly in time for Souness becoming our manager.

 

 

Edited March 15, 2022 by Kid Icarus

[OCK]

Literal Plastic fan. 

[Optimistic Nut]

I had the Maradona one of those in a Napoli shirt. Wish I’d kept it.

[Thiago]

5 hours ago, Kid Icarus said:

When I almost supported 'Holsten' because I clocked this in Parishes on Shields Road after Italia '90 when I was 6.

 

 

Not long after, my dad saw the figures of Gazza, Lineker, and Mabbutt in my room, he went out and got me a Newcastle strip and an annual. Without really knowing what had happened I supported Newcastle and my favourite player was Micky Quinn. I then got the ten out of ten video later and Gavin Peacock became my first proper favourite player.

 

Can still vaguely remember the 2-1 O'Brien over the wall derby and very strongly remember the 7-1 vs Leicester. My auntie worked for Tyne Tees at the time and I got the script for the The Big Match (I think it was called) signed by Keegan, Terry Mac and all the players. I still have it now.

 

My first match was the 4-2 Vs Sheff Wed with Alex Mathie scoring twice. Still remember the chants of Judas to Chris Waddle and Andy Sinton. Not understanding the connection, I just started calling all non-Newcastle players Judas.

 

Then it was a case of getting to any match I could or going to The Odeon. I went to the Royal Antwerp 5-2 and missed the first 2 goals because my dad forgot the tickets, the Bilbao loss, losing to Chelsea in the FA Cup in 95/96 with Wise, Petrescu, De Matteo, and Gullit all becoming hate figures. Dalglish spoiled the party by shunning and then selling my favourite player (only for him to win the PFA player of the year award at Spurs)

 

Lost interest in football altogether for ages then picked it back up perfectly in time for Souness becoming our manager.

 

 

 

It's funny how that works. I remember watching Spurs v Man Utd and asking my dad for a Man Utd top (I can't have been older than 4/5). Not long after I found one of his Newcastle sweatshirts in the tumble dryer and from there it was in my blood. 

 

Like many kids I knew I loved football but often it's your first exposure that dictates your journey. 

[madras]

57 minutes ago, Thiago said:

It's funny how that works. I remember watching Spurs v Man Utd and asking my dad for a Man Utd top (I can't have been older than 4/5). Not long after I found one of his Newcastle sweatshirts in the tumble dryer and from there it was in my blood. 

 

Like many kids I knew I loved football but often it's your first exposure that dictates your journey. 

Always found it simpler than that. From Newcastle......support Newcastle. 

[Thiago]

8 minutes ago, madras said:

Always found it simpler than that. From Newcastle......support Newcastle. 

I mean, I had no concept of Newcastle at the time I was 4

 

I saw a top I liked, I asked for it. 

[AJ9]

Interesting about the Man U thing though. I remember a few kids in the mid 90s liking Man U and almost supporting them…until parents, peer pressure and us being good turned them. I guess it’s kind of less of a thing now as kids wear strips of all teams

[madras]

22 minutes ago, Thiago said:

I mean, I had no concept of Newcastle at the time I was 4

 

I saw a top I liked, I asked for it. 

Crikey I did. My address was drummed into me from when I could speak.

[madras]

15 minutes ago, AJ9 said:

Interesting about the Man U thing though. I remember a few kids in the mid 90s liking Man U and almost supporting them…until parents, peer pressure and us being good turned them. I guess it’s kind of less of a thing now as kids wear strips of all teams

Knew kids at school supported Leeds and (one of my best mates) Liverpool. I always thought it was weird. 99% later came over to NUFC......except that mate.

[Kid Icarus]

1 hour ago, madras said:

Always found it simpler than that. From Newcastle......support Newcastle. 

 

I didn't understand what that really meant at that age like. I just knew Gazza and that was enough for me. My dad isn't even really into football but he made sure I supported Newcastle like.

[Thiago]

 

57 minutes ago, madras said:

Crikey I did. My address was drummed into me from when I could speak.

By that rationale I'd have supported Washington Colliery  

[madras]

8 minutes ago, Thiago said:

 

By that rationale I'd have supported Washington Colliery  

See, being brought up outside Newcastle is a parental failure.

[GideonShandy]

When I started going, a well-worked goal by the opposition would be greeted by a ripple of polite applause.

 

Only a few years later,  any opposition goal would immediately give rise to a chant of "You're gonna get your fuckin' heads kicked in,"

 

[madras]

5 minutes ago, GideonShandy said:

When I started going, a well-worked goal by the opposition would be greeted by a ripple of polite applause.

 

Only a few years later,  any opposition goal would immediately give rise to a chant of "You're gonna get your fuckin' heads kicked in,"

 

I remember it the other way round.

[HaydnNUFC]

Given that everyone's reminiscing about their first games etc, prepare to feel old.

 

My first game was Mansfield Town at home, FA Cup 3rd Round 2006. Shearer scored the winner, 1-0 with 10 minutes to go. Barely remember much of the game, but my dad's old seat was in the Milburn in line with the Gallowgate 18 yard line, but do remember the goal. Incredibly scrappy iirc. That goal equalled Shearer with Milburn I think also.

Next game I went to which I do remember more about was the UEFA Cup game against AZ Alkmaar. Little did I know though then as a newly turned 6 year old how shit conceding away goals in European ties is.

Then got my first season ticket for 2007-08. Probably for the best but I don't remember many of the games aside from Keegan's first one back because of the furore in the run up to the game.

I didn't get as obsessive about football and NUFC like I am now though until around 2010ish. Loved Chris Hughton, remember being absolutely devastated when he was sacked. Brought home early from school due to the snow from that mad winter in late 2010 and seeing on SSN that he'd been sacked, me dad spitting feathers about Pardew replacing. "Alan Pardew, really?"

Started doing aways and insisted on never missing games around 2013ish and have been a completely staunch obsessed Newcastle fan since, though the window between Benitez leaving and the end of lockdown, behind closed doors football seriously tested my resolve. Now, I've chosen to do my master's at Newcastle University. Why? To follow and support Newcastle United, of course. The MA is important too, mind.

[Superior Acuña]

7 hours ago, AJ9 said:

Interesting about the Man U thing though. I remember a few kids in the mid 90s liking Man U and almost supporting them…until parents, peer pressure and us being good turned them. I guess it’s kind of less of a thing now as kids wear strips of all teams

 

Growing up in Newcastle in the 90s I knew a few kids that supported other teams but they all had famillial reasons, and it was well known through primary school who the odd ones out were in all years - everyone else supported us. My best mate and his brother supported Liverpool with his dad being a scouser and fan. There was a Man City fan in the year above, who was pitied and respected for supporting such a shit team, and there was one Sunderland fan a few years below.  Actually in high school I knew of one random Chelsea fan who just seemed to have picked them (pre-Abramovic) but who I believe eventually ended up a toon fan when his mates started going to away games.

 

My dad's not even a geordie, he's a Scot who started supporting us when he moved here, but he had me a season ticket sorted from the age of 2. I had my first game at 5 (94/95) and was a regular home and away from 95/96 - very lucky. I watched videos of the 93/94 and 94/95 seasons that I mostly didn't remember over and over. It always seemed like a big part of my life and that Newcastle was just who you supported.

 

 

Edited March 16, 2022 by Inferior Acuña

[Optimistic Nut]

There was a lad a year above me at school who had the nickname ‘Spurs’ because he was a Tottenham fan. Think he was actually Cockney too. Great times.

[DMLeazesender]

I supported Newcastle when the nearest thing we had to a 'Keegan' was the numerous Keegan hotdog stands on the way to the ground in a very dark, foreboding and in them days, very grimy Newcastle. It was so gloomy lads had to wear white butchers jackets to be seen.  People spat on coppers when they came in the crowd to sort out the regular outbursts of 'Geordie aggro', Harry Roberts was our friend and it was quite normal to be hit with a firework or have someone piss on your leg. On the plus side you could buy peanuts from lads walking around the pitch. Annoyingly although I could smell the sweet malty odour from the brewery I was too young to get served in a pub. I think it was 25p to get in the Gallowgate and 30p for the Leazes - I've always assumed the extra 5p was for the luxury of the tin roof which provided a huge climbing frame, together with the floodlights, for some of our supporters. People standing on the crush barriers (easy in the Gallowgate cos they were flat concrete, slightly more risque in the Leazes cos they were metal poles) and chants which these days would genuinely have you arrested.

 

Fortunately time has moved on and the matchday experience now (city, fans, stadium, food etc) is a thousand times better. Would I want to go back? Not a fucking chance.

[Coffee_Johnny]

14 hours ago, Optimistic Nut said:

I had the Maradona one of those in a Napoli shirt. Wish I’d kept it.

I had Martin Chivers (Spurs) and George Best figures—earlier version of similar toys. Loved replaying goals I had seen/scored/would like to have scored with them, with a marble, on my brown nylon bedspread it (… was like early 4G) . God I feel old! 😂 

 

 

Edited March 16, 2022 by Coffee_Johnny