Your first footballing hero

[timinperu]

My first ever game was seeing Supermac score a hat trick. My god could he ride a tackle.

 

 

Edited June 12, 2022 by timinperu

[1892er]

Some good names being mentioned. As a kid growing up in the 90s, me and my mate used to have a kick around in my back garden and at the time Football Italia used to be on TV weekly.

 

I just remember being awestruck at the whole exotic feel of that league and my favourite player was Del Piero. So I used to think I was him as a kid and my mate used to pretend he was Zola .

 

I remember winning a gold fish at the hoppings one year and when I got Del Piero home, I was absolutely buzzing

 

[Fatwax]

Born in 85. I think it was probably John Barnes. I vividly remember the ‘90 season I think it was when he was electric.

[Guest HTT II]

6 minutes ago, Fatwax said:

Born in 85. I think it was probably John Barnes. I vividly remember the ‘90 season I think it was when he was electric.

I loved John Barnes me, never saw him live in his pomp, but he was decent enough for us when he joined. 

[Guest HTT II]

7 hours ago, Oregon_Geordie said:

 

Gazza for me, I used to train at Benwell as a kid and he was about 18-19. He actually went on a date with my sis! He was always turning up late for training in an old Ford Cortina, socks rolled down, shorts pulled up, big thighs, greased hair - cool as fuck! Remember going to one of my first games with my Mam, Milburn Paddock, he was another level.

 

Did like Ned Kelly too

 

 

 

 

My boy trains there now which belongs to Newcastle City Juniors, we used to climb over the fences as kids to have a kick about and would get chased off the caretaker.

 

 

Edited June 12, 2022 by HTT II

[Jinky Jim]

13 hours ago, frankpingel said:

Snap, 1st player that I watched without the ball just excited that I was seeing him. Was probably 7 or 8 at the time.

Late 60’s early 70’s supporters would to the match just to see his match day nutmeg and then go home happy that they had been entertained 😎

[Toon No9]

1 hour ago, 1892er said:

Some good names being mentioned. As a kid growing up in the 90s, me and my mate used to have a kick around in my back garden and at the time Football Italia used to be on TV weekly.

 

I just remember being awestruck at the whole exotic feel of that league and my favourite player was Del Piero. So I used to think I was him as a kid and my mate used to pretend he was Zola .

 

I remember winning a gold fish at the hoppings one year and when I got Del Piero home, I was absolutely buzzing

 

So I guess Del Piero HAS lived in the goldfish bowl Jenas was talking about?!

[Guest HTT II]

For some daft reason I always thought Del Piero would have ended up at Newcastle (wishfull thinking). I was right about Kluivert though, someone I’d always wanted to see in our colours and although it didn’t work out, he was classy in a few games and I can at least say I got to see him play for us. Such an underrated player during his time at Barca, the complete CF for me. Other heroes growing up for the England team was David Seaman, mainly because my kid idolised him as he was a good ‘keeper himself when he was a kid. Top bloke as well!

 

 

Edited June 12, 2022 by HTT II

[Shearergol]

16 hours ago, HTT II said:

Scunthorpe link?

Yeah. My dad started taking me to Scunthorpe games when I was 3  (100% certain I didn’t behave). No idea on the circumstance but when he pointed at Keegan on tv and told me he used to be play for Scunny and was a genuine superstar, that meant I had to know everything about him and Newcastle. I’ve been hooked since I was a 5 year old.

 

Everyone else at school supported Liverpool. Think it’s probably why I hate them so much now.

[Guest HTT II]

3 minutes ago, Shearergol said:

Yeah. My dad started taking me to Scunthorpe games when I was 3  (100% certain I didn’t behave). No idea on the circumstance but when he pointed at Keegan on tv and told me he used to be play for Scunny and was a genuine superstar, that meant I had to know everything about him and Newcastle. I’ve been hooked since I was a 5 year old.

 

Everyone else at school supported Liverpool. Think it’s probably why I hate them so much now.

Honestly it’s amazing how many fans become attached to certain clubs through players, I wouldn’t be a fan without KK myself as again my dad and uncles all stopped going in the late 80s and it was only when KK come in as manager did it ignite, well, the whole City. Looking back my dad and uncles turned glory hunters, quit the club, but as soon as KK come back, full time supporters again 

[Shearergol]

Just now, HTT II said:

Honestly it’s amazing how many fans become attached to certain clubs through players, I wouldn’t be a fan without KK myself as again my dad and uncles all stopped going in the late 80s and it was only when KK come in as manager did it ignite, well, the whole City. Looking back my dad and uncles turned glory hunters, quit the club, but as soon as KK come back, full time supporters again 

I’m immensely proud that I’ll never be called a glory hunter, supporting Newcastle and Scunthorpe

[Keegans Export]

Peter Beardsley. The '93-'97 version (I wasn't born until after his first spell).

 

If you'd asked the 8-year-old me what position I played, I'd say "just behind the centre forward". Obviously I didn't know what this meant but I had asked my dad where Beardsley played and that's what he told me! 

 

Obviously a shame how things ended with him at the Academy etc

 

Non-Newcastle player was probably '98 Ronaldo. The first International tournament I was fully aware of and invested in and he just seemed to be everything you want in a footballer, almost a caricature. Surrounded by all the names - Cafu, Carlos, Rivaldo, Denilson. Plus that advert in the airport!

[Coffee_Johnny]

9 hours ago, Kaizero said:

Never really been much into individual worship of a footballer. As a kid the only thing that came close would be Shearer and Filippo Inzaghi, with Roar Strand thrown into the mix from watching Rosenborg. Beyond that I absolutely still worship Hatem Ben Arfa.

 

I have a soft spot for Oguchi Onyewu and Landon Donovan from my good old FIFA playing years as I'd be playing with the US national side with mates and we'd have tons of internal jokes. Soft spot for our very own Jonas as well.

 

Keegan and SBR are also next level, but not as players for me. Egil Olsen as well for what he did to Norway in the 90s.

 

 

 

Same for me really, was always or at least mainly about the strip; the team who were representing me/us. However, when Keegan came as a player (and later, much more so, as a manager) he was my first real NUFC hero. Recall prior to that often pretending to be Rivelino when really young. 

[LiquidAK]

Shearer. Was my favourite England player when I first got really into a tournament - I think it must have been Euro 2000 - asked my dad who he played for and have been suffering for it ever since.

[ennyoueffsea]

New Year’s Day 1973 v Leicester was my first match and straight away there was a massive buzz whenever Supermac got the ball. He’s the first one for me. 😊

 

Non NUFC 10 years prior as a kid watching South Shields and Len Smith was the man then. 😂

[Scoreboard82]

On 11/06/2022 at 16:02, HTT II said:

I don’t want to make this thread political, but I want to touch on how much Andy Cole meant or helped with any racial issues within the City. In the 80s and early 90s you could buy the National Front at SJP. Hooliganism was rife as was racism.
 

We had a decent sized Asian population but in my entire childhood I’d only ever seen in person a handful of black people and although we were not racist as a family or most people we knew, terms like darkie were common and anyone not white was looked at as, well, different, and dubiously. We once had a black striker who our own manager Jack Charlton nicknamed Wor Blackie (Charlton was not a racist btw). We predominantly had an all white team even under KK and hadn’t really ever had a black player that was more than decent. LFC had Barnes for example.

 

When we signed Cole no-one knew anything about him and I remember my dad and uncles thinking fuckinh hell that’s a lot of money on some black kid. And then he scored goal after goal after goal. Suddenly we had this black young man as our number 9 breaking records, a genuine world-class at the time striker, and it helped break down racial barriers and eased any racism in the City.

 

I know for a fact people selling the NF were getting attacked outside of SJP and people were saying how can you spout that shite when our number 9 is black, how dare they. At school, everyone wanted to be Andy Cole and as a kid we didn’t even see skin colour, but our parents and elders probably did, but they would say go out and play like Wor Coley, or buy us his tops and attitudes started to change, I noticed that as a kid.
 

Then Sir Les signed, Shaka and others and now Newcastle is probably one of the most multi-cultural and tolerant places on Earth, when just before Cole if you were a black person, it must have been a grim and awful place. I know through many many Asian friends I grew up with and went to school with some of the shit they put up with.

 

So Cole, not just a football hero, but a hero in terms of the impact he had, unknowing to him, he had off the pitch in terms of racism too. Again listen to that crowd against Leicester, imagine 28k people idolising you and a whole City like that. A young black kid in a kind of racist city/era. That’s the power of football. That’s my Andy Andy Cole, he gets the ball and scores a goal, Andy Andy Cole…

Really was rare back in the 80s. I can still remember signing Howard Gayle on loan and his song being "He's black, he's broon, he's playing for the toon. Howard Gayle, Howard Gayle".

[Chris_R]

David Kelly for me. Nothing to do with Portsmouth, but the promotion season. I wasn't allowed to go to the match until I was old enough to go on my own as my dad worked weekends, and the promotion season was the season I was first allowed to go. Which turned out great!

[Dr.Spaceman]

Andy Cole. Doesn't really need an explanation tbh! He was who we all wanted to be in the playground.

[Yorkie]

Turns out my first hero was Cole after all. Me dad was telling me earlier today that he taught me the Andy Cole song when I was very small; in 1993 he came home from a rare trip up to SJP with Newcastle having beaten West Ham 2-0, with Cole scoring them both. And apparently I, aged two and five months at that point, was just as buzzing as him when he came home.

[Nine]

Shearer and Beckham then Ronaldo and Ronaldinho after the 2002 World Cup 

[Rich]

Cole for me, as well, supplanted by Ginola.

[madras]

19 hours ago, Yorkie said:

Turns out my first hero was Cole after all. Me dad was telling me earlier today that he taught me the Andy Cole song when I was very small; in 1993 he came home from a rare trip up to SJP with Newcastle having beaten West Ham 2-0, with Cole scoring them both. And apparently I, aged two and five months at that point, was just as buzzing as him when he came home.

Strange how you remember individual games. That was the only home game I missed that season. I'd split with the GF of 7yrs, my mates were in Laganas so I just got a flight out and had a fantastic week. Rang home at HT and FT for match reports off my mam.

[Skeletor]

Roberto Baggio was my other football hero when I was a kid. From watching World Cup 94.

[Superior Acuña]

Peter Beardsley was my first. I only got a couple of years of him as he left when I was 7, but a through s combination of becoming toon-obsessed and watching games in 95-97, and watching the 93/94 and 94/95 season reviews he was my firm favourite. And I told him so at the Junior Magpie xmas party in 95.

[Peder75]

Mine was Marco van Basten. Started with the bicycle kick for Ajax in -86, and then his fantastic European Championship in -88. Then we have all his years in that amazing Milan team. He scored 4 against my hometown team in the Champions League -92.