Keegan

[Zippity]

Funnily enough, with Pat mentioning the Gillespie part of the Cole deal, Colin Murray mentioned him and Keegan on Fighting talk this morning. The question was about sporting achievements which had been overshadowed because something else happened at the same time and Murray mentioned Gillespie scoring a belter but no-one remembers it because after the game Keegan did his famous 'I'd love it' interview.

Me and my mates had all recently started our first jobs at the beginning of the 1991/92 season when Ardiles was in charge and we fancied a change of location. Regulars on the Scoreboard or the Corner (whichever had the smallest queue ) we'd noticed a lot of singing starting in the far corner of the Milburn so decided to get our season tickets there. I remember standing in a phone box in Beadnell with one of me mates, getting off the phone to the box office and saying 'that's it, we're season ticket holders' and feeling stupidly proud. Turned out that section of the Milburn was where a lot of folk from the Corner/Scoreboard had moved to-and a fair, few nutters as well, tbh but the atmosphere was mint.

Ardiles was playing a bunch of kids and it wasn't working-they were trying to play 'the right way' but weren't good enough or strong/fast enough and we were sinking down the league. Then, out of the blue, this amazing appointment which changed the club forever. Keegan changed how we saw ourselves, changed what players thought of themselves and changed how others saw us. The smbs use the term 'the Entertainers' as an insult but that is only out of pure jealousy and because a load of kids in the 50/50 areas of South Tyneside and Durham became Toon fans on the back of Keegan's brand of football and the subsequent lauding of our club in the media (if you've got a choice between our club or the mackems then it's no choice at all-wasn't then, isn't now )

The Keegan era is, imo, the best time we've had as a club (although folk around to witness the FA Cup wins in the 50s may have a different view). I know we won nowt but, then, most clubs win nowt so you've got to measure success differently. Keegan gave us so many amazing memories, some incredible games, amazing players he gave us pride in our club-I was already proud to be a Newcastle supporter anyway but I was proud of how other fans saw us-people actually liked us, man!! For a while, everything was working and it was magnificent to be a part of it.

Anyhoo, sorry to ramble on- just thought it was nice to see some positive footy discussion on the Cole thread and felt it wouldn't be right to have one about him and not about the man behind it all.

[michaelowen]

Some magical times in the keegan era. I still think "if only we had won it in 96".

[Jammy89]

Aye, that was a special time.

It'll come round again, i cling to that hope.

[Zippity]

Funny how things work....friend on FB hoyed this up asking who knew which game it might be from.

[ex_pat_magpie]

Great opening post Zippity. I was one of the wrinklies on here to witness the three out of five seasons F.A. Cup wins and the F.A. Cup carried much more value in those days.

As in the first Keegan era and to some extent Sir Bob's we were most neutrals second favourites. I would say that to myself at least the excitement and feeling of belonging was the same in both periods and as well for the Fairs Cup win.

I do remember during the Cup wins era calypsos were very popular in the top 20 charts and the best one of the time went, football football the Arsenal, football football the Newcastle etc. see linky

http://www.ttfootballhistory.com/node/3221

I'll wager Sherwood Mick remembers it well.