1984/85 and the North American Odyssey | OneFootball

Where were you when…?

You know that sometimes you hear a song and it transports your memory to a specific time in your life associated with it? Or when a chance remark from someone can do just the same kind of thing?

I find memories of events at Newcastle United seem to hang a timeline on periods in my life.

Tiny bit of a stretch this. “Up in the air” is a phrase which reminds me of the Newcastle United 1984/85 season. Memories of looking out of the window as I was flying in a Boeing 707 over the Canadian Rockies on the way to Vancouver – such an incredible sight – and reminding me also of Jack Charlton’s footballing philosophy!

We had just been promoted under Arthur Cox, who had put together Keegan, Beardsley and Waddle as he continued a footballing and attacking philosophy to eventually get us out of the Second Division. However, a poor offer to him to stay on as manager, ran full steam into him wanting season ticket sales to go into the transfer pot alongside the £250,000 the club stated they were prepared to spend. The board refused and so off he went.

We got instead the intellectual colossus of – Jack Charlton!

Keegan retired – (sensibly seeing what was ahead).

If you read biographies of those player,s the time under Charlton was one of “Kick it up into the air and get Beardsley and Waddle to run up and down chasing the second ball.” Waddle gave it a go but he was off at the end of the season. Terry Mac was shifted on because he wanted to play football and Charlton’s game was pretty much the opposite of that. We eventually signed a couple of big forwards to go with the playing “style” in George Reilly and Tony Cunningham. Yep, I had to look that up….does anyone remember them?

To be fair, I didn’t see as much of the team play that year but I am pretty sure my memories and opinions of the season warrant what I have written. How did you all feel about it?

Somehow we didn’t get relegated and finished mid-table. I don’t think I missed much doing a bit of globetrotting that season.

My personal story?

Camping with brown bears marauding around my rough campsite in the wild North of Vancouver Island.

Being followed on the ship from Victoria to Seattle by a huge pod of killer whales.

Doing a road trip from Seattle to Los Angeles in an Oldsmobile.

Spending three days in the Disneyland Hotel (with direct access to the original Disneyland via an overhead monorail) with days in Disneyland (sporting a grin ear to ear the whole time) and evenings dining on amazing food from round the world in any one of many top notch restaurants within the hotel itself and then renting a beach house in Malibu.

Yes, I had come into some money and it was “spend it” time. Never was one for saving or delayed gratification at that age (or since to be honest).

Many tales of those times but saving them for later..sorry…I will say that the bears were a bit of a surprise though. Interesting memory now but not good for clean underwear at the time.

I will though highlight one transformative experience on the 1,000 mile plus road trip. As well as the “truck stop diners” which I became addicted to, the long, long stretches of trunk road heading South had regular “comfort stops” where showers, toilet facilities and often other convenient things for travellers were immaculately maintained and a joy when compared to the UK. Like many others I used these to park up at these for the night when on the road.

Just before reaching the part of the country where I was headed to see the Giant Redwoods, I made a stop and slept at night.

Getting out of the Oldsmobile to empty some fluid – “take a leak” in local parlance – I stopped on the way back to the vehicle and looked at the big map erected there to judge how much longer I had to drive the next day.

In those days, in all of the TV shows we had over here from the states, they always seemed to have the black guys as the criminals and murderers and it obviously affected our perceptions.

I felt a hand on my shoulder as I stared up at the map. I heard the words “Hey man” in a deep resonant voice from behind me. I could feel my bowels loosen a tad.

Turning round I was confronted with the sight of a black guy who must have been at least 6’7” and man was he muscled. I couldn’t speak. I knew I was going to be robbed and possibly murdered.

He looked directly at me and spoke again. “Hey, can you tell me where I is? Maybe show me on the map? I can’t read.”

When I rebooted my heart and started breathing again, I showed him where we were and where he wanted to be. We then talked for what must have been an hour about his country and mine. Sweet giant of a man he was and a massive readjustment of my own attitudes towards others of a differing racial background. Just one small step on my way to reality and away from indoctrinated racism both then and now.

Further travels in the future were to educate me more and make me a better person….. but those tales lie further on in my timeline to the current day……