Newcastle United fans must do better at Wembley | OneFootball

Only a week to go now, before tens of thousands of Newcastle United fans descend on Wembley.

I can’t wait.

As a kid I watched the 1974 FA Cup Final on TV at home.

I was gutted.

My dad, uncles and other family and friends all were there, amongst the Newcastle United fans at Wembley, but I was told adults (blokes!) only, even though I had been going to home matches for a few seasons by then.

As I say, I was gutted not to be there, but I was so proud watching on TV.

We may have lost 3-0 to Liverpool on the pitch, but off it, there was only one winner. The Geordies outsinging the Scousers hands down and as each goal went in, the Newcastle United fans simply upped the volume further.

The same in 1976, once again adults/blokes only, the League Cup Final against Man City.

United played much better and arguably deserved to win the game, only for a Geordie to score a spectacular goal to win it for…Man City! Back in those days the League Cup Final wasn’t shown live on TV, so a case of following the 2-1 defeat on the radio. However, seeing the match highlights later, the same as 1974 on the terraces. Newcastle United fans magnificent, you could hardly hear the Man City fans.

Just the 22 years later and it was my/our turn, my dad and uncles were still at Wembley for the 1998 FA Cup Final, but it was my generation who finally had their chance.

A 2-0 win for Arsenal but what an atmosphere! From our end anyway. The Wenger boys comfortably won on the pitch but Newcastle United fans went 5-0 up on the terraces and never ever looked like losing the atmosphere contest. Indeed, it all felt a little surreal, as the more that Arsenal dominated and went 1-0 and then 2-0 up, the louder the Newcastle United fans became and the quieter the Arsenal fans went.

A year later and a repeat performance, on and off the pitch. Man U comfortably winning the contest on the pitch, Newcastle United fans the easy victors off it.

It wasn’t a Cup Final but Wembley in 2000 was arguably even better. An FA Cup semi-final meant far more tickets for Newcastle United fans compared to a final and we even scored a goal! The atmosphere was spectacular that day and the noise when Bobby Lee scored! When Poyet scored the winner six minutes later, most of us had just about managed to get back to our feet after the celebrations that had followed the equaliser. It might have been pretty much a home match for Chelsea in terms of geography BUT once again, Newcastle United fans ruled on the terraces.

It would be 23 years before my next visit to Wembley, the same as many of you.

I did have a great weekend but only one thing really disappointed me, apart from the result of course!

The Newcastle United fans bettered the Man U supporters on the terraces, but that isn’t difficult…

However, I still found the NUFC atmosphere underwhelming.

If say 1998, 1999 and 2000 were 10 out of 10s, I reckon 2023 was a 6 out of 10 at best. Certainly in terms of what I was expecting it to be.

It was good pre-match, decent the first half hour as United played pretty well, but as soon as Man U scored on 33 minutes and then again six minutes later, where was the defiance? The Newcastle United fans, every one of us, roaring our support?

It wasn’t a case of nobody doing this, more a clear split. Some Newcastle United fans downing tools and sitting on their hands, whilst others did have that never ending defiance.

To be honest, I thought a bit the same when we beat the Mackems 3-0 in January 2024. The Newcastle United fans were good that day but compared to back in the day when we regularly went down Wearside and won in the pre-Ashley days it used to be mental the atmosphere back then! I would say even the odd time we didn’t win at Sunderland, the atmosphere was better back then, plus we had 6,000 or so in that last visit.

My greatest fear at Wembley next weekend, isn’t the team going behind on the pitch.

It is that if this happens, the Newcastle United fans don’t defiantly get behind the lads. What happens on the pitch should have zero impact on our performance as Newcastle United fans, we should all be going there to sing our hearts out for the lads for 90+ minutes, no matter what happens on the pitch.

Exactly why I fear the Newcastle United fans at Wembley won’t get anywhere close to those of 1998-2000, never mind 1974 and 1976, we will all have our theories.

Back in 1998-2000, I reckon most Newcastle United fans at Wembley, would have been in the vast majority of cases, supporters who grew up on the terraces of the Leazes and/or Gallowgate ends in the 1970s and 1980s, before the all-seater era came about.

Maybe just a case of the full of drink 25, 35, 45 and 55 year olds of 1998-2000 who were at Wembley, being the very same people who were at Wembley in 2023 and now 2025, only now we/they are the 50, 60, 70 and 80 year olds who are the season ticket holders of today and the match ticket holders at Wembley next weekend.

Anybody else have any ideas on why the atmosphere won’t be what it was a quarter of a century, half a century, ago?