The tracks of my years – Newcastle United 1990 to 1997 | OneFootball

After a minor accident at the weekend, I have finally got around to completing my belated Newcastle United ‘Tracks of my years’ from 1976 to 1997.

The nineties began on a downer and the Bald Eagle Jim Smith never recovered from not securing automatic promotion in 1990.

It also wasn’t a great idea by the Football League for sixth placed Sunderland to go up instead of Newcastle United, after they had lost the play-off final at Wembley against Swindon Town (who were found guilty of illegal player payments and relegated rather than promoted!).

The mackems were hopeless and relegated from the First Division (top tier) yet again in 1991.

Me and my black and white buddies celebrated in Limelights club in South Shields, dancing and singing to the Farm’s ‘Altogether Now’.

Ironically, Swindon boss Ossie Ardiles then soon became the new Toon manager and it was as far from ‘Ossie’s bloody Dream’ as was insanely possible.

Our young team were Second Division whipping boys and managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory week after week.

After a 5-2 defeat to Oxford United at the Manor Ground, Sir John Hall finally relieved Ossie of his position.

His successor wasn’t anybody that we had expected, I looked on incredulous as Kevin Keegan stepped out from behind the curtain and was unveiled as our new manager.

‘Goodnight Girl’ by Wet Wet Wet was the UK’s number 1 record but within three months we would all be ‘Deeply Dippy’ listening to Right Said Fred, as King Kev somehow miraculously turned the fortunes of Newcastle United around, saving us from relegation to the third tier in our centenary year.

Me and Big Granty then headed to St James’ Park in our ‘Reg on Sunderland’ t shirts that shrunk in the torrential rain for our first game of the new season.

Who gave a monkey’s though and ‘Rhythm was a Dancer’ as the Toon beat Southend United at the beginning of a magnificent 11 game winning streak in the league.

We had also put Premier League Middlesbrough to the sword in the League Cup and turned the mackems over at Roker Park four days afterwards.

I actually felt ‘Iron, like a Lion in Zion’ as Bob Marley climbed the charts once again.

Nothing could stop us.

The 1992/93 season was memorable in many ways and we went up to the Premier League as Champions in spectacular style, whupping Leicester City 7-1 at St James’ Park, 6-0 up at half-time.

In 1993/94 Newcastle United took the EPL by storm and the Entertainers were well and truly born.

This was a time to start believing, although it would take another two years and ultimate heartbreak for Keegan’s brilliant team to leave an indelible mark on the Premier League.

Brit Pop had also arrived and I had to suffer two awful brothers from Manchester churning out some truly pretentious and literally awful stuff. My God, one of our mates even got the haircut.

Luckily, Damon Albarn and Brett Anderson were about with their respective bands to keep these snarling upstarts in their place.

On January 7th 1997 our world then fell apart, with King Kev resigning, stating that he had took us as far as he could.

Tori Amos got to Number 1 in the UK charts five days later with ‘Professional Widow (It’s got to be big)’.

It wasn’t and Newcastle United disastrously appointed Kenny Dalglish, the dour polar opposite to our one and only true king and messiah.

Sorry for ending the trilogy on a downer but sometimes that’s just the way life happens.