Where have all the Liverpool fans in North Shields disappeared to? | OneFootball

I think I know how a seemingly unusual phenomenon occurred during the late 1960s and early 1970s, that saw some Geordies defecting to follow the team of the day, becoming Liverpool fans.

It was probably because nothing really great was happening locally, including from a social and economic perspective, and that meant a few looked elsewhere for their kicks.

This was a totally different era from today, when young lads played 15+ a side football on muddy landscapes masquerading as football pitches.

Regular power cuts and our Dads on three day weeks just seemed pretty normal back then.

So some North Shields lads jumped on the Liverpool bandwagon.

Everyone knows what happened in the 1974 FA Cup Final and this hardly helped matters.

There was always a sprinkling of Leeds fans in our midst but nearly all of these lads regained their senses as they grew up.

The ones that latched onto the red scousers though, became a different breed all of their own.

Liverpool became the dominant club in both England and Europe as the 70s progressed. Bob Paisley’s team were lauded by the British media.

Into the 1980s and nothing was about to change anytime soon. More titles and European Cups followed for the scousers.

Newcastle United meanwhile had endured a decade of heartache and it wasn’t until the arrival of Kevin Keegan in 1982 that lads like me had something to cheer.

Boys eventually become men and following the Toon is a ‘passage to rights’ for most Geordies in places like North Shields.

The small contingent of Liverpool fans down here though never budged. They ultimately missed out on all the experiences (some good, some bad) that I and the rest of our adolescent brethren had undertaken.

Warm and safe in the glory of watching Liverpool lifting silverware from their TV sets, they could have been forgiven for being shrinking violets when out and about.

But I’m not kidding you, there was some real vocal ones amongst them and they seemed to be as cocky as real scousers.

It was hard to finish/win an argument, as they always got the last word in, because Liverpool nearly always defeated us.

In the build up to the Carabao Cup Final in March, I bumped into a few of these old acquaintances, not one of them could foresee Newcastle beating their Anfield heroes at Wembley.

The attitude was almost that it ‘couldn’t and wouldn’t’ happen, as everyone knew that their precious Liverpool are always superior to us.

At the start of this season I had a word to say to one of the younger plastic scousers, Baldy Nick, because he was disrespecting Newcastle United.

Since we battered them at Wembley I have only seen one of these plastic Liverpool fans and that was on the bus. I had to eventually ask if he was going to finally congratulate me on us getting one over them.

After some reflection, Jonesy admitted that Newcastle United had been the far better side.

Now nearly three months down the line may I ask where Foss, Ronnie, Sean, Lynn, Dave, Baldy Nick and all of the rest of the glory hunters have disappeared to?

Over fifty years of gloating and yet one defeat against their own hometown club looks like it has destroyed them.