Article – Page 6 – Middle Age Fanclub

Magpie Moments Episode 2.

From limbs all over the terraces celebrating the latest goal to watching on helplessly as a much loved favourite is sold, as we found out last time, there are many types of moments as a football supporter. So, here’s some more Magpie Moments for you!

Fabian Schar’s thousand yard chip. Ok, so it wasn’t that far out and it was only last season, but I thought this one was well worth a revisit. Last season’s away game at Leicester was an excellent all round Toon performance. Three goals, a clean sheet and we can even throw in a cracking interview with Jacob Murphy on Sky afterwards. But none were the moment of the match. That came in the 11th minute of the game. Newcastle were already 1-0 up and cruising thanks to a Jacob Murphy tap in. Step forward Fabian Schar. Moving forward with the ball and still inside his own half, our Swiss genius looked up and decided that a chip at goal from 55 yards out was well and truly on. I mean, find me another centre half who thinks like this! Leicester’s defenders are up near the halfway line and their keeper has decided to go on the wander and is a good 30 yards from goal. Schar looks up and goes for goal and as the ball sails over the keeper’s head it’s odds on that Schar is joining Murphy on the scoresheet. The commentary team are giving it big ‘Ooooohs’ and we’re told ‘This could be something extraordinary’. But no, with a resounding ‘smack’ the ball hits the bar and despite his best efforts to shin it out for a goal kick, Murph is there to bundle it home. But imagine if Schar’s attempt had hit the net!

A Budgie saves the day! Hands up if you’ve ever watched a football match in an ice jockey rink. Aye, there won’t be many of us! But one of my personal favourite memories of watching Newcastle happened in Whitley Bay Ice Rink. Despite wagging school and queuing up outside St. James’ from very early, we couldn’t get tickets for the away leg of the now infamous Play Off semi final against Sunderland at Roker Park. But our disappointment was tempered when someone told us of a beamback at Whitley Bay Ice Rink of all places and so we bought tickets that same morning. So, on a Sunday morning in May 1990 we found ourselves sat high up in the ice rink as a big screen beamed back grainy images from Joker Park. Strangely, we’d managed to arm ourselves with a cut out of Uri Geller’s hand in the hope that the legendary spoonbender might bring us some luck. It was a scrappy game with very little goalmouth action until a penalty was given to sunderland in the final minute. There was nothing else for it but to place all available hands on Uri’s! Then, we started to try and channel his superpowers, chanting ‘We Three Are One’, something we still do to this day. Safe to say that it was a bit of an unusual sight as Paul Hardyman ran forward to take the kick. It felt like there was going to be nothing we could do to avoid taking a defeat into the second leg at St. James’ Park. But as their left back placed his penalty to the left hand side of the goal, our keeper John Burridge sprung over and dived onto the ball. Cue absolute bedlam, which got worse as we watched the penalty taker go on to kick Burridge while he lay on the floor. At least one of us toppled down the seats of the ice rink, drinks were spilled, beanie hats thrown and Uri Geller’s photocopied hand was lost forever. But we’d had our moment and surely the second leg at home was to be a formality. Sadly not though and the rest is history. However, the Budgie moment will live with me and my mates forever!

Hibbitt’s pass, Supermac’s goal! I wasn’t there as I was only actually two years old, buy I’ve heard all about this one as well as having watched it time and time again over the years. What a goal and what a moment! In between telling me all about Tony Green and Malcolm MacDonald, my dad is happy to wax lyrical about Terry Hibbitt’s pass for the second goal and I used to think that he’d romanticised it, having been at Hillsborough that day. He hadn’t. This was the FA Cup semi final from 1974, played at Hillsborough and having been under intense pressure from Burnley for much of the match Newcastle had scored on the break in the 65th minute. Our number 9 Malcolm MacDonald had scored after chasing a long ball from Terry Hibbitt having been almost wrestled to the ground by the Burnley centre half. But the moment of the match came ten minutes later, again on the break. Burnley launch a high ball into the box and Bob Moncur heads it out. It drops to John Tudor who hooks it clear out towards our left where Hibbitt is running on to it. Hibbitt lets it bounce once and then hits the sweetest left foot, first time through ball over the Burnley centre half and into Supermac’s path. Supermac seems to use his bollocks for the first touch, knocking the ball into his path and then finishing with a bobbling shot through the keeper’s legs. Cue bedlam! If you’ve never seen it, get on YouTube and search it out. If you were there, feel free to let us know how it felt!

And there we have it. Three more Magpie Moments and a fair few more to come! Howay the Lads!

Gallowgate Cult Heroes Number 15, Wyn Davies.

After he sadly passed away earlier this week aged 83, it felt wrong that I hadn’t recognised Wyn Davies as a Gallowgate Cult Hero, especially given the impact he had on the club and the fans during his time on Tyneside.

Wyn Davies was one of the first hero figures that I was made aware of as a kid. He was before my time, but became part of my education as a budding Toon fan via my dad and my grandad.

Born Ronald, but known as ‘Wyn’, Davies was signed from Bolton Wanderers in 1966, going on to make 188 appearances before he was sold to Manchester City in 1971. At the time of signing he’d cost a record fee of £85,000 having been the most feared striker in Division 2 at Bolton. At Newcastle he proved to be a great success, scoring 40 goals, but being more well known for his aerial ability and his success in bullying defenders. In those days of teams playing 2 up front Wyn became the big ‘un supporting the more prolific little ‘un that was Pop Robson and the pairing was a great success. And of course, Wyn would be an integral part of that Fairs Cup winning team of 1969.

As a kid I remember hearing tales of his famous leap, his fantastic heading ability and how Davies just seemed to have this ability to hang in the air. My dad still tells stories of the Fairs Cup run in 1969 where Wyn simply bullied European defences. During the run to the final Wyn scored four goals and then in the first leg of the two legged final broke his cheekbone. He still played a week later in the second leg though – no mask, no protection. Imagine that in this day and age! The only restriction on Wyn that day was that the club doctor would only allow him one pint in celebration before he was whisked off to hospital for treatment!

Wyn would continue to have an influence on me as I began to go to games with my mates in the late 80s and early 90s because of the famous song related to his name. During his time at Newcastle fans had adapted the Manfred Mann hit, ‘Quinn the Eskimo'(The Mighty Quinn) to include Wyn’s name and it seemed that some older fans didn’t want to let go. And so, I found myself singing along on the Gallowgate in my early independent years as a Toon fan. Then, within a few years we’d adapt the song again to fit our new hero Micky Quinn. Of course, my dad was only too keen to remind me that it wasn’t really Quinny’s song!

From Newcastle, Wyn went on to have a distinguished career, playing for both Manchester clubs, Blackpool and numerous others before retiring while playing for Cape Town City in 1979.

Wyn the Leap, The Mighty Wyn, a Gallowgate Cult Hero sadly missed. As the song said, ‘You’ll not see nothing like the Mighty Wyn’.

R.I.P Wyn Davies.

Gallowgate Cult Heroes Number 14; Liam O’Brien.

In terms of word association, if I was to mention the phrase ‘over the wall’ many of you would shout back Ryan Taylor’s name. But for older Mags, the original ‘over the wall’ fella was none other than Liam O’Brien.

Signed for £275,000 from Manchester United in November 1998, O’Brien was primarily a central midfielder (a ‘6’ if you play want to sound all clever and modern) who would go on to make 185 appearances, scoring 19 goals. Never the quickest over the ground, his range of passing was to be admired and O’ Brien was what we’d probably best refer to as ‘classy’; a player who always seemed to find just enough time on the ball. He worked hard and could always be relied on for a bit of a killer pass, often dictating the pace of games in the centre of the park. Not a world beater, but good enough to take a game by the scruff of the neck on occasion.

In his first season we were relegated from the old first division, but it was testament to O’Brien that he didn’t immediately jump ship. His loyalty wasn’t particularly rewarded though as we were to stay in Division 2 for three years before getting promoted in that memorable ’92-’93 season under Kevin Keegan. O’Brien had been instrumental in the latter stages of the previous season in helping keep us from the drop into the dreaded third tier.

It was in the promotion season though that Liam O’Brien cemented his place as a cult hero and Newcastle United legend in particular with his free kick against Sunderland at Joker Park.

A Gary Owers own goal had put us ahead before Gordon Armstrong equalised at the Fulwell End in the 70th minute to raise mackem hopes. I remember him going particularly mental as well and rather than celebrate in front of their fans, he seemed to make a beeline more for our fans than anything, screaming his vitriol like a deranged madman. Alas, it would do him no good, the silly mackem…

Just six minutes after the equaliser we won a free kick that was fairly central and just outside the D of the 18-yard-box. A few of the players stood around the ball, but none looked overly likely to take the kick. O’Brien himself just seemed to be stood, casually chatting to Kevin Brock and John Beresford, but as the whistle is blown he simply took a couple of steps forward to plant a beauty over the wall and curling into the near corner. Mackem keeper Tim Carter had been stood on that side of the goal, but was totally powerless as the ball nestled in the bottom corner.

Pandemonium ensued as O’Brien leapt in the air to celebrate with our fans before being swallowed up by the likes of Barry Venison and Ray Ranson. Watch it back now and you’ll see that the Roker End is just a sea of tightly packed in Geordies all going mental at the goal. You’ll also hear Middlesborough manager at the time, Lennie Lawrence call it just before the kick is taken telling the commentator, “I fancy Liam O’Brien over the wall”. Incredible stuff.

O’Brien would have other notable moments in a Toon shirt. He’d scored the equaliser in the previous season at Roker Park with a lovely chip at the same end and I seem to remember a few piledrivers from range across the years. But he will be forever remembered for one of the most nonchalant free kicks in one of the most high pressured games that any of us will ever recall.

Within a couple of years Liam was transferred to Tranmere where he’d spend 5 years before moving back to Ireland with Cork City and his first club, Bohemians where he retired in 2002.

Over the years O’Brien and that goal have been the subject of a much loved terrace song as well as one of the most iconic Newcastle photos you’ll ever see, taken from the camera gantry high above the pitch. A fitting tribute to a true Gallowgate Cult Hero. Liam O’Brien, cult hero and Newcastle United legend.

Magpie Moments – Episode 1.

Football fans will tell you there’s almost nothing like the moment the ball hits the back of the net. Players too, obviously. It’s visceral, animalistic almost; the roar, the way we throw ourselves around, hugging strangers, screaming at the sky!

But football’s moments can never really be restricted to just goals. Over the course of a season there will be hundreds of things you remember for years to come. Over the course of your life supporting a team, there will be untold thousands. So, I thought I’d write about our my own Newcastle United moments. Each month I’ll string a few together in I guess what we could call a trip down memory lane. Some are from games I’ve attended, some from stuff I’ve watched on the telly, while others have been passed down to me by others. There’s no order of importance, just Magpie Moments.

Mitrovic’s late equaliser v Sunderland (2016). I remember this one quite vividly. We’d lost the previous six games against Sunderland and it looked like we’d make that seven. Rafa Benitez had not long taken over from Steve McLaren and the team were still without a win under the new manager. This felt like a turning point though. With less than ten minutes left, Georginho Wijnaldum clipped over a beautiful hanging cross that Aleksander Mitrovic gladly headed home at the back post. St. James’ Park erupted, a few thousand mackems deflated rapidly and Mitro took off his shirt to reveal a surprisingly doughy physique! Spinning said shirt around his head, he seemed to just run around in circles for a bit before a supporter joined him from the East Stand. As Mitro ran towards him the bloke slipped and almost two footed the Serbian into next week until he took evasive action and dived over the supporter! Both ended up on the floor before jumping up and hugging like long lost brothers. The pitch invading fan was then carted off by stewards with a look on his face that said, ‘What have I done wrong?’ Only at Newcastle United!

Keegan vs Ashley. It was never a great fit and never going to last, but when Mike Ashley brought Kevin Keegan back to the club the romantic in us all probably took over. We were once again royally in the brown stuff, but King Kev would work his magic and before too long he’d have Shola playing like Messi and the Toon climbing the table. And then, in a tale of lies and deceit and one that takes in names such as Milner, Schweinsteiger, Llambias, Wise and Xisco, it was all over. Keegan resigned less than a year after being appointed and Chris Hughton was left in caretaker charge for the next home game against Hull. The atmosphere that day was poisonous; possibly the most toxic I can recall as a Newcastle fan. Walking up to the ground the tension was tangible and the closer I got to St. James’ the more I thought there might not even be a match. It felt like something close to a riot or a revolution was in the air and the match itself felt irrelevant, played as it was in front of a crowd baying for blood. Leaving the ground that day, I felt as low as I’d felt as a Toon supporter. And believe me, that was a tough competition. It wouldn’t matter. Ashley and his cronies would remain for quite some time, mismanaging the club horrifically. Keegan would never return, although there’s hope for next season. This wasn’t quite the straw that broke the camel’s back, but it was a moment that told us that drastic action would be needed to rid our club of this particular owner and although it took some time, we got there eventually.

Dyer v Bowyer. Saturday, April 2nd 2005 and unbeknownst to everyone in the ground, including our two protagonists, Newcastle United are about to reach a new low. And if you’ve followed the club from the depths of the 70s and 80s, I know that’s a big claim! In fact, if you know of this game and Steven Taylor’s ‘Platoon’ style handball, you might not even see Dyer and Bowyer as providing its lowest moment! This was a shocker of a performance as a team including the three aforementioned players plus the likes of Jenas, Robert and Shearer, found themselves 0-3 down and already reduced to ten men with only minutes left to play. Then, just as Newcastle continued labouring on, still huffing puffing and trying to find a route to goal, another pass goes astray and suddenly all Hell breaks loose. For a moment the Premier League turns into Sunday league as Bowyer approached his team mate Dyer and they started throwing punches. I mean, I say punches… In truth, barely a connection was made and the whole thing ended with lots of shirt grabbing before Gareth Barry and Stephen Carr managed to intervene and dragged the scrapping pair away. Inevitably, both Dyer and Bowyer were sent off and we finished the game with 8 players! Apparently Bowyer had become more and more wound up, believing that Dyer wasn’t passing to him, words were exchanged and then…FIIIIIIIGHT! Personally, I missed the whole thing up in Level 7 as my eyes just naturally followed the ball! In fact, around me, no one seemed to know until word filtered around the Leazes. Once again though, the kind of moment you rarely hear about but fully expect at Newcastle United!

What’s your favourite Magpie Moment? Any spring to mind? I’m happy to take requests!

NUFC: A Tribute to Callum Wilson.

And so, it came to pass; Callum Wilson actually did leave Newcastle United. Despite at least the one initially convincing hoax announcement on social media about him extending his deal for another year, the fact is he’s off to pastures new.

I genuinely didn’t think that it would happen yet. When it was announced that there were discussions about another year it felt like the most Newcastle United thing would be that we’d see him back for season ’25-’26.

It would be churlish to call Wilson’s time in Toon anything but a success. Sure, there have been injuries – we’ve lost count – but there have also been goals galore. 49 of them that make him the club’s third highest Premier League goalscorer as well as putting in the top 40 of all time scorers.

Joining from Bournemouth in September 2020 for a fee thought to be around £20m Wilson immediately hit the ground running with a goal on debut away at West Ham. He would go on to score 12 in that first season; not a bad return in a side that would struggle to find any kind of form and consistency throughout the season and would eventually finish in 15th. Wilson himself was consistent though and invariable when a chance came his way, he took it. Things would stay this way for the whole of his time at the club.

Rather than drone on through his record across 5 years though, I thought about the things that made me smile about Wilson. Here’s what I came up with.

The goals. Callum Wilson scores goals. End of. And he scored all kinds of goals for us as well. Not just a poacher in and around the six yard box, Callum. Remember the chip from outside the box away at Spurs after their keeper had fumbled the ball? What about the curler from the edge of the box away at Everton in 2023? Or you could just cast your mind back to the countless times where he stayed ice cool when put clean through on goal or just when taking a penalty. That said, one of my favourite Wilson goals had to be his opener in the 5-1 away win at West Ham in 2023 when he was able to find room enough to get a free header from a Saint Maximin cross while being surrounded by 4 or 5 defenders.
The alertness in and around the box. Few strikers have had this instinct in all the time I’ve watched the Toon. Wilson just sniffed goals and chances out. While he was a pacey striker, it was his pace over those first few yards, particularly in the box that set him apart from many others. For me, Wilson was the best at this type of thing since Micky Quinn.
The trademark grin. Wilson’s smile said a lot about the man. Confidence, swagger and calm. Callum Wilson just loved scoring goals and loved playing for the Toon. The grin told us that he was self assured and had the kind of self belief required to wear the number 9 shirt when he eventually got it.
The salute. He loved celebrating in front of the fans and that salute often topped it all off. Wilson loved the adulation and our fans served it up in spades! Callum Wilson just loved scoring goals for Newcastle United.
That post takeover goal. The first game at St. James’ Park after the takeover was confirmed. A renewed optimism around the place after years of utter drudgery under Mike Ashley and his cronies. Early on in the game, the ball was worked across the edge of the box before finding Allain Saint Maximin who in turn slipped in the overlapping Javi Manquillo. Manquillo fired over a hard, low cross and there was Callum Wilson getting across the defender and stooping to bullet a header beyond Hugo Lloris. The whole place erupted. There were even the proverbial limbs in the director’s box as messrs Rueben, Al-Rumayyan, Ghoudousi and Staveley leap about in celebration. Okay, we lost the game, but in that moment we all believed that this was the start of something and it was fitting that it would be Wilson flying in to grab the goal. It’s definitely one that I’ll never forget.

Callum Wilson will go down as a hugely important figure in the last 5 years at the club. I’d go as far as to call him a legend. One of the reasons why we were still in the division both pre and post Eddie Howe. Thanks for the memories, Callum.

Always Look on The Bright Side: Five Things that Made me Smile in June.

It’s that time again! Time to see if I can help anybody out with a bit of something more upbeat. Every month I make a note of the kind of things that raise a smile in my day and then at the start of the next one, I relay them to you, dear reader. So here are June’s little moments. Oh, and there are seven for the price of five this month!

The sun. Granted, there have been a few days and nights where it has been far too hot, but it’s just lovely to get to this time of year and feel the full warmth of the sun. Especially when you live in northern Britain, where we can go for weeks fully convinced that it’s not actually up there any more. So, despite the fact that it’s led to some pretty sweaty classrooms and a good few uncomfortable sleeps, it’s been lovely to feel the sun again. Here’s hoping that it can stick around for at least a couple of months.

Night time walks. I’ve been struggling to sleep now that the temperature has risen. It’s also affected my running habits; I find running with a pacemaker in this heat can feel absolutely dreadful. And so, I’ve taken to going for walks at night. Usually we’ve been going out after 9pm, either myself and my wife, myself and my son or just all three of us. It isn’t working in terms of helping me sleep, but it’s good as I can’t go out and run so much, so it keeps up a level of fitness. The best of it though, is that it makes for some lovely chats, especially with my son who I don’t always get to chat to, such is his status as bedroom bound typical teenage boy! I really love spending time with my family, so these walks have enabled a bit of that too and that’s definitely something to smile about.

My son finished his GCSEs! This made me smile because it doesn’t seem more than a few minutes since I was helping my wife edge across Leeds to the maternity ward while she was in labour with said son! Fifteen years on – he’s 16 this month – and he’s just finished his formal education. Reason enough to sigh and exhale forcefully at the perceived speed of it all, but also reason enough to smile.

The Leeds 10k. It’s not been a great year running-wise, so far. Just illness after illness and barely enough energy to get through the day, let alone go out running. Thankfully, I focused myself on a month of training, determined to get into a fit enough state to get round the Leeds 10k. And I did it! It was quite a tough one on a relatively warm day, but I got round in a respectable enough time, so I’ll take that. So although I was shattered as I crossed the finish line, it wasn’t long before I was smiling. I’ve written a blog about the day that’s on the link below if you fancy reading about it.

Power Up signs, smiling more and a bloody cricketer! The Leeds 10k.

Discovering Folk Bitch Trio. I listen to a lot of music. Perhaps not as much as before having a family, but still a lot of music. At work, one of my daily rituals involves listening to BBC 6 Music whenever I get a chance. It’s on as soon as my laptop is up and running in the morning and then back on as soon as I have any non contact time. 6 Music plays a huge range of stuff and this means that I’ll inevitably discover stuff that I’ve never heard before. Usually I make a note of the artist and or song on a Post It and then take that home for Alexa to work her magic. The brilliantly named – and brilliant – Folk Bitch Trio are my latest find. They remind me a bit of First Aid Kit and Haim, both of whom I really like.With Folk Bitch Trio, I enjoyed their music and loved their name. All in all, they made me smile partly because of their name and their music, but also because discovering new music or even old stuff that I’ve never heard is always a reason to smile for me.

New runners. Short and sweet, this one. I’d been after some new running trainers for a while now, but didn’t fancy paying ridiculous money. So, I’d been looking for offers and discounts to help me out while reading a lot of reviews to find what might be the best pair for me. I’ve had a pair of Saucony Ride 17s for a while now and love them. However, I’d got a deal on them and they only cost about £70. Anything comparable now was looking like costing me well over £100. And then, out of nowhere, Sportshoes.com sent me an email with 30% off certain brands and after a bit of deliberation I got some new Saucony Ride 18s for £90! They’re bright orange and beautiful and I’m looking forward to wearing them in and covering lots of miles in them!

June’s gone! Don’t get me wrong; I have nothing against June. But the reason I’m able to smile about it waving goodbye for another year is that we have two family birthdays in June. Again, it’s not that I don’t like the people or their birthdays. What I don’t like is the pressure I put on myself for buying presents for my wife and the pressure that also comes from my daughter’s birthday, which is always a big deal and comes just two days after my wife’s. Life towards the end of June is just chaotic and so, frankly, I’m smiling again now that it’s July!

So there we have it. Proof that even in the smallest things we can find something to smile about…even when your legs feel like they’re going to fall off and you feel sick while dragging yourself up one last hill!

Power Up signs, smiling more and a bloody cricketer! The Leeds 10k.

Having been forced to miss last year’s Leeds 10k due it falling on the same day as my daughter’s 18th birthday, I was looking forward to this one. It’s an event that I came late to, having only done my first one about 4 years ago, but I always really enjoy the race.

All in all, it was a good day for me. Illness meant that I’d managed less than a month’s training – 7 runs – and only a couple of 10k runs in that time. That said, having pulled out of my last 2 races in April and May, it was nice to feel well enough to even get round one for a change!

I’d been to a gig the night before and so my legs were pretty sore from all that standing and dancing, which resulted in some lovely shin pain all the way around the 10k. Nothing else for it but to grit my teeth and get through it though!

I’d hoped to run it in under 55 minutes, as that was my quickest run in training. Alas, it wasn’t to be! A slow last mile, where I just didn’t quite have the legs to get me up the last couple of hills quickly enough, brought me in slower than I would have liked, but I have to admit to being pretty pleased with my time of 55 and a half minutes.

It’s a brilliant race to do. There’s always lots of support out to cheer you on your way, which actually does help. The route is fairly undulating; some nice flat parts, some lovely downhill stretches, but some nasty hills – particularly coming back into Leeds in the final mile – so it’s a fairly challenging course.

This year, rather than writing some kind of report, talking you through almost every step I take I’ve decided to take a different approach. Sat at home afterwards I had a moment to reflect on some of my favourite bits and some of the things that occurred to me as I plodded my way round the course.

Choirs. There were at least 3 choirs out on the course and all of them gave me, and I daresay thousands of others, a timely boost. The best of them though was outside a parade of shops in Headingley. All wearing black and yellow, all ladies and just sensationally good. I actually ran past applauding. I mean imagine being kind enough to think, let’s get together and sing some songs to those knackered looking people who’ll be going past on Sunday. I just think it’s a lovely thing to do.
A one man band. Near Hyde Park, I think. Just as we were crossing a road to head to a much needed downhill stretch I heard music. Drums, a keyboard, maybe some guitars. And then when I looked it was one bloke playing drums to a background of what I assume was a programmed synthesiser. Just rocking away without a care in the world!
Volunteers. Loads of them. Whether they were at drinks stations or just marshalling along the route, the volunteers are the heart of any event. Sometimes, when you’re feeling pretty shattered and some kind soul in a high viz bib tells you, ‘You’re doing great’ or ‘You’re amazing’ it really helps. Invariably, I’m not but it’s such a lovely thing to hear!
Fancy dress. I’ve never understood the need to run in fancy dress. Don’t get me wrong, I really admire those who do it, but have always felt that it’s enough just dragging myself around without a costume! This year I spotted runners dressed in all manner of costumes; a flamingo, a sloth, a lion complete with mane (this was in about the last half mile and I lengthened my stride, determined not to be beaten by bloody Simba!), a sunflower and a zebra. My son – a little too happily for my liking – also informed me that I was beaten by a man wearing full cricket whites complete with jumper, a bat and all of the padding; a really heavy outfit to run a 10k in on a hot day! It takes a special kind of person to commit to something to that extent!
High 5s. I’m not normally one for a high 5. Not very touchy feely, me. However, whenever I do a race there a families with children who will hold out their hands to get a high 5 from the runners. Again, it’s just another lovely thing about this type of event and I try to go out of my way to indulge at least a few of them. Kids always get a bit of a kick out of it and it’s just really rewarding to hear them laugh or see them smile as you run over. That said, given my sweaty red face, it must be terrifying for them as I approach!
Power Up Signs. The effort that had gone into some of these cardboard masterpieces this year was amazing. If you’re not in the know people sometimes hold signs saying ‘Power Up Here’ or something similar while watching these races. The idea is – like a video game – you touch the sign and receive a ‘power up’. This year people had drawn Sonic on them, characters from Mario and all manner of other stuff. And they looked great. Sadly though, they don’t actually work!
And finally…smiling! The amount of smiling faces who turn out to give some encouraging is always a real positive and I really appreciate. In fact, there’s nothing better than spotting my family somewhere near the finish, smiling and screaming at me. This year though, I decided that it might help my running if I smiled more. Let’s just say I don’t ‘wear’ running well. I look knackered and my face and body must seem to scream ‘HELP!’ to the casual observer. So, for this run I tried to relax, smile and even have a bit of a laugh and I think it kind of worked. Mind you, it didn’t work on the final long hill when a fellow runner dressed head to toe in various dayglo colours took it upon himself to turn Mr. Motivator and shout encouraging stuff like ‘Come on, guys we’ve got this’ and ‘We’re all in this together!’ as well as singing lines from whatever song popped into his vacant head. Smile? It was all I could do not to tell him to shut the f… up!

Anyway, I’m off to find my next running adventure as the next one booked in isn’t until October! I’ll be back for Leeds next year though!

NUFC Academy: Next Cab Off The Rank?

Every year Summer brings what feels like a never ending, exhausting amount of transfer talk. From bedroom ITKs with their insider sources and local journalists who can never seem to agree on the status of a transfer to the new breed of ‘celebrity’ internet transfer gurus; they’re all at it to the point where it becomes tiresome. And that’s before we get to the flight trackers!

But what about getting one or two breakthroughs from our youth ranks?

It’s a bone of contention for many Toon fans; the will to have young players coming through versus the dearth of talent in the youth ranks that we’ve seen over the years and also our demands for shiny new names and star players.

But, given the demands of the fixture schedule in the coming season, academy talent could well be in demand at some points. Especially if it means solving the habit of putting two keepers on the bench! So, who could be the next sensation after Lewis Miley to make the leap from academy up to the first team squad?

There are some more obvious candidates, if you look at our loan lads from last season. Young Alex Murphy has already featured in the first team and then spent the season on loan at Bolton last year, so maybe he’ll make the step up this season. Similarly, there’s Charlie McArthur, also a defender who was out on loan last year and could well get a chance next season. There’s also the exciting prospect of Trevan Sanusi stepping up, after making his senior debut last season before succumbing to injury. However, I’ve decided to pick out three players whose progress intrigues me the most.

Leo Shahar. A name that many of us will already have been alerted to, but also perhaps a pertinent name for us with the coming season in mind. While Tino Livramento seems to have deservedly nailed down the right back spot in the team – when he’s not filling in at left back that is – it could be a position of little cover this year. Kieran Trippier may well be sold, despite showing his value to the side last season and this then leaves Emil Krafth or Harrison Ashby as cover. While the former has proven himself a reliable squad member, he is prone to picking up injuries. Ashby, on the other hand, is yet to make an appearance for the first team since joining in 2023 and with only loan appearances since then, he may well be moved on. Shahar looks like a young player with a big future. With a wealth of experience at Premier League 2 level, Leo is also an England international at both Under 17 and 18 levels. Since I first watched him he seems to gained a little bulk and strength to his frame and now looks a lot more capable of handling the rigours of the mens’ game. He’s a pacy full back, with good positional sense and decent distribution. And of course, he’s been learning from two excellent examples in Tripps and Tino. Could he be one who makes the step up this year or is a loan the more likely option?

Alfie Harrison. Since joining us from Manchester City in the 2024 January transfer window, Alfie has made steady progress with the Under 21 side. With 5 goals and 7 assists last season, he certainly made an impact. The little I’ve seen of Harrison suggests a player of real promise. A really skilful player who looks at home as a number 10, Harrison is quick and carries the ball really well, while his movement looks fantastic. He looks to be a player who sees passes a step ahead of most and his stats back that up. And while those in the know seem to be suggesting that a loan may be the best course of action for the youngster, I think it would be interesting to see how he fares as part of the first team squad where minutes as an impact sub could well produce interesting results.

Garang Kuol. Kuol has had quite a turbulent time since his arrival in January 2023. A full Australian international, he’s been loaned out twice since then and has still only made 25 appearances. It’s safe to say that neither loan went well with both clubs – Hearts and Volendam having poor seasons and changes of management. From what I’ve witnessed of him, Garang seems to be a quick, skilful player with an eye for goal. Comfortable with the ball at his feet, he plays mainly as a winger, but looks at home anywhere across the front line. Kuol’s best time since joining the club was during the latter half of last season in the Under 21 set up where he scored 8 goals and might just have caught the eye of Eddie Howe and the senior coaches. It seems likely that next season may be spent on loan again, but for me this kid looks worth shot at some point, especially with the number of games we’ll be facing across a very busy season.

Obviously, given our transfer activity with youth players over the last few years, there are lots of players getting noticed at both Under 18 and Under 21 level. The future looks exciting with the likes of Lewis Miley and Sean Neave breaking through of late. And then we can look to players like Cordero, Vakhtang Salia Baran Yildiz, Miodrag Pivas, Travis Hernes before going even younger with players like Michael Mills, Mason Miley and Sam Alabi all breaking through into older age groups last season.

But will we see a first team squad breakthrough from anyone in the academy set up next year? It’s the kind of thing that always captures the imagination, so let’s hope so.

Middle Aged Gigging: Stereophonics at John Smith’s Stadium in Huddersfield.

A funny one this gig. Beforehand, I was slightly reticent about going and not for the usual reason of being middled aged and living life in an almost permanent state of tiredness. No, this was different. This was a stadium gig and I really couldn’t remember the last time I’d been to a gig in a stadium. In fact, if anything I’ve been going to gigs in smaller and smaller venues of late. I needn’t have worried so much though, as first Blossoms and then headliners Stereophonics served up a cracking night that may well have taken the roof off the place if it actually had one!

The first time I saw Stereophonics live was around 1996, before their first album came out in what was a glorified pub in Hanley, Stoke-on Trent and it still amazes me to see what they’ve become. Don’t get me wrong; they’ve always had the songs and talent to deserve to be selling out stadiums, but it’s a hell of a leap from those early days!

Tonight, we arrive (fashionably) later than planned and after a mix up over stage times, realise that we’ve missed the first support act. In fact, we’re still trying to get into the stadium as the night’s other support, Blossoms, take to the stage. So, while I’m a big fan of their song ‘Your Girlfriend’ it’s difficult to enjoy it while your being squeezed through a small gap to get into a stadium and then precariously edging down some stairs towards the pitch. Tricky to sing along to when you’re trying not to take an almighty tumble!

Blossoms look and sound great though. Singer Tom looks amazing in flared jeans, striped shirt a loose tie and there’s more than a little bit of Mick Jagger about him. Tonight, he also brings to mind Faces era Rod Stewart and even a little bit of Prince at times, which is surely no bad thing?

Their set is superb and songs like ‘Gary’, ‘I Like Your Look’ and ‘Charlemaine’ have the whole stadium grooving along. It’s a great start to our night and the perfect set up for the main event.

After a quick set change Stereophonics amble on to the stage to a great welcome. There’s the odd wave from the band, but it’s a pretty low key entrance. And before we know it we’re into opener ‘Vegas Two Times’ and it feels like the whole place is up and moving. It’s a great track to open with.

This being a ‘Stadium Anthems’ tour there’s plenty to enjoy. Lots of singalong anthems and lots to make even the most curmudgeonly and dancephobic music fan (that’s not me, by the way) shuffle their feet. And singer Kelly Jones looks the epitome of cool in shades, black jeans and a black leather jacket. Oh, to be a rock god!

Stereophonics prove themselves to be as tight as it gets and this is just a brilliant rock and roll show. The visual production – in the form of screens – is pretty good; videos accompanying some of the songs and the odd bit of pyrotechnics as well as some massive pink balloons sent out into the crowd later on in the set as night falls. However, it’s the music that counts here; a stand alone reason to come and see the band.

Singer Kelly Jones has always been renowned for his incredible voice and it doesn’t let him down tonight as he’s absolutely note perfect throughout. My fears about a stadium show are quickly allayed as Stereophonics fill the place with a great big dollop of good old rock and roll. There are the usual irritations about this kind of show – people barging through to get closer to the stage when ‘their song’ comes on, people chatting – but none of it manages to get in the way of this being an excellent gig. Stereophonics do indulge in the odd bit of rock posturing, the odd pose here, a showbiz point or wink there, but then maybe they’ve earned the right to call on the odd cliche having sold over 15m records! It certainly doesn’t spoil anything for me, anyway.

There’s barely a dull moment tonight. As I mentioned earlier, it’s a set of stadium anthems so you’d have to be a fairly miserable fan of the band to not be enjoying what’s on offer. For me though the standout tracks are ‘Geronimo’ complete with it’s enormous saxophone (a baritone sax, I think?), ‘I Wouldn’t Believe Your Radio’ with Kelly on ukelele, ‘Mr and Mrs Smith’ and ‘Mr. Writer’.

As we edge towards a close – and my knees and feet begin to grumble – we’re treated to the ever brilliant ‘Local Boy in The Photograph’ and ‘C’est La Vie’ before an encore comprising of blistering versions of ‘The Bartender and The Thief’ and ‘Dakota’. Stadium anthems indeed!

As they exit stage left, Stereophonics leave behind a very happy bunch of Yorkshire punters. It’s been a brilliant night and a gig and band well worth coming out for. Makes me think that I shouldn’t leave it as long between shows next time!

NUFC; The ones that got away – Matz Sels.

Over the years I’ve had a surprisingly happy knack at backing the wrong horses, both literally and metaphorically. Whether I’m studying form or sticking pins into a list of names, it’s a rarity for me to back a winner. And it’s a similar story with footballers, particularly those that play for Newcastle. Back in the early 90s I may have been the only person in the stadium convinced week in week out that Kevin Dillon was going to score. Similarly, I was sure that lightening quick Wayne Fereday would be a success and thought that Daniel Cordone was going to be the best Argentinian thing since Maradona.

Some years later, Rafa Benitez signed Matz Sels and again, with literally zero insight whatsoever, I jumped on this particular band waggon. Sels was going to be a brick wall. Hardly Director of Football material, eh?

Sels was signed from Gent in 2016 on the back of a ‘Best Goalkeeper in Belgium’ award in 2015. Costing £6.5m and given a 5 year contract, it looked like we really meant business. Surely Sels was going to be our goalkeeper for as long as he chose. Rafa had clearly unearthed a gem. At 6 foot 2 he was imposing and at 24 a good age. He couldn’t fail!

Turns out he could though. Despite a reasonable start that included a run of four clean sheets in a row, Sels quickly lost confidence following an error that let Aston Villa grab a late equaliser. He stuttered while coming for a cross that was never really his to take and was subsequently beaten at his near post while frantically back pedalling. Four days later and Karl Darlow was given the shirt.

Sels made only 14 appearances in his season at Newcastle. He was loaned out to Anderlecht in 2017 and to all intents and purposes barely heard of again by Toon fans. By July of the next year he was being sold to Strasbourg for £3.5m and enjoyed several decent seasons in France. And if that was the end of the story you’d no doubt all happily flood the comments with variants of us dodging a bullet and that he was terrible. But, it didn’t end there for Sels and his comeback got me thinking about whether he really was one that got away.

When he left Strasbourg after 6 seasons there was much unrest from supporters with many seeing it as another example of terrible management by their new owners BlueCo, the investment group that also own Chelsea. Sels had built a reputation as a solid, reliable presence in the team and his departure on the last day of the January transfer window was deemed a betrayal by the Strasbourg and also the kind of decision that we’d become accustomed to under Mike Ashley. It seems that Sels couldn’t escape mismanagement. He’d been team captain and Strasbourg president Marc Keller referred to his a “true soldier” and “an exemplary goalkeeper”.

Sels moved to Nottingham Forest in February 2024 and since then has steadily rebuilt his reputation in England. He looked like a man at the top of his game last season when he kept 13 clean sheets and shared the Golden Gloves award with David Raya of Arsenal. And it wasn’t just that. What impressed me personally about Sels was the range of saves. While some were what you might call ‘saves for the cameras’ others were instinctive and brave. Sels was a major reason why Forest were still challenging for a Champions League spot on the final day.

It seems ironic that while we grumbled about Nick Pope and Martin Dubravka for a lot of last season one of our former flops was proving himself to be Mr. Reliable. I’m not for one second suggesting that we should be looking to sign him, but I couldn’t help but notice how well he was doing last season and it did lead to me re-assessing Sels as a goalkeeper.

So was he one that got away? In my opinion, he could well have been. I suppose selling him was the best thing at the time, but with the benefit of hindsight, might he have been worth keeping, if you’ll pardon the pun? Maybe Rafa Benitez needed to be a little more patient. Obviously, it’s said that goalkeepers get better with age, so that could be part of the story here, but I do believe that Matz Sels always had the right ingredients.

What do you think? One that got away or another Mike Ashley dud?