Magpie Moments Episode 5

Welcome along to another episode of Magpie Moments where we look at some of the more interesting things that have happened at our beloved club over the years.

Beardsley goes in goal! Yes, you read that right. There was once a game where club legend Peter Beardsley ended up in goal. And that was only a small part of the story. In April, 1986 Newcastle played away at West Ham Utd. We would end up getting beaten 8-1 with the Hammers scoring four in each half. Our cause wasn’t helped when goalkeeper Martin Thomas went off injured and we were forced to put defender Chris Hedworth in nets. These were of course the days of only having one sub and who was wasting that one spot on a keeper? Things would continue to slide downhill though with Hedworth then also getting injured! Up stepped Beardsley to have a go as we battled on with only nine men. It’s safe to say that things didn’t improve! The game was not only memorable for the scoreline and the amount of goalkeepers, but also for the fact that our ‘legendary’ hard man centre forward Billy Whitehurst scored; one of only seven goals he’d manage in black and white. Oh and as if there wasn’t enough going on, Hammers’ centre half Alvin Martin grabbed a hat-trick!

Shearer’s record breaker. If you were there that day I’m sure, like me, you’ll never forget the noise. A guttural roar that started in the toes of every person present and roared out through the throats in celebration of a legendary achievement. A significant piece of black and white history being made right in front of our very eyes. The goal itself was a fairly scrappy affair. A long kick out from Shay Given was met with a flick on by Shearer. The ball arrived at the feet of Shola Ameobi, who just when it looked like he’d lost it, managed to back heel it into the path of the onrushing Shearer, who held off the challenge of Pompey’s Andy O’Brien and toe poked past the keeper. The celebration was true Shearer; arms aloft, fists pumping, screaming at the crowd. Seconds later, the chant of ‘Shearer, Shearer, Shearer’ rang out and felt like it might never stop, until it did. And when it did, and the game kicked off again spontaneous applause broke out. A moment that I’ll take to the grave.

Keegan on the steps of the Milburn reception. Andy Cole remains to this day one of the greatest strikers to ever wear the black and white shirt. There are still many who rank him as their favourite ever player. So when he was sold, seemingly out of the blue, to bitter rivals Man Utd it’s safe to say that it was a bit of a shock. Such was the shock that some fans descended on St. James’ Park where manager Keegan would come out onto the steps to talk to them and try to allay any fears about their team, ambition etc. In a way it was typical Kevin Keegan; wearing his heart on his sleeve and deciding to confront the situation head on. Those supporters had worshipped him as a player and still did as the saviour of the club and the man now in charge of the team. Keegan explained that the playing style had become predictable and stale and so had sold Cole to prompt a change of direction. Evolution rather than revolution. Of course, there had been a falling out between player and manager, but we weren’t to know that at the time. Instead, Keegan spoke with passion and smoothed things over with the fans, gaining a standing ovation for his troubles at the end of it all. Only at Newcastle United!

Keegan on the steps of the Milburn stand

Gallowgate Cult Hero Number 19; Jonas Gutierrez

Sometimes a player comes to Newcastle and just gets it. Not just the club, but the city, the region, the people. Malcolm Macdonald, Shay Given, Ryan Taylor and more recently Bruno and Joelinton are all good examples. As managers Kevin Keegan, Rafa Benitez and Eddie Howe are great examples of this. And it’s one of Keegan’s signings that seems to have also fallen in love with not only the club, but the city and the people. Gallowgate Cult Hero number 18 is Jonas Gutierrez.

Gutierrez was signed from Real Mallorca in July of 2008. Newcastle had thought that they could get him on the cheap due to him buying out his own contract – not like Mike Ashley to be sourcing that kind of deal, I know – but in the end the fee was decided by tribunal and cost Newcastle a few million more than was originally expected. But the Argentinian international proved to be a bit of a bargain in the end.

Jonas was known for celebrating goals by wearing a spiderman mask and promised that this would continue with his first goal for the Toon. However, despite scoring in November, the mask wouldn’t make an appearance until he scored in the 6-1 home drubbing of Barnsley in the following March. And it was a fitting strike too – a cracking 25 yard drive that went in off the underside of the crossbar.

Gutierrez was a winger who could play on either side. He was often skilful and an asset to the team going forward. But it was probably his enthusiasm and work rate that made him so popular with the fans. Jonas was a grafter, pressing defenders before it was trendy and tracking back like his life depended on it. As we all know though, his first season with the Toon wasn’t to be successful as we were ultimately relegated. Many thought that the likes of Gutierrez and Coloccini would be off. Instead, both decided to stay and fight for the club.

It was probably here that Jonas cemented his place in the hearts of many supporters. As we all know, we were promoted as champions at the end of that season and Gutierrez stood out in that promotion season. However, on our return to the Premier League he found himself competing with Hatem Ben Arfa for a place in the team and invariable lost out. He still managed to make several valuable contributions though as we pushed ourselves into a 5th place finish under Alan Pardew.

Undeterred, Jonas kept working hard and proving his importance to the squad. The spectacular goals continued as did that undeniable work rate. And then, in early 2013 doctors discovered that Jonas had a testicular tumour, which would be operated on at the end of the season in his native Argentina.

Post surgery as he was loaned out to Norwich it looked like his Toon career was over and that as a club, we hadn’t really bothered to look after him. And yet, with the loan move largely unsuccessful, Jonas returned and came on as a sub against Man Utd at the back end of the 2014 – 2015 season, given the captain’s armband as he took to the field to a hero’s reception. But the best was yet to come.

Going into the final game of that season against West Ham at home we needed a win to guarantee staying up. Gutierrez was the star. Firstly he put the cross in for Moussa Sissoko to head the opener, but then in the 85th minute, he cut in off the left hand side and sent a scorching grasscutter into the back of the Gallowgate net via a slight deflection. Cue absolute hysteria!

That celebration will stay with us Geordies, as it will with Jonas, for many years. First with the shirt spinning above has head and then the iconic shirtless pose in front of the Director’s Box, cupping his ears and screaming in their general direction. Newcastle were safe, but more importantly, Jonas had beaten cancer and taken some sort of retribution out on Mike Ashley. This would be his last goal and last appearance for the club.

Jonas still talks fondly of his time on Tyneside and seems to be a regular visitor to the city. In his own words he feels “like a Geordie” and speaks with nothing but warmth about the club, the city and the fans. He was even seen busking at Greys Monument in recent months! Jonas Gutierrez; the very epitome of the saying, ‘once a Geordie, always a Geordie.’

Running: It’s been a funny old year.

When I say ‘it’s been a funny old year’, it’s not been funny at all. For the first couple of months of 2025 I was struggling to shake off the effects of a bug I’d had over Christmas and New year and it just felt like I wasn’t making any progress at all. Running was no fun whatsoever.

By March I’d managed enough training to complete the Wakefield 10k in a reasonable enough time to keep me happy. It went better than I’d imagined it would and that was more than enough. I resolved to get out training and get my fitness levels back up to where they’d been a couple of years before. This had been around the time of having my pacemaker fitted, when strangely enough I’d been the fittest I’d been in decades and was running well, producing faster and faster times week in week out.

Sadly, as this year has progressed, things didn’t particularly change. There was little or no upturn in fortune or fitness and injury followed illness followed injury. If I got really lucky I’d be ill while carrying an injury!

Since March I think I’ve managed to run less than ten 10ks. Only one was in a race; the Leeds 10k which as ever was thoroughly enjoyable. The ones I’ve managed to complete in training have been slow and gruelling. Mostly though, I’ve been restricted to shorter distances with the odd bit of strength work thrown in for good measure. But even the resistance bands have fallen by the wayside. It’s been hard to stay motivated when I’ve been full of cold, feeling sick or nursing my back through a week at work, hoping that it doesn’t just ping and leave me in a world of pain. This happened in August and left me struggling to walk, let alone run! Not content with feeling that it had strained a little in the morning, in the evening I thought that it would be a good idea to start moving heavy bags around only to find that the ‘ping’ happened with the first attempted lift. Absolute agony!

I managed to find renewed motivation going back to work in September as I trained hard to be ready for my local 10k. I’d started off trying to run some quick 5ks before building up distances. Towards the end of September I realised that I hadn’t had my race number through for the 10k that was taking place at the beginning of October. Checking my emails revealed no confirmation though and then the penny dropped; I hadn’t actually entered. I took it as a sign. Still struggling to gain any momentum or fitness I decided just to take my time and train steadily towards the next 10k at the end of November, giving me loads of time to get sharp and ready for a race that is relatively flat and known for the chance it gives for personal bests.

Even then, things just wouldn’t go right. A couple of weeks ago I injured my foot and still have no idea how I did it. One minute I was walking along fine and the next it hurt to put my foot on the ground. That lasted a week before gradually getting better!

Over the last week I’ve been able to get in two runs; a 4 mile and a 5 mile. Neither was hugely quick, but I’m happy to have miles in the legs and on my 5 miler I have to say, I felt strong.

Hopefully, this is the start of just being able to get out running regularly. I managed to get out for a run on our recent holiday in Mallorca, even though I’d planned to go out twice…illness again. I love the change of scenery though and the fact that I can get straight into the pool once I’ve finished, so even just the one run is a bonus! Now, back in chilly England, I’ve got around a couple of weeks to get myself race ready. Maybe there can be a decent ending to my running year yet!

Wish me luck!

NUFC: Making the case for creativity.

So, it’s the understatement of the year to say that things aren’t going as well as we’d like for Newcastle United at the moment. Three wins in 11 games in the league, 5 defeats, no win away from home, only 11 goals scored and 14 conceded, 6 of which have come in the past two games. Not exactly going to plan.

Clearly, there’s lots to discuss as barely anyone is producing the goods at the moment. However, I’d like to make the case for a bit more creativity in the team and squad.

Firstly, let me say that I fully understand that the likes of Bruno, Tonali, Murphy et al are all capable of unlocking defences. So, this isn’t a criticism of anyone in particular. But in the last two games we have amassed a whole 5 shots on target, showing that either chances aren’t being created or players aren’t backing themselves to shoot.

It seems clear enough to me that we lack flair and the ability to unlock stubborn defences, especially away from home. Someone capable of a moment of magic who can carry the ball and either beat defenders or commit them so that space is freed up elsewhere.

On Sunday afternoon I watched the second half of the City v Liverpool game and was fairly mesmerised by the performance of City winger Jeremy Doku, who time after time ran with the ball and made things happen. I thought of our wingers; Gordon, Barnes, Elanga and Murphy. In the league, especially away from home, they look scared of flying at a full back. Elanga especially looks like he’s struggling, short of confidence and a fish out of water, but the other three seem to prefer cutting back and laying the ball off rather than hitting the byline or dribbling on the inside and heading towards goal. Yes, Jacob Murphy is likely to bag an assist now and again, but he’s also likely to pass back the way too and take the sting out of attacks.

And it’s not just City and Doku either. West Ham have Bowen, Brentford’s Ouattara scared the life out of us at the weekend and the likes of N’Diaye and Grealish at Everton simply want to make things happen. Manchester United have M’Buemo, Palace have Sarr, Villa can choose from Rogers and Buendia, while Bournemouth have a few and even the likes of Leeds have someone like Dan James who will try to run at defenders.

Meanwhile, we seem to have lost our bravery, our creativity and our intensity. Five shots on target in the last two games tells its own story.

As a younger man, I watched Newcastle teams featuring the likes of Hibbitt, Beardsley, Gazza, Ginola and Robert; players with the gift for unlocking defences. Fast forward to 2025 and we don’t have that in our locker. Yes, Bruno and Tonali are both capable of a cute pass and have shown that at times this season. But where is the equivelant of those players mentioned above? Where is the breathtaking piece of skill? Where is the pinpoint delivery from corners or free kicks? And who is there that might just bend a free kick around a wall?

And what of Nick Woltemade? For me, with 6 goals he’s started well, but he’s looked lost in the last two league games. It’s okay to drop into spaces between the midfield and defence, but when the opposition see it coming and there’s no one running beyond you then it seems like a sure fire way to give them the ball back. Howe needs to find a better way to use the big German and perhaps that comes when Yoane Wissa is fit, but until then, we’re not creating chances at one end and struggling at the other.

For me, we need another striker in January. And I don’t mean chasing a £70m bundle of hype like Sesko. Surely, with the network of scouts available there is a young, quick, hungry striker worth taking a punt on somewhere.

Options like this can maybe free up Big Nick to play more of his natural game. He’s a player I really like; someone who seems to read the game well and a player who gives us that little bit of the unexpected that maybe we’re missing. But without support from a winger or midfielder running beyond him then it seems like all too often he’s getting caught on the ball in crowded areas.

With the January transfer window a while away yet – and let’s face it, we’re not good at getting people in quickly – short term solutions might come from the youth ranks. After all, we’re looking for something different to help solve the problems that have left us looking up at the majority of the table and there are young, keen hungry players within the ranks that are worth a seat on the bench.

Sean Neave gets better every time I see him and looks to be a player with both a bit of skill and an eye for goal. His strength might be an issue in the Premier League, but that said he’s done well when I’ve watched him in the Football League trophy against men’s teams.

There’s been a bit of a clamour to see more of Park Seung-Soo since he impressed with cameos in pre-season. A wide player who looks brave and creative and runs with the ball really well, he might just be capable of unlocking defences in the latter part of games as we search for something.

Alfie Harrison is another one who carries the ball well and has an eye for a pass. After arriving with quite a bit of hype around him in February 2024, opportunities have been limited, but on the occasions that I’ve seen him, he’s looked to be someone who’s buzzing with creativity and could well be worth a place on the bench with such a crowded fixture list.

One thing’s for sure; something has to change in order to break the cycle of away defeats. That may come from existing squad members such as Jacob Ramsey or Lewis Miley, but away from the glare of St. James’ Park, maybe it’s time to give youth a bit of a chance.

Middle Age Gigging: The Bluetones at Academy 2 in Manchester.

Saturday was a busy night for the Britpop revival in Manchester. Fresh from the success of recent Oasis support slots, Richard Ashcroft was crooning out his anthems at Co-Op Live. And meanwhile, far more refreshingly for us, The Bluetones were treating us to their indie pop joy at the Academy on the other side of town without a bucket hat in sight.

As ever the ‘Tones were on fine form and there was much to please a lively crowd.

First up though were The Supernaturals and a bit of a pleasant surprise for yours truly. I wasn’t a fan first time around and their hit ‘Smile’ left me doing anything but. Tonight though, I’m proved wrong – don’t worry, it’s a regular occurrence – as their set is excellent showing that the band have a depth that I’d never been aware of back in the day. The Manchester crowd are a little quiet to begin with, but it’s not long before we’re all enjoying ourselves. The set features stuff like the more upbeat ‘Smile’ and ‘The Day Before Yesterday’s Man’ but there’s also the more reflective ‘Don’t Let The Past Catch Up With You’. The highlight for me is the excellent ‘I Wasn’t Built To Get Up’ and all in all, The Supernaturals have definitely turned my head.

After a short break, our heroes The Bluetones emerge to a rapturous welcome. This tour comes on the back of some new releases, the most recent being the ‘London Weekend Television’ EP and there’s a healthy smattering of new stuff in amongst some well known classics, as well as one or two lesser known tracks. So, with a crowd made up of both Bluetones nerds like myself and my wife and folk out for a night of Bitpop nostalgia, frontman Mark makes a quick mock apology for the songs that some people won’t recognise.

But there’s nothing to apologise for as we kick off in well known territory with ‘Bluetonic’ and everybody’s singing along. It’s followed by the brilliant ‘New Athens’ and ‘Solomon Bites The Worm’ ensuring that it’s been a whirlwind start to proceedings. Last year’s single ‘Drive Thru’ – a bit of a personal favourite – follows before there’s a change of pace with ‘Keep The Home Fires Burning’. All killer so far, no matter what Mr. Morriss might be joking about!

In between songs, as ever, Mark is a master at working the crowd. Tonight, we’re jokingly told off for singing along with a stern ‘No!’, get the tale of how The Bluetones featured on both Bargain Hunt of all places and Sunday Brunch and hear of a time when Mark saw Duran Duran in America and their new songs turned what had been the best night of his life into the stuff of nightmares. There’s even an in gig band meeting when Mark tries to tell us about songs that are instantly known for their first chord strike while Adam insists on playing riffs. He was only talking about the first strike, mate!

Tonight, the new songs are well received and more than hold their own alongside the old hits that the ‘Tones are probably much more well known for among tonight’s crowd. Consequently, ‘The Aristocrats’, ‘Cheap Hotel’ and Madeline blend in seamlessly alongside ‘Cut Some Rug’ and ‘Slight Return’ because the truth is that these lads have never lost the knack of writing a cracking tune. In fact, for me ‘The Aristocrats’ is one of the stand out songs tonight.

The set closes with the brilliant ‘Never Going Nowhere’, which is followed by some good natured and Bluetones approved booing – props to Jimmy for the sign – because we’re all complicit in the lie here; of course they’re coming back for a couple more! I do have a tiny complaint to make here though and perhaps a reason for a small boo. There was no medley at the end of the song…no Eurythmics, no Van Halen and none of the other little surprises which have been blended into the set closer. I’ll let it go this once though…

And so, having also been booed back onstage, the boys are back to finish with the aforementioned ‘London Weekend Television’ an impromptu version of ‘My Way’ and then the sure-fire crowd pleaser that is ‘If…’. Once again, The Bluetones have been outstanding and given us yet another night to remember. Here’s to a new album soon and many many more nights like tonight. Cheers, lads!

Magpie Moments Episode 4.

Being a Toon fan means that there’s never a dull moment…unless you had the misfortune to sit through much of Steve Bruce’s football. But our football club has provided its fair share of memorable moments over the years. So, welcome to Magpie Moments, episode 4!

Griffin Conquers Juve! It’s October 2002 and Newcastle United have lost their first three Champions League group matches. Next up is the mighty Juventus at St. James’ Park under the lights. A classic European night. Memory tells me that we were getting a bit of a chasing for most of the game, but won a free kick over by the corner flag on the East Stand side of the Leazes just after the hour. With the box loaded with the likes of Shearer, Speed and er… Titus Bramble, Laurent Robert shaped to cross it before slipping it short to the edge of the box for Andy Griffin. He then went round a defender before a heavy touch took him almost to the line. Faced with the chance to cross it he just hammered it across the box where Gianluigi Buffon’s attempt to stop it just diverted it into the net. Cue delirium and the start of a great escape from the group that no one could have seen coming! Sir Bobby Robson called it “one of my greatest Newcastle victories”. I was sitting next to a group of Italians in the Leazes that night and even they went mad. I never found out who they really supported!

Matty Longstaff’s debut screamer. Everything about this made for a magical moment. The game had seen both sides have good chances to score, but going into the final 20 minutes things were deadlocked at 0-0. Suddenly, Newcastle broke. Alain Saint-Maximin ran forward and surrounded by defenders, fed the ball wide to Jetro Willems who still had little in the way of options in the box. Sensibly he held it up and then laid the ball off to the edge of the area where Longstaff was steaming in. Without breaking stride he belted a grasscutter into the bottom left hand corner as St. James’ went crazy. Matty had started the game, making his Premier League debut alongside his older brother Sean; a moment in itself. And for me, the best thing after the goal itself was seeing brother Sean delightedly celebrating with Matty at the Gallowgate end. The winning goal on debut against Man Utd, under the lights at the Gallowgate with your brother. The stuff that dreams are made of!

Takeover Take Off! As the recent anniversary of the takeover shows, we can all remember where we were and how we reacted to the news that Amanda Staveley had finally done the deal and freed us from Mike Ashley. For me though, it didn’t feel real until the first post takeover game. There were a few big moments on the day. The Wor Flags display and the line from Big River on the banner in the Gallowgate was pretty spine tingling. Then there was the sight of Staveley, Mehrdad Ghodoussi, Jamie Rueben and Yasir Al-Rumayyan in the director’s box that confirmed that this was really happening. But the biggest moment of the day for me was the moment when Callum Wilson put us ahead inside two minutes. The noise, the relief, the expressions on the faces of everyone involved. The result didn’t matter a jot. Newcastle United were finally on the up again!

Three more fantastic Magpie Moments. I hope you enjoyed reading about them as much as I did writing about and reliving them!

Always Look on The Bright Side of Life; Five Things That Made Me Smile in October.

October was a bit of a funny month. While there was plenty to keep me optimistic and to make me crack the odd smile, it also signalled the closing weeks of that tough first half term of the academic year. So even smiling felt like an effort! Anyway, here’s what made me make that effort last month!

A groundsman’s pitches go viral. As someone who used to coach football teams, this one caught the eye. I never had to cut the pitches, but was responsible for marking the lines out every once in a while. However, this was a story about Joe Mecke-Davis, the groundsman at Westfields Football Club in Herefordshire. Because his club isn’t professional there are no rules as to how he cuts his pitch and so Matt has let his imagination run wild over the years. Now, his designs are in the running for an international award after images of his pitches went viral. Have a look for yourself…

The joy of a free book and a writing workshop! Every year at the school that I teach at each student in Year 7 gets to choose a free book. It’s a sponsored thing designed to promote reading. And if you didn’t know, reading figures are dropping fast. Obviously, as an English teacher and a fairly prolific reader, I find this trend really worrying. Naturally then, I think the scheme where kids get a book for free is just a fantastic idea. But the thing that made me smile more than anything this year was the enthusiasm of the my students who were desperate to get a look at the choices and haven’t stopped asking when they’re going to get their book ever since! Alongside this, recently I had to nominate 5 students to take part in a workshop with a visiting author. I decided to nominate a couple of really shy, quiet boys because I thought they might benefit from working with a writer for the day. We had to give out little tickets to the event as well and so I kept my group of five back at the end of the lesson to give them their tickets. Both of my shy students looked like they thought they had done something wrong, but the smiles on their faces and the expressions that said ‘Me, really?’ almost made the whole slog of an 8 week half term worth it!

Dinosaur Discovery! I read a brilliant story concerning a discovery of dinosaur footprints last month. They’re part of the longest trackway site ever discovered in the UK. They were originally found by a farm worker driving a digger and since their discovery archaeologists have been excavating the land bit by bit. Now, they’ve unearthed five different trackways of massive footprints that go on for 150 metres and are thought to have been made by both sauropods and a Megalosaurus, the largest predatory dinosaur known in the UK during the Jurassic period. I find things like this fascinating!

Divers discover $1 million worth of treasure. Another article that I read last month told of the discovery of treasure found on a centuries old Spanish shipwreck off Florida. It’s thought to be part of up to $400 million worth of treasure that was lost in the same hurricane, which divers are now frantically hoping to find more of! I used to collect old coins as a school boy and loved finding rare ones, so this story couldn’t have failed to make me smile!

Finally…half term! I’m writing this after work on the final day of the first half term of the academic year. It’s been a long, gruelling 8 week stint, marked particularly over the last two weeks by massive bouts of illness across the school. On at least two days this week we’ve had over 100 students off ill. So partly, I’m happy that I seem to have avoided it and also I’m just thrilled to bits that I now have a week off! The next one leads us right up to Christmas; something else to smile about!

I hope you enjoyed my reasons to smile this time around. There’ll be more at the start of December. Hopefully November is full of positives!

Book Review: The Kingdom by Jo Nesbo.

If you’re into your crime thrillers then you’ll know that there are a number of reliable writers in what has fast become a bit of a saturated market. Jo Nesbo though, with his somewhat dark Scandinavian landscapes is undoubtedly one of the best and one of the world’s biggest selling crime writers.

The Kingdom is the tale of two brothers with a dark, mysterious past and more than a few secrets. Roy, the older brother still lives on the family smallholding in remote Norway while holding down a job in the village that they grew up in. Younger brother Carl has emigrated to Canada to make his fortune and perhaps to escape his past. However, when he returns in a blaze of glory, everything changes and a few skeletons begin to threaten to emerge from the cupboards.

The Kingdom is, as you’d expect from Nesbo, a well written thriller full of grisly death and with more than enough twists to keep the reader guessing as to what might happen next and what fate might hold for the two brothers. Dealing with issues like the intricacies of life in a small, insular town, brotherly love and even child abuse, this is much more than just your average crime thriller. Sure, the body count begins to rack up as the story unfolds. but there’s more than just gory mysterious death to this one.

Nesbo’s characters are, as usual, rather complex. In the case of older sibling Roy it felt like the surprises about his character just kept on coming and I never really felt that I’d got to grips with exactly who he was. Maybe this was to do with the conflict between his fierce loyalty to his younger brother and his growing attraction to his sister-in-law, Shannon. And Shannon herself is a pretty dark horse. But then there’s also the younger brother Carl and a whole host of either villagers or mysterious visitors to keep us on our toes.

Such is the sprawling timeline of the narrative that I never felt like I knew exactly what was coming next. And the unpredictability here acts as both a good thing and a bad thing. There was that delicious feeling that you get when the penny starts to drop about what’s going to happen or the time when something is revealed that you truly weren’t expecting, which can be fantastic, but also the distinct feeling that sometimes there might be one character or detail too many. So while I never really lost track, there were times when I hoped that things would move a little faster.

In the end Nesbo draws all of his strings together well, but the twists and turns just keep on coming, meaning that you’re never quite sure who’s going to survive. All this action, drama, blood and backstabbing in a sleepy mountain village. Who’d have thought?

The Kingdom is an epic tale and a hulking great book, but it’s well worth a chunk of your time. And while it can be a little slow at times, it remains an excellent page turner that’s chock full of surprises.

I give The Kingdom…

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Victory over Benfica with a little help from Wor Flags, Joe Harvey and Nick Pope.

Once again Wor Flags managed to get it just right last night. On another big European night at St. James’ Park they remembered the biggest with an inspirational display dedicated to the Fairs Cup heroes of 1969.

I was born a few years after that Fairs Cup win and spent my formative years thinking that another success was probably just around the corner. It wasn’t. And so Joe Harvey’s boys became the stuff of legend to me. A group of players that any Newcastle side would need to live up to.

At half time last night, the words of Joe Harvey in Budapest drifted through my mind. Two nil down at half time in the second leg of the final all those years ago, Harvey told his players not to worry. “Get a goal and they’ll fold like a pack of cards.”

It was apt last night too, I thought. We were 1-0 up, but in need of a goal. With the game ticking over the hour mark, Benfica were having a lot of possession and it felt like we needed to weather the storm. If we could get a goal though, they’d fold.

Ten minutes later, Nick Pope collected a corner and went looking for options. Still in his own box, Harvey Barnes was one of a few players who started running as Pope carried the ball forward. And then it happened – Pope channelled his inner Tom Brady and launched a Hail Mary up field and into the path of Barnes who had sprinted into Benfica’s half. The covering defender couldn’t quite get there and Barnes was in, although a little wide. The rest is history.

Pope gets some stick for his distribution and rightly so at times. However, he was a hero last night with that throw as well as the customary crucial saves that we’ve come to expect!

In the shadow of the great Joe Harvey, Eddie Howe’s Mags made it another fantastic European night with a resounding 3-0 win. Here’s to another European adventure. Howay the lads!

Gallowgate Cult Heroes; Number 18 Paul Goddard

Every once in a while, we make a signing that almost goes under the radar and then creates a pleasant surprise when it comes to how good the player actually turns out to be. One of the best examples of this that I can think of in recent memory would be someone like Yohan Cabaye, who was quite a low profile arrival but went on to have a big impact on the team.

Paul Goddard was also a good example of this particular phenomenon. With almost 250 appearances and 77 goals for QPR and West Ham, he’d seemed settled where he was and was actually quite reluctant to move north. This was the 80s and a time when moving north from London might have felt like moving to the Arctic Circle! And in fact it was this feeling of being unsettled that would plague him during his time on Tyneside and eventually lead to him moving on. But in the two years that he spent here he managed to become a very popular member of what started off as very much a failing side and grew into something far better.

It was October 1986 when Goddard joined the Toon. We were struggling and Goddard came in and gave the side a real boost. He took a little bit of time to find his feet in the team and didn’t score until his fifth game; a 1-1 draw away at Charlton. Bur Sarge, as he was known, had undeniable quality. Despite being relatively small, he was strong and his hold up play was excellent, allowing others to come into play. He was a good finisher too and someone who seemed to play more on instinct than anything else, reading the game well and knowing when to risk a flick or play the tricky pass. His movement was excellent too. Despite his presence though, as 1987 approached Newcastle remained near the bottom of the league and indeed hit rock bottom after a 4-1 away defeat at Old Trafford on New Year’s Day 1987. Goddard had still only scored one goal.

More defeats followed and it wasn’t until February that Paul grabbed his second goal. Newcastle were stuck at the bottom of the league.

And then, as April approached things took a turn for the better. Goddard would go on a scoring streak, notching in the next 7 games as we won 5. Newcastle were up to 17th where we would finish the campaign. Sarge was a huge reason for us staying up.

For season ’87/’88 Goddard was joined by Mirandinha playing up front. The Brazilian would prove to be a constant source of frustration to Sarge though who time after time would take up a position in space awaiting a pass only to see Mira invariably shoot, regardless of the angle. I seem to remember a few stand up rows taking place in the middle of the pitch as Goddard pleaded for a pass! Even then, Paul managed to score ten times in all as we finished 8th in the old Division 1. The team featured Goddard, a Brazilian international in Mira, Peter Jackson and Glenn Roeder at the back and a host of exciting young players like Darren Jackson, Brian Tinnion, Michael O’Neill and of course the one and only Paul Gascoigne. As a Newcastle fan this was a time when you could help but feel a bit of optimism. Also as a Newcastle fan though, our hopes were about to be shattered.

Goddard had been unsettled in Newcastle from more or less the moment he’d arrived. And now he decided that he wanted to leave in order to head back to London. Add to this the devastating departure of Gazza to Spurs and suddenly everything wasn’t so rosy in the Gallowgate garden.

Bizarrely, Goddard would then move on to Derby – not exactly famous for being near London – where he would score 15 goals, staying for just over a year. Later moves would take him to Millwall and then Ipswich where he finished his career.

Had he stayed at Newcastle I think Godard would have really made a name for himself and perhaps been able to help develop players like Michael O’Neill who never really fulfilled his potential. However, for the time he was at the club Goddard did more than enough to be thought of by many who remember him as a bit of a cult hero.