Tag: football

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.

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?

Gallowgate Cult Heroes number 13 – Santiago Munez and Santiago Munoz.

They say that the truth is stranger than fiction and in the case of Santiago Munez and Santiago Munoz, that couldn’t be more true! For while both have Toon connections and a bit of a cult following for a time, neither actually had any actual impact on the first team. Yet still, both are immediately memorable.

It gets even stranger though. Munez of course is a fictional character and was the young Mexican striker from the film ‘Goal’, signed by Newcastle to then go on and become a bit of a superstar. Munez’s story is brilliant though and it’s actually been mentioned by some signings in terms of being one of the reasons that they knew about Newcastle! Jonas Gutierrez, Massadio Haidara and Papiss Cisse all mentioned the film as helping with their awareness of the team and Callum Wilson said, “…it’s all about Newcastle. It got the little boy in me all excited and you’re thinking, yeah that’s the one for me!”

If you don’t know the film ‘Goal’, Munez is spotted by a scout playing in LA and offered a trial at Newcastle. Despite the odds – his dad nicked his secret stash of money so he couldn’t afford the plane fare, but was saved by his grandma who used her secret stash to buy one for him – Munez arrives on Tyneside and overcomes bullying, asthma (no, really!), the weather and homesickness to eventually strike up a decent partnership up top with Gavin Harris, another cult hero…

Nowadays he’d be scuppered by Shola and a loan to some team in Belgium fighting a relegation battle and we’d never hear from him again, but thankfully his cult status was assured by the magic of Hollywood!

I remember being at matches at the time ‘Goal’ was being made, sitting in Level 7 and spotting people in Toon kit crouched by the pitch, behind the advertising hoardings. At the final whistle they’d run on and celebrate with actual players, with cameras capturing the footage for the film. And I was at the Liverpool match that was used as Munez’s moment of glory when movie magic transformed a Laurent Robert freekick into a last minute winner by the fictional Mexican cult hero. Strange times indeed!

From Newcastle Munez is transferred to Real Madrid where the drama continues. However, despite a troubled time, he eventually turns things round and scores in the Champions League final against Arsenal, which I think proves once and for all that Hollywood doesn’t quite understand football! Apparently the rumour that Mikel Arteta still insists that Arsenal were the best side in the tournament that year isn’t actually true though!

Fast forward some 16 years from the original ‘Goal’ and we actually signed Munez’s near namesake. The subtly different Santiago Munoz was signed on loan from Mexican side Santos Laguna. Sadly, during his 18 months on Tyneside he was only really an academy signing and even then, didn’t make more than a handful of appearances.

For me though, the thing that makes Munoz a cult figure is that his signing was just so typical of Mike Ashley. If ever a signing summed up the Del Boy approach of our former owner, it was this one. A low level of risk, that if it paid off and Munoz was a success, could be milked to the maximum using the comparison between him and the bloke from ‘Goal’! You can almost see and hear Ashley salivating at the prospect of this moment of genius paying dividends! Sadly for Money Mike, Munoz spent most of his time here injured and although he made a substitute appearance in a pre-season game, he was pretty much always destined to return to Mexico. A gamble that was all too typical of Ashley, but one that for a short while captured the imagination of many of Mag!

Of course neither of the Santiagos is really a cult hero. But both, particularly Munez and ‘Goal’, have had an impact on the club and the fanbase. At the time I was fascinated by the fact that we’d be featured in a film and couldn’t wait to see it, especially as I’d been there on occasions when they’d been filming. The film itself will always be synonymous with the city and even now it gets mentioned by players. I could be wrong, but I’m sure it was referenced by Bruno when he signed.

So, Santiagos Munez and Munoz can be classed as Gallowgate Cult Heroes, even if they barely spent more than a few minutes on our pitches!

Sell Anthony Gordon? Please, step away from the internet!

Like any fully grown adult I realise that it’s futile to get too bothered by stuff you read on social media. Whether it’s to do with politics, music or sport – particularly football – there’s always someone having a rant or disguising their desperate attempts to get attention by starting with ‘unpopular opinion but…’. Over time, we learn just to move on and don’t engage. However, occasionally, you can’t believe what you’re reading rendering you helpless against actually replying.

I understand that everyone’s entitled to an opinion, by the way. It’s just that sometimes those opinions can’t really be justified, especially when the object of your negative opinion is an integral part of the team who’s actually done very little worth even complaining about. I mean, we’re talking here about a young, gifted player with loads more to give, after all.

On Sunday night, within minutes of the Arsenal match ending Twitter was alive with people telling anyone who’d engage with their madness that Newcastle should be selling Anthony Gordon. See Sven Botman the week before too. Reasons for this ranged from his perceived arrogance and over confidence to questioning his ability, work rate and feelings towards the club. If I saw one person saying “he doesn’t want to be here” then I saw a hundred. How do these people know this?

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I’m replying with this piece.

It’s my belief – and hopefully that of many other Mags of sane mind – that we shouldn’t even give a second’s thought to selling Anthony Gordon. And I really can’t envisage a situation where Eddie Howe thinks that it would benefit Newcastle United to do so. Having spent decent money to buy him and then having had the patience to wait and get him up to speed with the team’s style, Howe created a monster in Anthony Gordon. A force going forward as part of a devastating three and a workhouse going back the other way to help the full back.

I was all for his signing and I’m even more for keeping him. Gordon fits perfectly into Howe’s system and as others have said elsewhere, ‘form is temporary but class is permanent’. People are pointing out that his form hasn’t been the same since the red card against Brighton in the FA Cup. That might be so, but personally, I thought he made a decent impact as a sub in the game away at Brighton and it can’t be said that he’s not capable of a ‘moment’ when one is needed. That blistering form that we’ve got behind in the past couple of seasons will undoubtedly return.

Gordon is clearly an excellent player; a European Championship winner at Under 21 level and now a senior England international, a Champions League player and Carabao Cup winner with Newcastle. A player who more than fits the make up needed for success in the modern era – a grafter, pace to burn, an eye for goal and a team player. Why would we even think about selling?

It’s been quite a journey for Gordon since he signed in January 2023. Despite the price tag, he didn’t walk straight into the team and had to be patient before his chance came. There was even a bit of a tantrum away at Brentford when he was subbed on and then off later when Eddie was looking to protect him from injury. He was quick to realise the error of his ways and apologise. From there he knuckled down and went on to be a vital player as we went on to qualify for the Champions League. Since then, Gordon has largely been a fan favourite and another example of a player who seems to absolutely love life at Newcastle United.

If, like some of the internet ITKs would have us believe, Gordon is sick of life at the club (and I don’t for one second believe this), then he needs to knuckle down and work hard once again. I think the player himself would say exactly the same. I’d be staggered if it came out that he was looking to leave.

Everything about Anthony Gordon is exactly what our club needs. A grafter, a realist, a student of the game who works incredibly hard both on and off the field on both his game and his mindset in order to improve and someone who gives everything week in week out for a crowd who have taken him to their hearts, but also just a very, very good footballer. Imagine selling him and then having to sit and watch as he returned to play against us. I’d guarantee that he’d give our defenders nightmares, however good they might be. I remember being constantly worried about him when he played for Everton – apart from the time that I found myself worried for him as he picked a fight with Tripps and found himself nearly knocked into next week by Fabian Schar and Nick Pope!

There is no way that we should be looking to sell Gordon. Many questioned whether we’d wasted £40m when he signed and have been made to eat their words ever since. Now that he’s having a small dip in form, those same types are back again.

So, rather than typing ‘Unpopular opinion, but…’ when you’re next craving attention and following it up with some ludicrous rant against yet another Toon player, why not just leave the box room and pop downstairs and ask your mam for a cuddle instead?

NUFC: Why we shouldn’t fear Sunday.

Following the result at Arsenal there seems to have been a bit of an outbreak of fear with some of our supporters. And while I understand that it would have been far more comfortable to have a Champions League spot sewn up before now, I also don’t think we should be too worried about Sunday’s game. Your worry or even misplaced anger won’t change anything, after all.

Sunday is without doubt a huge game. A massive occasion that could bring massive rewards for the club in terms of not only financial gain, but also the kinds of trips and occasions that Europe’s top competition brings. Over the years, trips to places like Dortmund, Barcelona and Paris have helped make memories that will last a lifetime for those lucky enough to get there.

So, without doubt, there is a lot at stake this Sunday. But for a number of reasons – while not underestimating Everton at all – I don’t think we should be too fearful. We’re third in the league for a good reason, for goodness sakes!

A quick look at our team is reason enough not to panic. The nucleus of the side has been together since Eddie first arrived and have faced big games on big stages on many occasions. Those who have arrived since have never shied away from those occasions either. The squad is full of quality, big game players. Bruno, Isak (if he’s fit), Sandro, Fabian Schar, Dan Burn, Anthony Gordon…I could go on. Every member of that team is capable of a big game performance and have proved it on multiple occasions in the past couple of seasons. From crucial relegation scraps to cup finals, they’ve been there.

Remember when we worried about how Dan Burn might cope with Kylian Mbappe? Well, he did, pocketing the now Real Madrid star, scoring and leaving him looking a little bit perplexed by his trip to Tyneside as his team were absolutely walloped. And of course, this year it was BDB who scored the first goal at Wembley as we won our first trophy since 1969. He also won the Man of The Match that day today. It feels like he enjoys a big occasion, eh?

In the middle of the park Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali have the quality to run any game they play in and have done for much of the season. Even on Sunday against Arsenal they bossed the game for the first half. Both are capable of moments of absolute magic and both are clearly Champions League standard players, so with three more points needed, I feel sure that we can trust our midfield, whoever the third member is this weekend. I’ve followed Newcastle for over 40 years and can’t remember many better than those two in the heart of our midfield.

Then there’s Isak up top, a doubt at the moment, but a player that, if fit, is capable of moments of magic as Everton have found out in the past. The lad is world class, simple as that. Failing that, there’s Callum Wilson who while he’s struggling for form a little at the moment is always capable of that moment of brilliance that’s always needed from a top striker.

Without a doubt, our crowd has a part to play on Sunday. And again, we’ve done it before on countless occasions. Without banging on about the noise, the effects of yet another incredible Wor Flags display and all the rest, I would just echo what’s already been said on Magpie 24/7 and various other places on social media – make it a bear pit, a horrible seething mass of black and white, backing the lads to the hilt and letting the opposition know that this is St. James’ Park, where next season we’ll be hosting Champions League games.

I’ve heard that Everton will be ‘on the beach’ but I don’t agree. Needless to say, Pickford will be having sleepless nights at the prospect of spoiling the day, but I think whatever eleven they put out will be out there to spoil things and gain at least a point. We need to make sure that they have no say in matters and we’re perfectly capable of doing just that.

When asked about the game and the prospect of gaining another Champions League spot Eddie simply said- “You want it to be in your own hands”. Well, it is and I genuinely believe that we won’t let that slip.

NUFC – The ones that got away: Ayoze Perez

The rumoured signing of wonderkid Antonio Cordero, as well as being quite exciting, got me thinking about another player signed in similar circumstances. With Cordero attracting lots of attention in the Spanish Segunda B and rumoured interest from the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona, I realised I’d heard this kind of thing before.

For Cordero, read Ayoze Perez. Signed in 2014 for around £1.7m from Segunda B club CD Tenerife, Perez himself was rumoured to have attracted interest from some of Spain’s biggest clubs. And yet, despite the club being run into the ground by Mike Ashley, we still had enough appeal to gain his signature. Of course, seeing the scouting reports on Perez alongside the rumoured interest of some of La Liga’s big guns would undoubtedly have the pound signs flashing in big Mike’s greedy eyes! I mean, imagine the profit from that initial £1.7m layout if he was anything like as good as he seemed!

As it turned out, Ashley would see a cracking return on his investment when Perez eventually tired of the club’s lack of ambition and signed for Leicester City in a deal worth £30m.

However, before that Perez would prove to be a valuable asset on the pitch too. Playing largely as either a second striker, attacking midfielder or a left winger Perez always gave his all for Newcastle. And yet, he became quite a divisive figure, often finding himself the scapegoat for losses or poor performances. Personally, I was always pro Perez. I found him to be a cracking little footballer; skillful with an eye for goal and a decent turn of pace and brave when he needed to be.

Ayoze stayed in Toon for 5 seasons, making 195 appearances and scoring a total of 48 goals. But was his time just that of another footballer who came for a spell and then left when he got fed up, having not really produced the goods? Or was Ayoze one that got away?

For me, Perez falls into the latter category and I feel that he could have been an absolute superstar for us. But, he found himself at a club whose only ambition seemed to be to finish 17th or above in the Premier League and in the end it was no surprise that he left. Here was a player that would go on to win an FA Cup winners’ medal, play successfully in La Liga and eventually represent Spain at Euro 2024, picking up a winners medal in the process. In many ways, he fulfilled his ambitions only when he left the club.

Perez had many great moments and performances over the five seasons he spent on Tyneside. And while he wasn’t the most prolific goalscorer – that wasn’t his job by the way – he had a happy knack of producing goals when it mattered. For quite a small player he was also pretty good with his head, scoring a good few flicked near post headers in his time due to his ability to time runs across defenders.

Watching a few highlight reels what struck me most about Perez was his ability to find space and also his vision and the way he’d be able to thread a pass through a small gap when nothing looked on. For me, his best football was played under Rafa and it was then that his passing ability was illustrated perfectly in his link up play with the likes of Salomon Rondon and Kenedy.

For me, Ayoze Perez was definitely one that got away. Yes, he was with us for a relatively long period of time, but I still believe he left us in his prime. To say that he went on to play for the best international side in Europe should tell us enough. He had all the attributes to be a real game changer in the right team, but unfortunately, apart from the Championship winning side of ’16/’17 he was never part of a consistently competitive Newcastle side.

During his final couple of years at the Toon, Perez seemed to become a bit of a scapegoat for some fans. For me, this was unfair to say the least. Perez was a clever player with a positive attitude who always put in a shift for the team. He was both durable and versatile, rarely succumbing to injury and often playing wherever he was asked for the sake of the team. In my opinion, definitely one that got away.

Gallowgate Cult Heroes: Number 12; Paul Gascoigne.

While we’ve all seen incredible footballers, it’s rare that a player will literally take your breath away. I can’t think of many that we’ve had over the years who would have the ability to do that on a regular basis. Paul Gascoigne took people’s breath away time and time again. Paul Gascoigne took people’s breath away even when he was 18 and making his debut. Paul Gascoigne was a phenomenon. Or to use today’s parlance, he was a generational talent.

I first saw Gazza play in the FA Youth Cup final in 1985. It was a two legged affair and even though we were fairly ordinary in the first leg, drawing 0-0, Gascoigne stood out. He was captain of the side and it was obvious that he had something a little bit special. In the return leg at Vicarage Road they would win 4-1 to take the trophy and Gascoigne starred, scoring twice and just running the show. He was put into the first team squad for their game the next day, but didn’t make an appearance. Paul Gascoigne had arrived.

There wouldn’t be a great deal of point in me rambling you through Gazza’s time in Toon here, minute by minute, day by day. Some of us – of a certain age – will well remember him. And if you’re too young to have witnessed him, there are far better people than me to inform you. Search out his YouTube highlights, track down a book on Amazon or in an actual bookshop or just talk to your mam, dad, uncle etc. You’ll find put all you need to know and then some.

However, it’d be remiss of me not to mention a few things, especially as I have a personal memory of Gazza. So here you go.

I met him once, briefly. When our school was celebrating it’s 75th anniversary – big up the Blaydon Comp massive – part of the celebrations was a sponsored cross country race. Aye, we knew how to celebrate in Blaydon! Now, my form tutor lived next door to Newcastle’s captain at the time, Glenn Roeder, and had arranged for him to come and start the race. Cue much excitement from us Toon fans. Yet on the morning of the race, he wasn’t there. And then Gazza appeared, sent by Roeder himself. From somewhere, a football appeared and suddenly me, some mates and Gazza were having a kickabout! It only lasted a short time, but even then Gascoigne could do things with a football that the rest of us could only dream about. I remember as well that Gazza grabbed another kid and held the starting pistol to his head; if we think about how his personality revealed itself more and more as he got older and more famous it was just Gazza being Gazza, I suppose.

Paul didn’t stay long at Newcastle. His time here was only from 1985 until 1988. But on the pitch he was incredible at times. He was a skilful central midfielder; a great passer with more than the odd trick and the ability and balance to drive past markers as if they weren’t there. The first performance that sticks in my head – as much as anything sticks in my head at this age – was against Blackpool in the League Cup in 1987. It was a second round tie in October and although Newcastle fell behind quite early, we rallied to win in style. Gazza was magnificent throughout and in the second half especially just seemed to be finding himself on the end of chance after chance after chance. He finally scored with a rocket of a first time strike from the edge of the box that nestled in the top corner of the Leazes net. Even at such a young age, he had ran the game.

Later that year he would be pretty much the only positive – apart from the narrow win – in a Simod Cup match at home to Shrewsbury. Less than 8000 were in attendance on an absolutely foul night, to see a terrible game of football. But the one shining light was Gazza. The conditions were horrible – driving rain, freezing cold and a blustery wind, yet it felt like Gazza walked on water.

Another thing I loved about Gazza was watching his warm ups. As a lad of around 15 I would get to the ground early and watch the players warming up and while some would stretch, jog and sprint, Gazza just seemed to spend all his time either pinging balls around, often trying to hit people walking around the perimeter of the pitch or doing keepie ups. He was brilliant and where others were restricted to just their feet and head for ball juggling, Gazza would be using his heel, his shoulders and everything in between.

One of the more staggering things about Gazza’s time in Toon was what Jackie Milburn said about him in an interview. The then News of The World writer claimed that Gazza – at 18 – was “the best in the world”. A bold claim, but hard to disagree with as a wide eyed young Toon fan.

Having made just 92 appearances, Paul would go on to break many a heart in the summer of 1988 when he decided to leave Newcastle for the bright lights of London and Tottenham Hotspur. The £2.2m fee would fund a spending spree for Newcastle, but it could be argued that Gazza would never be replaced. Just four years later and on the back of some staggeringly good performances for England at Italia 90, Gazza would join Lazio. Worldwide fame and injuries though would mean that he would never quite be the same player.

For an all too brief 3 years though, he was our star player and for those who witnessed his greatness, he will never be forgotten.

Were you lucky enough to see Gazza play? Could he really have been ‘the best in the world?’ Let us know!

A moment’s appreciation for Kieran Trippier.

As we approach the end of another long and frankly glorious season there are a lot of players due a bit of respect and even adulation. Alexander Isaak has continued to be magnificent, scoring goals for fun. Bruno, Joelinton and Sandro have been amazing and Jacob Murphy has surely been this year’s success story with a real feelgood factor.

One man though, has had his ups and downs over the last year with personal problems and then a bit of a nosedive in form featuring strongly at the back end of last season and the early part of this. And in both of the last two transfer windows it’s looked likely that he would leave. However, since early February he’s had a bit of a renaissance and is back performing at the top of his game. I’m talking of course about Kieran Trippier.

Trippier will forever hold a place in fans’ hearts just for joining the club in the first place! We were 19th in the league when he arrived and it felt like a statement of intent. After all, he was still very much wanted by Atletico Madrid at the time and you’d have thought that he could almost have had his pick of clubs. But Tripps took a leap of faith and joined a clearly ailing Toon, captained us to safety and then went on to help us qualify for the Champions League the season after.

Cracks began to appear last year though and there were high profile mistakes away at Everton and in the Carabao Cup defeat to Chelsea. It looked like time might be catching up with our skipper. A closer look at the stats though reveals that Tripps made 39 appearances for the club last year, as well as a further 10 for England. Maybe the start of this season was always going to be a tough one for a player who turned 34 last September.

Trippier is no longer curling them over the wall and nor is he marauding down the line making overlapping runs. His game has clearly been adapted. But he’s still performed brilliantly in these last couple of months. His defending in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi final was superb and then he trumped that with a cracking performance in the final, picking up the assist for Dan Burn’s opening goal. He was immense that day and it looked like nothing was going to be allowed to get in the way of him picking up that medal. I dare say there were thousands of sharp intakes of breath when he went down holding his hamstring and yet, he just gritted his teeth and played on. And the emotion at the final whistle showed you exactly what it meant to Trippier.

It’s been fantastic to watch Tripps in this latter stage of the season. You can see that he’s using every ounce of experience gained over the years. He’s looked intensely focused and although he’s no longer the captain, his influence is there for all to see. Whatever problems he’s facing, nothing has been allowed to get in the way of his performances.

One thing I like about Trippier is the way he talks others through games. It’s been brilliant to see how well Jacob Murphy has been doing this season, but I have no doubt that we can put a chunk of what’s been making Murph feel ‘juicy’ down to the encouragement of Trippier. Even when a pass is misplaced Tripps is quick to praise the idea or effort. There’s a little clap or a shout of approval. Furthermore, he’s never slow to pull a team mate over and just have a quick word in their ear when the ball’s not in play, like a coach on the field. Some players seem to be shouting and bawling their way through games almost for effect, but Trippier seems more understated by comparison, which to me seems a lot more positive and effective in bringing out the best in those around him.

For me, it’s that element of wise professionalism that might just help with Trippier’s legacy at the Toon. In Livramento and Hall we have two very young and quite inexperienced full backs who will learn a lot from playing and training day in, day out with Trippier. But then looking further ahead into our future and there’s our impressive young defender Leo Shahar. Shahar has been training with the first team on a regular basis this year and I have no doubt that the likes of Tripps have taken him under their wing, which can only be a good thing.

So all in all, it’s been excellent to see Kieran Trippier back to something approaching his best. Yes, it’s taken injury to get him back in the team, but he’s been fantastic for the majority of that time and his performance in the Carabao Cup final especially will live long in the memory.

Having been linked with high profile moves away in the last year, it remains to be seen if Tripps stays next year, but I personally hope so if only so that those younger players can continue to learn from him, but hopefully because he’s still playing his part in the squad.

The reborn Kieran Tripper; definitely worth a moment of anyone’s appreciation.

NUFC The ones that got away: Charles Nzogbia.

Signing young prospects will always have a bit of excitement attached. In the past there’s regularly been the feeling that this one might be the one that makes the breakthrough and triggers something monumental for the team as well as the satisfaction that we might just have beaten all of the other clubs to a bit of a gem. For me, Charles N’Zogbia had all of that and then some. Until we discovered his personality, that is!

Signed from Le Havre after much deliberation and court action, N’Zogbia’s complicated arrival should have been a sign of things to come. But it wasn’t long before he was making his mark on the pitch. I still remember his first appearance as a sub in a game at home against Blackburn and with his pace and what appeared to be a willingness to run at full backs and work for the team, he really made an impression. He didn’t seem afraid to get stuck in and didn’t shy away from hard work. How gullible I was!

Playing as an attacking midfielder or on the right or left wing, N’Zogbia made 41 appearances in the 2005-2006 season and there was much to admire. His pace was blistering, akin to that of former player Craig Bellamy, and he had more than a few tricks in his bag, meaning that he was the kind of player that got the crowd on their feet. I remember him scoring a beauty in the 4-1 away win against the mackems, as well as winning the penalty that saw Alan Shearer score. The club acted fast and Charles signed an extension to his contract that locked down his future. And what a future it looked like being.

Then, it all started to unravel. In his next season, with a new manager in Glenn Roeder, Nzogbia fell a little out of favour with Damien Duff being Roeder’s preferred option on the left wing. N’Zogbia still managed to make over 20 appearances, but didn’t score once. At this point, the first signs of discontent were showing and it looked like the player might be moving on come the end of the season.

However, in the following season, with Sam Allardyce now in the hotseat N’Zogbia was back in favour and made 35 appearances. He signed a new 5 year contract and everything looked positive for the lad. He would continue to produce moments of magic with this season seeing a cracker of a right foot curler at Boro and yet Charles still never quite seemed to be fulfilling his promise on Tyneside.

By late 2008 N’Zogbia’s name would be making the headlines though. Only not quite in the way we might have expected. This was the year when Joe Kinnear, inexplicably named as manager by owner Mike Ashley, called him ‘Charles Insomnia’ in an interview. The player subsequently issued a statement saying that he wouldn’t play for Kinnear again and that he wanted “to reach a higher level of ambition” than Newcastle could provide. Cue late in the January window when he went for £6m to those giants of the game Wigan Athletic and all their higher levels of ambition…

N’Zogbia’s career would see him later join Aston Villa for £10m in 2011. Rumours had suggested that we were interested in bringing the player back to St. James’ Park, but it never happened and instead N’Zogbia spent 5 years in the Midlands making only 80 appearances and scoring just 4 goals. So much for a “higher level of ambition.”

In terms of his time in Toon, N’Zogbia clearly could have achieved a great deal more based on potential alone. However, it seemed to be his attitude that got in the way. N’Zogbia never seemed happy or settled and it always felt like he had a far greater opinion of himself than his managers and coaches had. You wonder what he could have achieved under a coach like Eddie Howe who has transformed the careers of several of our first team squad.

N’Zogbia never seemed like the kind of player who we could depend on. Turns out, he just wasn’t a grafter, preferring instead to pass on the hard work to others in the team. With the ball at his feet he combined electric pace with genuine dribbling ability, but in the end he was living proof that sometimes talent just isn’t enough.

One that got away? I’m inclined to say yes, but am fully aware that only the perfect storm of team mates and manager could have really brought out the best in him. I’m sure that opinion will be divided on this one!

NUFC: Gallowgate Cult Hero number 12 – Kevin Gallacher.

Sometimes a player doesn’t have to stay a long time or do anything remarkable in order to be remembered. Footballing heroes come in many different varieties, I suppose. We tend to cling on to flair players, gasping at their skill or attacking players with a turn of pace. The same can be said for the type of defender who it feels would throw himself into any challenge and perhaps even die for the cause. The workhorse is rarely remembered though.

Kevin Gallacher was very much a workhorse. That’s not a slight and nor is it meant to say that this quality was all he had. Gallacher had pace, even at the late stage of his career when he played for Newcastle. He also had an eye for goal and the quality to beat his marker too. But I think it’s fair to say that it is his work rate and dedication to the cause that left its mark on Toon supporters.

Kevin was 33 when he signed for Newcastle in from then relegated Blackburn Rovers, for £700,000. He had enjoyed a successful career, scoring 100 goals and taking in spells at Dundee Utd, Coventry and Backburn where he was part of their Premier League winning squad in 1995. He was Bobby Robson’s first signing and although he stayed for 2 seasons, his contribution to the cause at a time when we had very real fears of relegation, was very much appreciated.

At times, Gallacher’s work rate galvanised both his team mates and the fans. When Robson arrived at the club we were bottom of the Premier League and the club was in disarray. Players were disgruntled and disillusioned, given what had gone before under Ruud Gullit. The likes of Shearer, Robert Lee and Gary Speed had been undervalued and the club was going nowhere fast. Gallacher was an unspectacular but shrewd signing though; a senior pro, a proven winner and one who would help bring harmony to the dressing room as well as commitment out on the pitch.

In his time at Newcastle Gallacher only made 39 appearances, scoring just the 4 goals. However, his contribution to the team will long be remembered by those of us who watched him play. Playing mostly on the right wing, he led by example, showing energy and a desire to fight that prompted others to do exactly the same. In turn, his energy fed the fans and alongside the obvious changes inspired by Robson who had begun to get the best out of his ‘blue chip boys’ – Shearer, Speed and Lee – the team slowly began to turn the corner and would escape relegation that year.

From Gallowgate he moved on to Preston in 2001 on a free transfer. From there his career took in brief stints at Sheffield Wednesday and Huddersfield, before he retired. He now works as a pundit for Scottish football.

Kevin Gallacher didn’t leave behind any abiding memories from his time at Newcastle. I’ve sat and tried to think of them and they’re just not there. I even scoured the internet trying to find some of his 4 Toon goals without success. However, just by doing the basics – working hard, chasing lost causes and giving everything he had for the club – he would stick in the memory of many a Toon fan for years to come.