Premier League – Page 2 – Middle Age Fanclub

Magpie Moments Episode 3.

Whatever your era or age as a Newcastle United supporter, you’ll have rarely experienced a dull moment. Unless of course you still remember almost every deadline day under the stewardship of Mike Ashley. However, in the third episode of the Magpie Moments series I think I can bring you a few moments that might just raise a smile.

Who the f*** is Micky Quinn? Micky Quinn can be safely referred to as a legendary number nine at Newcastle. But when he signed it was a bit of a different matter for some fans. At the time there was a bitter battle between fans and board and some fans were boycotting the first game of the 1989/’90 season. I remember it well. My cousin Shaun was standing on the ‘picket line’ and almost persuaded me to join him as I walked up towards the Gallowgate, but thankfully I went in. Quinny himself remembers it well too and wrote about seeing a banner that read ‘Who the f*** is Micky Quinn?’ as he walked up to the stadium in his excellent autobiography ‘Who Ate All The Pies?’! Thankfully, most Geordies knew exactly who he was by the end of that 90 minutes, Quinny scoring four as we beat promotion favourites Leeds United 5-2! The first was a penalty at the Gallowgate end and what I remember most about it was Quinn’s technique of standing outside the box with his back to to the keeper before his run up. The hat-trick goal was a hooked right foot volley from close in at the Leazes end and then the fourth was a one on one with Quinny looking exhausted as he ran through and just finishing with a shot from outside of the box before he got caught by the chasing defenders! Some amazing moments at the start of a season that would promise much but fail to deliver in the most spectacular style.

The away kit at home, under the lights and Alex Mathie! Monday 13th September 1993 saw a Newcastle game almost called off because of the opposition’s kit! Sheffield Wednesday rocked up at St. James’ Park in our first season in the newly formed English Premiership (now the Premier League) with a specially commissioned one off kit for the televised match. The only problem was that the kit was white and featured a black stripe. Until Newcastle offered to wear their all blue away kit, the fixture was in danger of being called off! As for the game, well first of all I remember that it was just too weird to watch us play in blue at home. And it seemed so for the players as well as Sheff Wed gradually took control and went 1-2 up as we looked like a side who’d never played together before. In the meantime Wednesday had chance after chance after chance. Toon substitute Alex Mathie – recently signed from Morton – changed the game. Firstly he provided the cross that eventually fell to Andy Cole to equalise and then he scored a beauty. Mathie was around the edge of Wednesday’s box when a ball was played forward from the right. He allowed it to come over his shoulder before volleying it over the keeper and into the net without breaking stride. Ultimately, Mathie didn’t make it at Newcastle, but he gave us a hell of a moment with that goal.

Shola’s new identity. Not particularly a ‘moment’ this one, but just a quick story that always makes me smile. It was well known that Sir Bobby Robson wasn’t always the best with names and could be quite forgetful when it came to his players identities. One of the best examples of this came up when Shola Ameobi was asked about nicknames in an interview. At first he said he didn’t have one, so the reporter asked, ‘what does Bobby Robson call you then?’ to which Shola replied, ‘Carl Cort’! Always makes me laugh!

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 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.

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.