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Newcastle
United, The Game's Biggest Underachievers? |
13th June 2005
A
quick cursory glance at the paltry trophy haul and more significantly
the many near misses from our 125 year plus existence would suggest
so. Especially considering we were once dubbed the 'greatest team'
in the world. But that was in the late roaring '20s when wee Hughie
Gallacher was regarded as the greatest centre-forward of his era.
Since then not one single League Championship and not many challenges
either. The No.9's have been plentiful as have the goals from their
collective deadly boots but the biggest prize of them all has remained
elusive to this day. The true barometer of success.
There have been Cup joys of course. Three in five years in the early
'50s as the kings of Wembley reigned supreme and the old Fairs Cup
in '69 at the first attempt as Joe Harvey's brave men took on the
continent and conquered all before them. Nothing, nada, zilch, since
however. And for a club of United's size, resources and following
many have quite legitimately concluded that we are indeed the great
underachievers of English football.
But are we really this great underachiever, this perennial failure
we have been tagged as?
While our cupboard is significantly emptier than most whom we rub
shoulders with, today Newcastle stand as the 5th biggest club in England
and are subsequently one of Europe's biggest too. Not much consolation
one may ponder when you look at the trophy rooms at Anfield, Old Trafford,
Highbury and even Villa Park where 21 pieces of silver stand proudly
on show. Especially as we can count just 11 to our name. You though
it was less didn't you? Shame on you...
But we can boast of having the second largest capacity in the country,
selling out every home game for 14 successive season's now. Only one
club can boast that type of attendance record in modern times - Manchester
United, 8 times Premiership winners and a host of other meaningless
trophies won along the way to add to their haul...
The Toon also have a quite excellent European pedigree too, losing
just 26 of the 102 games we have played. And having appeared on the
European stage on 14 separate occasions, with 8 of them coming in
the last 12 years no less, only Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool
have made more European appearances in modern times than Newcastle.
While our home St. James' Park is a truly monumental landmark and
one of the best stadiums in world football with facilities to match.
Facilities considered to be 'world-class' by everyone who has ever
used them for whatever purposes from banqueting and corporate conferences
to self help groups and study rooms.
I personally have had that pleasure of being a guest at St. James'
Park other than attending a match and the place blew my mind. It really
is a living, breathing City all on it's own. A magnificent ground
made all the more remarkable that it sits on the very plot of land
it always has done. Which can't be said of the vast majority of so-called
modern stadiums.
Recognised as a super stadium throughout the world the Cathedral on
the hill in recent years was chosen as one of the venues for Euro
96 and has also played host to the senior England team on numerous
occasions, leaving an ever lasting impression on all who have visited.
Clubs, players and fans alike.
The club's proactive involvement with local community, tourism and
employment initiatives and the kick racism out of football scheme
is also the envy of many club's up and down the country. It often
goes unnoticed but the club can never be accused of neglecting it's
role as an institution and as a bastion of Tyneside and her neighbouring
boundaries. Certain individuals may bring shame on the club or misrepresent
it but the badge remains a power of good and always will.
Add to those our Premiership record, officially the 5th most successful
team in the League at winning points, the fact we are also 5th in
the top wages League and our considerable investments on transfers
over the years, once breaking the world record fee for Alan Shearer,
Newcastle have become major players in both the transfer market and
the top-flight.
Indeed, financially the club regularly appear in the top 10 rich-list
of world football and if one was to take into consideration the current
financial plight of Man Utd - now no longer debt free and soon to
operate at a loss - the anomaly that is Chelsea and the fact we have
only experienced the riches of Champions League revenue just the twice,
while Arsenal and Liverpool who are both above us in the turnover
stakes have enjoyed numerous boosts to their coffers in comparison
(and silverware), Newcastle can be considered No.1 in that department,
really. Take away the latter's revenue from UEFA's premier competition
and they would struggle to match our own.
And what of ourselves - Newcastle fans? With a fantastic reputation
home and abroad, there aren't many more dedicated, passionate and
respected, than us lot. No other set of fans in the Premiership go
to greater lengths (literally) to follow their club on the road nor
spend as much on doing so. Some say self praise is no recommendation
but I for one am extremely proud to be a foot soldier in our army.
All of these things all serve to prove that Newcastle United are a
huge success story and not this great big underachiever of our national
sport. And don't let anyone tell you any different. Because we are
a huge success story. One only need to cast their thoughts back to
the 24th of April 1992 to get a real sense of just how successful
we have been.
Had David Kelly skewered his shot wide, today Newcastle may not exist.
Because 13 years ago United were on the brink of relegation to the
then 3rd Division for the first time in our history and possible extinction
along with it. Owing millions to the banks, losing thousands a day
and with a team full of bairns and cast-offs, things were so dire,
the one thing the club could always rely on - it's fans, had fell
out of love with their passion and many stayed away. Gates regularly
fell below the 20,000 mark and apathy on the stands and in and around
the City was at an all time low.
The average attendance during the '91 season was 16'879, a far cray
from today's 52,000 plus. And back then the Old Gallowgate - which
seats the aforementioned numbers in spectacular comfort today - was
a vastly different arena. Falling to pieces and half built, some £75m
has been spent on it since. All paid for by the fans.
In 13 years Newcastle United have made great strides. Back then it
was a pipe dream to rub shoulders with the likes of Spurs, Everton
and Villa - today we tower over them. We may have finished below them
in the League the season just gone, but in every other sense, they
lag way behind the Magpies in almost all aspects. They may have more
trophies than we do too, but just like our own successes - those live
in the past and hardly count in the modern game.
Indeed has there been a more successful club over the last decade
given the leaps we have had to make in almost every single department?
Man Utd, Liverpool, Arsenal et al were giants of the game well before
Kelly's goals sealed our future and were winning trophies as they
always have done and always will do while we were battling to keep
our heads above the water. They haven't been to the depths we have.
They have always operated at the top. We weren't even a sleeping giant
in those dark old days, we were in a coma and the life support was
about to be switched off. To even consider joining their elite status
never mind muscling in on it as we have done, was beyond the dreams
of all Newcastle fans at the time.
The likes of Derby County, Wolves, and West Ham were all expected
to make a challenge to gain entry to the Premiership during that glorious
1992-93 season. All were considered as big as or bigger than our club
and all at one time or another have tasted Premiership status. None
have made such an impact on the top-flight that we have though. West
Ham went up with us that year but fought relegation thereafter, inevitably
dropping out in season 2002-03. We fought for the Title with the mighty
Red Devils, twice. Yet just a few months into 1992 we were on the
verge of going bust while they were signing players for 7 figure sums.
Spurs, once the richest club in the country as early as the late 80s
and the biggest spenders at that time can today only look on in envy
at the size of our ground, turnover, following, European adventures
and many dips into the transfer market for prized players.
While they and the likes of Everton, Villa and other big hitters struggled
to acclimatise to the Premiership, Newcastle soared ahead in every
department, leaving our once esteemed peers in our wake. The only
players we sell to the men from White Hart Lane are our surplus to
requirements - not our gems as in the case of Gazza and Waddle.
Gone are the selling club days, dreams of visits to Anfield and Old
Trafford and with it the shackles that kept our club chained to a
concrete post. Now we dream of League Titles and European adventures.
Now we see the likes of Liverpool, Man Utd and Arsenal as our true
rivals and the likes of Spurs and Everton as potential club's to offload
surplus to requirement players to. With both, in recent years only
too happy to net our cast-offs and in abundance.
And rightly so because as a football club, we have everything except
trophies but the success story that is Newcastle United has been far
more tangible than any piece of silverware.
The following club's have all won something since we last did:
Villa, Spurs, Everton, Sunderland, Oxford, Coventry, Luton, Blackburn,
Middlesbrough, Man City, West Ham, Sheffield Wednesday, Ipswich, Derby
County, Nottingham Forest, Leicester City, Leeds United, Stoke City,
Watford and Wimbledon.
Yet which one of those clubs can match our stadium, financial resources,
transfer budgets, wage structure, European record, status and appeal
to a larger audience, Premiership record, and our following? None!
All but four club's in the whole of England are envious of Newcastle
United and would love to be able to call on those very things that
we have succeeded at. Considering one of those top four teams is owned
by a Russian Billionaire and the other three are to success and silverware
what Brazil are to the World Cup - permanently attached - I'd say
we are a huge success as a football club. In 13 years we have went
from the jaws of the old 3rd Division and possible extinction to the
5th biggest club in the Country.
Who would have put a bet on that happening that fateful day at St.
James's when Newcastle went into the game needing a win to keep the
powers that be from pulling the plug?
And what of the future? Is any club in a better position to become
the 5th member of the elite of our game than wor lot? No club has
as much untapped potential than we do. Just look at what we have achieved
in 13 years. What does the next 13 years have in store for us? Just
what can we achieve?
There isn't nothing we can achieve, we have everything going for us
- except silverware.
But that day will come. And when it does, the floodgates will open.
Mark my words.
Keep the faith!
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