Newcastle United: It's In Your Blood
|
 Monday
23rd January 2006
By Jonny
Hall
I was never really a big fan of football in my earlier years. The
game never really appealed to me and I didn’t understand what all
the hype was about. However on Saturday 23rd November 2002, I switched
on Sky Sports and there was Manchester United and Newcastle United
at Old Trafford. From then on I didn’t look back.
Newcastle lost that game 5-3 but I didn’t seem to care. I felt like
I had been injected with Magpies Disease and it was never going to
leave me. That is what Newcastle United to does to you. All Newcastle
fans, young and old, have an experience of their first encounter with
the club, and that first encounter is the start of a love affair that
will last you a lifetime.
It’s kind of like a binding contract between you and the club, you
won’t leave them no matter what and despite time after time being
let down, we return to St. James' Park week in week out shouting and
singing from our hearts for the club we love.
The buzz that you get and that funny feeling inside when Newcastle
score is indescribable but it’s a joy and one you hope to have time
after time.
My first game was in 2004 when I went to watch the game with Mallorca
in the UEFA Cup. We went 1-0 down but we were still singing and chanting
and that evening I saw 4 shots hit the back of the net from a Black
and White shirt.
They looked instrumental and couple the performance along with the
atmosphere and you get one hell of a game. I don’t really think my
throat has recovered from that cold winters evening because I screamed
as much as my lungs would allow me that night, no matter how important
the result was or not because that is what you do when you are St.
James' Park; “Toon, Toon Black and White Army” coming from the Gallowgate
and “United! United!” coming from the gods in Level 7.
From time to time, the performances have not been their best but when
the ball hits the back of the net all is forgotten. The Mansfield
game saw a landmark for Alan Shearer as he made it 200 goals for Newcastle.
The first 79 minutes had been poor but when Shearer hit that ball
into the bottom left hand corner, it was all forgotten; our injury
troubles, our ridiculous manager, our poor performances, our unstable
league position and our slow thinking chairman were all thrown out
of the window and for one minute we didn’t care because our No 9 Legend
had done what he deserved.
It may not be a trophy but it was something that made 41,000 Newcastle
fans and probably millions throughout the world unite together and
rise to salute the greatest English goalscorer of all time.
The words of the announcer sent chills down my spine and will live
in my memory forever “Goal for Newcastle, Equalling a record that
has stood since 1955 with Jackie Milburn, Ladies and Gentlemen, scoring
his 200th goal for Newcastle United, your captain and No 9 Alan Shearer!”
I was there the day he did it and it will be something that I, and
many others, will probably be telling their grandchildren about in
the years to come. It shows he has still got it and I can definitely
feel number 201 coming at Cheltenham in the FA Cup, Saturday week.
The city of Liverpool has Everton and Liverpool FC, the city of Manchester
has Manchester City and Manchester United FC, the city of London has
Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham and West Ham but the city of Newcastle has
only one; Newcastle United.
And United is what is special about our fans; time after time supporters
move from club to club trying to find the best but at Newcastle we
stick together forever. Some people may call it crazy but we call
it loyalty.
In recent times we may not have had our hands on silverware but in
the past, we used to rule the league and get our hands on the FA Cup
as well. Plus those heroes we have picked up along the way who will
never be forgotten; Milburn, Beardsley, Supermac, Gallacher, Keegan,
Robson, Tudor and of course Alan Shearer.
That is what Newcastle United is all about; it’s not about the manager
or the wasters that use our club to their own advantage. It is about
players on the pitch giving their all for the cause and those who
adopt the Geordie passion such as Given and Parker and are adopted
into our North East family. It is about the fans that sing week in
week out for the club that they love.
It is about those famous victories and performances that make us great.
After all, Newcastle fans will forever remember that 5-0 thrashing
of Manchester United, the 2-2 draw in Milan where we almost got one
over on the Italian giants, that last gap 3-2 win in Feyenoord which
made Champions League history, the time where by we lead the Premiership
by 12 points, that famous Kevin Keegan speech at Alex Ferguson, our
‘Entertainers’ tag which made us famous worldwide, but most importantly
all of the entertaining attacking goalscoring football which has delighted
our fans in past years.
This club is important to us. Half of the players who have worn the
black and white shirt did not deserve to. The problem with them is
they did not understand what it means to be a Geordie. The passion
was just not there. They don't feel what the fans feel. We would all
kill to wear that shirt and walk out in front of 52,000 fans if just
once in our lives to play at St. James' Park.
It means so much to us Newcastle fans; after all it’s in our blood.
© Jonny Hall
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