I was at the Everton game (My first since 1989 - due to living in Texas) and I was disappointed not to hear Local Hero.  The fact that the new song repeats "united, united" is no reason for picking a song that has no connection to the team and the city.  If they want a change from Local Hero, then it has to be Blaydon Races.

The Club have promised return of Local Hero if the majority want it back:

https://www.journallive.co.uk/north-east-news/todays-news/2007/10/15/choose-the-st-james-s-park-run-out-anthem-61634-19951756/

well i say we should play ant and dec's "lets get ready to rumble"

Makes me think of the big man tbh, legend 

<Snip>

It would be a instrumental & not that comedy mix either. I would crank it reeeeeeeeeeet for when the lads came out of the tunnel & hope a few thousand people sing the words  over the top.

I have scanned Youtube looking for a decent mix  & cant find one. We will have to get Jimmy Nail or the Shindig boys to make a more modern sing a long version.

Local Hero still the fans’ home banker

Oct 16 2007 by Chloe Griffiths, The Journal

THE search for the definitive Newcastle United anthem gathered pace yesterday as The Journal was inundated with responses from fans.

Scores of readers emailed, texted or went online to vote for the song the black-and-whites should run out to.

And the overwhelming majority of fans who have voted so far want the Magpies once again to emerge on the pitch to Newcastle-born Mark Knopfler’s guitar classic Local Hero.

Supporters believe it has become synonymous with the pride and passion of the fans and the club.

But earlier this season, the 1983 classic was sidelined by club officials who said they wanted to introduce a new number to “improve the atmosphere” at the ground.

They opted for If the Kids Are United, by London punk band Sham 69, because of its upbeat ending, a chant of “United, United”.

But the switch received a mixed response from followers, many of whom were dismayed to lose the long-standing anthem.

So now The Journal is giving all Magpie fans the chance to choose the song they believe will best galvanise the crowd. And the club have promised to listen, insisting they want to find the perfect Magpie anthem, whether it be one of those two or The Blaydon Races.

We want all readers to write, text, or go online to chose their preference.

By last night – just hours after our poll was launched – we had received almost 200 votes. Local Hero is already miles ahead with 165 votes, against 12 for The Blaydon Races and just four for If the Kids Are United. Seven people voted not to have an anthem at all.

Season ticket holder Heather Wales, of Gateshead, was right behind Local Hero. She wrote: “The hairs on the back of my neck used to stand up every time the players ran out on to the pitch when Local Hero came on.

“Why on earth they felt they had to change it is beyond me. I want to enter my vote to bring back Local Hero.”

Streams of fans also logged on to our website journallive.co.uk to register their vote, with Local Hero also taking pole position.

A Newcastle United spokesman said: “We hear a lot of different opinions from fans. People are quite divided – some like Local Hero, others would like to hear The Blaydon Races, while some say they don’t want any music at all so the crowd can build the atmosphere.

“We are keen to hear from fans so we can get the best formula and ensure the atmosphere at St James’s is as good as it always is.”

nufc.com say


Amid ongoing rumblings from some fans over the "theme from Local Hero" tune, we've inevitably had requests from various quarters to either back calls for its reinstatement or mount a campaign to try and achieve that.

At the risk of infuriating the Mark Knopfler fan club though, can we just say that we won't be adding our weight to any protests of petitions.

Quite simply, we don't miss it and can't quite understand why some people seem to be getting quite so het up about its removal from the SJP pre-match running order.

After all we're talking about an instrumental track originally composed by a Glaswegian living in London for a film set in Scotland.

The ring tone generation seem up in arms because the tune is part of our "heritage", but  for us, the tune first heard here in the mid 1990s became synonymous with Alan Shearer and lost whatever relevance it had after his retirement.

And given the globalisation of our squad, it's a moot point who the local heroes actually are now - the nearest perhaps being Greenwich- born Steven Taylor or Nigeria's Shola Ameobi.

And unlike the pre-match rituals at Liverpool (You'll Never Walk Alone) and West Ham (Blowing bubbles), there's nothing participatory about Local Hero, no words to sing - and to our mind the only contribution to the atmosphere were the cheers of relief at the end after the final drum beats.

The current Sham 69 ditty probably isn't the answer, but in a perfect world we'd like nothing to be played - and the crowd build up their own atmosphere.

Those days seem to have gone, sadly - not helped by the teams coming out together - not separately - and fannying about with handshakes and introductions that were once only seen before cup finals and internationals.

We can't claim credit for an original suggestion, but how about an attempt at the Blaydon Races - and not the traditional old version that only seemed to be aired before losing home cup ties in extra time or penalties.

Surely some local beat combo could supply a souped-up version of Geordie Ridley's genuine Tyneside ode that could be played and turned off in time for the crowd to supply the vocals for the chorus?

A sign of the times would be that some sort of lyric sheet would probably be required - unless the club can run to a new scarf giveaway, with the lyrics woven in.....

aye - just cut out all the music..........................     

Rather Local Hero than that cockney dirge from Sham 69 TBH.  If we have to change (and I don't see why we should) then Blaydon Races is the obvious choice, but if something else has to be played then how about "The Wildhearts" "Geordie in Wonderland".  I can actually see the crowd joining in with that once the words are known.

It doesn't matter if it HAD anything to do with Newcastle before, now it does and it means a lot to most fans. It's just not the same when the lads come out and it isn't playing, you don't get the shiver down the spine.

Bring it back, it must happen.

Also, it's 79p from iTunes so I can always listen to it myself!