In the aftermath of yet another defeat at Old Trafford, one familiar statistic was trotted out - that we have not beaten Man U away since a 2-0 win in 1972. However, I’m one of the few fans that wears a smile whenever I hear this. You see, dear Reader, this old git was there.

A little bit of personal background first. Although born in Newcastle, my family moved around a lot, and I spent my later childhood in Manchester. My father would take me to Old Trafford and Maine Road for the twice-yearly treat of watching us get a stuffing. Both United and City had great teams in those days, while we were generally stuck in mid-table mediocrity.

But this time, it was different, despite the unpromising prelude to the game - the 2-1 FA Cup defeat to non-league Hereford the week before. And it was different because we had by far and away the best player on the pitch that day. Despite the presence of names like Best, Law and Charlton on the other side, one man gave what I’m sure is the best individual performance I’ve ever seen from a Newcastle player, and his name was Tony Green.

At 5′6″ and 11 stone, Green was the archetypal midfield dynamo. With his low centre of gravity and powerful frame, he had fantastic acceleration and a great change of direction that would leave defenders trailing. In addition, he was a hard worker, putting in tackles in defence as well as rushing forward to support the attack. If you can imagine Emre with added pace, stamina and aggression, then you have Tony Green.

My chief memory of the game was of frustrated opposition players launching a series of desperate lunging tackles, which Green simply danced away from like he was a man among boys. They simply could not contain him, and in a game in which we were mostly on the back foot, Green was totally dominant. And incidentally, he had a hand in setting up both goals.

Another memory makes me smile with satisfaction. In those days, match programmes contained a supplementary magazine called the Football League Review. That week, there was a photo of Tony Green on the back cover, and as we walked away from the ground, the pavement was littered with copies of this photo, ripped out in disgust by irate Man U fans. They knew he had turned them over virtually single-handed.

Several years later, I read an interview with Tony Green, in which he said that this was his finest game in a Newcastle shirt, so I feel happy and privileged to have been there. It’s also reassuring to know that so many fans of my generation remember his brief career with such admiration. At the same time, there’s a little lump in my throat as I write this, because the following season, his career was ended by a knee injury. The manager at the time, Joe Harvey, described it as his saddest day in football, and I can believe that. Green’s arrival had saved us from relegation the season before, but he was denied the chance to finally fulfil his enormous talent.

The only other Newcastle player that I’ve ever seen dominate a game in that fashion was Gazza - a very different player, but one who occupied a similar role. He had his problems, but in his brief career with us, he would always go out on to the pitch convinced that he was the greatest player there - a confidence that often rubbed off on his team-mates. That refusal to be cowed by any quality of opposition was what marked Green and Gazza out as special players.

And in later years, of course, we’ve had Craig Bellamy - a player of lesser talent than the other two, but equally equipped with defiant confidence. For me, the definitive Bellamy performance came in our 2-2 draw at Anfield in 2002. He came on as a sub when we were 2-0 down, and turned the game around. It wasn’t so much what he did himself, but rather the effect his presence had on others. He was to get too big for his boots and probably had to go in the end, but I do think we miss him.

The three players I’ve mentioned weren’t captains, but were leaders in a different sense. Their willingness to take the initiative in taking the fight to the opposition had a galvanising effect on the team as a whole.

Looking at the situation now, there’s a vacancy in that role. The team has looked prone to hesitation and a lack of confidence. One inspirational individual isn’t the only way of turning things round, but it’d be a help. I nurture the hope that a rejuvenated Dyer can get us going, but perhaps that’s over-optimistic.

Anyway, I digress. Tyne-Tees have the footage of the Man U game of 1972, and I wrote to them, suggesting that they release it on DVD as a tribute to Tony Green, and as a way of showing the new generation what the fuss was about, in relation to this particular player. I had a very nice letter back from Roger Tames, stating that it’s not commercially viable to release individual games like that.

Ah well, Roger. Clearly, you weren’t there.