Jump to content

Newcastle United F.C.: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
Sam wade (talk | contribs)
12 edits
No edit summary
Line 203: Line 203:
''As of '''30 January, 2007'''''
''As of '''30 January, 2007'''''
{{football squad start}}
{{football squad start}}
{{Fs player|no=1|nat=Republic of Ireland|name=[[Shay Given]]|pos=GK}}
{{Fs player|no=1|nat=Republic of Ireland|name=[[Mike Thompson]]|pos=GK}}
{{Fs player|no=2|nat=Republic of Ireland|name=[[Stephen Carr]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=2|nat=Republic of Ireland|name=[[Mike Thompson]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=4|nat=Peru|name=[[Nolberto Solano]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=4|nat=Peru|name=[[Mike Thompson]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=5|nat=Turkey|name=[[Emre Belözoğlu]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=5|nat=Turkey|name=[[Mike Thompson]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=7|nat=Spain|name=[[Albert Luque]]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=7|nat=Spain|name=[[Mike Thompson]]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=8|nat=England|name=[[Kieron Dyer]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=8|nat=England|name=[[Mike Thompson]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=9|nat=Nigeria|name=[[Obafemi Martins]]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=9|nat=Nigeria|name=[[Mike Thompson]]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=10|nat=England|name=[[Michael Owen]]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=10|nat=England|name=[[Mike Thompson]]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=11|nat=Republic of Ireland|name=[[Damien Duff]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=11|nat=Republic of Ireland|name=[[Mike Thompson]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=12|nat=England|name=[[Steve Harper (footballer)|Steve Harper]]|pos=GK}}
{{Fs player|no=12|nat=England|name=[[Mike Thompson (footballer)|Mike Thompson]]|pos=GK}}
{{Fs player|no=14|nat=France|name=[[Charles N'Zogbia]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=14|nat=France|name=[[Mike Thompson]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=15|nat=USA|name=[[Oguchi Onyewu]]|pos=DF|other=on loan from [[Standard Liège]]}}
{{Fs player|no=15|nat=USA|name=[[Mike Thompson]]|pos=DF|other=on loan from [[Standard Liège]]}}
{{Fs player|no=16|nat=England|name=[[James Milner (footballer)|James Milner]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=16|nat=England|name=[[Mike Thompson (footballer)|Mike Thompson]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=17|nat=England|name=[[Scott Parker (footballer)|Scott Parker]]|pos=MF|other=[[Captain (football)|captain]]}}
{{Fs player|no=17|nat=England|name=[Mike Thompson (footballer)|Mike Thompson]]|pos=MF|other=[[Captain (football)|captain]]}}
{{Fs player|no=18|nat=Australia|name=[[Craig Moore]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=18|nat=Australia|name=[[Mike Thompson]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=19|nat=England|name=[[Titus Bramble]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=19|nat=England|name=[[Mike Thompson]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=20|nat=France|name=[[Antoine Sibierski]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=20|nat=France|name=[[Mike Thompson]]|pos=MF}}
{{football squad mid}}
{{football squad mid}}
{{Fs player|no=22|nat=England|name=[[Nicky Butt]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=22|nat=England|name=[[Mike Thompson]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=23|nat=England|name=[[Shola Ameobi]]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=23|nat=England|name=[[Mike Thompson]]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=24|nat=Czech Republic|name=[[Pavel Srníček]]|pos=GK}}
{{Fs player|no=24|nat=Czech Republic|name=[Mike Thompson]]|pos=GK}}
{{Fs player|no=26|nat=England|name=[[Peter Ramage]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=26|nat=England|name=[[Mike Thompson]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=27|nat=England|name=[[Steven Taylor (footballer)|Steven Taylor]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=27|nat=England|name=[[Mike Thompson (footballer)|Mike Thompson]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=30|nat=Canada|name=[[David Edgar (footballer)|David Edgar]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=30|nat=Canada|name=[[Mike Thompson (footballer)|Mike Thompson]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=32|nat=England|name=[[Paul Huntington]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=32|nat=England|name=[[Mike Thompson]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=33|nat=Nigeria|name=[[Celestine Babayaro]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=33|nat=Nigeria|name=[[Mike Thompson]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=34|nat=France|name=[[Olivier Bernard]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=34|nat=France|name=[[Mike Thompson]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=35|nat=South Africa|name=[[Matty Pattison]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=35|nat=South Africa|name=[[Mike Thompson]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=36|nat=England|name=[[Kris Gate]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=36|nat=England|name=[[Mike Thompson]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no=37|nat=Ireland|name=[[Alan O'Brien]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=37|nat=Ireland|name=[[Mike Thompson]]|pos=MF}}
{{Fs player|no=39|nat=England|name=[[Andrew Carroll]]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=39|nat=England|name=[[Mike Thompson]]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=40|nat=Netherlands|name=[[Tim Krul]]|pos=GK}}
{{Fs player|no=40|nat=Netherlands|name=[[Mike Thompson]]|pos=GK}}
{{Fs player|no=42|nat=Australia|name=[[James Troisi]]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=42|nat=Australia|name=[[Mike Thompson]]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=43|nat=Democratic Republic of the Congo|name=[[Kazenga LuaLua]]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no=43|nat=Democratic Republic of the Congo|name=[[Mike Thompson]]|pos=FW}}
{{Fs player|no= |nat=Turkey|name=[[Erol Bulut]]|pos=DF}}
{{Fs player|no= |nat=Turkey|name=[[Mike Thompson]]|pos=DF}}
{{football squad end}}
{{football squad end}}


Revision as of 14:32, 30 April 2007

For the Australian club, see Newcastle United Jets.
Mike
Newcastle crest
Full nameMike Tompson is gay with pete treeby Football Club
Nickname(s)The Magpies, The Toon
Founded1892
GroundSt James' Park
Newcastle upon Tyne
England
Capacity52,387[1]
ChairmanEngland Mike Tompson
Head Coach Mike TompsonEngland Mike Tompson
LeagueNational Division One
2005–06Premier League, last

Newcastle United Football Club (also known as The Magpies or The Toon) are an English professional football team based in Newcastle upon Tyne. They play in the Premier League and are historically the seventh most successful club in English football.[2] This takes into account all results since the beginning of English league football in 1888.

The club formed in 1986 after the merger of two local clubs, Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has since played at St James' Park, the old Newcastle West End ground in the city. Newcastle United supporters refer to themselves as the "Toon Army". Newcastle's traditional local rivals are Sunderland, with whom they have contested the Tyne-Wear derby since 1898.

History

For more details on this topic, see History of Newcastle United F.C..

In November 1881, the Stanley Cricket Club of South Byker decided to form an association football club, to play during the winter after the Cricket season had ended. They won their first match 5-0 against Elswick Leather Works 2nd XI. Just under a year later, in October 1882, they changed their name to Newcastle East End FC to avoid confusion with the cricket club in the town of Stanley, County Durham. Meanwhile, across the city, another cricket club began to take an interest in football and in August 1882, they formed Newcastle West End FC. West End played their early football on their cricket pitch, but later moved to St James' Park.

The region's first league competition was formed in 1889 and the FA Cup began to cause interest. Ambitious East End turned professional in 1889. West End, however, did not fare so well; in Spring 1892, West End approached East End with a view to a takeover, the directors having decided that the club could no longer continue.

Ultimately, it was decided that West End's players and most of its backroom staff would join East End. East End also took over the lease on St. James' Park, this effectively merged the two rival clubs together. By December 1892, they decided to give the club a new name and a new image. At a public meeting, several new names, including Newcastle Rangers and Newcastle City, were suggested, before all agreed on Newcastle United. The FA agreed to the name change on 22 December, but the new title was not legalised until 6 September 1895, when Newcastle United Football Club Co. Ltd. was constituted.

Early League and FA Cup Champions

Against Aston Villa in the 1905 FA Cup final.

Newcastle United went on to lift the League Championship on three occasions during the 1900s; 1905, 1907 and 1909. They were considered one of the best teams in the country. Although there were some low points in this period. During the 1908-09 season, Newcastle recorded what is still a record home defeat in the top flight; they were beaten 9-1 by fierce rivals Sunderland, who count the result as their record highest win. Newcastle also reached five FA Cup Finals in seven years, appearing in the final of 1905, 1906, 1908, 1910 and 1911. However they went on to win just one of them, the 1910 Final against Barnsley F.C., in a replay at Goodison Park. This was away from the regular FA Cup venue of Crystal Palace.

After World War I, they won the League a fourth time during 1927. The team returned to the FA Cup final in 1924, in only their second ever final at Wembley Stadium. They were successful in defeating Aston Villa and therefore winning the club's second FA Cup trophy in its history. Notable players during this period include the likes of Hughie Gallacher, Neil Harris, Stan Seymour and Frank Hudspeth.

More FA Cup success: 1950s

During the 1950s, United lifted the FA Cup trophy on three occasions within a five year period. In 1951 they defeated Blackpool 2-0, a year later Arsenal were beaten 1-0 and in 1955 United defeated Manchester City 3-1. The Magpies had gained a high profile, and so had their players; 'Wor Jackie' Milburn and Bobby 'Dazzler' Mitchell in particular.

An old war horse returned to revitalise the Magpies in the shape of Joe Harvey, who had skippered the club to much of their post-war success. He teamed up with Stan Seymour to rebuild Newcastle United and they returned to the elite as Second Division Champions in 1965. Newcastle then became very much an unpredictable and inconsistent side, always capable of defeating the best, but never quite realising their potential.

Success in Europe

File:InterCitiesCupNewcastle.jpg
Wyn Davies with Newcastle's Inter Cities Fairs Cup

Joe Harvey's side qualified for Europe for the first time in 1968 and surprised many the following year by lifting the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (which two years later became the UEFA Cup), beating the likes of Sporting Clube de Portugal, Feynoord and Real Zaragoza along the way, before triumphing over two legs against Hungary's Újpest FC in the final. United possessed a solid eleven, and Newcastle's tradition of fielding a famous Number 9 at centre-forward since its earliest years continued, as big Welshman Wyn Davies was prominent along with the likes of Bryan 'Pop' Robson, Bobby Moncur and Frank Clark.

In the years that followed European success, manager Harvey brought in a string of talented entertainers who thrilled the Gallowgate crowd. Pleasers like Jimmy Smith, Tony Green and Terry Hibbitt and a new centre-forward by the name of Malcolm Macdonald. Nicknamed 'Supermac', Macdonald was one of United's most popular figures. He had an impressive goalscoring tally, which led United's attack to Wembley twice, in 1974 and 1976, against Liverpool in the FA Cup and Manchester City in the League Cup. But on each occasion the Magpies failed to bring the trophy back to Tyneside. A small consolation was back to back triumphs in the Texaco Cup in 1974 and 1975.

By the start of the 1980s, United had declined dramatically and were languishing in the Second Division. Gordon Lee had replaced Harvey as boss, yet he in turn soon gave way to Richard Dinnis and then Bill McGarry. But it was Arthur Cox who steered United back again to the First Division with ex-England skipper Kevin Keegan the focus of the side, having joined the Magpies in 1982.

With managers such as Jack Charlton, Willie McFaul and Jim Smith, Newcastle remained in the top-flight until the team was relegated once more in 1989.

Newcastle rise back up

Later, Bill returned to Tyneside to replace Ossie Ardiles as manager on a short term contract in 1992, taking what he claimed to be the only job that could tempt him back into football. United were struggling at the wrong end of Division Two; Sir John Hall had all but taken control of the club and he needed a minor miracle to stop the Magpies from tumbling into the Third Division for the first time in their history. Survival was confirmed by winning both of their final two league games, at home to Portsmouth and away to Leicester City, the latter to a last minute own goal, although as it transpired, Newcastle would have survived even if they had lost at Leicester .

The 1992-93 season saw a dramatic turn around in the club's fortunes. They won their first eleven league games before a 1-0 home defeat against Grimsby Town ended the run, two games short of the English league record of 13 consecutive wins. Playing an exciting brand of attacking football Newcastle became Division One champions with a 2-0 away win, coincidentally at Grimsby, and gained promotion to the Premier League.

The Premiership Years

Under Keegan, Newcastle continued to succeed even at the higher level. Impressing people with their attacking flair, they finished a commendable third in 1993-94, in their first season back in the top flight. The season was characterised by attacking football and high scoring matches, notably an early season game against Sheffield Wednesday, winning 4-2. The attacking philosophy of Keegan led to Newcastle becoming labelled by Sky television as "The Entertainers".

The following season Newcastle finished 6th, after the shock mid-season sale of top striker Andy Cole to Manchester United in a deal publicly valued at £7 million (this comprised Man United giving Newcastle £6 million plus Keith Gillespie, although accounts later revealed his book value as only being £250,000).

The 1995-96 season would see major team-strengthening, David Ginola, Les Ferdinand and others joining the squad. The team came close to winning the Premier League, but despite being 12 points ahead of their nearest rivals, Manchester United, Newcastle had a terrible run of form and lost out. One match in particular stands out, the 4-3 defeat at Liverpool, which is often voted the best game ever in the first 14 years of the English Premier League.

File:AlanShearer96-97.jpg
Alan Shearer celebrating a goal for Newcastle in the 1996-97, runner-up season.

The following season saw Newcastle finish in second place again, despite the signing of Alan Shearer (A then world record transfer fee of £15 million). However the blow of a second successive failure to win the Premiership was softened as Newcastle defeated Manchester United in a famous 5-0 victory on October 24, 1996.

Keegan resigned in January 1997, and was replaced by Kenny Dalglish, who it was felt would help solidify the team defensively. In their first season under his guidance, Newcastle entered the Champions League, and reached the 1998 FA Cup Final, defeated 2-0 by Arsenal at Wembley. However, Dalglish's cautious brand of football proved unpopular with supporters used to Newcastle's previous swashbuckling style; more importantly this careful style was not producing results. Newcastle lost their entertainers tag. Several unsuccessful transfer deals along with a poor start to the 1998-99 season led to Dalglish being sacked.

Ruud Gullit, mostly famous for being a trophy winning manager with Chelsea a few years previously, was put in charge promising to bring back 'sexy football' to Newcastle. The team again started promisingly, and reached the FA Cup final that season. Unfortunately, this time around they were to lose to Manchester United. Gullit also made some high profile mistakes in the transfer market (notably, Spanish defender Marcelino and Croatian forward Silvio Maric bore the brunt of supporters frustrations). Gullit also fell out with several senior players, firstly by refusing to give long time midfield stalwart Robert Lee a squad number and then by dropping talisman Alan Shearer for the home game against bitter rivals Sunderland; this was seen as a very unpopular decision by the fans especially since the result was a humiliating 2-1 defeat. After a dreadful start to the 1999-00 season, and increasing pressure from the club's supporters, Gullit resigned.

United into the 2000s

Veteran ex-England manager, and local boy, Sir Bobby Robson was brought in to replace Gullit. His first job, unthinkable a few years previously, was to ensure Newcastle's survival in the Premiership. This was achieved, at the expense of stylish football, but with Lee and Shearer back onside. That said, Robson's first home match in charge was remarkable, Newcastle beating Sheffield Wednesday 8-0, with Shearer scoring five. Over the next few seasons Robson built up an exciting young squad. Players such as Kieron Dyer (a Gullit signing), Craig Bellamy and Laurent Robert ensured the team were capable of once again punching their weight in the league. A Championship challenge emerged over the months of the 2001-02 season, and Newcastle achieved qualification for the lucrative Champions' League. They were once again dubbed the entertainers. They also reached the quarter finals of both domestic cup competitions.

The 2002-03 season saw another championship challenge. In their first Premiership match of the season they went to the top of the Premiership, after a 4-0 win against West Ham United. Newcastle won both their Champions League qualifiers, but lost their opening three matches in the group. They had a remarkable fight back winning their remaining three games in the group, including beating eventual finalists Juventus. They qualified for the second group stage after Craig Bellamy got the winner against Feyenoord. Newcastle lost their opening two games in the second phase against Inter Milan, and Barcelona. They won their next two, and then drew 2-2 against Inter. Newcastle were defeated by Barcelona, and went out of the competition. The performance in the Champions League put Newcastle back among the best teams in Europe. They finished their Premiership campaign third to put Newcastle back in the qualifying stages of the Champions league the following season.

In 2003-04 Newcastle crashed out of the Champions league in the qualifiers, in a penalty shoot-out. This put them into the UEFA Cup. Newcastle had a bad start in the Premiership, but turned it around and were fighting for the Champions League places. Although their home form was good, they drew too many matches away, and eventually lost out to Liverpool for the Champions League. Finishing fifth, the club had to settle for a UEFA Cup place. Newcastle progressed to the semi-final of the UEFA Cup, where they lost 2-0 to Olympique de Marseille.

Recent times

After nearly five years in charge, Sir Bobby Robson was dismissed on 30 August 2004 following a poor start to the 2004-05 season and alleged discontent in the dressing room. Graeme Souness was appointed as Robson's successor two weeks later.

Graeme Souness replaced Sir Bobby Robson as manager on 13 September 2004, two days after the Magpies' match against Souness' former club Blackburn Rovers. After initial good results, the team soon became mired in the bottom half of the table, remaining there until December when they reached the top half of the table for the first time that season. Newcastle lost their tag as the entertainers. They finished a disappointing and surprising 14th, however, they reached the quarter final of the UEFA Cup, and the semi final of the FA Cup. During his time in charge, Souness had notable disagreements with what were seen as key players, most notably Craig Bellamy in January 2005. After Bellamy publicly called Souness a liar live on Sky Sports News, it was clear the club was not big enough for both of them and Bellamy was forced to leave on loan to Celtic, an unpopular decision with many fans. However, later that year, during August 2005, the club signed Michael Owen for a record £17 million from Real Madrid. Unfortunately, injuries meant Owen played only ten matches for Newcastle in his first six months at the club.

Newcastle started the new season poorly, and in February 2006 Souness was sacked following a 3-0 defeat at Manchester City. Former West Ham manager, Glenn Roeder (who was Newcastle United's Youth Academy Director) was given the Caretaker Manager role, assisted by Club Captain, Alan Shearer. In Roeder's first game in charge against Portsmouth on 4 February 2006, Alan Shearer scored his 201st goal for Newcastle, overtaking Jackie Milburn as the club's highest ever goal-scorer. His tally later reached 206 in a match against rivals Sunderland, on 17 April 2006 - a game in which he also suffered a serious knee injury, forcing his retirement three games earlier than planned.

Roeder was appointed as caretaker-manager to help Newcastle United from the relegation battle, after this appointment, Newcastle United ended in 7th place in the league, which earned the club a UEFA Intertoto Cup place, and back in Europe. Newcastle also reached the quarter final of the FA Cup Roeder was appointed as Newcastle manager on a permanent basis, on a two year contract. His first major signing was Damien Duff from Chelsea for £5 million. On August 24 2006 he completed his second major signing Obafemi Martins from Internazionale for £10.1 million. On August 31, he signed Giuseppe Rossi on loan from Manchester United until January 1 and Antoine Sibierski from Manchester City on a one year deal. On September 1, Roeder also brought in former player Olivier Bernard on a free transfer, after his release from Rangers. With a shortage of defenders able to play due to injury, Roeder recruited the services of American Oguchialu Chilioke "Oguchi" Onyewu on loan. Roeder stated that he will be looking to strengthen the squad over the summer transfer window to be able to mount a serious campaign for a place in the Uefa Cup at least next season.

Current season

In August 2006, the Magpies were one of the 11 teams to win their final round matches in the Intertoto Cup, qualifying them for the UEFA Cup. However, their start to the Premiership campaign was dismal and they looked in real danger of relegation in November 2006 — none more so than after an embarrassing 1-0 home defeat to newly promoted Sheffield United, after which around 300-500 fans staged a protest outside the club's Milburn Reception, in favour of chairman Freddie Shepherd to leave the club.

However, since then Newcastle's form has picked up, helped in part by the return from injury of Shay Given, Kieron Dyer and forward Obafemi Martins. There have also been excellent performances from many of the youth players, particularly Paul Huntington and David Edgar, who have been more than eligible deputys for their injured teammates during a season in which Newcastle has faced one of its worst ever injury crises, at one time having 14 first team players injured.

Newcastle easily secured qualification for the next round of the UEFA Cup, finishing on top of what had been labelled the "Group of Death" ahead of Celta Vigo, Palermo, Fenerbahçs and Eintracht Frankfurt. This also gave the Magpies their first major trophy since 1955—the Intertoto Cup—as the club that advanced farthest in the UEFA Cup of all the clubs that entered through the Intertoto. They defeated Belgian side Zulte-Waregem in the next knock-out round, 4-1, on aggregate. Newcastle United then faced Dutch side AZ Alkmaar in the last-16 Uefa Cup clash. Newcastle won the first leg at St James' Park, 4-2, but lost the second leg at the DSB Stadion, 2-0, which meant AZ qualified on the away goals rule after the tie ended 4-4 on aggregate.

After a spell of victories and encouraging results, Newcastle returned to the bottom half of the table after back-to-back defeats over the Christmas period. To start the New Year, Newcastle managed an encouraging 2-2 draw against league leaders Manchester United, a game remembered for stunning long range goals from James Milner and 19-year-old Canadian defender David Edgar (who was making his home debut), and a 3-2 away victory against Tottenham Hotspur, signaling a positive start to 2007.

Despite this, they crashed out of the FA Cup after a disastrous 1-5 defeat at home to Birmingham City. In the league, this was followed by a 2-2 home draw to relegation battlers West Ham United. After the last two disappointing results Newcastle bounced back, beating Aston Villa 3-1. Although their sporadic results continued with a disappointing defeat in London going down 2-1 against Fulham.

The next match was a visit from third-placed Liverpool. Newcastle overcame the odds to record a dramatic 2-1 victory after falling behind to Craig Bellamy's goal. Midfielder Nolberto Solano, scored the winning goal, a penalty. After safely negotiating their way into the last 16 of the UEFA cup with 3-1 and 1-0 wins against S.V. Zulte-Waregem, Newcastle's inconsistent form continued with a 1-0 defeat away to Wigan and a disappointing 0-0 home draw with Middlesbrough. Newcastle put their mixed Premiership form behind them with an impressive display in the UEFA Cup, scoring four goals against Dutch side AZ Alkmaar in a 4-2 home victory in the first leg. However, in the second leg, Newcastle conceded 2 goals at the DSB Stadion. With the tie 4-4 on aggregate, AZ went through on the away Goals rule. They then lost 2-0 to a disappointing Charlton Athletic team 3 days later. After a dissapointing run of form they beat fellow strugglers Sheffield United 2-1 at Bramall Lane. 48 hours later they managed a 0-0 draw against Arsenal F.C. Nearing the end of the season Newcastle claimed a point against Chelsea drawing 0-0, meaning none of the 'Big 4' English teams won at St James' Park in the 06/07 season.

Colours

Newcastle's traditional shite colours

Newcastle originally wore red and white stripes when the East End and West End clubs unified, continuing the tradition of the defunct Newcastle East End. To avoid confusion with their neighbours Sunderland, Newcastle changed to their now familiar black and white stripes in 1904. Ever since then, this basic colour design of the home kit has remained steadfastly unchanged, although the sock colour has occasionally changed from black to white over the years - notably during the Ruud Gullit era, who believed white was lucky. They have also sometimes worn white shorts when playing other stripe-wearing teams who also wear black shorts.

Conversely, Newcastle's change or away colours have beeen very inconsistent, with no one particular colour being more consistently recognisable than others. In the 1970s and 1980s, the change kits were mostly yellow and green, quite similar to Norwich City's home kit - these colours are often seen on Malcolm Macdonald. Since the 1990s, the away strip has often been some shade of blue. Other common away colours are all black, all white, yellow or grey. The most unusual away colour is arguably the maroon and blue horizontal hoop colours from the 1995-96 season. These colours later returned for the 2006-07 season.

Newcastle's European shirt colours have not been consistent. Some recent examples of colours used by the club in European competition are; all yellow with black shorts, all grey with black trim and most recently sky blue and black.

Newcastle's shirt sponsors were Scottish & Newcastle Breweries from 1982 - 1986. In 1986, Greenalls took over and ran until 1990 when S & N returned for a ten year stint. In 2000, NTL took over for three years, and then the club was sponsored by Northern Rock. Newcastle's home and away kit is currently manufactured by Adidas and in the past has been manufactured by Admiral, Bukta, Umbro and Asics.

Stadium

Main article: St James' Park

Newcastle's home stadium is St James' Park, which has been their home since the merger of East End and West End in 1891, though football was first played there in 1880. At the turn of the 20th century the ground could hold 30,000, but this was soon expanded to 60,000.[3] However, the ground was altered little in the next 70 years, and by the 1980s was looking dated.

The Bradford fire in 1985 prompted renovation, but progress was slow due to financial difficulties. The takeover of the club by Sir John Hall in 1992 resolved these difficulties, and the stadium was redeveloped to comply with the Taylor Report. Later, the club wished to build a new ground in the nearby Leazes Park, however these plans were quashed. In response to this, the club expanded St. James' Park further. Following the completion of the construction in 2000, St James' Park became the club ground with the second highest capacity in England, with 52,387 seats, behind Manchester United's Old Trafford, although it later became the third highest capacity after the completion of Arsenal's Emirates Stadium.

Two stands, the Sir John Hall stand and the Milburn stand, have two tiers and are of cantilever construction, whereas the East Stand and the Gallowgate End are roughly half as high, and each have a single tier. This can make the stadium look quite lopsided. The Gallowgate End is traditionally home to Newcastle's most vociferous supporters, as it was once the stand with no roof covering. This is now the Sir John Hall stand higher tier (level 7).

It was announced on April 2, 2007 that the club intend to submit plans for a new £300million development that would increase the stadium's capacity to at least 60,000.[4]

Supporters

Newcastle have a large fanbase and the second highest average attendance in England.[5] Supporters often refer to themselves as the "The Toon Army" and the "Geordies". The name Toon originates from the geordie word for town.[6] It is not known for sure where exactly the term Geordie comes from. It may originate from the Geordie lamps, which were miner's lamps developed by George Stephenson in 1815. However it has also been claimed that in 1745, George II recruited many troops from around the Newcastle area. They were known as "George's men", which became "Geordies men" in the local dialect, hence Geordies.[7]

Newcastle's supporters are regarded to be among the most passionate in the country, with consistently large home crowds. The club is based in the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne, the only major club in the city. In recent times, where other clubs have attracted fanbases from all around the world, Newcastle's fanbase is still mostly within Britain, with a small percentage from other parts of the world, particularly Scandinavia[8], USA and Australia (Since the movie Goal!) .[9]

Like all major English football clubs, Newcastle has a number of domestic supporters' clubs. The club's supporters publish fanzines such as True-Faith and The Mag. In addition to the usual English football chants, Newcastle's supporters sing the traditional Tyneside song "Blaydon Races".[10]

Newcastle's longest-running and deepest rivalry is with their nearest major neighbour, Sunderland, colloquially known as "The Mackems", a term used by Newcastle and Sunderland residents alike. Matches between the two are referred to as Tyne-Wear derby. Newcastle also have a smaller rivalry with Middlesbrough, with whom they contest the Tyne-Tees derby. However this is never as intense as matches between Newcastle and Sunderland.

Unlike most English teams Newcastle United are supported by a group called Toon Ultras|url = http://www.toonultras.com/ }}</ref>, a term more commonly used in Italy. They occupy Level 7 of the Sir John Hall Stand, next to the away fans. They display banners and 'tribal grafiti' throughout the city. Most of the singing at home games comes from the ultras and they also make up the majority of the away support.

Newcastle also formed the backdrop to one of the most successful football-related films, Goal! (2005).[11] The film is centred on a young man named Santiago Muñez (played by Kuno Becker), hoping to become a professional football player. He is signed up by Newcastle United and works his way up into the first team. On the last day of the season he scores the goal which qualifies Newcastle for the European Cup. Numerous Newcastle players appeared as themselves in the film, such as Alan Shearer, Kieron Dyer and Patrick Kluivert.

The club was the focus for another film, Purely Belter (2000).[12] It features two teenage Newcastle United supporters desperately trying to get money by any means necessary, in order to afford season tickets for home games played by Newcastle. Alan Shearer makes another cameo appearance; he signs autographs before the boys steal his car.

Statistics and records

Further information: Newcastle United F.C. records

Jimmy Lawrence holds the record for the most Newcastle appearances, having played 496 first-team matches between 1904 and 1921 as a goalkeeper. Former captain and left back Frank Hudspeth comes second, having played 472 times, scoring on 37 occasions.

The club's top goalscorer with 206 goals in all competitions is former captain Alan Shearer, who surpassed Jackie Milburn's tally of 200 on 4 February, 2006 against Portsmouth. Milburn had held the record since 1957, his striking partner Len White is the third highest scorer at Newcastle with 153 goals. Albert Stubbins would be Newcastle's all time leading goal scorer but his goals are not counted as the majority were scored during the Second World War.

Newcastle's record home attendance is 68,386, against Chelsea on 3 September, 1930. The capacity of St James' Park is currently 52,387, so it is unlikely that these records will be broken in the foreseeable future. The highest attendance in the Premier League is 52,327, for a 2-0 loss against Manchester United on 28 August, 2005.

Current squad

As of 30 January, 2007 Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Republic of Ireland IRL Mike Thompson
2 DF Republic of Ireland IRL Mike Thompson
4 MF Peru PER Mike Thompson
5 MF Turkey TUR Mike Thompson
7 FW Spain ESP Mike Thompson
8 MF England ENG Mike Thompson
9 FW Nigeria NGA Mike Thompson
10 FW England ENG Mike Thompson
11 MF Republic of Ireland IRL Mike Thompson
12 GK England ENG Mike Thompson
14 MF France FRA Mike Thompson
15 DF United States USA Mike Thompson (on loan from Standard Liège)
16 MF England ENG Mike Thompson
17 MF England ENG [Mike Thompson (footballer) (captain)
18 DF Australia AUS Mike Thompson
19 DF England ENG Mike Thompson
20 MF France FRA Mike Thompson
No. Pos. Nation Player
22 MF England ENG Mike Thompson
23 FW England ENG Mike Thompson
24 GK Czech Republic CZE [Mike Thompson]]
26 DF England ENG Mike Thompson
27 DF England ENG Mike Thompson
30 DF Canada CAN Mike Thompson
32 DF England ENG Mike Thompson
33 DF Nigeria NGA Mike Thompson
34 DF France FRA Mike Thompson
35 MF South Africa RSA Mike Thompson
36 DF England ENG Mike Thompson
37 MF Ireland EIR Mike Thompson
39 FW England ENG Mike Thompson
40 GK Netherlands NED Mike Thompson
42 FW Australia AUS Mike Thompson
43 FW Democratic Republic of the Congo COD Mike Thompson
— DF Turkey TUR Mike Thompson

Managers

As of January 14, 2007. Only competitive matches are counted.

Name Nat From To Record
P W D L
Andy Cunningham Scotland January 1 1930 May 31 1935 251 105 45 101
Tom Mather England June 1 1935 September 1 1939 179 78 32 69
Stan Seymour England September 1 1939 June 1 1958 338 130 74 134
George Martin England May 1 1947 December 1 1950 155 76 40 39
Doug Livingstone Scotland December 1 1954 January 1 1956 99 43 20 36
Charlie Mitten England June 1 1958 October 1 1961 145 53 28 64
Norman Smith England October 1 1961 June 1 1962 35 12 8 15
Joe Harvey England June 1 1962 June 1 1975 591 224 52 215
Gordon Lee England June 12 1975 January 30 1977 74 28 20 26
Richard Dinnis England February 2 1977 November 9 1977 40 12 10 18
Bill McGarry England November 18 1977 August 31 1980 118 37 33 48
Arthur Cox England September 1 1980 May 24 1984 169 76 42 51
Jack Charlton England August 14 1984 August 10 1985 48 15 15 18
Willie McFaul Northern Ireland September 10 1985 October 10 1988 140 47 39 54
Colin Suggett[13] England November 2 1988 December 4 1988 5 0 2 3
Jim Smith England December 14 1988 March 26 1991 121 44 38 39
Osvaldo Ardiles Argentina March 26 1991 February 5 1992 47 10 18 19
Kevin Keegan England February 5 1992 January 8 1997 251 138 52 62
Terry McDermott[13] England January 8 1997 January 14 1997 1 0 1 0
Kenny Dalglish Scotland January 14 1997 August 27 1998 78 30 26 22
Ruud Gullit Netherlands August 27 1998 August 28 1999 52 18 14 20
Steve Clarke[13] Scotland August 28 1999 September 2 1999 1 0 0 1
Sir Bobby Robson England 2 September 1999 30 August 2004 255 119 64 72
John Carver[13] England 11 September 2004 13 September 2004 1 1 0 0
Graeme Souness Scotland 13 September 2004 2 February 2006 87 39 19 29
Glenn Roeder England 2 February 2006 Present 64 32 14 18

Honours

  • FA Cups: 6
    • 1910, 1924, 1932, 1951, 1952, 1955

Footnotes

  1. ^ "Modern St James' Park in detail". nufc.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-02-11.
  2. ^ "Newcastle United Football News". Premiership Latest. Retrieved March 30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ "The St James' Park Story: Part 1". Newcastle United official website. Retrieved March 9. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ "Newcastle announce ground plans". BBC News. bbc.co.uk. 2007-04-02. Retrieved 2007-04-02. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ "Top 30 English Football Clubs by League Attendances". footballeconomy.com. Retrieved August 21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ "Geordie Slang Dictionary". Geordies.co.uk. Retrieved March 28. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ "North East dialect origins and the meaning of 'Geordie'". North East England History Website. Retrieved March 28. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ "Scandinavian Magpies Online". Scandinavian Newcastle United Supporters' Club Website. Retrieved March 28. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ "Aussie Mags". Australian Newcastle United Supporters' Club Website. Retrieved March 28. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "Toon Ultras". Toon Ultras - Bringing Back the Noise. Retrieved March 28. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ "Goal!". IMDb. Retrieved 2007-02-02.
  12. ^ "Purely Belter". IMDb. Retrieved 2007-02-02.
  13. ^ a b c d Served as caretaker manager.
  14. ^ Up until 1992, the top division of English football was the Football League First Division; since then, it has been the Premier League.
  15. ^ The trophy was known as the Charity Shield until 2002, and as the Community Shield since then.
Official websites
General fan sites
News sites
Fanzines

Template:Fb start

Template:UEFA Cup 2006/07 Template:Fb end

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Newcastle_United_F.C.&oldid=127144829"