Source: Daily_Mail
Geordies fear new dark age as anniversary party could turn into a wake
Forty years on and still the long shadows of the last Newcastle United side to lift silverware dominate the club. Now the even darker shadow of relegation is looming, too.
Testimonial dinner invitations have been sent out to former captain Bobby Moncur and the rest of his 1969 team-mates, who took the club's maiden voyage into Europe and came back with the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, forerunner of the UEFA Cup.
Silver memories: Moncur shows fans the Fairs Cup, with Willie McFaul and John McNamee (right) looking on
Forty years since one of the best and most passionately supported clubs in the world got their hands on a trophy. Forty years for loyal Geordie fans on a black-and-white rollercoaster.
The photographs of Moncur lifting the trophy are so old they are black and white, too, and many adorn the walls at St James' Park. Independent of the club, the dinner organisers are going some way to ensure a warm welcome for his squad and the public for an elaborate £100-a-head celebration on Friday, May 29.
Moncur will take the applause at the top table and no doubt at some point take the microphone, too, recalling an adventure which saw victories over Sporting Lisbon, Feyenoord, Real Zaragoza, Vitoria Setubal and Rangers and, of course, the 6-2 two-legged victory over Hungary's Ujpest Dozsa in the final.
Those heroes of '69 will take the stage just five days after Newcastle's final game of the 2008-09 season at Aston Villa and as the present squad are separated from the bottom three of the Barclays Premier League only by goal difference, turning those celebrations into a wake for today's underachievers cannot be ruled out.
It is 21 years since Newcastle last dropped out of the top flight and it took them another seven, and the full integration of Kevin Keegan's Entertainers, to recover fully.
Former Newcastle and Republic of Ireland defender John Anderson may be a proud Dubliner but Newcastle is his home now, and Newcastle United very much his club.
Flagging support: Newcastle fans show their dissatisfaction
Now a BBC Radio co-commentator, Anderson has spent more than a decade following the fortunes of the club around England and Europe, and he has seen their many guises since Keegan went so close to lifting the Premier League trophy in 1996 the many mercenaries, millionaires, magnificent players and mugs who have worn the shirt, the seven managers who have succeeded Keegan and his own recent abortive attempt to revive a troubled giant.
The current mob, who have undoubtedly been sidetracked by issues in the boardroom and Keegan's untidy departure at the start of the season, are a much better side than the one Anderson played in during the 1988 season when they were relegated with three games to go.
When we met at the ground on Thursday, I asked Anderson: 'Are things as bad as then?' He exploded into raucous throaty laughter.
'No,' he said. 'I knew you were going to ask that, but there were many things that went wrong that season, from the first day when we lost 4-0 at Everton, to the defeat to West Ham which sent us down.
Impossible job: Keegan could not repeat his success with Newcastle second time round
'It's funny the things you actually remember. I can't recallanything about that game itself, not even the result (it was 2-1 toWest Ham, John) but I do remember a guy running on to the pitch when we went behind, taking his Newcastle shirtoff, chucking it to the ground and kicking it into the turf.
'Afterwards in the dressing room, the reality of the situation hitme. I wanted someone to come into the room and just dig a big hole so Icould escape.
'Suddenly I realised I wouldn't be playing at Anfield, Old Trafford or Highbury every week, but travelling to places like Plymouth, Port Vale, Brighton and Oldham. The club was not a nice place to be and it was a strange environment to play your football in.'
Surely there are similarities then? 'I don't think it's as bad,' Anderson added. 'This season they have been hit by so many injuries to key players and losing Shay Given was a massive blow. The 1988 team couldn't use that as an excuse. We were just not good enough and we were too inconsistent.'
Moves by an independent supporters' group to have a say in club affairs under controversial owner Mike Ashley gathered pace on Thursday night with the formation of a new Supporters Trust.
They had originally formed as Newcastle United Supporters Club in the wake of Keegan's sacking in August and last night several hundred turned out to start a fresh campaign to gain an input into the running of the club by acquiring a stake in it.
Premier League bottom nine
To their credit, Newcastle fans have largely kept their opposition toAshley to themselves during home games, following the initial outburstof anger when their Messiah left.
But attendances have fallen below 50,000 for the first time since St James' was redeveloped in the Nineties and there are major concerns within the club about summer season-ticket sales, despite the decision to freeze prices.
This is the ground where Newcastle thrashed champions Manchester United 5-0, just months after throwing away the title to them. And where a year later, Tino Asprilla scored a Champions League hat-trick against Barcelona in one of the most memorable nights in their history, even possibly overshadowing the heroics of Moncur's boys.
Once Sir John Hall completed his buy-out and employed Keegan, Newcastle returned to the top division. They regularly held a place in the top three but now, like Leeds before them, Newcastle United are a club haunted by relegation.
But Anderson remains optimistic. 'I think this squad are too good to go down,' he said. 'There are poorer sides down there who they still have to play.
'I know they have Arsenal and Chelsea at home next and people will say they have no chance. But it's the games against Middlesbrough, Portsmouth and Fulham at home that must be won. That's when the pressure is on and if the wins don't come from those games, I'm afraid they'll deserve to go down.'
