Are Newcastle United ready for a familiar sight once again?
All throughout Europe, safe standing areas are seen often for various football clubs. Bundesliga sides certainly come to mind, and there have been moves made in recent times that could produce a return for standing supporters in the English Premier League.
Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer stated recently that he believes these areas will make a return to the top flight, with Manchester United and Old Trafford making noise on the subject. Grounds throughout the top two divisions have been banned from having these sections available after the Taylor Report was published in 1990.
The investigation was launched following the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, when 96 Liverpool fans sadly passed away at an FA Cup match.
“Man United need to give their fans a reason to cheer.”
— Coral (@Coral) February 17, 2018
.@alanshearer has his say on the Old Trafford atmosphere: https://t.co/37xCQATfQB
In a column for Coral, Shearer recalled his own time spent in the Gallowgate End at St. James’ Park and why that special atmosphere should be back at some point.
“Last Sunday at St James’ Park, Newcastle went after United in the early stages of the game and that really got the crowd going. For 90 minutes it was a brilliant atmosphere, probably one of the best they have had there for a long time.
I understand there has been a group who have been campaigning to introduce safe standing at Old Trafford.
As a kid I was brought up going to the Gallowgate end at Newcastle and I loved it. I do think safe standing will eventually return to Premier League grounds.”
Newcastle United’s Toon Army: The most loyal 12th man in the EPL https://t.co/zW0MroOgQR via @newcastletoons pic.twitter.com/RZyiUbsFrM
— FanSided Soccer (@FanSidedSoccer) January 5, 2018
Positives and negatives
For supporters, the re-introduction of standing at St. James’ Park would be nothing short of amazing. As Shearer touched on, an entire generation of Toon fans had the joy of experiencing it.
However, there would of course be concerns. The ultimate goal of the Taylor Report was to find ways to prevent tragedies from striking again, so the security of the grounds would be extremely important to look at.
Overall, enough time has passed that some clubs should be able to give the plans an environment to test within. It seems that Manchester United may be considering it, with others likely also.
Next: Alan Shearer's top five goals for Newcastle United
Newcastle United and the Toon Army create a surreal atmosphere at St. James’ Park. For many, standing areas returning would only enhance that mood.