The emotional journey from 1997 to present day Newcastle United

We take a trip from 1997 to 2018 through the eyes of a young Newcastle United supporter.

A young boy of ten sits in front of the television, the hairs standing up on the back of his neck. “Dad, is it always like this?”, he asks excitedly, the black and white of Newcastle United filling the screen.

“No, son, it’s not. But, we’re in a golden era for the club. Enjoy it, son. This club is special, and more times like this will come. We’re here to stay,” says the father with a beaming smile across his face.

The doors opened within the heart of the boy. A magpie flew in and perched its nest. A love began. Who were to know that this love was to become conflicted? Conflicted by a disinterested owner, by a club who no longer excites.

This is his conflicted analysis of decisions made by his boyhood club, remembering the good days, looking at the poor decisions, and living in hope for the future.

The year is 1997 and Newcastle United have just beaten Barcelona, 3-2, at St. James’s Park. The enigma that is Faustino Asprilla has just completed his hat-trick and the deafening bass through the television of a raucous home crowd fills the living room and imprints a feeling on the boy’s brain which will live with him for the rest of his life. Newcastle United, the club his father has adored for his whole life, has just beaten the legendary Barcelona and forged a place in his heart.

Newcastle United, at this point, are everyone’s second favourite team. ‘The Entertainer’s’ era is at its peak. Newcastle United are a club that plays attractive and relentlessly attacking football, the likes of which most clubs’ fans would only dream of. The club is steaming forward at heady heights. Yes, they may have spectacularly collapsed in the race for the Premier League title only a year previously, however, this is a club in the ascendancy. A club that is only going forward. A club that will push boundaries and eventually reward its loyal, honest-to-God fans with the trophy it so honestly deserves. Newcastle United are where they belong, among the elite.

So, in the preceding 21 years – how has it all gone wrong? How have decisions within the club, and factors outside it, contributed to a club currently languishing in the lower half of the Premier League and more crucially, struggling to compete with the best? Struggling to play on the front foot during games. Struggling to excite and inspire the next generation of supporters. Struggling for an identity.

You can argue that there are key decisions, some utterly ludicrous and knee-jerk, over the past 21 years that contributed to these struggles. Was it Kevin Keegan’s overarching disappointment over not bringing home a trophy, before packing his bags in 1997? The failed Ruud Gullit experiment that, despite yielding an FA cup final appearance, marginalised his captain and club icon Alan Shearer in 1999? Maybe it was the sacking of Sir Bobby Robson in 2004? Perhaps it has been the last crucial decision of denying Newcastle of a genuinely world-class manager, until the appointment of Rafa Benitez in 2015.

There are many decisions over the last 21 years that have built up, and lead to where the club is at now. What is the worst and most damaging decision made in that time? Sir John Hall’s decision to sell his shares of the club to one Mike Ashley.

If you look back and think to your feelings in August 2007, after Mike Ashley had completed the transaction of the final shares of the club to now own 100%, can you look back and not say you were excited? A billionaire had just taken the steps to own Newcastle United. A billionaire. The years of Graeme Souness and Glenn Roeder were behind us. We now had the ability to compete with Roman Abramovic’s Chelsea. Financially, we were in the ascendency. How wrong we were…

The 2007-2008 season did not get off to a great start. It was unspectacular if anything. So when ‘Big Sam’ was relieved of his duties in January 2008, Mike Ashley endeared himself to the supporters by convincing Kevin Keegan – Yes, the Kevin Keegan – to return to a role he’d left 11 years earlier having created a new dawn for our club. The good days were coming back. ‘King Kev’ had returned.

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“Here we go, Dad. Here we go. Now, we fight again.” How wrong we were…

Fast forward ten years later and where are we? I’m not going to speak too much about the last 10 years. Mike Ashley’s negligence, and abuse, in charge of Newcastle United is too well publicised that it would be futile to do my analysis on the club under him, and what he has done. What I will do, is look at one major decision he has made that has been the main contributor to where Newcastle United now find themselves. The decision? That Newcastle United does not need significant investment in an era of football where clubs are spending 75 million pounds on defenders.

I could spend the next few paragraphs speaking about many sub-factors or decisions that have led us here, but lack of investment is the core area.

Newcastle have experienced 2 relegations from the Premier League in the last 11 years. Our club-record fee for a player, Michael Owen, was in 2005. The current playing squad, whilst dedicated and passionate, is comprised of players who are high in work rate but lower in overall quality and depth that is needed. The academy is failing, and despite 3 or 4 excellent prospects, offers little in the way of future progression to the first team. Yes, Newcastle have a world-class manager in Rafa Benitez, but in order to be world-class and world-beating, you need the tools to be able to compete.

Newcastle United, with the factors above, have resorted to a style of football that can only be described as ‘survivalist’. Sit deep, absorb pressure, counter-attack, and don’t lose. Don’t lose. That’s poignant. Newcastle no longer strikes fear into the opposition. We haven’t for a long time.

Survival is the only aim. Stay in the Premier League. Accrue as many points as possible to stay above the line. Hope for mid-table. Survive.

“Dad, why do you support this club? They’re awful! They never win!”. Can you imagine your son or daughter saying as they sit with you to watch your beloved club? This is the club that you watched as a child, teenager or adult, swashbuckling and scything through teams. The difference now is, they don’t swashbuckle. They survive.

Tino Asprilla’s hat-trick was 21 years ago, but for the next generation of supporter, it’s over a lifetime ago. Mike Ashley may finally sell the club soon. We can only hope that in the near future, we’ll be able to sit beside a new generation of supporter that has a love affair with Newcastle United bestowed upon them like it was for that 10-year-old – for all of us. We live in hope that we discover our identity again.

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The conflict of that love for Newcastle United is one borne out of frustration on decisions. Rafa Benitez and his squad have given us everything they have. We live in hope of a Newcastle that is United again. We live in hope of an ambitious club that tries.

I live in hope of a non-conflicted love.