This is my tale of how I became a Newcastle United fan.
I’m now 56 and my story starts some 34 years ago.
A very drunken night in London, back in 1992.
My eldest brother, a lifelong Liverpool fan, someone forgive him, told me: “Listen John, you’re in England now, listen around you, they’re all talking football, so ye gotta pick a team…”
When I grew up and the schools I went to, you couldn’t play English games. Rule 16 GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association), so football didn’t interest me, the World Cup and European Cup aside.
So that drunken night in London, for some odd reason I saw/dreamed…still to this day a bit hazy…a Newcastle game they won, which if they had lost they would have went down to the 3rd division, won 2-1.
I looked at (older brother) Des and said: “Well there ye are, that’s me.”
He said: “Are ye sure, because once ye pick, ye can never change, through thick and thin…”
What a football journey.
Kevin Keegan bang bang. Just missed winning the big league, just missed cups.
True ups and downs.
The FCB doldrums, Rafa Benitez a shining light.
Then Eddie Howe.
Words aren’t superlative enough to describe his four years so far.
He has built us a fantastic foundation, despite the starting point he had, all the challenges, all the obstacles in his way, stupid FFP and all the other three letter acronyms, ha.
Eddie Howe gets the club, just like he did with Bournemouth.
In Eddie and his staff we should trust.
Love to all Magpies out there far and wide.
We Are The Toon.
(Many thanks to John for his excellent first ever article on The Mag. If you would like to do the same, send to contribute@themag.co.uk, if you want any extra guidance you can have a look at Submit An Article)