Keegan. The Player!
By Dave Eadevic
November 3 2011
I have actually spent about half my life away from Newcastle, although born and raised in the city I have frequently lived elsewhere for years at a time. And when I am away and I think of home, I invariably think of St James. True the iconic picture of Newcastle may well be the Tyne Bridge, but it’s the ground that makes me homesick.
St James’ at the time of my youth was, if truth be told a bit shabby. But then again grounds were then.
But as Saturday afternoon rolled around, finances permitting I would be in my place in the corner or the Gallowgate (the flag end). The football on offer if truth be told in the late 70s was a bit dire, so the sight of a few hairy arsed Geordies dressed as nuns conducting the Gallowgate in a rendition of bringing in the sheep, was as much about our sanity as it was supporting the team.
Then I moved away for 4 years, in the days before internet, English football news was fairly thin on the ground in Italy, news on Newcastle even more so, there was of course the odd letter from home, and even the odd trip back, but all in all I lived in a blackout of news.
So with this is in mind, imagine the shock when Keegan signed for us?
I was actually back in Newcastle having recently left school and had foisted myself on my older brother for a few weeks, dragging my hangover around to the paper shop to grab in black and white what the radio was telling me. We had signed the England captain. (For pedants I realise he was dropped but at the time he was still officially captain).
Us! Second division going nowhere fast, us.
This was unquestionably the most important event of my life, there was no way I was about to miss this. Pausing only long enough to inform my mother, that not only will I not be home in time for tea, but I wouldn’t be home for about a year I set out on two years of watching my side that I still remember fondly until this day.
His debut was a 1-1 draw against QPR. He of course scored, claiming that the Gallowgate sucked the ball into the back of the net for him. I’m not sure about that I remember having all the breath knocked out of me when he did score and thousands of Geordie’s piled on each other.
There was something in the air, something magical. Looking back I suppose it was hope. We were used to disappointment. My generation really couldn’t remember Supermac, so I suppose Keegan was our first Icon.
Tyneside in the early 80s was a dreadful place, without getting all political, Thatcher had ruined a generation, sucked the life and hope out of whole communities, while making herself and a few bum chums rich.
With little to look forward to Keegan offered a chance to forget and to watch something beautiful on a Saturday afternoon.
Of course it couldn’t last, for Keegan or myself. 2 years we got out of it, when that helicopter flew out of St James, I was already back in Verona and would stay there for another 5 years
And every time I thought of home, I thought of the ground and of Keegan.
Regardless of what came later, I will always remember him fondly.
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As a player it was just before my time of being allowed to go to the game, but always remember in Auf Wiederseren Pet, and the end of the series when OZ couldn't decide if he was going back to the Toon or staying in Germany, that his decision was made when he read the news of Keegan signing as a player. I would loved it to have those memories of him playing as my uncle said what a fantastic player he was.
Yeah I have saw the clips on TV, but it is nothing like it when you go to the game live.
When I was first going to the game on a regular basis, was when Gazza burst onto the scene, loved those times on the terraces and the atmosphere was brilliant
