It’s been a while since I paid homage to some of Newcastle United’s stellar performers of yesteryear – so today the spotlight will shine down on former wing wizard ‘Bobby’ Mitchell.
Robert Mitchell was born in Glasgow in 1924. He began his career in 1942, having signed on with Third Lanark, scoring 42 goals in 70 appearances. If you are wondering who the heck Third Lanark are? That would be because the club was liquidated in 1967 after 95 years as a relatively successful Glaswegian side. That made them 20 years older than Newcastle.
Bobby would spend 7 years at the club known as ‘Hi Hi Hi’, but a fair chuck of that was spent serving as a telegraphist in the Royal Navy, having been active in the Mediterranean and Pacific.
Known affectionately to the Toon Army as Dazzler, Mitchell joined the Newcastle United ranks in February 1949 for a fee of £16,000 (a record fee for a winger). That is about £350,000 in today’s money and goes to show how far commercialism of the game has driven player values up – as although he was not a household name at that point, a player of his talent this day in age would no doubt cost at least a few million quid.
Dazzler operated on the left wing and in his first season he featured in the famous Black and White colours alongside Toon greats such as Joe Harvey, Jackie Milburn and George Robledo. Mitchell chipped in with 8 goals and plenty of assists to help Newcastle to a 4th place finish in the First Division.
The success would continue for the next 6 or 7 years, resulting in 5 FA Cup finals and several top 5 finishes in the league. 3 of the FA Cup finals resulted in victories, with Mitchell featuring heavily in all of them. Mitchell earnt Scottish caps against Denmark and France in May 1951. The Scots won both games and Bobby even netted against the Danes, but he would not go on to make any more than 2 national appearances. If anybody knows why this was the case, then please enlighten us, as I for one would be very interested in knowing the story there.
In 1952 Newcastle United became the first team to retain the FA Cup since 1891 by defeating Arsenal in a tightly contested affair that was put to bed by a Robledo header following a Milburn cross. Below you will find highlights of the semi final replay against Blackburn, which was decided by a Mitchell penalty.
Newcastle’s league form fluctuated after this, but Dazzler’s impressive speed and dribbling skills ensured he remained a consistent performer – and he helped the side to an 8th place finish in 1955 with 19 goals, finishing as the clubs top scorer.
He was not done there though and went on to lift the FA Cup for a 3rd and final time against Manchester City. The game was effectively over in the 22nd minute when Mitchell used his skills to turn City defender Meadows inside out, causing him to sustain a game ending injury and leaving the Citizens with 10 men. Those days substitution did not exist and the extra man would grind the Manchester side down. Mitchell produced a goal and an assist to help the Toon to a 3-1 victory and cap off arguably one of the most successful era’s in Newcastle United history. See the magic unfold here >>>>
Dazzler would continue to represent the Magpies until 1961, when he secured a move to Berwick Rangers before retirement. His links to the region dis not end there though and he returned to manage Gateshead for 3 years until 1966 and then ran two bars into the 1970’s. The first was the Cradlewell in Jesmond and the latter was the Lochside in Heaton. Bobby Dazzler Mitchell passed away as a naturalised Geordie at Newcastle in 1993.
All in all, Dazzler made 410 appearances for Newcastle United, scoring 113 goals and winning 3 FA Cups. A true Newcastle United great.
*I get a lot of my information about past Toon Stars from the excellent site spartacus educational, who deserve big praise for keeping our past leading lights shining brightly.
Wow Sham, great read, all before my time but so nice that those special moments and players are on film for the younger generation to enjoy. Actually those Pathe clips are pretty good quality for 1955. Amazing how many people are in the crowd, positively heaving in both matches, clearly unsafe but shows what huge followings clubs had before many were priced out the game. I would imagine the likes of Mitchel would cost millions in todays money and likely not be playing for us sadly.
kimtoon(Quote)
Thanks sham, good to see the old videos
Premandup(Quote)
Billy Liddell of Liverpool was the reason for lack of caps for Bobby Mitchell – he was totally different more direct and a cannonball shot
David Twizell(Quote)
Thanks David. Just read up on him. Sounds like he was an exceptional talent.
Shamrock(Quote)
Thanks Sham – absolutely amazing videos. Probably groundbreaking stuff to have cameras in the dressing room before the game.
Bobby Dazzler indeed!
georgio(Quote)
SHAM cheers mate i love these old vids this one brings back such a memory,i was a young kid with dad and what a laugh we had this day watching bobby he went round the keeper three times the keeper was going crazy diving all over trying to get the ball to round it off bobby sat on the ball on the goal line before knocking it in crazy day,i cannot for the live of me remember who we were playing as that was what kept going over and over again in my head,thanks for that memory once again Sham 😆 😆
icedog(Quote)
Sham – nice article mate.
A bit before my time, but one Bobby that wasn’t before my time was this fella:
http://c.newsnow.co.uk/A/2/847539286?-11058:809:0
Sharpy17(Quote)
Agent Mino Raiola made 30m euros (£25.17m) from the summer transfers of his players Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan to Manchester United – more than Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo makes in a year.
I’m in the wrong job!!!
Sharpy17(Quote)
Great story Ice ? Glad the thread brought back some good memories for you.
Shamrock(Quote)
I dont post too often as i dont get to see games much so prefer to read, but i Really like the history articles.
i grew up watching SuperMac, Jinky Smith and Hibbert etc but always heard the tales of Mitchell and Robledo et al from my old man.
The lead pic is fab.
I assume its at St James’ Park. If so, does anyone know if that’s the terraces before the east stand was built?
GlosMag(Quote)
It looks very much like it,good spotting
Icedog(Quote)
Glos nice to ‘meet’ you. A lot of us don’t get to watch games because we are all from all parts of the Country and the Globe – but the craic is good in each others company and its always a pleasure to have a new poster – so do drop in often ? Re; SuperMac etc – I will knock something up from that era in the next month or so – so keep an eye out! I like these threads because it educates me about the culture and tradition of the Toon.
Shamrock(Quote)
The early camera shots show the old east terrace side and the edge of the old leases end roof that went around the corner onto the east terrace.
The video of the dressing room shows some of great 1950’s side – Wor Jackie, Charlie Crow, Bobby Cowell, Big Frank and Wor Dazzler.
I was lucky enough to go to the 1955 Final. What a fabulous day with my everlasting memory being of captain Jimmy Scoular having an absolute blinder of a match. His long raking passes from right-half to The Dazzler continually putting the Man City players on the back foot and Jimmy Meadows injury came as a result of Bobby Mitchell collecting one of Jimmy’s passes and turning Meadows inside out. It wasn’t a foul but Meadows caught his studs in the Wembley turf trying to get the ball off Mitchell. It was quite early in the game and after Wor Jackie scored one of his few headed goals but what a ‘real purler’ it was – it flew into the net and it was only about a minute after the start.
Thanks for brining back some lovely memories of my days at the Toon. In those days I travelled all over England to watch the Lads. All of the London grounds bar Crystal Palace, Plymouth, Bristol Rovers, Forest, Notts County, Swindon, Man Utd and City, Carlisle, Glasgow Rangers and Celtic. I even went to watch Wor Jackie’s first game for Linfield after Newcastle chucked him oot.
I’ve got a print on my wall of Newcastle legends and ther’s only one of those pictured that I never saw playing. That was Stan Seymour who played for thr Toon In the 1920’s, slightly before my time! I’m now in my eighties and no longer live in Newcastle so am not able to walk to SJP like I used to – thus saving my money to follow Newcastle. I came back from a Fulham match on the train with Ken McKenzie and a cub reporter called John Gibson from the Newcastle Journal. We had just been thrashed 4-0 by Fulham with a lad called Allen Clarke getting a hat-trick. I wrote to Joe Harvey, the United manager urging him to sign him up but Don Revie of Leeds Utd signed him on. Clarke became an England player. Don Revie, by the way, played at centre-forward for Man. City on the day we beat them in 1955 at Wembley. Oh, some lovely memories.
Tom Page(Quote)
Tom, fabulous stories there about some of our past players. I absolutely love hearing about the glory days from people that actually lived it and breathed it. Thanks for sharing. ?⚽
Shamrock(Quote)
Tom, if you ever fancy expanding on some of your Toon travels, I’d be honoured to publish it as an article for everybody else to get an insight into the Toon heyday.
Shamrock(Quote)
I think we would all like that Tom
Premandup(Quote)
In your 80s and online – doubly impressive. I know some 80 year olds who have never sent an email in their life, and a woman who is now 91 who has never ever used the internet.
Would love to read some stories from days of yore. Well done on this one, Sham. If there was an award for best Toon blog writer I reckon you’d be in with a shout.
brisvegas(Quote)
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/newcastle-1955-fa-cup-final-7141790
further brilliant memories of the 50’s….
Munich Mag(Quote)
brisvegas, here here !
It would be splendid if you could find the time to enthrall us with your memories of times gone by following the toon. It would be really appreciated !
Munich Mag(Quote)
Tom, wonderful vivid memories you have, must of been great to see the Toon win at Wembley. I agree with Sham and Prem, we need stories like yours so do post more often. 🙂
kimtoon(Quote)
Agree on both counts Bris
kimtoon(Quote)
I’m just a 62 yo spring chicken, MM. And I only got to see Newcastle play from 1964-1970. Ahh, yes, time enough to see the Fairs Cup final, and a promotion when barely a decade into this life.
It would 20-odd years further on before I next saw the lads play at St James’.
brisvegas(Quote)
TOM how lucky you were mate to be at the 55 game,i was with my dad in the town to cheer the lads home that day then off into SJP to see the cup being held up and little talk by the players,one of my best moments was going to home and away games when we won the fairs cup in 69 and beating some great teams along the way it was a great prize those days when there was no such thing as CL so really we were the champions of Europe then,i was really proud as dad got the two tickets for the away leg off J Harvey who he knew quite well,my best laugh of those days was when we played one of the best teams in Europe at SJP we were getting beat then a giant snowstorm hit SJP their players stood with their mouths open never seeing snow before we went on to beat them 5.2 great days mate
icedog(Quote)
Bris I’m 54 and know whee you’re coming from ☺. Maybe you can write a blog post about the time we won the Texaco Cup, or the day you met Troy Stavers in the toon ? Apart from that, and aside from the entertainers years or the Champions League years, “success” has been a bit thin on the ground at SJP.
Maybe we should change the definition of success at NUFC as “wow that was a canny goal/game/day/weekend/night oot”… not a lot of silverware, but some great memories….where the actual sporting event is somewhat secondary ?
Munich Mag(Quote)
Icedog were you in Hungary for the final against Ujpest Doza ?!
Munich Mag(Quote)
i was mate,bobby did us proud,more so as he never really scored goals
icedog(Quote)
I reckon the “Sir John Hall and Kevin Keegan years” was one of the greatest eras in the toons history. Relatively devoid of silverware but massive at the same time..
Anyone who went through the stages of standing on the “real’ Leazes End, sitting in the famous old wooden west stand, to standing on the half demolished soulless Leazes End, then watched the transition of a tip of a ground to the magnificent citadel we sport today… now that was magnificent progress.
2 relegations in 10 years under Ashley and Charnley really show how to make a sows ear out of a silk purse, and the purpetrators are still at it…
Munich Mag(Quote)
Icedog, brilliant stuff mate, I never knew that !
Aye Bobby Moncur did the toon proud that week didn’t he, and has fully deserved his legend status imo, though it is sad too see his seemingly blind support for our owner…
Munich Mag(Quote)
This agent Mino Raiola seems like a bit of a lad, good luck to him too, if someone is mental enough to pay the fees being questioned then why not.
Munich Mag(Quote)
tell you what mate,the place gave me the willys a bit,people seemed frightened to kinda live a normal life,cops walking about with machine guns and the like,people seemed on edge all the time strange ganning ons
icedog(Quote)
MM bobby is a bit of a crawl **** imo,type of bloke anywhere for a little apple,wor peter B is of the same stamp
icedog(Quote)
icedog, you’re into something there mate, though Beardsley is one of the greatest toon players i have ever seen.. Hopefully with Rafa at the healm we’ll see all the toon coaches pulling in the same direction, no more of those weekends where every toon team from seniors to under 15’s all lost, soul destroying !
Munich Mag(Quote)
icedog, Hungary was probably still suffering from the 56 uprising mate, hence all the dodgy geezers at the game…
where there many mags at the game ?
Munich Mag(Quote)
I hate this period without games once the season starts, so my thanks to all the contributors to this blog , which will hopefully keep me sane until we play Derby.
Groucho(Quote)
Groucho me old shagnasty, think positive, at least your saturday night isn’t being spoiled by the losers in b&w ?
Munich Mag(Quote)
MM, are you channeling Stuart these days, mate?
brisvegas(Quote)
bris, what do you mean mate, channeling ?
Munich Mag(Quote)
never saw that many on my left there were maybe 150/200 max think some of them were Hungary (toon fans) nee tops just flags,cops in the street with guns not my idea of harmony
icedog(Quote)
You know, what some people do with aliens.
brisvegas(Quote)
Bris, are you saying Stuart is an alien ?
Munich Mag(Quote)
Ice 150 – 200 was canny in those days, pity you didn’t take a couple of selfies 🙂
Munich Mag(Quote)
😆 😆 😆 😆
icedog(Quote)
Well I don’t see anything different about England to what I saw at the Euro’s . Still lacking in invention and any real penetration .
kimtoon(Quote)
KIM your keen of a treat wattching it mate,better you than me,ime watching the clouds go bye 😆
icedog(Quote)
Wonderful article Shamrock. One of the true greats.
GeordieTwo(Quote)
that red been coming
kimtoon(Quote)
Ice, It’s awful Sturridge flatters to deceive and Rooneys too deep for me.
kimtoon(Quote)
ffs, finally score and it’s off side
kimtoon(Quote)
Get in Lallana, wel if anyone was gonna get one today it was him, by far the most creative on the pitch.
Late winner for Fat Sam.
All over 0.1 🙂
kimtoon(Quote)
There was a lovely article about Tony Green visiting The North East on a blog. Tony, Peter Beardsley, Geo. Hannah and during my introduction to NUFC as a kid was another ball-player called Harry Clifton. All of them could slot the ball through the eye of a needle and made numerous chances for some of the great Newcastle centre-forwards. I was privileged to see the great Albert Stubbins, a Wallsend lad that scored goals for fun. He had to – him and the others during and after the war were paid absolute coppers, along with a packet of fags as a bonus.
I was at SJP when we beat Newport County 13-0 and saw Len Shackleton score six goals on his debut for the Toon. Stan Seymour signed Len from another league team called Bradford Park Avenue to be the foil for Jack Milburn and it worked a treat until Lennie fell out with the Newcastle board over bonus payments and Seymour sold him to Sunderland where he continued to play well and score goals for them.
Jack Milburn couldn’t half hit a ball. I remember we were playing somebody (I seem to recall it was Barnsley) in the old second division. It was winter time and had rained all the night before but on the Saurday it was fine, but cold. Anyway, the game was going on after half-time and the lads were kicking towards the old Gallowgate end. In those days the wing-halves would belt the old leather case ball to Jackies right hand side and waist-high and he would swivel round and hit the ball towards the goal. This day the ball must have about the same weight as a lead one. Jack hit it on the turn and it flew towards the net only for the goalie to dive to his right and palm it over the bar. The goalie then dropped to his knees holding his hands under his shoulders. His trainers (not physios in those days) raced onto the field with their bucket of water and ‘magic sponge’ and started to pour the cold water onto his hands complete with his old woollen gloves. Jack had hit the ball so hard the goalies hands must have been stinging until the day he passed away!
Newcastle have always had a useless board of directors. After the War, Stan Seymour ruled the roost. He and another bloke called McKeag, a solicitor in the town, were at war in the boardroom. Seymour had signed one of the best centre-halls ever to grace SJP called Frank Brennan. Frank had been playing for Aberdeenuntil we signed him. He was called Big Frank and if you’d seen him you would know why. He was massive. He was as broad across the shoulders as as was high! He stood well over 6 feet tall and any ball into the penalty area was always his. Whether it was in the air or on the ground Frank would be relied on to win it. However, Frank made fatal error towards the end of his playing days at the Toon to open a sports shop. Unfortunately for Frank, Seymour had already had an established sports shop at the corner of Market St. and Pilgram St. So when Frank opened his shop the writing was on the wall and, sure enough, Seymour did everything in his power to ruin Frank. At the height of their war Frank had moved his shop to Gallowgate, a stone throw from St. James.
In return Seymour, a former England international left-winger from Stanley, got rid of Frank from Newcastle. The wonderful Big Frank finally signed for North Shields and played out his footballing days there. Frank was what later became termed as a ‘stopper’ – but what a stopper he was. He, also played a blinder at Wembley in 1955. In fact, he was our centre half at all our victorious Cup Finals in the fifties. First, he partnered Joe Harvey and Charlie Crowe in the 1951/2 Finals then Jimmy Scoular and Ted Robledo in the ’55 Final.
Those were some days, my friends.
Tom Page(Quote)
My goodness what on earth are Hoddle, Wright and the other diddy Dixon blathering on about ?
England ARE a Championship team with a Championship manager :-)…
Munich Mag(Quote)
Tom, more great stuff, love the bit about the goalies hands stinging 😆 makes you wonder what these great players would be like today with so much fancy equipment to help them and physio’s prolonging careers.
kimtoon(Quote)
It was pretty dull stuff MM, and truth be told no better than under Roy 🙄
kimtoon(Quote)
Tom Page, absolutely brilliant stuff, thanks ever so much for the brilliant posts, keep them coming !!
I remember playing with leather footys and boots which you had to put dubbin on, when I was a bairn. If you headed one of those balls when it was wet then you really knew about it…for Wor Jackie to get so much power into one of those heavy balls must have been amazing !
Munich Mag(Quote)
Just watched Germany annihalate Norway in the first half in Oslo 0-2 Germany, man what a side…but Norway are absolutely whoeful !
Munich Mag(Quote)
aye and what aboot changing the studs in those days what chow,i used to file a couple of them down to nearly a point,just for grip you nay 😉 😉 wouldnt get away with now as they check them,as if i would rake down the back of the leg to slow them doon,perish the thought 😀 😀
icedog(Quote)
To Icedog, Munich Mag & all followers of the Toon
Just a few more of my recollections of following my team.
In the 1955 final we were given a corner inside the first minute and a little right winger stepped up to take it. He swung over an absolute beauty straight on the head of our centre forward, Jackie Milburn. Fortunately, not being renowned as a good header of the ball, Jackie thumped the ball into the roof of the net all the Geordies in the crowd went wild with delight. The little lad on the right wing was called Len Wight who Seymour had signed from Rotherham. When Seymour eventually got rid of Jackie, Seymour converted Lennie from the wing into playing centre forward. What a grand centre forward he became. Note to the Ed -do a blast from the past on Len White so the people who follow can realise what our tradition of CF’s really was!
Lennie was only about my height (5’7″) but he had this ability to appear to hang in the air when free kicks or corners were taken and scored a stack of goals with his head. However, he developed thighs like tree trunks and could hit the old leather case ball really hard. Not only that but he could dribble the ball a bit like Bobby Dazzler so when he was putting all that together he became a real fans favourite. Unfortunately, Lennie was never capped by Englan but did get selected for the Football League team.
So we have had some wonderful centre forwards to have played for NUFC.
My Dad was taken by my grandfather to the inaugural match at SJP in 1892 when they played Glasgow Celtic. They were there to watch my grand uncle who played full back for Celtic that day. His name was Danny Doyle. From the age of 9 years he followed Newcastle through one of their glory timesin the Edwardian period largely because one of his teachers was another great player, Colin Veitch who was the captain of Newcastle then.
My Dad used to always refer to players of that time such as CF Bill Appleyard. Apparently, Bill was built like the proverbial brick ********* and would often charge at goalkeepers who were daft enough to catch and hold onto the ball. Often knocking them into the net complete with the ball. It was all legal in those far off days. Another he liked was Ronald Orr, a Scottish international inside forward but his favourite was an England international called Jimmy Howie. Howie was a ball playing inside forward and a popular player with the fans. In those days the goalie was also an England international, Jimmy Lawrence. They also had a Scottish international, RS McColl, who when he finished playing opened a string of tobacconist shops across Scotland and Northern England.Another favourite of the time was the famous Bill McClaren. He was the man who got the offside rules changed by the FA. Bill would see the opposition playing their football and as they were about to breach the defence and head for the goal would step up and the opposing forwards would be deemed offside.
So the FA made the rule that a player was only offside if only one player was between the opposition and the goal not the two as previous.
He used to regale me with stories about Sammy Weaver, another England international, who played for the Toon after my Dad returned from the First War. He was renowned for his long throw-ins into the oppositions penalty areas. Apparently he was pretty good on the ground as well!
Then came his all-time favourite. He was signed by Newcastle from Aidrieonians for around £8000. The one and only great Wee Hughie. My Dad thought he was magnificent. Hughie had everything you would want in a footballer. He could shoot, he could dribble, he could head a goal!
At the end of the Second World War my dad said to me one night “come on son, I’m going to take you to see a footballer the like of which you’ll never see again”.
From my memory, he took me to Simonside Park, South Shields where a football match was being held for the soldiers returning from the War. In those days the FA Amature Cup was won every year by Bishop Aukland so most of their players were playing. The cantre half for the Bishops side was the son of the great Sunderand player, Warney Creswell. The other team consisted of a selection of NUFC players with Wee Hughie at CF. He was then in his forties, working at Huwoods on Team Valley as a labourer, drinking like a fish, overweight and smoking like a trooper. He lasted for about half-an-hour but in that time I saw Hughie run young Cresswel ragged. He had Cresswel all over the park, scored two super goals, twisted and turned his marker inside out. When he left the field he was cheered to the rafters. What a player that night. On the way home my Dad said you’ve just seen the finest CF Newcastle’s ever had.
How I wish I had seen in his prime playing for the Toon! What a wonderful player he must have been.
More memories if you want them, can follow.
Tom Page(Quote)
Tom, I will email you shortly. If you would like to email a couple of your stories, I will feature them as an article in the next few days so that they do not get missed.
Shamrock(Quote)
Tom re: your Len White suggestion. Already done some time ago. Click on the link to have a look ?
https://www.nufcblog.co.uk/2015/05/18/blast-from-the-past-len-white/
Shamrock(Quote)
Tom, I could sit and listen to you all day mate. Re the McColl reference, that’s an unusual spelling of that name which also happens to be my maiden name. The tobacco shops you mention, is that the same as Martin McColl as we have them all over the south west?
kimtoon(Quote)
Shamrock,
As my Dad worked on the railway he could get what were called ‘passes’ for the train so we were at the York match that day. Following that win some idiot connected to Newcastle decided to buy the York City’s centre forward called Arthur Bottomley. He was next to being useless. After Jackie and Vic Keeble (who is another story) Bottomley couldn’t “knock the skin off a rice pudding” – quoting my old Dad.
Tom Page(Quote)
Kimtoon,
I honestly don’t know about a Martin McCall. But I do remember going into an RS McCall shop to buy my pipe tobacco when I smoked in the 1960’s and talking to the shops manager who told me that RS was then dead and had been for some years!
Tom Page(Quote)
Kimtoon,
When I first left Vickers after serving my time there in Newcastle my new wife and I moved to Swindon where I got a job in a Car factory. That was in 1957 and it was from Swindon that I used to travel to London’ various grounds to see the Toon. I would go to a London pub near the ground we were playing at dressed up in my black and white bonnet, my black and white scarf and my black and white rattle and enjoyed many a drink with the various local teams lads. No trouble whatsoever. Newcastle were very well regarded in those days following our many Cup wins!
However, my Dad and I never got to either of the early fifties finals. That is another story for the Ed. to follow sometime. But I recall going to the Lyric cinema in Heaton to watch the Movietone news about the cup finals and watching, absolutely enthralled at the games – particularly the game against Blackpool when we got a free kick about ten yards in the Blackpool half. Someone took the kick and passed to little Ernie Taylor. He memorably back-heeled it to Jackie Milburn. Jack took aim and hit a belter passed the Blackpool keeper Ronnie Farm and into the net which bulged with the ferocity of Jackies shot. What a shot and what a player!
Tom Page(Quote)
Tom, it seems like footballers were bigger heroes to the fans years ago, maybe money and all the trappings it brings is to blame. For me I have a few football heroes, obviously Shearer but Supermac was a big favourite at one time. They don’t hang around long enough these days to form an emotional attachment to.
kimtoon(Quote)
Great quote from Big Sam. “It’s not for me to tell Rooney where to play.” Who’s the manager then?
Groucho(Quote)
Kimtoon,
Your so right and guess which club is partly to blame for all of the trappings they have these days – Newcastle United! Them and a lad called George Eastham. Him, the PFA, the FA caved into their calls via the High Court for ‘the freedom of all footballers from the slavery they had when they were only paid “£15 ” per week. At the time, as a skilled toolmaker, I was on a mere £7.10 shillings a week!
Half what he was being paid for a job he loved doing. I would have gone onto the St. James pitch for nowt to play for the Toon! If only I had been good enough.
On SuperMac, I got tickets for my lad and I for the game against Burnley at Hillsborough, Sheffield. It was his second game so he became addicted as well to NUFC. You may recall we won that game 2-0 with Soup’s getting the goals. One of them he scored from as the Burnley centre-half was literally clinging onto his back, and this after running half the field with the guy hanging on.
On that occasion we returned home on the train really happy.
Tom Page(Quote)
TOM we must have seen a lot of the old players,i also done my time at Vickers the elswick end in the tank dept,i often think about the end of shift it was like oil being poured on the road with the amount of men crossing the road and buses lined up the length of scotswood road,i also went too Swindon but to the Vickers factory and used to go past the car factory on the way to work,often saw guys going in there with empty bottles on their backs,(new starters) you will know the reason why lol,Vic Keeble at the toon the man people would say could take a pen with his head he as that good with it,,yes SHAM did a great thread on Len White a c/f i loved and was robbed of many England caps (because of livingin the NE,and done by that dirty sod dave Mackey of spurs,cheers mate
icedog(Quote)
Good write up Sham, nice to have a bit of nostalgia on the blog to counter balance the international break.
The commentary on those old match videos always makes me chuckle – quite the stark contrast to Martin Tyler’s ‘Annnnd it’s LIVE’ that he does on Sky Sports every week.
Andy Magpie(Quote)
This.
https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/14199165_10154526222159914_4196035600812113468_n.png?oh=b0dfe798a12c700a62ccce0529f2b392&oe=58857F5E
Andy Magpie(Quote)
every player seems very happy with Rafa and learning at the same time
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/ciaran-clark-how-rafa-benitez-11843139?
icedog(Quote)
Tom, welcome to the blog, just had a read through some of your stories, must have been amazing to live through what was a golden era for our club.
100% we need to get some of your stories onto the site, my old man has also been ‘threatening’ to do a piece on Jackie Milburn in the not too distant future.
Andy The Magpie(Quote)
Andy. Like it. Rafa is so far ahead of Roy and Sam.
Groucho(Quote)
Really enjoying the history lesson. Thanks, gentlemen
MDS(Quote)
Wow, have to confess wasn’t aware of that Tom. And yes lots of good memories.
kimtoon(Quote)
Ice burg,
I was in the old apprentice school up by the old bearing factory before going thro the machine shops, drawing office whereI had the same qualifications as the chief draughtsmen then back into the die shop where we made the tooling for the car firms and finally into the production dept as a production engineer.
I came out of my time in 1957 and my new wife and I left Newcastle for Swindon at a company called Pressed Steel in Stratton St. Margaret. We had a council flat on Park South Est. Unfortunately, I was a bit of a ‘berk’, caused a bit of bother with the Union on a six week strike and got the sack.
Luckily my parents still lived in Newcastle so I came home and picked up my life with the Toon. My young wife wasn’t too chuffed about it and when I started to go to the away matches she kicked up h**l but somehow I managed to offset the problems by returning to Newcastle Uni to help complete my education. All of this helped me to earn more money so I could continue to follow the lads.
I suppose that’s why I’ve got so many good memories of thos old days.
Tom Page(Quote)