Like many others who travelled to Milan this week for Newcastle’s first foray into Champions League football in twenty-years, I had an eventful time. From appearing on BBC news multiple times (in varying states); to catching up with Craig Hope mere metres away from our Air BnB where Eddie Mckay was brutally attacked; to being at the main event itself in one of football’s most iconic and treasured theatres.
I thought the madness was over while stood in the queue at Linate airport- waiting to board a flight back to London. I was due another surprise though as Mehrdad Gohdoussie entered the line. I took my chance at getting a quick selfie as we both exhaustedly smiled into my camera. Where I’d been tired from late nights and hundreds of drinks over the course of the week, I could sense that he was perhaps tired from the hundreds of photos he had likely endured to take. So when Amanda Staveley joined the line a few moments later, i decided to leave it and just give her some peace.
Bizarrely enough though, on the flight home i was sat next to an American gentleman that had asked me if I had been to game as he saw my 1889 Club wristband (Thanks again for the ticket Ed!). He mentioned that he had been too as the guest of Milan’s owner, although he was actually friends with one of Newcastle’s owners. I pointed back and said “oh yeah, Mehrdad and Amanda are behind us.”
He smiled and said, “no the younger guy.” – “One of the Reubens?”, I asked. “Yeah, Jamie”, he said.
Naturally i asked how they knew each other and he said that he knows his father and vaguely mentioned that they had some projects together. Then he casually dropped in that he “owns a small football club, but nothing on the scale of Newcastle.” – “Oh, who?” I asked – expecting him to say something like Rochdale or Mansfield Town…“Birmingham City.”
So the next 30 minutes was us talking about Birmingham City and his ambitions for the club. When we left the flight he wished us luck in our home game against Milan and I wished him luck getting Birmingham back into the Premier League (to which he laughed and shook his head).
So that’s that. A pretty wild and action packed trip finished with a surreal and rather bizarre ending. I’m at Heathrow airport, my battered and bruised passport won’t scan (stand fare at LHR for me) so I stroll into the queue to be seen by a real person. Not 30 seconds has passed and I see Mehrdad again on the other side, looking over me. I turn. Amanda Staveley is bounding forward to join me in the queue with her own dodgy passport.
I’m not entirely sure what came over me. Delirium i think. But i spoke to her as if she knew me.
“Yours not working either is it?” I asked. “Oh i need a new b****y passport.”
“How did you find the game?” – She smiled at me, nodded and touched her chest where her heart would be, but struggled to articulate how she felt. “I was so nervous. Did you enjoy it?”
“I’ve been waiting for this for 20 years – we’re just happy to be here. I was nervous towards the end of the game but beforehand, and for the first 80 minutes, I was actually just excited; but it must be so hard for you because you’re so close to the players. It’s like watching your m…” she burst out laughing and yelled, “I’m like their mum!”
“I was gunna say mates, but fair enough!” We both had a laugh. She said she was so happy for the players, “especially Sean. I actually texted all of the players last night after the game had ended. And,” still smiling and holding her chest, “we just simply adore Eddie.”
I responded proudly, “we all do.” I then decided to be a little bolder- given the area of our squad that most fans want to see improving in either January or next summer- I asked, “what about the right sided centre back for them though? Thiaw. Unbelievable.”
She looked me quite firmly in the eyes, nodded and said, “he was absolutely brilliant.”
I tongue in cheek said, “he needs to be our next signing. Could you imagine him and botman together at the back? I don’t think we’d concede another goal again.”
She nodded throughout and laughed but she was really eager to shift the focus back onto our players. She said, “but the new signings that we have are going to be absolutely brilliant, you know. We really like our new players. Tino is fantastic.”
I agreed nodding furiously while she spoke, and said, “I’d like to see one of, if not both of, the new fullbacks get integrated into the first team over the next couple of weeks.”
She said, “yes we really hope Eddie gives one of them a chance at the weekend.”
I said, “Sheffield United and a home cup game against a rotated team- there doesn’t seem to be a better time really.”
Unfortunately however, our time was up. I had to show my passport so i had to leave the queue. I turned back and said, “I just want to say, thank you for everything that you’ve done for us.”
She said, “no thank you for all of your support. It means everything.” I took ‘you’ to mean ‘the royal you.’ She was clearly thanking us all- not me personally.
Overall she was very approachable, friendly, funny and visibly, overwhelmingly proud. She didn’t need to humour me nor talk to me like a friend, but she’s fully invested and seemed to legitimately enjoy talking about the club as much as i did. She just felt like a normal, friendly Geordie. And all of this while undoubtedly physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted from such a demanding trip.
And that really was the madness finally over and done with.
