Topic: When did you start following The Toon?

[Mick]

When Cole was sold our school caretaker stormed into our lessen to tell us much to the disgust of the teacher.

Was it your English lesson?

[Village Idiot]

Me Dad's never let me forget the bullshit people came out with after that Barca game. Apparantely everyone at work wasn't saying "That was a class result", but: "They were lucky last night, weren't they". Wasn't Figo's in about the 92nd minute?

Man, you outclassed us that night. The 3-2 is misleading, we were never in that game.

[Superior Grant]

I was a fan during the 95-96 season, but I don't remember any great pain at not winning the league.  I was a bit disappointed, but I think having only really been aware of 1, maybe 2 seasons I just kind of thought we'd always be around there and we'd win it next year

How many went to their first game in full kit? I went to mine after a friend's birthday party, I remember changing into top (95 asics blue star) and the white shorts to go to the game.

[Yorkie]

Tomasson started that game n'all. Shameful from your lot, shameful.

[Greg]

When Cole was sold our school caretaker stormed into our lessen to tell us much to the disgust of the teacher.

Was it your English lesson?

I'm half asleep man, spelling and grammar can wait until tomorrow.

No idea.

[Benwell Lad]

When Cole was sold our school caretaker stormed into our lessen to tell us much to the disgust of the teacher.

Was it your English lesson?

Beat me to it ! Looks like that caretaker has a lot to answer for.

[Benwell Lad]

Remember writing the same in a similar thread a few years ago, but here goes - it's old git time again.
First match was January 18th 1964 aged 7, Grimsby Town home won 4-0. I remember someone telling me the Grimsby directors presented a case of fresh fish to teams they visited.  I supported them before that (from birth I suppose as there was never going to be an option) and had been nagging me fatha to take me.
Went again later that season and we got beat by Bury 4-0 at home - and we think it's been bad lately !

Of course I haven't been to every game since, but I think I have been at every game in spirit, anxiously waiting for news or the result. It's so much easier nowadays. In the old days you knew nothing until the full time scores on telly and sometimes had to wait until the next day for midweek matches. I think the arrival of Metro Radio was the first time away matches were broadcast and we could hear the action live.

Metro Radio started off going to the games 5 times as that was the limit and then they started doing the full second half before doing the full match.  The Pink was about as good as you could get before that.

Supporters are spoiled rotten these days.

I really miss the Pink, I remember some evenings waiting in a crowd at the newsagent for them to arrive - almost a Saturday evening ritual - or buying one in the pub after the match.
It narks me that Sunderland, despite it's shortcomings and a few other smaller towns still publish a Saturday night football paper but big city, football daft Newcastle doesn't.
Maybe we need a bring back the Pink campaign.

[Mick]

I really miss the Pink, I remember some evenings waiting in a crowd at the newsagent for them to arrive - almost a Saturday evening ritual - or buying one in the pub after the match.
It narks me that Sunderland, despite it's shortcomings and a few other smaller towns still publish a Saturday night football paper but big city, football daft Newcastle doesn't.
Maybe we need a bring back the Pink campaign.

I loved the Pink, it was a good read for the first hour or so in the pub, especially the non-league section if I'd scored the previous week.

[Benwell Lad]

I really miss the Pink, I remember some evenings waiting in a crowd at the newsagent for them to arrive - almost a Saturday evening ritual - or buying one in the pub after the match.
It narks me that Sunderland, despite it's shortcomings and a few other smaller towns still publish a Saturday night football paper but big city, football daft Newcastle doesn't.
Maybe we need a bring back the Pink campaign.

I loved the Pink, it was a good read for the first hour or so in the pub, especially the non-league section if I'd scored the previous week.

I could have written that myself !

[Cronky]

I was born in Newcastle in 1956, but we moved to Scotland when I was a babe, then emigrated to Australia before eventually settling in Manchester in 1966. Back in Blighty just in time to watch us winning the World Cup. I thought football was always going to be like that.

I then had the choice of Man City, Man Utd or Newcastle. I'd always been aware of the club because of my birthplace, but I wasn't completely committed. I decided on the Toon, just in time to watch both Manchester clubs win the league, and Man U the European Cup.

So life could have been very different and a lot easier. Still, there was never any turning back. It would have been like divorcing your parents - ie something you can't do.

[Doctor Zaius]

Basically from birth. Doubt my dad would have let me support anyone else. First game was in 97, the Stevenage Borough replay in the FA cup, cant remember anything about the game other than my favourite player, Shaka Hislop was playing.

See, i find this such a daft thing when i chat to people who are the same age as me.

How can you start following Newcastle in 1997 and your favourite player not be Shearer? Shearer was my f***ing life man.   I mean i loved Batty and Pearce as a little'un around that time cos they were nails, but i mean, they were divisions below the big man. Not having a go btw, just find it funny.

I honestly have no idea, it's quite strange tbh. It's Probably because I liked playing as a goalkeeper. When my dad took me to buy my first Newcastle shirt he tried to persuade me to get the home top with Shearer on the back but I was having none of it. I wanted the keeper top with Hislop on the back. I was gutted when he left too, i think i had a bit of an obsession with him.   

[Superior Grant]

I started being a fun just a couple of years pre-Shearer, but he was never my favourite probably til his last couple of seasons.  Think I just thought it was too common, didn't want no.9 like everyone else.  It was Beardsley, then Batty, then a few scottish players (Ferguson, Gallagher...) since I'm a Scotland fan.

And when did the Pink stop?! I forgot about it.  We used to get it at the metro sometimes if they got it out fast, but the score/league table would be printed before the final whistle. It was great.

[fraz77]

Around 1998 was probably the two FA cup finals which captured my imagination was around 8 or 9 at the time, strangely have a geordie father who doesn't have the slightest interest in football so had minimal encouragement was down to myself to start supporting them, didn't get to a game until 2003/04 against Valerenga in the uefa cup, parents weren't particularly keen on me going to games before then dunno why strange buggers!!

[olliemort]

No say in the matter really my 2 older brothers are Manure fans and my dads a toon fan so there was no way was he having another Man u fan in the house.I remember bits of the season we just about stayed up in the old second divison,I loved Micky Quinn and David Kelly.But the obession really began in the promotion season.Andy Cole  
Dont think I will ever get as slagged off again as much when Cole was sold to those c***s!My bro[Man U fan]bought me our 3rd green strip with Cole on the back,couple of weeks later my brother the c*** had Cole on the back of his f***ing scum jersey.Never cried so much that day  :-[

[hallihg]

I started practicing football when I was like 6 years old, starting watching EPL games with my dad, who  also always went to a local club's games, KR Reykjavik, and supported them like all of his family. So I had no choice and he started taking me with him, and they wear the same colours as our beloved toon, so when i was that age (young and dumb) I saw Newcastle on the telly in like '95 og '96 i chose them as my english team. Got my first Newcastle shirt around that time, with Shearer and number 9 on the back, and I still own it along with two other Shearer shirts, so of course he's had an impact on my life yah..

tl;dr, I chose nufc because of the stripes when i was a bairn.

[Mick]

I love reading this type of thread, it's like watching an AA meeting on the tele.

[Ameritoon]

Relatively new to the scene, about 04/05 (and now I lost all my cred on this board).

Same here. More like 06/07. Didn't follow the game professionally until then.

then what were you people thinking about?

Get out quick, while you can before its too late. run and never look back, if you dont it will be forty years before you know it.

All the teams I support are s***, forty years seems like a nothing wait compared to how long I'll be waiting on Buffalo.

Yeah, I'm a Lions fan, I'll have 40 years of hurt anyway.

God damn. Lions fan. I am truly sorry to hear that, man. I can't lament s*** around a Lions fan.

Kaz, man. Reading up on the history of the team, I was surprised to see how nicely late 90's Newcastle heartbreak slotted into the gaps between my other sporting heartbreaks. It was somewhat uncanny.

I had my fill of amazing teams winning f*** all back then without even knowing Newcastle existed. One more would have been too much.

Lived 15 minutes out of Detroit my whole life, season tickets and everything since the Silverdome. It's rough.

I remember when deciding who my team would be. I spent a summer scouring Wikipedia and watching highlights of my final few options. I think it was between Arsenal or Newcastle in the end, but it was always going to be Newcastle. Unforunately, Goal! was one of my first extensive looks at everything.

[Kaizero]

Relatively new to the scene, about 04/05 (and now I lost all my cred on this board).

Same here. More like 06/07. Didn't follow the game professionally until then.

then what were you people thinking about?

Get out quick, while you can before its too late. run and never look back, if you dont it will be forty years before you know it.

All the teams I support are s***, forty years seems like a nothing wait compared to how long I'll be waiting on Buffalo.

Yeah, I'm a Lions fan, I'll have 40 years of hurt anyway.

God damn. Lions fan. I am truly sorry to hear that, man. I can't lament s*** around a Lions fan.

Kaz, man. Reading up on the history of the team, I was surprised to see how nicely late 90's Newcastle heartbreak slotted into the gaps between my other sporting heartbreaks. It was somewhat uncanny.

I had my fill of amazing teams winning f*** all back then without even knowing Newcastle existed. One more would have been too much.

Lived 15 minutes out of Detroit my whole life, season tickets and everything since the Silverdome. It's rough.

I remember when deciding who my team would be. I spent a summer scouring Wikipedia and watching highlights of my final few options. I think it was between Arsenal or Newcastle in the end, but it was always going to be Newcastle. Unforunately, Goal! was one of my first extensive looks at everything.

tbf to Goal!, whilst it being a s*** movie, it's definitely helped turn some Yanks around regarding "soccer" and many only like Newcastle just because of that film

[madras]

Remember writing the same in a similar thread a few years ago, but here goes - it's old git time again.
First match was January 18th 1964 aged 7, Grimsby Town home won 4-0. I remember someone telling me the Grimsby directors presented a case of fresh fish to teams they visited.  I supported them before that (from birth I suppose as there was never going to be an option) and had been nagging me fatha to take me.
Went again later that season and we got beat by Bury 4-0 at home - and we think it's been bad lately !

Of course I haven't been to every game since, but I think I have been at every game in spirit, anxiously waiting for news or the result. It's so much easier nowadays. In the old days you knew nothing until the full time scores on telly and sometimes had to wait until the next day for midweek matches. I think the arrival of Metro Radio was the first time away matches were broadcast and we could hear the action live.

Metro Radio started off going to the games 5 times as that was the limit and then they started doing the full second half before doing the full match.  The Pink was about as good as you could get before that.

Supporters are spoiled rotten these days.

i rememeber all that. the fish thing was stopped as it could be seen as a bribe (FA eh ?) and mick i sat next to the ducted air heating every other staurday as a child listening to the away game reports, as you say,no full match commentary back then.



well for me, no choice, born and raised in the area to a newcastle supporting family. i know people in the same position who support man utd and ;liverpool and i honestly see it as a psychological flaw.  first game in the '74 cup run (scunthorpe), then regular from the 74-75 season, first game being coventry at home,opening game of the season at which, at the age of 7 i got lost on the way back from the bogs and couldn't find my dad.

always nice to hear from outsiders about "why newcastle", a bit like myself and pittsburgh (all teams).

[Mike]

Honestly, if Goal! is on, I'll more than likely watch the f***ing thing.

[Stifler]

itsa shame so many of you younguns never experienced the terraces. getting squashed, wet, p*ssed on, great days.

Dude, most of us still go down the Bigg Market on Friday and Saturday nights.

Anyway, from birth I surpose, though I only took notice when we got to the FA Cup finals, I remeber one year we (my brother who supported us at the time because it was cool to, now he has no interest in us unless it gets him a shag in Blackpool or we beat a team where he's working)got our mam to buy the NUFC flag things for the car arial. Anyway I remember watching the FA Cup final vs Arsenal and shouting through to my mam that Arsenal had scored, then saying they had scored again (that was my first memory for f***s sake) anyway my stepdad came along in 2000 and since then I've been a full time supporter.

[leipola]

1996

First game: September 2006 at Levadia Tallinn (Uefa Cup)
First game at SJP: January 2008 Man City (PL)

[ujpest doza]

What others have said, when i was born.

One of my earliest memories is the 1974 FA Cup final and my first game at SJP was against Boro in 1976/77 season.

[nobby_solano]

Anyone else born in the early 80's used to get those black and white strips in a box from kids style with the sew on badges?

Class.

yup ... i got number 4 printed on for when roy aitken signed from celtic. i had the yellow/green striped umbro one with #9 and the sew on 'greenalls' from the supporters shop, i thought i was the bee's knees.

prior to that though i had the umbro v-neck '84-87 shirt, when i was about 4/5, was gutted when i grew out of that one   however i did pick up for £4 in oxfam the score draw reissue of that shirt!

i ended up with the old bukta shirts /shorts, long sleeved as hand downs too, i'm sure i had the martin thomas keeper top too...

but in answer to the original question, when i was about 4/5, i used to think any kids in black and white shirts playing on a field were newcastle  :-[
i also never understood the concept of england, when beardsley was sold, i knew he played for newcastle and england and was gutted to find he couldn't play for liverpool and newcastle!

[Ian W]

When I popped out of my mother's birth canal.

I actually wasn't that into football when I was really little, I was a bit fat and clumsy so I played Rugby instead. I went to my first game at SJP with my Dad when I was about 7, and I fell asleep!

I properly got into football later, about aged 12 probably.