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NEWCASTLE UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB
NEWCASTLE UNITED FOOTBALL CLUB
A FANS GUIDE
Includes: transport details, pub guide and a look at St James itself.
WHO WE ARE...
Newcastle United were formed in 1892 with the amalgamation of Newcastle West End and Newcastle East End. Actually, West End had basically gone bust and most of their officials and players decamped to East End. A name change was accepted and registered by the F.A and the chaotic beast that is Newcastle United was born. In the last century and a bit Newcastle have been one of the most famous in the world, not always for the right reasons though. To the people of Newcastle there is - just like Brown Ale - simply no substitute for the Toon. A focal point for the North East and undeniably the biggest club north of Manchester (well, Stretford then) Newcastle United - despite the plethora of overseas players among their ranks - still represent the "Geordie Nation". The signs that they will continue to do so despite the cash-bloated and "trendy" of the modern game are pretty sound. When football moves out of the limelight again - as it surely will - we will still be here.
THE OFFICIAL BIT
Newcastle United Football Club, St James Park, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 4ST
Official website: www.nufc.co.uk
Box office: 0191 261 1571
Ticket prices (adults) £23 - £75
Official capacity: 52,167 (roughly 3000 away fans)
The club charter promises that 2,500 tickets will go on general sale for every match.
GETTING TO THE GROOND
BY CAR:
From North:
There are no teams in the Premier League further north than us so you would have to be a home fan. Look for the massive concrete structure that sticks out like a beacon on the horizon.
From South:
Realistically the only way you are going to approach Newcastle is from the south, unless you happen to come from Scotland or Carlisle. So directions couldn't be simpler.
You will approach on the A1 (M). At Junction 65 take the A1 towards Newcastle, then the A68 and the A6127 across the river Tyne. You’ll then come onto the Redhugh Bridge, which cuts out the badly signposted city centre. St James is easily visible.
The ground dominates the Tyneside skyline so it couldn’t be easier to find. However a note on parking. There are car parks at the back of the Gallowgate and in the city centre notably St James near the Metro station and Corporation Street a little further away. But with 52,000 fans in the city every match day getting away from the ground can be murder. Parking a little way out and walking the rest helps you get away a lot quicker and also enables you to sample the match day atmosphere.
BY TRAIN:
There are two routes to the ground, with one for the home fans and the other recommended for the away fans, especially on night matches.
For away fans:
The walk itself is roughly half a mile. Cross the road out of Central Station and go towards the Baker’s Oven pie shop. Turn right and go along Central Street. Just after the County Hotel take a left turn into Grainger Street and then a left again onto Westgate Road. After about 0.15 miles turn right into Bath Lane and head towards the National Tyres garage/shop. The ground is on the right hand side and is unavoidable at this stage.
The route for away fans is geared to avoiding potential trouble spots and is recommended by Northumbria police. They say, despite the temptation, avoid taking the shortcut up Pink Lane between the Gotham Town Pub and the Baker’s Oven as it has four pubs in a very short space and the home fans spill out into the alley.
For home fans:
After arriving at Central Station head out the main exit. As you leave the station cross over the road and go up the side-street left of the pastry shop called Pink Lane. At the top of that street, cross the road and head up Westgate Road. You will see 'Tilley’s' bar on your left. Head up right past Stowell Street (Chinatown) and immediately you will see the ground.
By Metro:
Take the Metro from Central, located to the right of Burger King, to St James station. It is right underneath the Gallowgate stand.
AROUND THE TOON
In this section I hope to give you the low-down on all the drinking spots that regular fans frequent before the game. Many of these fine hostelries have been visited in person whilst the rest have been recommended and reviewed by fellow Magpies.
NEAR TO THE GROUND
All the pubs here carry a strict warning- get your round in before you reach them as they get so full the walls start creaking.
THE STRAWBERRY
If you were to sum up one bar in town that epitomises the club you would instantly think of the Strawberry. Black and white on the outside as well as the inside the Strawberry has been given a revamp and is crammed with memorabilia of all things Newcastle. Shirts, pictures and programmes adorn the walls and you could spend half an hour just looking around. Getting served is hellish, with the pub being about 20 metres from the back of the Gallowgate, but the place is jumping on a match day. It’s worth at least one visit for nostalgia purposes alone but if you are planning to become a regular drinker there you’ve got to get in at opening time.
THE BLACK BULL
Mag-mad and home to the European travel club and supporters association the Black Bull is of the same type as the Strawberry. Atmosphere pre-match is rocking, whilst the bar itself is nothing flash. Found well away from the City centre it is off the corner of the Leazes and Milburn stands, about 200m from the ground.
ROSIE’S BAR
Further away than the Strawberry but one that always gets packed very quickly, Rosie’s is on the corner of Chinatown nearest the ground. The pub is totally Newcastle with a massive black and white flag flown from the top window upstairs. Great for a last part of a pre-match pub-crawl. Has SKY on mounted tellies but don’t expect to get a seat there.
NEWCASTLE ARMS
Found about 20 metres from Rosie’s Bar towards Eldon Square. The pub is a bigger alternative to Rosie’s but has a great reputation with the diehards. An away day specialist and musician, Harry Palmer used to play gigs there, until banned after an unfortunate riot.
THE TRENT
Former haunt of Viz Comic creator’s the Donald Brothers who have now gone all corporate in the Leazes posh bit. Is found out the back of the East Stand and is a good bet for a drink if you are sitting there. The place is tiny and its proximity to the University of Newcastle makes it somewhat of a student pub.
NOVO CASTRIA
Named after our beloved city, the Nova is found behind the Black Bull out the back of the Leazes. Has a pool table and cheap beer as it still holds its CIU regulations. A large pub with a lot of character that remains unknown to a lot of Mags.
GETTING A BIT FURTHER AWAY
Most of these pubs are found in the town centre, near to the Eldon Square Shopping Complex. One word of warning though- city centre pubs means city centre prices.
BOURGOGNES
Has a reputation of being a bit fancy. The pub is a regular haunt of some writers from the Newcastle fanzines. The pub itself is well done up and lies on the corner of Newgate Street by the back entrance of Eldon Square. No longer has the archaic no-football colours dress code it once had.
LENNONS
A retro bar with colourful deco. Lennons is a good laugh but after certain times retains an over 25s age code. The best feature of the place is the wall-to-wall videos showing old season reviews. A great place for a bit of nostalgia.
BAR OZ
Found opposite the Haymarket metro and bus stations, the pub formerly known as inventions has great bait (food). Is friendly and as its name suggests, has a down under theme to it. Again due to it being so close to the Student Unions of Newcastle and Northumbria it can get quite busy.
THE HOTSPUR
Time was when the Hotspur was your typical lads bar. In the 70s it was your typical spit and sawdust establishment but now it’s cleaned itself up. The place is basic but in its own way oozes character.
LABOUR CLUB
Found just down from the Barker and Stonehouse showroom or up from the joke shop, the Labour Club is an enormous building with cheap beer. The place again is popular on match days but in this case there is a lot to fill up.
THE THREE BULLS HEADS
Found underneath the walkway from Eldon Square the 3 Bulls is a really popular place that is really friendly. It does fill up but not as quickly as some of the others. It is a good place to add to your bar crawl list, if not a little dingy.
THE STATION AREA
These pubs are all the stop-off points for Magpies getting off the trains. Decently priced and friendly away fans are welcomed.
GOTHAM TOWN
The writer’s favourite pub and one that has boomed since the extension of the ground, and getting in these days is like playing a game of sardines. The Gotham or GT to its regulars is a gothic theme pub that ties in mythical legends associated with Newcastle. The drink is cheap and the bar food is excellent, with the All Day Breakfast the pick of the bunch. Has a big screen and SKY with tellies mounted all over the walls. Full of character, the toilet door is four inches thick and needs one of the bouncers to shift it. Situated next to the Baker’s Oven it is a doddle to find. Away fans are welcome here.
O’NEILLS
Irish theme bar found in just about every town or city in the country. Is popular with lads coming straight off the train and for those leaving at the end of the day.
HEROES
The best thing about Heroes is its character. Going there is like a time portal back to the 70s and 80s. It does have a pool table although it’s hard to shift the regulars off it. It’s a popular place to drink for those who park down by the Telewest Arena.
TILLEYS
Another stock pub that places its big screen directly in front of the door. The pub is full of cinema memorabilia with great film scenes cut out and framed. Quite easy to get served and a good alternative from one of the pubs close to the ground.
THE STAR INN
Found near Burger King on Westgate Road the Star is a no children pub that is totally partisan to Newcastle. Has a big screen in the corner and is just about impossible to get a seat in. For home fans only.
NEWCASTLE HERO
The bar in the station. Very much a place to get that last jar in before you head for the train. Arsehole weekend staff and shocking prices hardly make it the ideal situation and the queues hardly help. You're better off staying in the Gotham and racing over to get the last train rather than face the little Hitlers behind the bar.
THE PINK LANE BARS
Very much for home fans only.
RAFFERTYS
An Irish theme bar that has some of the cheapest offers in town on their booze. Fans spill out onto the streets. Great craic especially before the big games.
THE FORTH HOTEL
The next pub up from the Gotham. Has an established group of regulars and hosts regular jazz nights. Does monster lock-ins sometimes.
BARS FOR LADS ONLY
O.K so most of the bars have a lot of male drinkers but these are the places not to take Wor Lass.
VAULTS
Topless totty is the first thing you see when you come to the Vaults, situated in the Bigg Market. The place is a right laugh with great music, decently priced beer and live matches or Toon videos. Probably the best place in the city to “offload spare tickets” if you know what I mean.
IDOLS
Winner of the best pub in the fan’s voting for the last two seasons, Idols is straight up from Vaults near to Lennons Bar. Has a complete nutter for a DJ and a fun reputation.
BONKERS
The more high market of the three with pricier beers and a different clientele, probably due to the fact you can’t find the place! A good afternoon nonetheless.
BAIT, SCRAN, FOOD
You’ll never go hungry on Tyneside. There are two Burger Kings within 300 metres of the station and a couple of pie shops. Most of the pubs above have a bar menu, many of which are excellent. Moving into the centre there are a number of higher- class establishments for the discerning fan, as well as McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut and many other takeaways. If you feel really hungry, get yourself up to Chinatown where there are about 30 different all-you-can-eat restaurants. Recommended are Charlies, Wok this Way and Lau's Buffet King, all about £6 after the match (£5 before).
Favourite kebab shops include the Munchies chain (also good for pizza) and the one next to the Star Inn (highly recommended). If you fancy food at the match there are plenty of food vans knocking about, and when inside the ground try the mince pies. Stay away from the tea and the cheeseburgers though.
SO TO THE GROUND ITSELF
The comparison between the ground now and as late as 1992 cannot be made. Standing on the Gallowgate back then in a swaying mass little could you envisage a 52,000 all -seater with, as our club president Sir John Hall said, five star facilities. The ground itself has 4 main stands:
THE NEWCASTLE BROWN SOUTH STAND
This mouthful of a name, conjured up to commemorate 20 years of Newky Broon’s sponsorship, can be whittled down to the name we know it best- the Gallowgate End.
It was the end Keegan scored at on his debut and one that holds a lot of happy memories for this writer and also a lot of bad ones (I’ll never forgive you Dave Beasant!). Used to be the real centre of atmosphere in the Keegan years but this seems to have dwindled with the current form of the team. The Gallowgate was really the 1980s stand but since its revamp it is still pretty snazzy, especially in the upper tiers. It has also been earmarked as the next stand for extension, which would take the capacity into the 60,000 range. There are also plans to make a hotel joined to it.
THE SIR JOHN HALL STAND
Named after our esteemed club president and the man who brought us back from the brink, the SJH stand is better known as the Leazes, the most raucous stand in the ground where the people who used to stand in the terrace now sit with their sons who aim to emulate their vocal achievements. The real place for noise due to its closeness to the opposition fans, especially in the upper levels where the players are dots and the only thing you can do is sing. The Leazes is every 70s fan's spiritual home and the old fogeys there often can be heard wittering on about Supermac!
THE EAST STAND
Very much the stand for people who want to watch the match without shouting their heads off. Little noise but mainly because the East is full of graduates from the end stands whose singing days are over. Not that I’m saying they’ve been put out to pasture or anything! The East provides really good views, but sadly due to grade 1 listed buildings, cannot be extended to the sizes of the others, which makes the ground really lopsided.
THE MILBURN STAND
Once full of some of the loyalist supporters of the club, who had stuck by the club and merited the best seats in the ground, the Milburn (named after the clubs greatest number 9) was the scene of the clubs purge to create room for the corporates. A sad affair culminated with the fans involved losing their court-case to the club and many of the fans refuse to come back. Incidentally many of these seats were sold yet remained empty, with the corporate mob not fancying Coventry on a cold January afternoon. A stand very low on atmosphere that seems to start emptying itself 10 minutes before the final whistle. Hopefully the stand will be a lighter place in the next season.
AWAY FANS
Housed in the corner between the Leazes and Milburn stands, the away fans have the unlucky draw of being in Level 7. To the first time match-goer this sounds like something in a high security detention centre. Funnily enough, it’s not far wrong. The view off the pitch may be nice, but on it the players seem like ants. Getting up there entails a hike up 15+ flights of stairs. Away fans seem to be making a lot more noise now simply because the action on the pitch is too hard to see. A word of warning though. The police might as well wear swastikas and carry truncheons because they are the most arrogant, pontificating bunch of Neanderthals of all the grounds. Breathe too hard and you might be hoyed out. The away fans last season brought a great atmosphere with them, especially those that took up their full allocation.
FANZINES
Since two of our fanzines went under (Talk of the Tyne and The Number 9) the torch has fallen to two from the same stable. The Mag is the most acknowledged one and is somewhat toned down from what it used to be. The other is True Faith which is more a read for the Makem hating die-hards with a fairly extensive knowledge of all things Black and White. Both have excellent articles in though and have been nominated for awards.
WE LOVE
First and foremost our number 9s. The club prides itself on its strikers more than any other position. The current one is a bit popular- you may have heard of him- Alan Shearer OBE. Other than the forwards we love attacking football and lots of goals. Away days are also a big draw, especially cup finals (although the results always seem to break a lot of hearts). Singing and shouting also go down quite well with us.
WE LOATHE
Sunderland Association Football Club, people who abuse the club, especially former players (that means you Ginola), people without commitment on the field, Gus Poyet, Matt Le Tissier and anyone else who scores goals regularly against us.
FAMOUS FANS
The main ones are: Ant and Dec, Robson Green, Jimmy Nail, Tony Blair, Sting and Brian Johnson from AC/DC. There are loads of others like Narinder from Big Brother 2 who consider themselves celebrities but aren’t in any way, shape or form.
IS THERE ANYWHERE THAT SELLS MERCHANDISE?
The club shop is a massive complex attached to the corner of the Gallowgate and Milburn stands. If you are coming from the station you should see it on the way into the ground. There's loads of good stuff inside, which because of the club's merchandising policies, doesn't get sold in other shops. If you look around Newcastle there are also shops in Eldon Square (the big shopping mall) and Monument Mall near the grey Monument.
PROGRAMME
At £2 a pop the programmes are probably a lot better value then most. If I was an away fan though I wouldn't bother buying one, as there is so little information about the opposition in them.
GENERAL ATMOSPHERE
The only two matches that cause a change in the air of happiness are Man Utd and obviously Sunderland. Sunderland provides the most intense match day experience I have ever seen, with the away fans having to be escorted through town under police protection. The Bobbies take no prisoners if you are in the way or are seen drinking in public. If you are bringing younger kids to this match it is recommended you get them up earlier, rather than waiting for the away fans to arrive first, as everyone seems to spill out into the streets and last year there were a few coin throwing incidents. If we lose there can often be trouble in the city afterwards.
Man Utd may come as a surprise. Although we had the big rivalry with them in the mid 90s we accept we can no longer compete. The problems come from the Man U fans that like to think they are the 'top boys'. Arriving at the station they all rendezvous at one pub and cause bother for people drinking there. Last year though the coppers had hundreds of them kept back in Central Station by dog handlers. If you are a fan of the other clubs, there's nothing to worry about.
Howay the Lads,
Ross Molyneux
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10 May 08 
Liverpool Football Club