You could say a visit to Newcastle the ideal football trip, because the quirky city in the north of England has it all: Newcastle United is a big club, St James' Park is a beautiful stadium and the city has great nightlife.
Why does it never work at Newcastle United? The club from Newcastle upon Tyne – or simply Newcastle– seems to have it all: a gigantic name, a loyal following and one of the largest stadiums in England. Still, mismanagement has suited the club just as much in as the infamous black and white striped shirts. It's a real tragedy for the Magpies, but with the new Saudi owners, things may be very different.
Check out the lights on the far right in the photo above. Wherever you are in Newcastle, chances are you can spot St. James' Park. The stadium sits against a hill, and is overwhelming for anyone who comes for the first time.
The nice thing about Newcastle is that it is a fairly compact city and St. James' Park is in the middle of it. Newcastle United's home stadium has a rather unusual build with half of the stadium – one short and one long side – being quite a bit higher than the other half, giving you panoramic views of the city from the high side of the stadium. the Tyne.
St. James' Park is a lovely stadium where it can deafen your ears when the Toon Army gets behind their team.
We have all been able to enjoy it via Netflix and there was certainly a lot of laughter in Newcastle. The downfall of arch-rival Sunderland from Premier League through to League One in one go. All fun and games, but we lost one of the most beautiful derbies in England because of it.
The Tyne-Wear derby (referring to the rivers that the cities sit on) is a life-and-death struggle between two rival cities that are almost completely adjacent to each other. You can even take the metro from Newcastle to Sunderland's Stadium of Light, which is less than half an hour away.
Around St. James' Park, some of Newcastle United's greatest club heroes have been given a great spot. Jackie Milburn, the top scoring striker for the Magpies in the 1940s and 1950s, has been eternalised in the corner between the Gallowgate Stand and the East Stand, right next to the stairs. His captain at the time, Joe Hurley, also has a memorial stone about ten yards to the left of Milburn's statue. Together they brought the FA Cup to Newcastle several times, and Hurley was even manager of the club for many years, in which he also won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.
The greatest player in recent club history is without a doubt Alan Shearer, the club's legendary number 9. A child of the city, but only ended up at Newcastle at a later age, only to become the Premier League's all-time top scorer. Shearer is immortalised in a statue outside the stadium, in his signature cheering pose, running away with his right arm in the air. It's on Barrack Road, in the same corner as Sir Bobby Robson but slightly lower, facing the street
The Newcastle United logo uses many of the same elements as the city coat of arms, such as the horses, logo, flag and castle. That castle is the 'Castle' from which the city of Newcastle owes its name. Some of this has survived and is now simply called 'The Castle'. It is located on Castle Garth, between Newcastle Railway Station and Tyne Bridge. The turret at the very top is the part that comes back in the Newcastle logo. By the way, if you climb the castle you have a beautiful view over the city and St. James' Park.
On the corner of Strawberry Place, directly opposite St. James' Park is Newcastle's football pub, The Strawberry. On the outside wall, hangs a logo that you may be familiar with from the legendary Newcastle shirts in the 90s. It's the big logo of Newcastle Brown Ale, one of the city's best-known exports and one of the most popular beers in Britain. As far as we're concerned, there's no better place to try this local specialty, in a brown pub full of real Geordies. The bond with Newcastle United is of course strong, judging by the shirts, photos and paintings of players on the walls.
A monument at St. James' Park, in memory of an air disaster that at first sight, is far from Newcastle United. But nothing could be further from the truth: The MH17 disaster also had an impact at Newcastle.
On board the flight were loyal Newcastle United fans John Alder and Liam Sweeney, en route to their club's pre-season friendly in New Zealand. They died on the plane. Just weeks after the disaster, Newcastle manager Alan Pardew and captain Fabrizio Coloccini made an appearance at Sweeney's funeral. Just in front of the Milburn Stand, the Alder Sweeney Memorial Garden was erected, a memorial to the pair killed and deceased Newcastle supporters in general.
In St. Andrew's Street, not far from the stadium, at No. 56 is The Back Page, a football shop that we fell in love with instantly. They sell football books and basically everything that has to do with football, from mugs and alarm clocks to hats and shirts from numerous clubs.
A few years ago, a beautiful tribute to the club's glory days was created in the middle of the city. On Northumberland Street, one of the city's busiest shopping streets, turn right into Northumberland Place and you'll find a 15-metre mural depicting many of Newcastle's famous players from the 1990s. In addition to the inevitabilities of Sir Bobby Robson and Alan Shearer, you will also see David Ginola, Kevin Keegan and a cheering Faustino Asprilla.
The size of St. James' Park makes it relatively easy to get tickets to Newcastle United home games. You can buy tickets via the official site of the club.
Because St. James' Park is really in the middle of Newcastle, the stadium can be reached on foot from the centre within a few minutes. If you come from further afield, it is best to take the metro: St James station is next to the stadium and is the terminus of the yellow metro line.
Images: BSR Agency, Shutterstock
