Newcastle United has a long history dating back to 1892. It is the ninth most successful football club in England.

If you like a football club with tradition, you must be a fan of Newcastle United. Newcastle United is one of those English clubs that spent most of their time playing in the first-division football league.  The club has played 88 seasons in England’s top league from 1898–1934, 1948–61, 1965–78, 1984–89, 1993–2009, 2010–2016, and 2017–present. The club has a huge fan base not only in the UK but all over the world.

History of the club

In 1892, two local Tyneside clubs, Newcastle East End FC and Newcastle West End FC, decided to form a big football club representing the city. The merger of the two clubs thus laid the foundation for the Newcastle United Club. Because there was now only one senior club in Newcastle for fans to support, this boosted the development of the new club. In 1892, Newcastle United’s request to participate in the Football League’s First Division was refused.  But the club was invited to play in the second Division. However they refused the offer and participated in the Northern League.

In 1893-94, Newcastle United participated in the Second Division Football League. In 1895, Frank Watt became new secretary of the club which brought some positive changes in the club.  This played an important role in the club’s promotion to the First Division Football league in 1898-99. The first season in the league was not so impressive, and they finished thirteenth on the table.

Early Success of Newcastle United

In 1903, Frank Watt reorganized the club and formed an energetic squad of players.  Which dominated English Football for over a decade. The squad was known for their team-work, quick and short passing during the game. They hired some of the best local and international football players in the world.  Including Albert Shepherd, Peter McWilliam, Jimmy Lawrence, Andy Aitken, Bill McCracken, Colin Veitch, Jimmy Howie, and Jackie Rutherford.

Newcastle United’s 1900s team was so strong that Peter McWilliam once claimed that his 1900s team could beat any modern team, even if the opposing team started with a two-goal lead. Newcastle United dominated the First Division football league in the 1900s. From 1900 to 1910 the decade is known as the glory era of Newcastle United, the club won its first League title in 1904-05 season, and also reached the FA Cup final in the same year, but was defeated by Aston Villa.

Newcastle United also won two consecutive First Division football League titles in 1906-07 and 1908-09. The club also reached the FA Cup final in 1906, but they were beaten by Everton. They again reached the FA Cup final in 1908, but were again beaten by Wolves. Newcastle United finally won the FA Cup title in 1910 against Barnsley.

Interwar Success

In 1914, all Football matches were stopped due to World War I. After World War I in 1920, Newcastle United signed Stan Seymour for a fee of £2,500. He was a great addition in the club, he scored 9 goals in 30 games, and helped Newcastle United to finish 5th in the league. Newcastle United won the FA Cup title for the second time in 1924 after beating Aston Villa by 2-0 in the final. Stan Seymour scored four goals in the FA Cup matches including a crucial goal in the final.

In 1925, Newcastle United signed Hughie Gallacher for £6,500. He made a huge impact in the club, and scored 23 goals in 19 games in his first season. Gallacher helped Newcastle to win their fourth First Division football league title in 1926-27 by scoring 36 goals in 38 league matches. In 1930, Newcastle hired Andy Cunningham as club’s Manager, the team was not so impressive under Andy’s management, and couldn’t perform well in the league, but Andy guided the club to win their third FA Cup title in 1931-32.

Later, Newcastle’s performance began to decline. In the 1933-34 season, the club finished 21st in the league and was relegated to the Second Division. Despite the team’s poor performance, Andy Cunningham remained the club’s manager, but was replaced by Tom Mather after being ranked 6th in the first season of the Second Division League.

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Post-War Period

After World War II, George Martin was hired as the new manager in 1947. Newcastle United spent two years in the Second division after World War II. George Martin made some changings in the squad and switched Jackie Milburn to the center Forward position. Milburn was known for his rapid pace and had killer shot in both feet. Newcastle bounced back and qualified again for the First Division Football league in 1948.

Later on, Newcastle won three more FA Cup titles in 1951, 1952 and 1955. The club became famous as the Cup specialist in the UK. The Magpies players became famous all over the UK, some of the big names of that time were Jackie Milburn, Bobby Mitchell, Ivor Allchurch, Jimmy Scoular, Ivor Broadis, Frank Brennan, and Len White.

The downfall of Newcastle United Football Club

After the 1955 FA Cup victory, the Newcastle squad began to break up. Scottish centre half Frank Brennan left the club in March 1956 after a disagreement with the club’s management. In September 1957, George Hannah also left Newcastle to join Lincoln City. Bobby Cowell announced his retirement after a severe injury in 1955. Goalkeeper Ronnie Simpson suffered a muscle injury and could not play for two seasons, he was eventually sold to Glasgow Celtic in October 1960.  Catch up on the latest Newcastle United Football News with Football 24-7 or the Official Newcastle United page on the BBC.

Many other key players, including Jimmy Schuler, Vic Keeble, Bobby Mitchell and Bob Stokoe, also left Newcastle United in the 1960s. The departure of such a large number of players had a devastating effect on Newcastle United’s performance. Newcastle United became a very unpredictable team, and the club was again relegated to the Second Division Football League in 1961. The Club’s ex-captain Joe Harvey was hired as the new manager in 1962, he revitalized the club by purchasing quality players. In 1965, Newcastle was promoted to the First Division.

Qualification for the European Competition

In the 1967-68 season, Newcastle United excelled in the Football League and qualified for the European competition for the first time. The club qualified for the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, a European football competition played between 1955 and 1971. The competition was originally organized by FIFA, but in 1971 it came under the management of UEFA and was renamed the UEFA Cup.

Newcastle United’s performance in the competition was exceptional. They beat Portuguese club Vitoria de Setubal in the Quarterfinal by 6 – 4 aggregate. They gave a hard time to British rivals Rangers FC and defeated them in the Semifinal by 2 – 0 aggregate. In the final, Newcastle faced Hungarian club Ujpest FC and beat them by 6 – 2 aggregate. Newcastle United stunned everyone as they qualified for the competition for the first time and lifted the cup.

Premier League Era

Newcastle United couldn’t show an impressive performance in the 1977-78 season.  They were relegated to the Second Division. After playing six consecutive seasons in the Second Division, the Magpies were promoted to the First Division. In 1988-89, Newcastle United finished last on the table, and again relegated to the Second Division. It was a difficult time at the club, with manager McFaul leaving the post due to public pressure. In 1992, Sir John Hall hired Kevin Keegan as the club’s new manager. He led the team to win the 1992-93 season and helped the club advance to the Premier League.

The team hit the jackpot by signing big names such as David Ginola and Alan Shearer, He was instrumental in reclaiming the club’s form. In the mid-1990s, Newcastle United became a side that was capable of defeating big teams. The club played attacking football under Keegan management, they beat Manchester United by 5 – 0 in the 1995-96 season, and finished second in the league table. Keegan resigned from the manager position in January 1997. After Keegan, Kenny Dalglish took over the charge as manager, and maintained the club’s performance. United again finished second in the league in the following season.

Newcastle United reached the FA Cup final twice in a row in 1998 and 1999. In the 1997-98 FA Cup, Newcastle beat Sheffield United 1-0 in the semi-finals, but lost the final to Arsenal 0-2. In 1998-99, Newcastle faced Manchester United, but lost again in the final 0-2. It was a great disappointment for the team not to be able to win a trophy despite playing so well. Most recent relegation of Newcastle United to the Second Division happened in 2016, but they won English Football League in the following season, and earned a promotion back to the Premier League.

Interesting Facts about Newcastle United

• In the beginning Newcastle United used to wear red striped shirts and white shorts as their home color, but after a few years, they switched to the black and white stripes as we all know.
• Newcastle United used to wear shirts with the logo of City of Newcastle upon Tyne coat-of-arms having three castles and sea horses on both sides, but in 1988, the club changed the logo but the main idea of the logo is still the same.
• Club’s home ground St James Park is one of the oldest football stadiums in the UK. It was built in 1885, and the club started playing in the stadium in 1892.
• Football legend Alan Shearer holds the record for the most goals scored by a Newcastle player, he scored 206 goals in 405 matches. Shearer also holds a record for the most goals scored by a player in a single game, he scored 5 goals.
• Scottish player Jimmy Lawrence has the record for the most appearances for Newcastle United. He played 496 matches for the club between 1904 and 1922.
• Newcastle United also holds a joint record with Stockport for the highest goals scored by the team in a single match. In 1946, they defeated Newport County in the Second Division league by 13 – 0.
• The club also holds the record for most draw games in a single season. Newcastle played 17 draw games in the 2003-04 season of the Premier League.
• Tyne-Wear Derby which takes place between Newcastle United and Sunderland, is one of the most followed derbies in the English football.

We have also published another big football club guide, namely interesting facts about Manchester United football club.

Newcastle United FC Honours List

Newcastle United has won 17 different trophies including four Premier League titles. Below is the complete detail of major trophies and titles won by Newcastle United FC.

4 Premier League / First Division Football League titles – Newcastle United has not won a Premier League title yet, but the club has won four First Division football league titles including, 1904–05, 1906–07, 1908–09, and 1926–27.

6 FA Cup – The Magpies have won 6 FA Cup titles. In the 1950s, the club became famous as the Cup specialist in the UK by winning three FA Cup titles. The club won the FA Cup in 1909–10, 1923–24, 1931–32, 1950–51, 1951–52, and 1954–55.

One FA Community/Charity Shield – Newcastle United has won only one FA Community Shield title in 1909.

1X Inter-Cities Fairs Cup – the club qualified for a European competition for the first time in 1968, and stunned everyone by winning the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in the following season in 1968–69.

1 UEFA Intertoto Cup – the most recent club title is the UEFA Intertoto Cup also known as the International Football Cup. They won the title in 2006