Newcastle United midfielders – Ten of the best former ones at St James’ Park this past half century | OneFootball

Newcastle United midfielders, I’m going to name ten of the best and also some of my favourite former NUFC ones since 1975 (50 years ago).

I specifically mention the time frame because sometimes in the comments sections, some folk will mention someone from before the era I’m focusing on (nor obviously am I including any current Newcastle United midfielders).

For instance, the legend that is Tony Green, sadly retired in 1973.

Tommy Cassidy was instantly recognisable in United’s midfield in the 1970s with his voluminous sideburns and at times ungainly demeanor.

Tommy may have been lacking in pace, but he made up for this with a great football brain, and an eye for a slide rule pass that could open up the best defences.

An excellent club servant, Tommy also was the scorer of some memorable and spectacular goals in black and white stripes.

Tommy Craig was one of Joe Harvey’s last signings for United. He had already made a name for himself at Sheffield Wednesday and soon became a fan favourite at Gallowgate.

Industrious and skilful, Tommy possessed a rocket of a shot, and also had a reputation in the game for being a deadly penalty taker.

He captained United at Wembley against Manchester City in the 1976 League Cup Final.

Local lad Paul Gascoigne was brilliant for Newcastle United but gone all to soon.

He really did have everything in his locker and I don’t think he ever consistently played anywhere else, at the level he did for United, after he left the club in 1988.

Liam O’Brien is my favourite ever Toon player. He joined Newcastle from Man Utd when we were hurtling towards the old Second Division during the 1988/89 campaign.

Liam was part of Bald Eagle Jim Smith’s side that narrowly missed out on automatic promotion back to the First Division in 1990.

He was a stalwart in the side that miraculously avoided relegation to the Third Division in 1991/92 and one of Keegan’s heroes that lifted the (by now) First Division title a year later.

Liam O’Brien was very similar to his fellow Irishman Tommy Cassidy. He was languid in stature, may not have been the fastest, but he could mix it up in the middle, read the game well and had a keen eye for any opening.

Just like Cassidy, O’Brien had a penchant for scoring spectacular goals. He was also a mackem slayer, his name is still chanted in bars and sometimes on the terraces over thirty years since he last appeared for United.

In my opinion, Rob Lee was one of Kevin Keegan’s best ever signings for Newcastle.

He arrived in 1992 from Charlton Athletic for £700,000 in what was at the time a record fee for United. We were top of the First Division at the time after our ’11 in a row’ dream start to the season.

Charlton were actually second in the table at the time but reluctantly sold Lee to help finance the redevelopment of The Valley.

Rob Lee never looked back once he had pulled on our famous jersey. Within two years he was strutting his stuff in the Premier League and in Europe (who can ever forget his hat-trick of headers in Belgium against Royal Antwerp).

Issue 64 – April 1994

Rob became a member of the England set-up and was still doing the business for United at the turn of the millennium for Sir Bobby Robson.

This man bleeds black and white and he also later became an outspoken critic of the running of Newcastle United, during the disastrous Mike Ashley regime.

Gary Speed was a Kenny Dalglish signing from Everton in 1998 and came into a poor United side.

After a slow and less than electric start in our stripes, once settled, Gary became a pivotal part of the Toon engine room.

Speed didn’t mind getting involved in battles on the pitch (just ask Roy Keane) and was a real team man.

With immense heading ability he was also a constant threat and distraction to the opposition at set-pieces.

Gary was another player who thrived under Sir Bobby. His experience and knowledge of the game was invaluable, in a team that featured the likes of Dyer, Bellamy and Robert.

Gary Speed is sadly missed by the Newcastle United family.

We also snapped up the ‘Little Maestro’ Nolberto Solano from Boca Juniors in 1998 (bloody hell I’m beginning to make Dalglish look good here).

Once he found his feet ‘Nobby’ would go on to entertain Toon fans for most of the following decade. He was exceptionally talented and equally exquisite in scoring and providing goals for others (especially Big Al).

I was angry and very disappointed when Sir Bobby sold Nobby to Aston Villa in January 2004.

I was ower the moon though when Sourpuss brought our trumpet playing little hero back 18 months later.

Alongside the aforementioned Cassidy and O’Brien, Kevin Nolan is the third member of my “blokes who look like they’d rather be in the boozer”…

Nolan arrived at United in 2009 when we were sinking like a stone, relegation became a formality, but for this man it was the catalyst to etching his name in club folklore.

Kevin Nolan was unstoppable in the Championship in 2009/10. He was United’s talisman and scored a barrel load of goals along with his big mate Andy Carroll.

On Halloween 2010 Kevin banged in a hat-trick at St James’ Park against Steve Bruce’s Sunderland in the Tyne/Wear Derby.

The chicken dance only rubbed salt into the mackems’ wounds that day and the whole occasion nearly had the ‘Fraudy Geordie’ in tears.

Issue 252 – 13 November 2010

Kevin even got the chance to do the chicken dance again three months later at the Stadium of Light, after scoring with a cheeky backheel.

Cheick Tiote was admired by all United fans. A Chris Hughton signing from Dutch Champions FC Twente he became distinguished in black and white.

Tough, tenacious, there is no doubting that Cheick was also a canny footballer who would constantly try to regain possession of the ball as the anchorman in our midfield.

His only goal for United was the unbelievably late equaliser against Wenger’s Arsenal in 2011, when we came back to draw after being 4-0 down at half-time.

Yohan Cabaye is another who played his best football while at Newcastle.

He was comfortable on the ball and strong in the tackle. High energy Cabaye could cover the yards and turn defence into attack with his expert reading of a situation.

Another scorer of excellent goals, Yohan was the perfect midfield partner for Cheick Tiote.

Issue 261 – 24 September 2011

The reason I haven’t included great players like Terry Hibbitt and Jinky Smith is because I think their greatest Toon moments came before 1975.

There are more that I haven’t mentioned that you will rate and have special memories of (for instance Gavin Peacock who I featured on The Mag most recently and Lee Clark etc).

Let me know your thoughts and some of your own favourites in the comments below.