Why on earth would I know that and why would I care? We’ve won 25 trophies since then… | OneFootball

I read a recent article (‘Essential for young Newcastle United fans if we want to retain our club that belongs to the people of Newcastle’) on The Mag from Greg McPeake, which focused on the “supporter divide” that exists between young and old.

It brought a smile to my face because that old and young divide has been there forever. The only thing that changes is your rung on the ladder of life.

It certainly existed when this cocky know-all and his equally cocky mates, were noisily swaggering into the club on a Saturday night, post-match.

Dressed in our best Sta-Prest and Crombie after watching Supermac put another team to the sword.

As the snakebites were downed and we got louder and louder, our antics would undoubtedly put the old codgers in the corner off their dominoes. This would lead to heated words being exchanged between us.

It would end with one of these 50 year old fossils losing his rag and shouting over at us:

“Will you lot shut up talking rubbish. Hibbitt couldn’t lace Bobby Mitchell’s boots and I should know, I was going to St James’ Park before you lot were born.”

“What’s your point grandad?”

“My point is son, I was at Wembley in 1952. Call yourselves supporters, I bet none of you have a clue who scored the winner against Arsenal that day.”

Silence.

“Well?”

“Well?”

“Jackie Milburn?”

“Wrong.”

“Joe Harvey?”

“Try again,”

“Bobby Moncur?”

“Jeez, you lot are even dumber than you look.”

The point of my recollections of the Greenbank club (which is now a care home), is that the 16 year old me was clueless about the history of my club. I had never heard of George Robledo, let alone seen him play.

My life revolved around Macdonald, Hibbitt and Smith, I had no interest in those who wore the shirt before I was born.

Which brings me to Greg’s lad and his fellow teenagers.

While being able to name the team that beat Man Utd 5-0 would be very impressive, not being able to remember Peacock or Batty were playing, does not turn you into a part-time glory hunter.

It makes you young.

I admit that the 65 year old me finds the antics of 16 year olds strange… but I’m not supposed to understand.

If we struggle today with the divide, then think how the generation of lads who fought in World War Two felt, watching their kids turn into hippies.

Or ten years later, my dad watching his little pride and joy morph into a grunting, insolent, skinhead.

I will never get my head around why some will get their phone out when we score, but it’s just football 2024. It’s what you do, just like chasing rival fans around city centres in your Doc Martens was what you did back in 1976.

However, the most important thing I take from that article, was that you always need the next generation to be engaged and become as committed to the cause, as the ones who went before.

If you can’t get into the ground when you are young, then you are unlikely to make that connection.

So if we don’t want to become a tourist club that we all despise, then we must engage these kids, so they will want to eat sleep and drink Newcastle. Just like their dads.

And that means a new ground.

I can see the future.

Thirty years time and Greg’s grandson is asked to name the Newcastle United team that won the 2025 League Cup.

He will give his dad a sigh and say, “Why on earth would I know that and why would I care? We’ve won 25 trophies since then.”