Newcastle United fans have had a rollercoaster time since the inception of the Premier League. When Kevin Keegan took over the reins in 1992, the club was on the brink of relegation to the old Division Three. But under his management, they romped to the title and took their place in the FA Carling Premiership in time for the 1993/94 season.
With a goal-hungry Andy Cole and veteran Peter Beardsley at the forefront of an attacking team, they were dubbed "The Entertainers". Attack was the first form of defence and it worked as the North East outfit finished third in their first season. They went even closer two years later. Leading Manchester United by 12 points, they eventually slipped to second.
Signing Alan Shearer for a world record £15m eased the Toon Army's disappointment and again they were runners-up. Managerial upheaval has seen the club fail to reach those dizzy heights since. Sam Allardyce took over for the 2007/08 campaign but was sensationally replaced by Keegan later that season. Equally unexpectedly, Keegan resigned in September 2008 and was replaced by Joe Kinnear whose initial short-term contract was soon extended to the end of the campaign. However there was further disruption as Kinnear was rushed to hospital in February 2009 and needed heart surgery. Chris Hughton took temporary charge during Kinnear's absence. Magpies legend Alan Shearer returned to his old club and took the managerial reins for the final eight fixtures of the campaign but he was unable to prevent them slipping into the Championship as they were beaten 1-0 at Aston Villa on the final day of the campaign.
However the Magpies bounced straight back to the Barclays Premier League at the first attempt. Hughton was handed the job on a permanent basis in October 2009 and repaid the club by leading them to the Championship title - and in some style. they racked up 102 points and 90 goals to finish 11 points clear of runners-up West Bromwich Albion.
In 1881, Stanley Cricket Club formed a football team to occupy themselves in winter. A year later, they changed their name to East End FC, turning professional in 1889. In 1892, they took over fierce rivals West End and moved into their ground - St James' Park. And on 22nd December, the FA approved the name Newcastle United.
The Magpies joined the Football League in 1893 and swiftly became one of the game's giants - winning three league titles and an FA Cup by 1914. In 1934 they were relegated though - despite memorably defeating Liverpool 9-2 and Everton 7-3. The Magpies started to rebuild, helped enormously by former star Stan Seymour as director.
The end of the Second World War saw the birth of another great team. Newcastle signed Jackie Milburn after he responded to their advert for trialists, and with his help, they lifted the FA Cup three times in five years. They also recorded the highest victory in English League football, 13-0 over Newport County in 1946.
European success followed when the Magpies won the Fairs Cup - re-named the Uefa Cup in 1969 - despite a brief spell in Division Two, and in 1971 Malcolm Macdonald was signed from Luton Town. Devastating in front of goal, 'Supermac' led the Magpies to Wembley twice - in the FA Cup in 1974 and League Cup in 1976 - and quickly established himself as a Newcastle legend. The club have had their ups and downs since then but players such as Kevin Keegan, Paul Gascoigne and Chris Waddle have seen them maintain their ethos of attractive and attacking football.
1992/93 - Promoted to FA Carling Premiership as Division One Champions
1994/95 - Sell Andy Cole to Manchester United for English record transfer fee of £7million
1995/96 - FA Carling Premiership runners-up
1996/97 - Sign Alan Shearer for world record £15m. Manager Kevin Keegan quits in January. Replaced by Kenny Dalglish. FA Carling Premiership runners-up
1997/98 - Lose FA Cup Final 2-0 to Arsenal
1998/99 - Ruud Gullit replaces Dalglish. Lose FA Cup final 2-0 to Manchester United
1999/00 - Bobby Robson replaces Gullit. Wins first home match 8-0 against Sheffield Wednesday
2004/05 - Robson sacked. Replaced by Graeme Souness
2005/06 - Sign Michael Owen for club record £17m. Souness sacked, replaced by Glenn Roeder. Shearer becomes record goalscorer - overtaking Jackie Milburn's tally of 200. Retires having scored 206 goals for Newcastle
2006/07 - Roeder sacked with one match of the Barclays Premiership season to go. Sam Allardyce appointed two days after season ends. 26th June - Mike Ashley and St. James' Holdings gain 90 per cent of shares, enough to take over the club
2007/08 - Sam Allardyce leaves the club in January '08 by mutual consent. Kevin Keegan replaces Allardyce to make a sensational return to the club.
2008/09 - Keegan resigns in September '08 by mutual consent. He is replaced by Joe Kinnear, initially on a 10-week contract soon extended to the end of the season. However heart surgery in February forces Kinnear to miss two months of the season with Chris Hughton stepping in on a temporary basis. Alan Shearer is put in charge for the final eight fixtures but cannot prevent the Magpies being relegated to the Championship.
2009/10 - Hughton leads Newcastle back to the Barclays Premier League as runaway champions.
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