King Kev back in Toon to save stricken United
Nostalgia Editor WHAT do you recall of 25 years ago?
For fans of Newcastle United, 1992 will be remembered as the year Kevin Keegan returned to save the club.
The Toon’s glory days seemed like something from the distant past as the struggling team threatened to plunge into the old Third Division for the first time.
Enter former player, the charismatic Keegan, who would rescue the Magpies and take them on a thrilling, five-year journey of often brilliant football.
Away from the perennial obsession with football in the region, our photographic selection reflects the way we were a quarter of a century ago.
Princess Diana headed North, as did Freddie the dolphin (remember him?), while a 36-year-old political hopeful called Theresa May contested the North West Durham seat for the Tory Party in that year’s General Election. She came second. Whatever became of her?
It was a time when the average UK house price was around £68,000, a gallon of petrol cost £2.10, and a pint of beer would knock you back about £1.30.
In the wider world, what else was happening in 1992?
This was the year when, in the midst of economic turmoil, Britain left the Exchange Rate Mechanism at a time when John Major was Conservative Prime Minister and Norman Lamont was Chancellor
Notwithstanding this was also the year when the Tories won their fourth General Election on the bounce after Major famously got on his soapbox during the campaign.
Also in 1992, the Church of England voted to allow female priests, while Windsor Castle was damaged by fire, and Prince Charles and Princess Diana officially separated, contributing to The Queen’s much publicised “annus horribilis” speech.
Elsewhere, war flared in the Balkans prompting UN intervention, while on the streets of Britain there was rioting in cities across the country.
In technology, this was the year when DNA fingerprinting was introduced, nicotine patches became available to help people stop smoking, and the first ever text message was sent - in Berkshire.
On TV, Absolutely Fabulous debuted, while Casualty, Inspector Morse, and Married .With Children also attracted the viewers.
If you were a music fan, you were listening to REM, Nirvana and The Manic Street Preachers, while at the flicks Aladdin, Home Alone 2, and Reservoir Dogs were all new out.
And that’s the way we were back in 1992.
Front: The UCI cinema, Metrocentre, 1992; the Blue Monkey nightclub in Sunderland, 1992; Newcastle United’s Liam O’Brien celebrates scoring against Sunderland at Roker Park, 1992; Aussie pop star Kylie Minogue at Tyne Tees TV Studios, Newcastle1992
Above, the 6th Tynemouth (Holy Saviours) Scout Group in Howick, Northumberland, 1992; left, Kevin Keegan turning on Newcastle’s Christmas lights, 1992