Baggio no go? We’ll go Hall out for Al instead!
ANY lingering hangover from missing out on the title was removed when we paid out a world record fee of £15 million to sign Alan Shearer from Blackburn Rovers before the start of the 1996/97 season.
To be honest, I could not believe we had pulled it off – one of the best strikers in the world coming to Tyneside.
The club even built a special stage just outside the ground so he could be presented to the supporters.
There were about 10,000 fans flocking around Alan – just incredible scenes.
Douglas Hall had been the real instigator behind Alan’s shock signing.
If he had something in his mind he would try to deliver. Sometimes his ideas were a bit over the top but he would still try to go for it.
He tried once to sign the top Italian striker Roberto Baggio.
Kevin could not believe it when Douglas said he was going over to Italy to try and bring Baggio to St James’ Park.
I ended up going with Douglas and Freddy Shepherd. We arrived unannounced at Juventus and knocked on the door.
Douglas said: “I am Douglas Hall of Newcastle United in England. Who do I speak to to sign Roberto Baggio?”
The Juve official told him there was no-one at the club available to talk about Baggio and, in any case, he was not for sale.
So Douglas and the rest of us had to slope out of the ground and head back to Turin Airport.
Not to be defeated, Douglas wondered whether we could now find the money to try to sign Alan Shearer.
Kevin wanted him because Alan was the best striker in the country.
We knew we had to pay big money and Kevin found out it would cost
In the second and final instalment of our extract from Terry McDermott’s absorbing new autobiography Terry Mac – Living For The Moment, Terry turns the clock back to 1996, and the stunning world record transfer deal that brought a famous Tyneside son back home
Newcastle £15m to bring Alan to Tyneside. Douglas told Kevin: “Leave it to me, I will get it sorted.” Alan got in touch with the Blackburn owner Jack Walker and told him he wanted to leave.
The only problem we had was Manchester United were also desperate to sign Alan and had already met him. There was even talk of Alan looking at property in the Manchester area.
Kevin moved in quickly and spoke to Alan himself and arranged to meet him. Even though he was on the verge of agreeing to join Manchester United, Alan changed his mind after listening to Kevin’s plans.
Being a proud Geordie and committed Newcastle fan, he also saw it as his chance to come home.
Even so, £15m was a huge fee and there were doubts we could manage to find the money.
Kevin did not even think it was a possibility, especially when Jack Walker insisted on the fee being paid in one hit.
Somehow we managed to meet that requirement and he was soon on a plane with Kevin to join the rest of us on a pre-season trip to the Far East.
Alan, being black-and-white through and through, had just one stipulation before he agreed to sign – and it had nothing to do with money. He wanted the No 9 shirt.
He was not coming unless that number was his. That left us with a big problem because Les Ferdinand was the proud owner of that iconic Newcastle shirt.
Not many people can carry that number, worn by legends like Jackie Milburn and Malcolm Macdonald.
Kevin had to call Les in and ask him to give it up. Les was not happy but thankfully agreed, allowing Alan to carry on the tradition of great Newcastle number nines.
We now had attacking options of Shearer, Ferdinand, Ginola, Beardsley, Asprilla, Gillespie and Lee – simply mouthwatering.
Terry McDermott Living For The Moment, RRP £18.99, only £15.99 on sportmediashop.com. Hardback and ebook available. On sale Thursday, March 30.