THAT 5-0... YOU COULD SAY WE OWED UNITED!
Hammering in 1996 Charity Shield fired us up, says Toon legend Rob Lee
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TOON legend Rob Lee reckons the rise of Newcastle United this season has revived one of the great Premier League rivalries.
Newcastle and Manchester United meet at St James’ Park next weekend and a home win would see Eddie Howe’s side leapfrog the Red Devils and boost their bid for a top-four finish.
The clash will bring memories flooding back for Lee, a cornerstone of Kevin Keegan’s Entertainers, who, in the mid-90s, were regularly challenging United at the top of the table.
“It does feel like those days are coming back,” said the former England midfielder, 57.
“And what’s really exciting is that Newcastle will go into the game fancying their chances of a win – just like we did back then.”
The Magpies did not have things their own way during that decade – far from it, in fact.
Lee added: “Everyone remembers they pipped us for the title after we’d been well clear. But the following summer Alan Shearer joined Newcastle for a world-record transfer fee after turning down Manchester United.
“After the blow of missing out on the title, that really lifted spirits.”
Those spirits sank again when Newcastle were thrashed 4-0 by United in the Charity Shield, but that sowed the seeds for one of the most famous victories in Premier League history.
“We were awful at Wembley and the performance left Keegan hopping mad,” Lee recalled. “But less than 48 hours earlier, we’d played at Lincoln when Alan actually made his debut and before that, we’d been in the Far East, so preparations weren’t exactly ideal.
“So, when we faced Manchester United in the league two months later, you could say we owed them one.”
What happened then is now part of Geordie folklore, with Les Ferdinand and Shearer destroying Alex Ferguson’s side in a 5-0 rout – the DVD of the game “Howay Five-o” is still the best-selling sports DVD on Tyneside.
Lee can see similarities between that game and Sunday’s clash.
“Like us, it comes a few weeks after they beat us at Wembley, although the Carabao Cup Final was much closer than the Charity Shield,” he said.
“But I’m sure that defeat will provide that little bit of extra motivation. What I love is that this is a real six-pointer at the right end of the table.
“For too many years, Newcastle’s big games at this time of the season were against relegation rivals – that should never be the case for a club of that size.
“Newcastle are now going toe-to-toe with the best in the land and, just like all those years ago, games against Manchester United and Liverpool have got everyone talking again.”