Newcastle and Manchester United can revive the rivalry from the glory days of the 1990s

Newcastle and Manchester United can revive the rivalry from the glory days of the 1990s

It was, as statements go, somewhere between extremely bold or foolishly brash when Newcastle United manager Kevin Keegan hailed promotion to the Premier League with a warning to Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson.

It was 1993 and the country, as well as football, was undergoing a dramatic transformation. Newcastle was a city on the brink of an exciting rejuvenation from a downtrodden heavy industry base to a vibrant and confident cultural hub. The football club was the most obvious symbol of its renewal.

However, no one had challenged Ferguson in this way before and the response at the time was one of mildly amused. It quickly got serious.

When Keegan said Newcastle “came for the Manchester United title”, it was true began an exciting rivalry between the two clubs that would last until he left St James’ Park in 1997 (as manager for the first time).

“We had no idea Kevin would say that,” admits former Newcastle midfielder Rob Lee, who had joined the summer before Newcastle’s Second Division title win. “Most of the newly promoted teams, as now, were talking about consolidating in the top flight and doing the best they can while they find their footing. His first words were that you better watch out for Alex Ferguson because we’re coming for your title.

“It even surprised the players. But during that short period, anything seemed possible. That’s just how Kevin was. He was never interested in just doing well. He was just that way. We weren’t there to participate, we were there to try and do something special.

“We didn’t start very well, we lost to Tottenham, we lost to Coventry, but we went to Manchester United early and got a draw. Andy Cole scored his first goal of the season and that was it. They were the best team in the season country and we probably should have won that game, we believed…

“What followed was remarkable. We finished third in our first season (and sixth in their second). Two years later, we topped the table in January with a big lead. We really came for them, like Kevin said we would.

Newcastle and Manchester United can revive the rivalry from the glory days of the 1990s

Newcastle and Manchester United can revive the rivalry from the glory days of the 1990s

It was, as statements go, somewhere between extremely bold or foolishly brash when Newcastle United manager Kevin Keegan hailed promotion to the Premier League with a warning to Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson.

It was 1993 and the country, as well as football, was undergoing a dramatic transformation. Newcastle was a city on the brink of an exciting rejuvenation from a downtrodden heavy industry base to a vibrant and confident cultural hub. The football club was the most obvious symbol of its renewal.

However, no one had challenged Ferguson in this way before and the response at the time was one of mildly amused. It quickly got serious.

When Keegan said Newcastle “came for the Manchester United title”, it was true began an exciting rivalry between the two clubs that would last until he left St James’ Park in 1997 (as manager for the first time).

“We had no idea Kevin would say that,” admits former Newcastle midfielder Rob Lee, who had joined the summer before Newcastle’s Second Division title win. “Most of the newly promoted teams, as now, were talking about consolidating in the top flight and doing the best they can while they find their footing. His first words were that you better watch out for Alex Ferguson because we’re coming for your title.

“It even surprised the players. But during that short period, anything seemed possible. That’s just how Kevin was. He was never interested in just doing well. He was just that way. We weren’t there to participate, we were there to try and do something special.

“We didn’t start very well, we lost to Tottenham, we lost to Coventry, but we went to Manchester United early and got a draw. Andy Cole scored his first goal of the season and that was it. They were the best team in the season country and we probably should have won that game, we believed…

“What followed was remarkable. We finished third in our first season (and sixth in their second). Two years later, we topped the table in January with a big lead. We really came for them, like Kevin said we would.