Newcastle United

Newcastle United were founded in 1892 after a merger between the Newcastle West End and Newcastle East End clubs. The newly formed club played its home games at St James Park, the former home of Newcastle West End, and, over 100 years later, 'the Magpies' still call it home.

The Magpies joined the football league in 1893, starting, to the club's protestations, in the second division and then gaining promotion in 1898. This rise to the top of English football signified the beginning of the most successful era in the club's history, with them winning the league championship in 1904-05, 1906-07 and 1908-09. In addition to their league success, the Magpies also reached the FA Cup Final in 1905, 1906 and 1908, unfortunately losing all three games but making amends by beating Barnsley in the 1910 final.

Newcastle United's next success came in the 1924 FA Cup and their fourth, and most recent, league championship win came three seasons later. The Magpies again lifted the FA Cup in 1932 and their love affair continued in 1951, 1952 and 1955, but glory in the league eluded them. The next time Newcastle United would make a genuine title challenge was in 1995-96 under the management of Kevin Keegan, when they came second, just missing out to Manchester United. History repeated itself just a year later but, by this time Keegan had moved on and Kenny Dalglish was at the helm. In Europe, however, Newcastle United can boast some success, having beaten Hungary's Újpest 6-2 over a two-legged final to win the 1969 Inter Cities Fairs Cup.

Newcastle United's top scorer of all time is Alan Shearer, who scored 206 goals during his ten years at the club between 1996 and 2006. Jimmy Lawrence, who played during United's glory years in the early 20th century, holds their record for appearances (496) and their longest serving manager was Stan Seymour, who managed the club from 1939-1958.

The Newcastle United supporters, known as the 'Toon Army', are legendary. They are fiercely loyal to their side but they expect the best from their players and have been known to voice their discontent with the team and the board on a number of occasions. Newcastle United's main rivals are Sunderland, and the Tyne-Wear derby is the first game that fans of either team look for in the fixture list. Regardless of league position, or cup success, victory over Sunderland is always a high priority for the Toon Army. 

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