NUFC 1980/81 - Season Review

New Sponsors

During the summer a new sponsorship deal was announced with Scottish and Newcastle Breweries worth around £100,000 to the club during the next two years.

In return, United wore the 'Blue Star' on their shirts whenever possible; it was the first time that the club shirt has had a commercial symbol on it.

As part of the deal an electronic scoreboard was installed at the Gallowgate End which was “the most sophisticated on any sports ground in Britain”.

Newcastle defied FA rules by wearing their Blue Star shirts in the Cup match against Sheffield Wenesday and were later fined £1,000 for doing so.

McGarry out

Just before the start of the season McGarry admitted: “I’m under pressure and two directors are after my blood. I don’t worry about the directors who don’t like me. I’m not a likeable guy because I do the job in my own fashion”.

Someone who definitely didn’t like him was recently sold Tommy Cassidy who blasted him for being “thirty years out-of-date” and revealed how he had grown to hate training, claiming that others felt the same way. McGarry responded by calling his critics a disgrace, that he’s “not paid to be popular” and confirmed he will continue doing things his way and that he does not feel nervous about his position in any way.

McGarry only lasted four games into the season. A 4-0 defeat at Bolton followed by a less than impressive victory over Fourth Division Bury in a match which attracted less than 10,000 to St James' proved to be the death knell.

McGarry acknowledged that he had helped to bring about his own downfall by being “too smug”, citing his major mistakes as being: not making a signing when United topped the table at the end of 1979 and not appointing a new assistant when Peter Morris quit for Peterborough.

Media speculation threw up the usual quota of names with United believed to be after a young manager with a reasonable amount of experience. How many were approached is not known but Frank Clark (Sunderland assistant manager) and Jimmy Frizzell both claimed to have been approached and former captain Bobby Moncur ruled himself out of the running.

Former manager Joe Harvey, now 62, was put in temporary charge whilst the search for a new manager began. Joe said the new man would have to have "a big heart and broad shoulders".

Cox In

Eventually United appointed Chesterfield manager Arthur Cox who had built up an excellent reputation for running the Saltergate outfit on a shoestring. "This is one of the top six jobs in the country. I can do a job here" Arthur stated boldly. "I want to see fans queuing around St. James' Park again - and they will be."

It was not the big name manager that many fans had called for, but as Harvey said "we are not really a big club at the moment". However he promised that "the fans will love him eventually. If he equals what I did in the early sixties by getting us promotion then I will kiss his feet".

Outspoken Forest manager Brian Clough was less impressed with the appointment. Whilst wishing Cox "every success" he gave an interview in which he said that the club was in a "shocking mess" and should have attempted to get one of the four top "locally" born managers (whose clubs occupied the top four places in the League at the time): Bob Paisley, Lawrie McMenemy, Bobby Robson and - of course - himself.

He admitted it would have been difficult to entice any of them away from their current employers, but blasted the club for not even trying, implying that they only appoint managers who they feel they can control.

He feared that the club would plummet further rather than be turned around and suggested that "only time can tell if he (Cox) is capable of working such miracles."

One thing Cox demanded more than anything else was total commitment from his players and he wasn't adverse to publicly criticising them if they failed to match his standards.

He also wanted the team "to have the sort of spirit that has always existed down coal mines, where a mate always looks after a mate no matter what the circumstances".

After four wins and a draw, Cox won the Division 2 Manager of the Month award for January. "The award is an honour for the Club, players and supporters. Everyone at the Club has worked hard."

Rather than the standard summer break the players were allowed five full weeks off, taken at any time, but on a rota. And in the remaining weeks they had to attend training twice a week. Cox wanted to keep fitness levels up and for the players to work hard on improving their technique.

Boardroom Changes

Just before Christmas former United chairman Lord Westwood stepped down from his position as vice-chairman although he remained a director and club president. Stan Seymour replaced him.

Then in March president Lord Westwood, chairman Bob Rutherford and David Salkeld all quit the board as they were not prepared to pay the £16,000 that the club's bank had requested all the directors to pay.

Westwood (who was 73) accepted that something needed to be done, but said that he was "too old to take on that sort of mountainous problem. There are big problems at St. James' Park and unless something is done about them quickly they will get out of hand". Stan Seymour junior took over as Chairman.

On hearing the news Fulham chairman Ernie Clay declared that he would "crawl all the way to the North East to take over the club" and claimed he would pay off the club's £500,000 debt.

He also said that he would bring some of his Fulham staff with him and possibly even introduce a rugby league club. "The whole place would take off - there would be no doubt about that. I have made a habit of taking over ramshackle outfits".

Stan Seymour took over as Chairman and immediately made it clear that "there is no way the current board will invite discussion with him".

In November, after resigning as Carlisle scout, Brian Watson became Newcastle’s Youth Development Officer.

In January United announced a complete overhaul of their scouting staff, sacking all of their scouts outside the North East area. Newcastle will now concentrate on looking for local talent.

Stan Seymour outlined the new policy for the future. “Never again will we buy old players. We are where we are because of our dealings in the transfer market. We're finished with buying players who are 31, 32 and 33. We want players with a future... we must put our faith in youth and we must utilise local talent. We will do everything we can for our fans and for the Club. We want to be big again. But I have to use the word eventually because our job is to get us out of our current mess and that means steady progress rather than spectacular."

Former United manager, Duggie Livingstone, passed away in January.

Respected journalist David Miller lambasted the club after the Cup defeat at Exeter. "Newcastle are little short of a music hall joke" and "are an insult to the most loyal supporters in English football". Not the team but "the Board of Directors, which over twenty years or so has allowed this great club to rot".

Norwich made a formal complaint to the League accusing United of approaching one of their players (Justin Fashanu) through the press. Newcastle denied the allegation.

Steve Carney was sent off on the opening day at Sheffield Wednesday. Both managers criticised the decision; "if that was a sending off offence I'm my aunt's uncle and we'll change our name to 'handbags United’” said McGarry. Even the referee Ken Walmsley thought the decision was unfair and "has nothing but sympathy for the lad". He blamed the fact that the disciplinary rules were now too rigid.

United paid out a record fee of £250,000 for Bedllngton born West Brom midfielder John Trewlck.

United signed Lincoln City forward Mick Harford for £150,000 which was a record fee for a Fourth Division player. Harford had scored 15 times In 21 games so far in 1980/81. Cox admitted: "he's a nasty so and so.... I'm going to have to tame him".

The Magpies were one of a number of club’s keeping an eye on Carlisle youngster Peter Beardsley, but in a surprise move he signed for US club Vancouver Whitecaps. Bob Stokoe, defended his decision claiming that not one English club had made a concrete bid. Cox disapproved; "when you have talent you don't need to chase cash".

At the end of the season Terry Hibbitt and Peter Kelly (for the second time) were both advised to quit the game by specialists.