History of Newcastle United F.C. - Bouncing Between Divisions (1978-1992)

Bouncing Between Divisions (1978-1992)

McGarry remained in charge of the club, but only managed two midtable finishes before being sacked in the wake of an uninspiring start to the 1980-81 season, and it was Arthur Cox who steered United back again to the First Division with ex England captain Kevin Keegan the focus of the side, having joined the Magpies in a sensational deal in 1982.

The football inspired by Keegan captivated Tyneside and United stormed into the top division in a style only bettered by Kevin's own brand of football as a manager in the next decade. Alongside Keegan were youngsters Peter Beardsley and Chris Waddle, as well as more experienced and older players including Terry McDermott and David McCreery. The club was rocked however when Cox resigned after the board refused to offer him an improved contract, and, surprisingly, accepted an offer to take charge of Derby County - who had been relegated from the Second Division.

One of English footballs greatest talents, Paul Gascoigne or 'Gazza', emerged as a youngster at the club during this period, under manager Jack Charlton (who later went on to take Republic of Ireland to two World Cup finals tournaments). Asides from that, Charlton's reign as manager was short-lived and unpopular, and a year later former player Willie McFaul succeeded Charlton. Newcastle consolidated their place in Division One but then a period of selling their best players (Beardsley to Liverpool, and Waddle and Gazza both to Tottenham), rocked the club and led to supporter unrest, as did a share-war for control of the boardroom. The effect of this on the pitch soon proved evident, as McFaul was sacked after a shaky start to the 1988-89 season, and new boss Jim Smith proved unable to turn Newcastle around, resulting in them finishing at the foot of the first division for the first time ever.

United almost bounced back in the 1989-90 season, but struggled all season for consistency and missed out on automatic promotion by one place, before enduring a humiliating play-off exit at the hands of bitter rivals Sunderland. The intensifying boardroom battle soon took its toll on the club, and Smith resigned early in the following season with the side stuck in mid-table. Ossie Ardiles became the club's new manager, and despite being probably the club's most popular manager since Joe Harvey, presided over a terrible run of results over the next two seasons, resulting in United being at the foot of the second division by the time he lost his job in early 1992. With the club hovering on the brink of a further, potentially catastrophic, relegation Newcastle United needed a saviour. They not only found one, but two, as Sir John Hall and Kevin Keegan joined forces to salvage Newcastle's reputation.