Why Is an Away Trip to Newcastle the Premier League's Best Experience? Thank Keegan

There is a common belief among Premier League fans: travelling to Newcastle as an away supporter is one of the best weekend experiences in the league. Win or lose, a Newcastle away trip always leaves fans with great memories. This enjoyment may be thanks to the late Kevin Keegan.

Newcastle fans have many reasons to thank Keegan: leading the team out of the third tier and into the Premier League in 1992, signing Andy Cole, Albert's lob, the arrival of Asprilla, Champions League qualification, a period when they led Manchester United by 12 points, and his famous response to Ferguson's 'dark arts'. But fans of other clubs may also owe him something—the wonderful away weekend you once spent in Newcastle, taking the train to Central Station, with St James' Park overlooking the city like an acropolis, having a few drinks before the match, continuing afterward, and eventually waking up dazed in a cheap hotel near Bigg Market. That experience was also indirectly created by Keegan.

When Keegan arrived, the lights came on

Something remarkable happened in Newcastle during the 1990s. Almost as Keegan transformed Newcastle from a struggling Second Division club into one of England's most attractive teams, the city itself was undergoing a similar transformation.

When Keegan returned to St James' Park in February 1992, Newcastle was still dealing with the psychological aftermath of the 1980s. Shipbuilding, coal, and heavy industry, which had made Tyneside famous, were disappearing, and the football club seemed to be heading down the same path. The team was fighting relegation, while St James' Park was run-down, half-empty, and unloved. Then Keegan arrived, and someone turned on the lights.

Within 18 months, Newcastle had reached the Premier League; within two years, they were playing in European competition; by 1996, they were challenging for the title with a team playing football so stylish that it was almost 'irresponsible'. The team was known as the 'Entertainers'.

Keegan's philosophy was simple and appealing. In his own words, watching a match was 'like southerners going to the theatre'. People worked hard all week, and on Saturday they deserved a show. Newcastle attacked because attacking was exciting. If opponents scored three goals, Newcastle would try to score four.

It was less a tactical system than a city philosophy. And beyond St James' Park, Newcastle was doing the same thing.

The city's revival in sync

Driven by property magnates such as Sir John Hall—who developed Europe's largest shopping centre on former mining spoil heaps in Gateshead, made a fortune, and later became Newcastle chairman—the old city rapidly reshaped itself around a leisure economy of shopping, culture, and nightlife. The Quayside filled with new bars and restaurants, and the riverside became a popular destination.

Keegan's football and the city's revival happened at the same time and benefited each other. Inside the stadium was the stylish attacking football of the 'Entertainers'; outside was a city with a fresh new appearance. This connection transformed a Newcastle away trip from an ordinary match into a complete city weekend experience.

So next time you are on a train heading to Newcastle, planning where to have a drink before and after the match, you might want to thank Keegan in your heart. He not only saved a football club, but also indirectly shaped a city's way of welcoming visitors.