It felt like Newcastle United could sign any player who became available | OneFootball

Newcastle United are on a run as good as a lot of fans can remember.

My first match was at the start of the 1989/90 season, that summer Newcastle had splashed just under a million bringing in strikers Mick[ey] Quinn* from Portsmouth and, for his second spell, Mark McGhee from Celtic.

Roy Aitken also moved from Celtic mid-season for half a million.

Decent fees at the time, in an attempt to get promoted back to the [then] First Division at the first attempt, but hardly the most exciting set of transfers, though between them Quinn and McGhee scored 61 goals as Newcastle finished third.

The money had apparently dried up and, apart from the bargain signings [for £250k each] of eventual legends Gavin Peacock and [bows reverently] David Kelly, there were no notably high transfer fees paid across the next couple of seasons, until the Halls got involved [This was partially offset by the introduction of some real quality from the youth set-up. Watson, Howey, Elliot and Clark all became Premier League standard].

Once Newcastle had reached the Premier League, it felt like we could sign anybody.

Though players from overseas were still a rarity, and because we had no internet nor access to European or worldwide football on telly, we only really knew British players, Italian-based players [due to Channel 4’s excellent coverage] and those that played internationals against England or in European competition against English clubs.

Newcastle became a real force to be reckoned with in the transfer market from the mid-90s onwards. Only one club in the world made four £2m+ transfers in 1994 – Newcastle United. Ruel Fox and then three players that we didn’t know that much about [apart from Philippe Albert, but only if you knew me, obviously].

It felt like we’d win every home game and almost all aways. Our management and coaching team feared nobody, so the players didn’t, so we didn’t. And it felt that if a player became available that the manager wanted and the transfer was feasible, we’d get him [I take the story of our attempt to sign Roberto Baggio with a pinch of salt, however].

Newcastle United proved this by signing Sir Les for £6m, Warren Barton for £4m, and Daveeeeed for £2.5m in 1995. Newcastle proved this by signing Tino and David F. Batty in early 1996. Newcastle United proved this by breaking the world record transfer fee to sign Shearer in the summer of 1996.

It feels similar, now.

We had arguably the best available striker for a Premier League team in 1996 and certainly the best striking partnerships from 1993-95, then 1996-7.

We have arguably the best available striker for a Premier League team in 2025.

Our coaching staff fear nobody. They can come up with a plan to make the most of our best 11 for each opponent, to maximise our chance of winning. And winning well. It’s worked for the last nine matches, now.

Who do our players fear?

Who do we fear?

Our best players are untouchable, both on the pitch and by potential suitors.

We might sign someone spectacular to improve the team. We’ve got those at the top worried. It feels like 1994 again.

*I scored 2 goals on my debut for the school team and me Uncle Charlie called me ‘Mickey Quinn’ for weeks after. It shows a lot about my character that I still remember that proudly.