Newcastle's Cult Heroes: The Toon's 20 Greatest Icons (Cult Heroes S.)

by Dylan Younger (Author)

• Used

  Hardcover
  2006

  $3.25

  Who is your favorite Newcastle Cult Hero? Shearer, Gascoigne, Beardsley, Waddle, Keegan? Or would you be more old school and plump for MacDonald, Milburn, Stubbins, Veitch or Gallacher? Dylan Younger's book, Newcastle's Cult Heroes , tells the story of the club through the careers of its 20 greatest icons - the men who made Geordie fans' pulses race. The likes of Shackleton, Robledo, Davies, Green and Cole all join the illustrious cast list as Dylan searches for the very heart eat of a club obsessed with the cult of the number nine, but bereft of trophies for so long. Each player's career is analysed to discover what made him tick, why he was so idolised by the fans and what his legacy to the Toon was. Following the retirement of Alan Shearer, bringing a close to that chapter of the legend's career, can comparisons be made with Milburn, whose league goalscoring record he took and Stubbins, whose overall goalscoring record Shearer failed to break? Controversy and heated debate will surely follow around the North East as Newcastle fans place their bets on who the greatest Newcastle icon of all will turn out to be. And indeed what makes a Tyneside cult hero? Each of the twenty had a spark of brilliance - as player, leader or manager - which ignited passion on the terraces, but equally each had peccadilloes, faults and an ability to shock. Find out who broke a curfew to go out boozing two nights before winning the FA Cup. Whose shot was so fearsome it broke a goalkeeper's arm. Who scored 237 goals only to be erased from the record books, and who was the insecure yet brutal No. 9 of whom a team-mate confessed: He petrified me! Above all, discover what it is about 20 mere mortals that has brought them mythical status on Tyneside. Dylan Younger explores the diverse and intriguing reasons why each one has engendered passion, excitement and devotion among the greatest and most obsessive football supporters on planet earth. This is a rocky ride at times. But then, if you're a Newcastle fan, you're used to it.