The Evolution of St James’ Park: Newcastle United

[@ChrisTopher-gu8gf]

Nothing compares to standing in the gallowgate be it the corner or the scoreboard in the late 80's early 90's for me. Great memories

[@andrewford119]

What a brilliant video…. Hard not to ahead a tear or two… So glad we’re staying. For now that is…. Well done keep up the great content……

[@TynesideLife]

👊🏻👍🏻

[@stephencooper9935]

Don’t want us to move.. love the ground, the atmosphere and location. Costs a small fortune to get tickets every week but what a place. Have black and white photo of the joint and a model of the place in my home office. Memories with my son there will never ever be forgotten.

[@TynesideLife]

We’re not moving Stephen, it’s official 👍🏻

[@centurion8446]

It's weird seeing the 70's images with the East Stand being the biggest....that and amazing to think it was a similar size to what I considered really "small" early PL grounds like Filbert Street or Highfield Road. Just shows how we hit a sweet spot with Sir John hall coming into to develop it late 80's/early 90's and gaining promotion in '93 as we could have very easily become an entrenched 2nd tier club in different circumstances

[@PatrickStarfishman]

Please dont get this wrong because i love your usual content....BUT as a oure youtube video, i think this might be the best youve ever made. The clear effort youve out ibto finding datable photos. Choosing ones that actually tell the story of the stadiums development and the perfect version of bladon races. Bravo sir....Bravo!

[@TynesideLife]

Thank you 🙏

[@richardjames3356]

Nice collection of photos - many of the older ones I hadn't seen before. Cheers for putting this together 👍

[@jimfell7147]

Great slideshow, 60's and 70's my time there, havn't been since unfortunately but I will get back. Can't wait to see the blueprints for the upgrade, the more seats the better, but not sure there will be too many season tickets sold, more open admission as they will make more, would love to see a 70k stadium dont think any problem filling it, can see big solar tubes on the Leazes Terrace sign giving a sunny beam on the old houses.

[@geordienufc3132]

Great video, brought back a lot memories from the 60's and 70's when lived over there and never missed a home game. Cheers

[@geoffburlinson8909]

Thanks Eddie, another great trip down memory lane. I started in 1969 the Milburn stand was covered and the Leazes end had a corrugated roof. We payed extra for that 🤣🤣🤣 The rest was open to the wind and rain. All away fans in a section of the Gallowgate getting soaked. Oh how we laughed and cheered. How times have changed. Wonderful we have new supporting owners. All looking good for the future. 👍👍👍

[@TynesideLife]

☝️👊🏻

[@ianjames9166]

Wonderful. Thanks Eddy!

[@davehowe4714]

Wonderful footage and what a treat to hear good old Roly Veitchs voice again 👌

[@shealey9763]

Great video Eddy, right decision for me, will be interesting to see the end result :)

[@Charlton2010]

Awesome video this mate, loved it, soo much history ❤

[@Daveyboy5]

it was nice to meet you on wednesday at heworth u shook my hand lol lovely guy

[@TynesideLife]

You too 🙏

[@RUTLEP1]

Great collection of photos. Make you proud to be a Geordie

[@woody1456]

remember the cameras on the flat roof on the corner of the gallowgate in the 60s for the Sunday Tyne tees football programme "shoot" !

[@nij1541]

What a fabulous video, cheers Eddy,really emotional ❤️

[@TynesideLife]

🙏👊🏻

[@Novacastrian]

Who can Remember people climbing the score board on the night Keegan flew off in the helicopter,some great memories there,hadn’t seen a lot of the older photos,let’s hope they expand the trophy room when they add more seats!

[@TynesideLife]

You mean build a trophy room 😅

[@antd6993]

Thanks Eddy for a well presented video. My concerns are how many extra seats for fans after corporate take a chunk? How many ST holders will not be able to access their seats while redevelopment is going on and for how long? 1 season or 2? And if the Gallowgate is going to be a mammoth job as you have alluded too in previous videos, how much £? When it’s finished another concern is how will they allocate seats, who gets first dubs? And if for example an extra 8,000 seats divide that by 55,000 approx members and others who will want one, how do they fairly do that…a giant ballot?😮

[@TynesideLife]

All great questions Ant and as you’ve alluded to there will be thousands of frustrated fans. But that was always going to be the case. I do think we overestimate the size and commitment of our fan base though. There are thousands who currently get tickets who are just curious fans, passing through. Many of our members will be easy come, easy go.

[@loughy934]

Brilliant video makes me a bit emotional looking back thinking of old times in general. Moved on so much in our time can’t wait for the future but do hope we keep some of our heritage

[@BillyfromConsett]

Nice. Top work Eddie!

[@peterryan917]

Nice pictures. I found the wobbly date captions a bit distracting from the great photos. One photo of the west stand being constructed at c.2:45 was labelled as the 1980s rather than the 1970s.

[@TynesideLife]

Ahh my bad 😩

[@7kingkev]

Well just to correct you , it’s the east stand not the west stand . Great video Eddie

[@kevingallagher4673]

Great stuff Eddie enjoyed that ....

[@patricksarson12]

Loved this ❤️

[@stephencooper9935]

Great video Eddie ❤❤❤❤

[@pennycatterick5148]

OMG Eddie,.....fabulous memories. I can just see ma Grandfather, father and Uncle Jim singing this wonderful song together;....much fun was had! I'm somewhat mystified by what must be leak about the findings of the feasibility study. I cant see Amanda and folk being happy about this getting out,.....if its true? I would have thought that the club would have wanted to announce this news directly to the fans. I'm holding my breath!! We are United PennyXxx

[@TynesideLife]

Hi Penny. They did say the results would be out this month and they usually feed the mainstream media first before we can get our grubby hands on it 😅 I’ll do a video once I’ve read it but I do feel vindicated 👊🏻

[@chrispinkney8182]

Thanks ...

[@joppadoni]

I can shed a tear at a lot things but nothing makes me weep like Blaydon Races playing and a video showing Newcastle United progress. If we win anything in my life time i will be F'ing gone..

[@TynesideLife]

😢

[@daveyeddie8176]

You've got a nice singing voice Eddie😁. If the feasibility study has shown that it's a go then so be it, looking forward to the plans, would it not be possible to finish the rebuild before 2028 euro championships? The next question is the capacity, i would have thought 65,000 is the least we need regarding demand, 60,000 imo isn't enough. But it's good to get positive news something is brewing. HWTL.

[@TynesideLife]

My guess is 60-62k ish. I suppose it depends on the extent of the expansion Davey and how long it would take.

[@fenham]

OK I’ve been in Australia for more than 40 years and things change but I can’t understand how Strawberry Place has evolved into such a busy thoroughfare. The fact that it has almost immediately precludes any easy expansion of the Gallowgate end. I’m aware that it’s an essential road leading to the RVI but even looking at Google Maps this area still looks like a collection of minor narrow back alleys. When I lived in Newcastle this area, except on match days, was a bit of a back-water. I’m flabbergasted.😂 I liked the video 👏👏👏👏 and I’ve had a couple of pints in the Robin Adair - sometime in the 70s, walking home to Fenham with a mate after we’d met at the Pilgrim Sstreet dole office… bloody hell… it was a grim place The “good old days”? I don’t think so 😉 #HTL

[@TynesideLife]

Hello Dave in Australia 🇦🇺 👊🏻 Aye, that’s progress for you. All I’d say is that the road shouldn’t really affect any expansion of the Gallowgate end. What has made you think that? The main challenges are not compromising the Metro tunnel. The road can go underneath the stand like the Milburn stand is now should they decide to do that

[@paulmason3923]

I love newcastle i get there when i can ❤

[@jamiefender6909]

My first view insIde SJP was August 1968 v West Ham first game of the season we won the Fairs Cup. Popular side Leazes end(ish) in line with the 18 yard box. 1-1.

[@stephenbilclough759]

I’m over the moon that we’re staying put. Thankyou🙏

[@alanlittle3941]

The Cathedral on the hill remains. Great video Eddie. HWTL

[@TrevorFrancisWalksonWater]

It was a beautiful ground with the grand old main stand and 3 open terraces wrapped around. What was the record crowd when standing was permitted? I've never heard this whole song either. It's quite a catchy ditty

[@TynesideLife]

Cheers Trevor. I think it was 68K which they achieved in the late 1960’s.

[@user-wk3to1jf6m]

The official record attendance at the old St. James Park was just over 68,000 when Newcastle played Chelsea in I think 1930. The reason ? Well, it was Hughie Gallergher's first return to St. James after he was sold to Chelsea.

[@user-wk3to1jf6m]

Eddy refers to the 1960's above. Officially their biggest attendances in the 1960's were always listed as 60,000 especially for the Fairs Cup games. But as I've heard many times over the years from family and friends who were at the Fairs Cup matches standing in the old Popular End they used to say that "there was 60,000 on me back man"!!!

[@TynesideLife]

@@user-wk3to1jf6m thanks for clarifying 👍🏻

[@TrevorFrancisWalksonWater]

@@user-wk3to1jf6m interesting stuff, is there any available footage of Hughies return. Also, how did you fair in the inter cities cup? Birmingham made 2 finals in 60 and 61. We held off Barcelona at home and then got gubbed 4-1 in the return.

[@Flukey_1970]

❤❤❤

[@paulmason3923]

Cant believe the changes of sip

[@ih8utoob51]

Great news hope its a redesign like you say the concourses are rubbish

[@baddestlemming]

I wonder how long it will be until we see official plans for the redevelopment

[@TynesideLife]

Might be a while yet . Maybe next year

[@leemichael2154]

John Hall did a lot for Newcastle? I know he has his detractors like we all have? But brought the toon into the present

[@lawtonloraine4144]

I was there in 1977 changed a wee bit

[@TynesideLife]

76 for me

[@lawtonloraine4144]

@@TynesideLife were you really, u looking younger. I was 19, I went to see Birmingham city as I’m a blue nose even if I like Newcastle as family from Northumberland. Kirkharle

[@paulmason3923]

How old are the pair gates that stand against the wall at sjp

[@TynesideLife]

That’s a good question

[@paulmason3923]

I brought a picture from the Quayside market when I was up there in March of a young lad standing looking up at them

[@dangreen2549]

Wanted to say FELT NOWT! FELT NOWT! FELT NOWT! but woz a bit emtional there, Ed.

[@TynesideLife]

👊🏻

[@mjh5437]

Can`t they just replace the two little stands with big ones to match the other two?

[@TynesideLife]

They can’t heighten the East Stand due to the Grade I listed buildings directly behind it

[@steverobinson9763]

Sure I saw Eddie in those early photos. Must have met his missus in the 2000's

[@TynesideLife]

That’s me in the 1930’s one 😃

[@geoffreywilson4567]

Is good we are staying here 😅

[@gordy3714]

They must have found a way to get it well above 60,000.

[@TynesideLife]

It doesn’t say well above?

[@gordy3714]

@@TynesideLife I can't see the point in adding just 7.5k seats.

[@TynesideLife]

@@gordy3714 you haven’t been following my stadium series bud. It was always going to be around 60-62K ish

[@Jake97x]

7.5 is alot ​@@gordy3714

[@gordy3714]

@@TynesideLife Someone did a study on how much that increase would affect revenues and it wasnt very much. 👍

[@oumuamua1963]

if you replace a house brick by brick is it the same house when it is finished, no , i dont understand why people want to keep st james over a brand new state of the art staduim which will benift the club n the long run

[@TynesideLife]

You mean we should rebuild St James’ Park into a new stadium?

[@oumuamua1963]

@@TynesideLife yes you could easily take up some of the st james car park space and barrack road as long as you can replace barrack road with a tunnel

[@TynesideLife]

@@oumuamua1963 well, these aren’t easy things but yes there is some scope to move the stadium some 40m or so NNW on its current angle. I discuss this idea of a stadium rebuild in my final video of the Stadium Series. I’m actually a fan of the idea. You can’t build over Barrack Rd, even if it did become a tunnel as the Milburn Stand would effectively be right up against the tower blocks on the other side of the road. There are numerous planning and building laws and restrictions that would prevent this and no, sometimes money doesn’t talk.

[@listey]

Possible proof that the Saudis aren't in it for the long haul. This was a chance to build a legacy with a massive new stadium, but instead seems like they're completely lacking ambition.

[@TynesideLife]

Was never going to happen bud. The reality and facts have been discussed in my stadium series 👍🏻

[@Jake97x]

Or they respect the fans wishes to stay at sjp

[@TynesideLife]

The owners have said this from the beginning. This shouldn’t really be a surprise to anyone

[@owlhouse53]

I’m glad the club are staying at SJP, even if I do struggle to get a ticket 🖤🤍