Former Newcastle United Striker Andy Cole still holds fond memories of a “frightening” St James’ Park atmosphere. Almost 30 years on from his controversial exit, the 51-year-old has one eye on the club that provided him with a Premier League platform.
Cole joined Newcastle on the crest of the Keeganmania wave in 1993 and helped the club reach the top flight within four months of arriving. The following season, a staggering 41 goals across all competitions inspired the Magpies to a third-place finish in their debut season.
A later move to Manchester United would devastate Toon fans as he would go on to finish his career with 184 Premier League goals - fourth in the all-time list. Experiencing some of the wildest times on Tyneside gives Cole a first-hand experience of how supporters must be feeling right now.
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Sitting fourth in the table, Newcastle are on a revival reminiscent of the mid-90s resurgence under Sir John Hall. The Saudi-backed takeover promises to replicate those “glory’ years… and possibly surpass them.
Cole discussed the potential of Newcastle should Champions League football be achieved and recounted the “raucous” noise at St James’ Park. He told Betway: “It’s absolutely frightening (the atmosphere). Games at the weekend (are) sold out and it’s raucous. Absolute bedlam.
“All Newcastle fans want is for their team to give 100 percent. Naturally, they want to win matches, but if the players give 100 percent, they’ll support you until they can’t give anymore. And that’s what they’re getting now.
“They’re in the semi-finals of the League Cup, they’re third in the league, and from now until the end of the season, you can guarantee they will be 100 percent behind the team. If they were to qualify for Europe, regardless of which competition it is, the atmosphere would be unbelievable. I’m sure some serious money would be spent on new players, too.
“The owners will be wondering if they can get in the Champions League. And if they get Champions League, they will be thinking, ‘right, we can bring in X, Y, Z.’ If their model is like Manchester City’s and they bring in the right players, the only way it can end up is that they compete for the biggest titles in England and in Europe. It’s inevitable, even if it takes a few years.”
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