Whenever a yardstick is required to measure the stature of Newcastle United then Kevin Keegan's Entertainers are called upon as a comparison. What was built by Sir John Hall following a bloody takeover at the dawn of the nineties stands as the go-to blueprint for those of ambition.
United were one match away from the most humiliating relegation in their history, to the old Third Division, but rose spectacularly through the ranks of football's pyramid at breakneck speed to finish Premier League runners-up in two successive seasons. Indeed the nineties brought us two second-top finishes, Champions League football, and after Keegan left two successive FA Cup finals at Wembley.
It was an exciting, joyous progression from a painful bed of nails to the very brink of glory that captured the imagination of a Geordie public, like today, aching for more than respectability. It also thrilled a nation who took United's swashbuckling style of play to their hearts. They became everyone's favourite team to watch outside of their own.
