Les Ferdinand and David Ginola have both reflected on Newcastle United's near miss in the title race back in 1996 in an intriguing new film.
The duo, now both 55, spoke passionately about their time on Tyneside with Ferdinand admitting he thought the title, which would have been Newcastle's first in 69 years. The game Premier League film makers believe cost the Magpies most dear was the 4-3 defeat at Liverpool.
Ferdinand admits: "If we’d have won that, I think we’d have gone on to win the league." But the infamous 4-3 defeat, a game hated by most Newcastle fans of that generation, may not have counted for anything at all had the Magpies held on to their handsome lead at the top.
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Remember, with just 15 games to go, Newcastle lost a 12-point lead and ended up handing the title to Man United by four points after a rough period in February and March. The film starts warmly with Ferdinand reflecting on his £6.5million move to Newcastle.
Ferdinand said: "Going to Newcastle I knew Keegan had set the team up to create chances. He said to me that he thought I was one of the best headers of a ball in the country.
"And I am giving you wingers to provide that service for you. Keegan said of Ginola I've bought someone here who is going to supply.
"He came in with a model wife and he had the model looks. Then he got on the pitch and his ability to play football was top of the tree.
"From a centre-forward's point of view it was everything I could have dreamed of and more. It was like going into a sweet shop."
Ferdinand added: "At the time I think Newcastle were everybody's second favourite team. I’d come back to London for a few days and everybody I saw along the way would come up to me and say, ‘I’m not a Newcastle supporter, but any time they’re on the TV, I’ll watch them!’
"I always used to feel sorry for our defenders. We were so attack minded we'd leave them to it at times."
And that type of football put Newcastle on the brink of the title. Ferdinand said: "After 23 games we were 12 points clear. I think at the time there was a sense of: 'We've done it'.
"So at the time when we lost a game there was nobody saying: 'We need to make sure this doesn't happen again'. "Then those points were all gone."
Looking back on the title collapse, Ginola said: "I didn't sign for Newcastle for the sunshine. I signed for Newcastle to be as a good as possible on the football pitch.
"Obviously it was a culture shock in many ways. But I soon realised football belongs to England. The fans, they are very devoted to their club. Your duty as a player is not only to win games but to entertain those guys."
Fans can watch the full film at youtube.com/premierleague and are invited to share their own favourite memories of the past 30 years of the Premier League on social media using #PL30. The ‘Iconic Stories’ series includes 10 films looking at some of the most memorable matches, seasons and goals in Premier League history, with a different film released each weekday between 8 and 19 August.
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