The Newcastle United side of the early 1970s was an enigma.
Brilliant one week, they could be terrible the next. On their day, they could beat anybody - or equally, lose to anybody.
There was no better example of that inexplicable polarity than the events of this week 50 years ago.
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On February 5, 1972, Newcastle suffered one of the worst defeats in the club's history, losing 2-1 at non-league Hereford United in an FA Cup third round replay.
United's ignominy was captured for posterity by the Match of the Day cameras. John Motson commentating. Ronny Radford's screamer. Young Hereford supporters wearing parkas celebrating wildly at the end. The footage is still routinely trotted out on BBC TV whenever there's an FA Cup giant killing.
The following Saturday, February 12, and back in football league action, United headed with hope but little expectation to an ever-intimidating Old Trafford.
The Manchester United of 1972 weren't the all-conquering machine they would become in later decades - but they were formidable enough on the day, and featured three world-class players - Bobby Charlton, George Best and Denis Law.
Looking back decades later, the Magpies' very own superstar, centre-forward Malcolm Macdonald, told the Chronicle : "It was an infamous seven days in the history of Newcastle United.
“We went to Old Trafford on the back of the Hereford result, and their 44,000 crowd - the biggest of the weekend - gave us such almighty stick.
Supermac continued: “In those situations you can either fold as a team, or fight for your very existence. In the event, we murdered them.”
(For those interested, footage of the match has surfaced on YouTube in recent years).
John Gibson, reporting on the match for our Saturday football Pink, wrote: “Newcastle took the lead in the 36th minute with a brilliantly executed goal.
“Tony Green superbly beat a defender on the right-hand touchline in Manchester United’s half. The Scot played a short ball to Barrowclough who sped down the wing and sent over a finely struck centre. John Tudor, tearing in, blazed the ball home from six yards.”
The clinching second goal came again from great play by Tony Green who hit a low cross to the back post where Barrowclough whipped the ball home.
The 2-0 win, satisfying as it was, came against a side which wasn’t quite as potent as it had once been.
“Despite their big names, decline was under way,” remembered Macdonald.
Indeed, unthinkable as it may seem today, Manchester United would be relegated to the old Second Division in 1974.
In the years and decades that followed, Old Trafford would prove to be a perennially unhappy hunting ground for Newcastle.
Only once since that fine win in February 1972 - 50 long years ago - have the Magpies beaten Manchester United on their own patch.
That was on December 7, 2013, when Yohan Cabaye's 61st-minute goal narrowly secured the rarest of 1-0 victories.
We await the next one...
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