Just 24 hours before Newcastle resumes battle at Wolves on Sunday, I will be standing deep in an old Ashington pit site, which is now a museum, giving a talk on Geordie legend Jack Milburn to mark the 100th anniversary of his birth.
Such remains Wor Jackie’s popularity 36 years after his death, the tickets for the Woodhorn Museum Heritage event have been snapped up way before I am due to pay humble homage with a waiting list composed in case of any late withdrawals. A three-time FA Cup winner and master goalscorer who has a stand named in his honour at St James Park deserves such adulation.
This is what waits for those who combine serving United long and well with actually winning silverware. Are you listening Bruno and Big Joe, Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon, and Sandro Tonali? Does anyone want to join Milburn in Geordie folklore?
If so, let them go out at Wolves this Sabbath and get the business done. Let them repeat the feat three games hence at Wimbledon and take another step along the road that leads to Wembley, Jackie’s second favourite home, and the League Cup final. This is supposed to be a club and a team of aspiration so please show it.
Wor Jackie did so alongside such sterling comrades as Bobby Mitchell, Joe Harvey, Frank Brennan, Bobby Cowell, Jimmy Scoular and Len White. At a time when every single player was inevitably British United broke the fifties mould by featuring a star from South America—Chilean George Robledo who scored the Wembley winner in 1952. Now the black and whites are chock full of players from across the globe. The world have moved on, but let Newcastle revert back to the grand old days of the early 1950s, when the rest of the country were sick of us winning what was then the showpiece match of the season, the FA Cup final.
Yes, we’ll take Europe as well as domestic success, which was an innovation not open to Milburn’s Magpies but very much on today’s agenda. Three points at Wolves can help towards that; victory at Wimbledon bring a silver pot another step closer.
The good news come Sunday tea time is that Newcastle are playing Wolves. The bad news: it’s away. The Wanderers of Wolverhampton are nothing like last season when new boss Gary O’Neil earned himself a fat contract as a grateful thank you after being jettisoned by Bournemouth.
Instead, reality has arrived, along with £100m deposited in the club’s bank from player sales, which saw star men Pedro Neto and Max Kilman depart.
In a FFP-inspired purge, owners Fosun also unloaded big-earning Fabio Silva to Spanish club Las Palmas, and results have reflected the cull. The Wolves are third bottom with a solitary point from three fixtures and lost their only home PL game by a whopping 6-2 to Chelsea.
However, and here is the word of warning: United often come bearing gifts when they visit. Eleven of their 19 away league matches were lost last campaign, and they failed to win at Bournemouth this term. Somebody’s luck has to change!
United’s next three fixtures are on foreign soil, which means their mettle is to be tested. However, Fabian Schar is back, and Tonali is another significant step towards full integration, which is a double plus.
What we also need, however, is for United’s big hitters to strike the consistency shown in previous campaigns. In that Isak and Gordon can significantly lift their game, Joelinton can produce form away to match what he has shown at home, and even Bruno can find another level.
While chaos at least and division at worst exist within the corridors of power, United’s greatest asset on the field has been unity and team spirit. They will need that over the next four tests with Manchester City at home to follow a trio of away confrontations.
Eddie Howe is the man in the middle of all. He has credit in the bank; others like Paul Mitchell have to earn that, but nevertheless he knows he cannot live on the past. United over achieved when they soared to fourth, won Champions League entry, and played in a Wembley Cup final. Now as they chase what Wor Jackie achieved, they must overcome obstacles just as he did. Milburn was sensationally left out of the 1955 FA Cup final by his manager, who was equally sensationally overruled, and our reinstated hero responded by scoring after a record-breaking 45 seconds against Manchester City at Wembley.
United have never won a domestic trophy since. Do you know your history, Bruno? Out of adversity can come triumph. Out of disagreements behind the scenes can come bonding on the field of play. Let it be so once again as it was with Milburn and his 55 crew.
