Newcastle United Football Club

Newcastle United: Club Ownership, Titles, and Records

Newcastle United History and Highlights.

Newcastle United is a northeastern professional football club located in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. Nicknamed ‘The Magpies’ because they wear a black and white striped kit, they are now one of the biggest clubs in all of the UK, and arguably, the entire world.

Newcastle United play their home matches at the stunning St James’ Park stadium, located in the heart of Newcastle. Their biggest rivals are Sunderland FC, another north-eastern football team who are currently playing one league below Newcastle in the Championship.

History

Newcastle United were founded back in 1892 as a result of a merger between two football teams: Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End. Following the merger, the team developed a fast-paced and attractive style of football that quickly moved them up the rankings. Consequently, they quickly established themselves as a serious title contender, and after they were admitted to the Football League in 1894, they quickly earned a promotion to the First Division in 1899.

Early Success

By the early 1900s, it was clear that Newcastle United was a team to be feared. They filled their squad with English talent, they continued a fast and aggressive style of football, and they dominated the First Division. They won three titles in 1905, 1907, and 1909.

Newcastle also won their first FA Cup title, defeating Barnsley in the final in 1910.

Sadly, in 1914, the First World War began, and Newcastle’s dominating run was put on hold, as well as everyday life in general. By 1924 however, normality had returned, and Newcastle won their second FA Cup.

Post-WWI

Newcastle followed up their momentum from the FA Cup win by acquiring Scottish striker Hughie Gallacher. Gallacher proved to be the difference maker. Not only was he their record signing at the time, but he was also a prolific goal scorer.

During the 1926 – 1927 season, Newcastle won the First Division title for the fourth time. Many put this down to Gallacher, as he was captain of the squad and the team’s highest goal scorer.

A Fall from Grace

By 1930, Newcastle’s form had suffered, they were losing matches, struggling to score, and morale was low. To make matters worse, Hughie Gallacher left the club, and they narrowly avoided relegation.

Despite Newcastle once again winning the FA Cup in the 1931-32 season, under controversial circumstances, it was clear that they were not on form. Sure enough, in 1934, they were relegated to the Second Division, where they struggled to adjust and came close to being relegated once more in 1938.

Post-WWII

Return to the Top

Despite the tragedy of World War 2, this turned out to offer a slight benefit to Newcastle United, in that they were able to regroup and bring in future legend Jackie Millburn.

Jackie went on to score 38 goals over the next three seasons, which helped them return to the top-flight of English football in 1948. Between 1951 and 1955, the team won a further three FA Cups.

The 1990s

By the 1990s, Newcastle United was established as one of the biggest clubs in the English Premier League (formerly known as the Football League First Division) and was consistently chasing the title. They were seen as the top threat for Manchester United after appointing Kevin Keegan as manager in 1992.

Keegan brought in some big names, including David Ginola and Newcastle lad Alan Shearer, who chose his hometown club over Manchester United. At the time, Shearer was the world’s most expensive signing, moving to Newcastle from Blackburn Rovers for a record-breaking £15 Million. Nowadays in football, that’s nothing, but in 1996 it was a huge amount.

Following this, they remained contenders for years to come. Shearer also became not only the club’s record goal-scorer but also the league’s record goal-scorer. Shearer scored a staggering 206 goals for Newcastle, and 260 goals in the EPL.

To this day, Shearer is still the all-time EPL top goal-scorer, with Wayne Rooney in second place with 208 goals.

Newcastle Today

Many would argue that Newcastle peaked in the 1990s, finishing as runners-up for the FA Cup on four separate occasions before gradually declining and fading into obscurity.

Once a threat for the title, since then, they never really looked threatening. They were relegated in 2009 and 2016. Both times they won the Championship and gained automatic promotion to the Premier League in one season.

Changing Ownership

On the 7th of October, 2021, Saudi Arabian PIF (Public Investment Fund), RB Sports & Media, and PCP Capital Partners became de-facto owners of the club and the majority shareholders, holding 80% of the club’s shares and paying former owner Mike Ashley, a reported $415 Million for the club.

While reports vary, many consider Newcastle United to now be the richest football club in the world. With the PIF having a net worth of a staggering £492 Billion, Newcastle will surely splash the cash next season and build a squad to seriously challenge Liverpool and Manchester City for the title.

Newcastle United is also a team that routinely secures top-level brand sponsorships.