Football blog Ten great footballers from the North-East

The Tyne-Wear derby is upon us on Easter Sunday as Sunderland and Newcastle take the chance to step into the national spotlight.

Sadly for them, Sunderland are fighting relegation, while Newcastle are fighting apathy as owner Mike Ashley puts profits before prizes. Their football teams may not be punching their weight, but the North East has always been a production line of talent. Here are ten of the best.

JACKIE MILBURN:

JACKIE MILBURN was a Sunderland supporter as a lad. But that didn’t stop him from becoming Newcastle United’s most iconic player in a 14-year career between 1943 and 1957. Milburn answered an ad in a local newspaper to attend a trial and he certainly left an impression, scoring six times in one half! Milburn was the man who created the myth about wearing the No.9 black and white shirt, with his 200 goals for the club. They included two in the 1951 FA Cup final and one after 45 seconds in the 1955 final. That was part of a golden era for Newcastle of three FA Cup successes in five seasons. They haven’t won it since. Milburn was one of four brothers from Ashington who were professional footballers, while he also had two cousins who left quite an impression the Charltons.

SIR BOBBY CHARLTON:

ARGUABLY the greatest footballer England has ever produced. He was a World Cup winner in 1966 and he still remains his country’s leading scorer with 49 (although he surely be overtaken by Wayne Rooney at some point in 2015). There is also a strong chance that Rooney will break his Manchester United record of 249 goals as well. Left foot, right foot, it didn’t matter to Bobby as he scored brilliant goals with either foot during his sensational career. One of the Busby babes, he survived the Munich Air crash of 1958 and was part of the United team that finally won the European Cup ten years later. Wherever he goes, Charlton is revered for his sportsmanship and fair play, while he is indelibly linked to the history of Manchester United and he remains English football’s finest ambassador.

JACK CHARLTON:

THE other half of the most famous brothers in English football. Jack was the partner for Bobby Moore at the heart of England’s defence in the 1966 World Cup triumph, having only made his debut the year before at 30. While Charlton was a stout one-club man as he served Leeds United for over two decades, as a cornerstone of the side that enjoyed great success under Don Revie. For those of you not lucky enough to see him play, he will be remembered for a memorable ten-year spell in charge of the Republic of Ireland, in which he led them to two World Cups and the European Championships.

DENNIS TUEART:

IN the blue half of Manchester, Dennis Tueart will always be ‘The King of all Geordies’ after his spectacular overhead kick won the League Cup final for City in 1976 against Tueart’s boyhood club, Newcastle. For 35 years, that would remain City’s lasting memory of success until they ended their drought with an FA Cup final triumph over Stoke. Before moving south to Manchester, Tueart had been part of the Sunderland team that famously upset the odds in 1973 when they beat the mighty Leeds to win the FA Cup as a Second Division team.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=XLUalqgCZtsBRYAN

ROBSON:

HERE was another one to slip the net for Newcastle, as he signed his first professional contract for West Brom. The Chester-le-Street native spent a successful time at The Hawthorns before following manager Ron Atkinson up the M6 to Manchester United. And it was at Old Trafford that he built his reputation throughout the 1980s, for his fearless midfield play, which he also demonstrated for England. ‘Captain Marvel’ was around to finally win the league under Sir Alex Ferguson as United ended their 26-year wait in 1993, and he will forever remain a hero for Reds’ supporters.

CHRIS WADDLE:

NEWCASTLE plucked this young lad from non-league obscurity at Tow Law Town and a job in a sausage factory and he became a star. Waddle headed to the bright lights of London where he shone for Tottenham before moving to the South of France where he enjoyed three fantastic seasons for Marseille. Upon returning to England, he promptly won the Footballer of the Year award in 1993 while at Sheffield Wednesday, in a memorable spell at Hillsborough. But for a player of his talent, don’t mention the near misses. He lost two FA Cup finals, one League Cup final and a European Cup final, and he infamously missed the last penalty at Italia ’90 as England lost to West Germany in the semi-final.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=hPE0WYt0UYgPETER

BEARDSLEY:

THIS son of Hexham had to go to Carlisle after being released by Newcastle. Eventually he made it back to Tyneside via Vancouver Whitecaps and Manchester United. But his best club form was during a four-year spell at Liverpool, where he linked up spectacularly with John Barnes and John Aldridge in a dazzling forward line. Beardsley was also a crucial player for England, where he was the perfect partner for Gary Lineker, which worked so well at the 1986 and 1990 World Cups.

PAUL GASCOIGNE:

PAUL GASCOIGNE will always be known as ‘Gazza’. No English player since the 1966 World Cup winners left quite as big a mark as the former Newcastle youngster. His performances at Italia ’90 and his tears in Turin brought a whole new group of people to football and some would even argue that Gazza’s efforts that summer were the catalyst for the launch of the razzmatazz Premier League two years later. So it’s sad to see him now as a shadow of his former self, while average players have profited from his legacy. A brilliant dribbler and scorer of fabulous goals, there is always a sense of how good this player could have been but for his horrific injury sustained in the 1991 FA Cup final.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=GVMaIUSeRxAALAN

SHEARER:

THE striker was the Geordie hero for the modern generation. Having joined Southampton as a boy in 1986, it took a world record fee of £15 million to bring him back to Tyneside ten years later. He finished his career as Newcastle’s top scorer and the leading goalscorer in the Premier League, and his figure of 260 remains the record. However, he couldn’t bring that elusive piece of silverware to St James’ Park, and their wait for success now stands at 46 years since victory in the 1969 Fairs’ Cup. Despite his time at Newcastle, his best spell was the four seasons at Blackburn in which he was arguably the best player in the division as he helped the Lancashire club become League Champions in 1995.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Nrz8JnkmObcMICHAEL

CARRICK:

ANOTHER product of the famous Wallsend Boys Club, Carrick never kicked a ball for his boyhood favourites, Newcastle. He went south to West Ham and from there has taken in Tottenham and Manchester United. It may have taken nearly nine seasons, but now United fans realise just how important Carrick is to their team, especially in the way new manager Louis van Gaal has set up the team. And let’s be frank, you don’t win five league titles without being a seriously good player. His ability to keep the ball has never been in doubt, but it only seems to have been in the last week that it has dawned on England how useful Carrick can be for them.