There are days that will stay with me forever.
Some are for good reasons and some for bad reasons, but they are etched in the memory; every detail, every sight, every smell and every sound should never be forgotten.
I think I’ve always had a good memory, especially for football, so let’s see if I can refresh your memory too.
I was sitting at my desk, a group of four in an open office, decorated with the obligatory plants, with a typical seventies feel. There were big desks, wide hallways and big windows for light before all this fancy new lighting was invented.
We sat next to the main road in Lichfield so I could watch cars and people drive by in between writing the odd line of a computer program. I sat on the aisle, so I could chat with every passerby in between writing the other lines of code. I was a pretty good programmer, by the way.
Anyway, it’s February 1992, we’ve just lost 5-2 in the fog at Oxford. Ossie Ardiles is our manager and we are playing very entertaining football with a group of young kids, or in other words, it looks like we are going under.
During walks Dave Armstrong sat from goods with a delivery for a lady a few rows back in the accounts – Sandra. I think it’s some paper as he struggles with the box as they are quite heavy.
I always chat to Dave as he and his brother Alan are Geordies and Newcastle United fans. I watched us all the time with them, from climbing the fence at Crewe in the cup to dodging the coins at St Andrews.
So I paused my work, turned my chair and prepared for the in-depth analysis of our latest defeat. “Okay Dave,” I said.
He was a big guy and turned around halfway through, struggling to hand over the paperwork for the receipt and boxes.
“Did you hear?” he asked.
Once again he turned to Sandra, who was trying to talk to him. “These are not ours,” she said.
“No, what?” I replied.
There was silence as he tried to deal with Sandra.
“Have you heard who our new manager is?”
“No,” I laughed, half expecting it to be Jimmy Nail, or Jim Smith again, or Arthur Cox trying again. There was no excitement in my voice. We were a club on the slide and we had low expectations.
The words that came out of his mouth changed mine and your life forever.
“It’s Kevin Keegan.”
I remember getting up straight away. Dave didn’t seem too excited, but inside I was buzzing, as they say.
Kevin Keegan! The second coming. I couldn’t believe it!
What unfolded was, in my opinion, the greatest chapter in our history, as we went from relegation candidates to the most entertaining team the country had ever seen. Kevin Keegan!!
Naturally, all work for the day was suspended as important calls were made to my brother, parents and friends. That was a day of days.
Sadly Dave is no longer with us, claimed due to Covid. His full name was Dave Armstrong and I owe him that name. He was a great guy, a Newcastle United fan and a funny guy.
He said the words that changed everything. Keegan Keegan Keegan!!!
#day #live #Newcastle #United #fan