During the 1984-85 season,

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...

participated in the

Football League First Division The Football League First Division was a division of the Football League in England from 1888 until 2004. It was the top division in the English football league system from the season 1888–89 until 1991–92, a century in which the First ...

Season Synopsis

Newcastle started their first season back in the top flight under the leadership of World Cup winner Jack Charlton after previous manager Arthur Cox left in the close-season due to lack of funds from the board for squad strengthening. Hopes of success were high due to the emergence of local youngsters

Chris Waddle Christopher Roland Waddle (born 14 December 1960) is an English former professional football player and manager. He currently works as a commentator. Nicknamed "Magic Chris", football journalist Luke Ginnell wrote that Waddle was "widely ackn ...

Peter Beardsley Peter Andrew Beardsley MBE (born 18 January 1961) is an English football coach and former footballer who played as a forward or midfielder between 1979 and 1999. In 1987, he set a record transfer fee in the English game and represented his coun ...

and

Paul Gascoigne Paul John Gascoigne (, born 27 May 1967), nicknamed Gazza, is an English former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. He is described by the National Football Museum as "widely recognised as the most naturally talente ...

. Waddle and Beardsley had progressed into potential world class forwards under the management of Cox during the promotion campaign of the previous season, Waddle would win international recognition during the season before being sold to Spurs. Newcastle were now without the inspirational former England striker

Kevin Keegan Joseph Kevin Keegan (born 14 February 1951) is an English former footballer and manager. A forward, he played for several professional clubs from 1968 to 1984. Having begun his career at Scunthorpe United, he moved to Liverpool in 1971 and ...

, who had retired from playing after the end of the promotion campaign. After a great start the team slowly drifted down the table, trying to offset this Charlton brought in tall centre forwards George Reilly and

Tony Cunningham Sir Thomas Anthony Cunningham (born 16 September 1952) is a British politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Workington from 2001 to 2015. A member of the Labour Party, he was Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Cumbr ...

and changed to a long ball style. Although never in danger of being relegated throughout the season, the team ended the season three points above the relegation zone.

Regular Side

Kevin Carr; Malcolm Brown, Jeff Clarke/

John Anderson John Anderson may refer to: Business *John Anderson (Scottish businessman) (1747–1820), Scottish merchant and founder of Fermoy, Ireland * John Byers Anderson (1817–1897), American educator, military officer and railroad executive, mentor of ...

, Glenn Roeder, Wes Saunders/ Kenny Wharton; Neil McDonald, David McCreery, Pat Heard, Kenny Wharton/

;

and

/ George Reilly

Coaching staff

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1984-85 Newcastle United F.C. season Newcastle United F.C. seasons