The Drop

Newcastle United 08/09: Sob on the Tyne

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Episode notes

When Mike Ashley took ownership of Newcastle United in 2007 there was a degree of optimism that he would plough in the funds required to restore them to the Premier League's elite. He further won the fans over by bringing their messiah - Kevin Keegan - back to manage the club. But that was just about the last decision he got right. The 2008/09 season was a nightmare from start to finish. Keegan resigned and sued the club for constructive dismissal. His replacement, Joe Kinnear, came in like a four-letter hurricane and left in an ambulance before Geordie hero Alan Shearer asked the players to dig deep to save the Magpies from relegation, only to find they'd all thrown away their shovels. This was the beginning of the long-running saga between Newcastle supporters and their controversial owner, all played out to a backdrop of protests and paranoia.

Host: Mark Godfrey.

Guests: Lee Ryder, Ian Murtagh, Harry De Cosemo, Alex Hurst, Marc Corby. 

Music: Javolenus - Hanging A-round with MDB (CC BY-NC 3.0) | Daniel Birch - This Maybe All Gone Tomorrow (CC BY-NC 4.0) | HaveMercy - The End of Puzzles (CC BY-NC 3.0) | Septahelix - Hanging Improvisation (CC BY-NC 3.0)