Malcolm MacDONALD

The 50's had Jackie Milburn, the 60's had Wynn Davies and the 70's belonged to 'Supermac'. Malcolm MacDonald was a cockney big time Charlie, who was adored on Tyneside. Some people doubted whether MacDonald would be able to perform at the highest level, when in the summer of 1971 Newcastle signed him from Luton Town for £180, 000. Manager Joe Harvey, however, immediately compared him to the legendary Jackie Milburn. MacDonald was arrogant, determined, strong, fast, built like a brick outhouse and could shoot with both feet. The confidence he had in his own ability was underlined when the 21 year old turned up at his signing in a Rolls Royce. Before long however, his arrogance and confidence were being displayed on the pitch. He marked the occasion of his home debut in style by scoring a hat-trick against Liverpool, before being carried off after a collision with the goalkeeper whilst attempting to score a 4th. It really was the stuff heroes are made of and he was soon labelled 'Supermac'. Malcolm had an insatiable appetite for goals and would do anything to get his name on the score sheet, he would claim every deflection and own goal as his own, often providing the final touch to balls which were already goal bound.

By the end of his first season in Division 1 he had 23 of the 49 league goals the team scored. This record earned MacDonald his first England cap, making his International bow against Wales in the 1972 Home Championship. 1972/73 proved no different as Macdonald scored 17 league goals, in a season which saw Newcastle finish 9th in the league and win the Anglo-Italian Cup. Unfortunately, Supermac was to miss the final as the FA refused to release him from England duty. The 1973/74 season was dominated by the FA Cup. Newcastle finished the season 15th in the league, yet many commentators felt that with Supermac leading the line and some good young players in the side, the 1974 FA Cup Final appearance was merely a precursor to another golden era for the club. Bill Shankly's Liverpool had other ideas. MacDonald, who had boasted about what they would do to Liverpool and had scored in every round up until the final, hardly got a touch of the ball, Newcastle were defeated 3-0 and humiliated in one of the most one-sided cup finals in the competition's history. Malcolm finished the season with 15 league goals in 29 games. (Gordon Tait)

Rather than being the start of another golden era on Tyneside the 1974 FA Cup Final was a watershed, many of the mainstays of the side who had won the Fairs Cup in 1969 either left the club or were living on borrowed time. The 1974/75 season was unspectacular as Newcastle finished 15th in the league and were knocked out of both cup competitions in the early stages. Supermac, however, still scored in every other game as he managed 21 goals in 42 games. At the end of the season Joe Harvey took little persuasion to offer his resignation, the man who had brought MacDonald to the club left, to be replaced with Gordon Lee. The new manager's pronouncement that he would have 'no stars on Tyneside' led many to believe that Malcolm MacDonald, the biggest star, would follow Harvey. Initial signs, however, suggested the opposite, as Supermac signed a new contract, much to the relief of the supporters. MacDonald even said the new manager was 'the most enthusiastic and ambitious manager' he had known, things would soon change. Supermac started the season on fire, scoring 8 goals in the first six games, yet Newcastle would not manage to win two league games in a row all season and finished 15th for the third successive campaign.

There was another trip to Wembley, in the League Cup this time. The final saw Newcastle in the middle of a horrific fixture pile-up; they had also reached the 6th round of the FA Cup after playing 7 games in the first three rounds. To further complicate matters the squad had been hit with flu. Things were so bad, in fact, that only 5 players were considered fit enough to travel to London 48 hours before the final itself. Manchester City won the final 2-1, but Newcastle were far from disgraced and Supermac set Alan Gowling on his way to score Newcastle's equaliser, before Dennis Tueart won the game. At the end of the season MacDonald was the leading scorer in Division 1 with 21 goals in all competitions. Malcolm had had various public and private 'bust-ups' with the manager throughout the season and after a close season tour of Majorca, during which things were made very uncomfortable for MacDonald, he asked for a transfer. After threats of legal action the club agreed to let him join Arsenal for £333, 333, in typical fashion he left in a private jet. Malcolm MacDonald's five years at St. James Park had realised 138 goals in 257 games and he had become an icon on Tyneside; it took many years to replace him. (Gordon Tait)