The Intertoto viewpoint on us has some interesting insights:

In 1892, the team from the East end of Newcastle took over the sickening club from the West end, moved across the city to St. James Park and traded the red and white Outfit for the black and white dresses that are still very popular today; it was the beginning of Newcastle United FC.
The first three of four Championships and the first Cup they won before the 1st World War. The last Championship goes back 74 and the FA Cup 46 years. Four times the club from the Tyneside (the city is located on the shores of the Tyne river) were relegated to the 2nd Division, but the situation was never as critical as in winter of 1992. They were not only threatened by the relegation to 3rd Division, but also by bankruptcy. That's when the entrepreneur John Hall and the 63 times international Kevin Keegan came into play. They triggered an enormous enthusiasm. The stadium had to be enlarged several times, the financial situation improved considerably. The five best years in the history of the club began. Famous coaches such as Dalglish or Gullit and top forwards such as Ginola, Asprilla and Shearer played in Newcastle. Only Shearer stayed. Arrived in 1996 from Blackburn, he scored 65 goals for the Magpies (as they are called in England) within five years. Last season he had to interrupt in December due to a knee injury, and a comeback in February was unsuccessful. His absence was all the more a problem as coach Bobby Robson did not have any other forward with Shearer's scoring abilities. Nevertheless, the senior among the European top coaches has no reason to complain about his squad. He can select among 15 international players from eleven nations. However, he missed the qualification for the UEFA Cup also in his second year.

-- Anonymous, July 21, 2001

Answers

And here is the description of our probable next opponents 1860 Munchen :
The strength of 1860 Munich is obvious: it is their athletic and fighting potential. The two half backs Daniel Bierofka and Harald Cerny plus veteran Thomas Hässler feed Paul Agostino and Martin Max, the two strikers, with good passes. They are also very menacing with free kicks and corners. The goalkeepers, however, did not perform satisfactorily. Coach Werner Lorant fielded Simon Jentzsch and Michael Hofmann alternatively. The very impulsive coach goes into his tenth year in Munich, which makes him the senior Bundesliga coach behind Volker Finke in Freiburg. The all-powerful President Karl- Heinz Wildmoser, a truly Bavarian inn-keeper, did not allow him to go to Eintracht Frankfurt. The club missed the greatest success a year ago, when they lost the qualifying match for the Champions League to Leeds United (1:2, 0:1). The strength of 1860 Munich is obvious: it is their athletic and fighting potential. The two half backs Daniel Bierofka and Harald Cerny plus veteran Thomas Hässler feed Paul Agostino and Martin Max, the two strikers, with good passes. They are also very menacing with free kicks and corners. The goalkeepers, however, did not perform satisfactorily. Coach Werner Lorant fielded Simon Jentzsch and Michael Hofmann alternatively. The very impulsive coach goes into his tenth year in Munich, which makes him the senior Bundesliga coach behind Volker Finke in Freiburg. The all-powerful President Karl- Heinz Wildmoser, a truly Bavarian inn-keeper, did not allow him to go to Eintracht Frankfurt. The club missed the greatest success a year ago, when they lost the qualifying match for the Champions League to Leeds United (1:2, 0:1).
I watched the highlights of the first leg against Waalwijk and they could have won by a few more if some of the powerful shots they took from outside of the penalty area had not just missed. But Thomas Haessler is looking fat now and ran out of breath after half time.

I bet they'll be watching out for our ever-popular black and white "dresses".

-- Anonymous, July 21, 2001

I believe that in the days when they used the "red and white outfit", newspapers of the time recorded them as wearing "red knickers" - hang on I'll check through me old newspapers - oh no aa've just lit the fire with it this morning.

Sexy football is apparently nothing new

-- Anonymous, July 21, 2001

"Sickening" 's nothing new either!

-- Anonymous, July 21, 2001