Toon Army

The photographs in this project pay small homage to the long-suffering Newcastle United supporters known collectively as "The Toon Army". Despite being starved of success for many years - with their last major trophy won in 1969 - the Toon Army faithful still turn-up to games in their many thousands. Although suffering relegation from the English Premiership in April 2016 after another dismal season, Newcastle United still enjoyed the fourth highest attendances of any club in the division; with only serial trophy winners Manchester United, Arsenal and Manchester City outstripping them. It seems all the Toon supporters need more than anything else is hope (remember trophies are a bonus that many of these supporters have never experienced). The hope this time comes in the guise of manager Rafa Benitez (formerly manager of Real Madrid as well as several other huge football clubs) agreeing to remain at Newcastle to try to get them back to the Premiership at the first time of asking. And when season tickets went on sale on 6th June, two-hour queues soon formed outside the stadium, suggesting that even in the second flight of English football the "Toon Army" will once more guarantee full capacity at their ancestral home of St James' Park. [Note "The Toon" is Geordie dialect for "The Town", as Newcastle is referred to locally. A "Geordie" is a person coming from Newcastle or the surrounding area. And I've been one of those long-suffering supporters for 57 years, who luckily experienced the trophy won back in 1969.]