All 21 Of Newcastle's Premier League Opening Day Fixtures
16. 1998-99: Charlton Athletic
Date: 15 August 1998
Venue: St James' Park
Result: 0-0
Starting XI: Given: Pearce, Pistone, Charvet, Dabizas (Barnes) (W. Barton), Watson; Lee, Speed, Hamann; Andersson (Ketsbaia), Shearer.
Goals: None
Yellow Cards: Lee
Debuts: Charvet, Hamman
Manager: Kenny Dalglish
What Happened?
This was the beginning of the end of Dalglish's brief reign as Newcastle manager as his side laboured to a goalless draw against the ten men of Charlton after Richard Rufus' dismissal in the 25th minute. The only bright spot on the day was the discernible changing of gears in the Magpies boardroom as Dalglish was sacked following the second round of fixtures after a draw at Chelsea
League Position: 15th
Was It A Sign Of Things To Come?
Sadly, yes. Despite the appointment of former Chelsea boss Ruud Gullit and his promise to bring "sexy football" back to Tyneside, it was another tedious League campaign that was spent largely treading water in mid-table. Gullit deserves a small crumb of credit for giving supporters a second successive visit to Wembley, even if it was a non-contest in the FA Cup final against a Manchester United side hunting the treble.
Final League Position: 13th