4. Newcastle Secure Champions League Football Under Sir Bobby Robson
This one is all about the journey... Just under three short years earlier, the former England manager took over from Ruud Gullit with the club, on the playing side of things at least, on its knees. Gullit had completely dismantled the dressing room and left a number of senior players, most notably Rob Lee and Alan Shearer, completely bewildered with lift at St James' Park. The former didn't have as much as a squad number while Gullit and Al famously didn't see eye-to-eye. The Dutchman was sacked as Newcastle boss after leaving Shearer and Duncan Ferguson on the bench during a 1-2 defeat to newly promoted Sunderland in the poring rain at St James' Park. Newcastle we're bottom of the league and in turmoil. In came Robson who turned the club on his head. An 8-0 win on his first home game was soon followed by an FA Cup Semi-Final appearance and an 11th placed finish. A miraculous achievement. Another season of consolidation was followed up by a summer of fantastic recruitment, as the likes of Craig Bellamy, Laurent Robert and Sylvain Distin set United up for a fantastic campaign. 2001/02 was littered with moments that were worthy of making this list in their own right. Who could forget the 4-3 win over Man Utd, the 3-4 comeback win at Elland Road against Leeds, or Nikos Dabizas' chest hair out for all to see at the Stadium of Light? A 2-2 draw away at Blackburn Rovers meant United finished fourth, and grabbed themselves a seat at the top table of European football. Those famous nights in the San Siro, Rotterdam and Barcelona would follow... How far away does that seem now? What a time to be a Newcastle United fan.
