Top 10 Newcastle United Local Heroes

7. Sir John Hall

It was this man's vision that made it all possible, everything that made Newcastle United great in the 1990's onwards was down to Sir John Hall and his millions. Whether it was allowing Kevin Keegan to work his magic, signing the cheque for £15million to bring Alan Shearer back or stating his dream of having a full Geordie XI for his beloved football club, Sir John Hall will always be adored by Newcastle fans, with his services to the club being rewarded by the naming of a stand after him at St James' Park. Born in Ashington in 1933, Hall began to put Newcastle United on the map from the moment he took control of the club in 1992 with Newcastle battling relegation in the second division of English football. Under his ownership, after hiring Keegan, Newcastle stayed up on the final day and the rest, as they say, is history. The club underwent a metioric rise from gaining promotion the next season and within three years had built a squad capable of taking on Manchester United in a battle for national supremacy, but as we all know it was ultimately unsuccessful, though European football had been introduced on Tyneside. In the years running up to the sale of his stake in the club to Mike Ashley in 2007, Hall took a back seat, delegating to the likes of Freddie Shepard, a fellow shareholder, but still being involved in a stadium redevelopment and another successful spell with Sir Bobby Robson as manager. Although Sir John Hall's vision and dream of making Newcastle into a club the size of FC Barcelona with a squad full of local talent never came to fruition, Newcastle United will forever be thankful to the former owner for his work in making them one of the biggest clubs in the country.