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Black &
White Army
A season supporting the Toon
Paul Brown
Over the past few years, no other set of football
fans has ridden such an emotional roller-coaster as
Newcastle United’s ever-faithful Toon Army.
The 2002-03 season was typically nail-biting and unpredictable.
Newcastle were involved in a thrilling Premiership
campaign, and made an historic charge into the last
16 of the Champions’ League. Yet they were eliminated
from both the FA and Worthington Cups at the first
hurdle. Through it all the fans remained hopelessly
optimistic, defiantly witty and fiercely loyal.
Black & White Army follows these supporters
of Newcastle United throughout that season and reveals
the agony and the absurdity of being a 21st-century
football fan. Travelling with the Toon Army through
domestic and European competitions via Barcelona and
Bolton, Milan and Manchester, Sarajevo and Sunderland,
the book offers a cliff-hanging narrative, backed
by an eye-opening analysis of why football fans are
as they are. In addition to chronicling the author’s
own obsession, uniquely, the book contains the opinions
of hundreds of Newcastle fans from across the world,
collected via a specially-created website. Funny and
true, they reveal the extent of the obsession of the
football fan, and leave the reader in no doubt that
football is not ‘only a game’ –
because no mere game matters enough to break your
heart.
About the Author
Paul Brown is a devoted Newcastle United
supporter and season ticket holder. He is also a writer
whose work has featured in FourFourTwo, Jack,
and Loaded.
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