Sa Kevin Keegan ya isa St James' Park a watan Fabrairu na shekarar 1992, ya gaji wani kulob da ke fafutuka domin guje wa ficewa zuwa mataki na uku na ƙwallon ƙafa Ingilishi, da kuma wata birni da ke dauke da tabo daga faduwar masana'antu a shekarun 1980. Abin da ya biyo bayan haka ya kasance ɗaya daga cikin mafi ban mamaki canjin biyu a tarihin wasannin Ingila — kuma tasirorinsa har yanzu ana jin su kowane lokaci da wani mai sha'awar ƙungiyar bako ya sauka daga jirgin ƙasa a Newcastle Central Station.

Kyautar Keegan ga masu sha'awar sauran ƙungiyoyi

Masu sha'awar Newcastle United sun daɗe sun san abin da suke bin Keegan: hawa daga bakin mutuwa a mataki na uku zuwa Premier League, siyan Andy Cole da Faustino Asprilla, ƙwallon Champions League, da kuma salon wasa mai tsananin kai farmaki wanda ya sanya an san ƙungiyar kawai da suna Entertainers. Amma masu sha'awar sauran kulob na iya bin shi wani abu ma.

Wancan karshen mako mai ban sha'awa da ba za a manta ba da ka yi a Newcastle a matsayin bako — jirgin ƙasa zuwa birnin, St James' Park yana tsaye sama da sararin sama kamar acropolis, giyaye kafin fara wasa, ƙari bayan haka, da kuma wayewar gari mai ruɗani a Lahadi da safe a wani otal mai araha kusa da Bigg Market — da wuya ya yiwu ba tare da shi ba.

Birnin da kulob ɗin suna sabunta kansu tare

Canjin ba aikin Keegan kaɗai ba ne. Sir John Hall, ɗan kasuwar gidaje da ya tara dukiyarsa ta hanyar gina mafi girman cibiyar sayayye a Turai a kan tsohon tarin tokar ma'adinai a Gateshead kafin ya zama shugaban Newcastle United, yana cikin waɗanda ke jagorantar sabunta birnin baki ɗaya. Quayside ya cika da gidajen sha da gidajen abinci. Riverside ya zama wurin yin kiɗa mai suna. Yawan ɗalibai ya karu sosai.

A shekarar 1995, an ruwaito wata kamfanin tafiye-tafiye ta Amurka ta aza Newcastle tare da Rio de Janeiro da Las Vegas a tsakanin manyan wuraren bikin duniya. Bayan shekaru biyu, Times Higher Education ta lura cewa suna birnin a matsayin babban birnin biki yana taimaka wa jami'o'insa wajen jawo ɗalibai.

Amma ƙwallon ƙafa shi ya ba da tallan. Kowane mako, watsa shirye-shiryen Premier League suna tura hoton Newcastle na sabon ƙari a faɗin Biritaniya — muryoyi 36,000 a cikin filin wasa da aka sake gina, David Ginola yana tashi a gefensa, Peter Beardsley yana wuce ƙwallon ta hanyoyi da babu wanda ya yi tunanin su, Keegan yana tunkuɗewa a iyakar filin. Birnin ya yi kama da wuri da kake so ka kasance a ciki.

Yanayin ƙasa a matsayin fa'ida

Newcastle tana da wata fa'ida da babu wata birni ta ƙwallon ƙafa a Ingila da za ta iya kwafawa: St James' Park tana a tsakiyar birnin da kanta. Mai sha'awar ƙungiyar bako zai iya zuwa da jirgin ƙasa, sha a cibiyar birnin, tafiya zuwa filin wasa da ƙafa, ya kuma dawo wurin sha cikin 'yan mintuna bayan ƙarshen wasa. Wata yankin masoya ce da aka shirya shekaru da yawa kafin a taɓa tunanin ra'ayin — tsarin da aka ƙirƙira don bayar da gogewa mai ban sha'awa kafin kulob su fara sayar da ita da gangan.

Keegan ya fahimci ta hanyar ɗabi'a cewa ƙwallon ƙafa tana da alaƙa da bakan wasa, ba nasara kaɗai ba. Falsafansa tana da sauƙi: mutane sun yi aiki tuƙuru cikin mako kuma sun cancanci wasan kwaikwayo a rana ta Asabar. Idan abokan hamayya sun ci uku, Newcastle za ta ƙoƙari ta ci huɗu. Ko a cikin shan kashi, masu sha'awar bako na iya ganin Beardsley yana wuce ƙwallon da ɗaukaka mai yiwuwa, Ginola yana halaka baya na dama, ko Asprilla yana rawa a gaban mai tsaron baya na tsakiya. Newcastle ta Keegan kullum tana alƙawarin cewa wani abu zai faru.

Gado da ya dawwama

Bayan shekaru talatin, Newcastle har yanzu tana daya daga cikin manyan tafiye-tafiye na masoya a ƙwallon ƙafa na Ingila. Quayside ta canza, Bigg Market ya huce, kuma Newcastle United sun shiga cikin zagaye da yawa na bege da baƙin ciki tun lokacin Keegan. Amma alkawarin yana nan: ku zo Newcastle ku yi mako mai kyau.

Keegan bai gina gidajen sha ba, bai ƙirƙiri rayuwar daren ba, kuma bai jawo ɗalibai ba. Amma tsakanin 1992 da 1997, ya taimaka sake rubuta labarin da Ingila take ta gaya wa kanta game da Newcastle — ya sa kulob ɗin da birnin su zama abakai na ɗaya irin halaye: masu farin ciki, masu buri, masu maraba, kuma suna ƙudurin nishaɗantarwa. A cikin 'yan shekarun ban mamaki, Newcastle ba gidan Entertainers kaɗai ba ne. Newcastle ita ce nishaɗin.