Picking the All-Time Newcastle United XI

To say Newcastle United have had some good players over the years would be a massive understatement. In fact, with 122 years of history to draw on, their all-time greatest XI could rival that of any English club.

Set out in a 4-4-2 formation, we've compiled Newcastle's greatest players into one fearsome team. We've also added a bench for those who didn't quite make the cut and picked the manager to lead our all-star XI.

The "starting" players are those who excelled in their position and did so for a number of years.

How would your all-time Newcastle XI look? Let us know in the comments below.

Kevin Keegan's first spell as Newcastle manager will live long in the memory of any Toon fan lucky enough to witness it.

After saving the club from relegation from the old Division One back in 1991/92 and achieving promotion in 1992/93, "King Kev" assembled one of the most famous teams of the Premier League era.

Known as the "Entertainers," Keegan's Newcastle played exciting, attacking football that earned them third and sixth place finishes in the following two seasons.

The video above sums up Keegan's team. Never the most solid defensively, but spectacular goal after spectacular goal from their attackers ensured there was never a dull moment on Tyneside.

His team infamously fell short at the final hurdle as they finished runners-up in 1996/97. Still, it could well be the closest Newcastle will get to winning a league title again for a very long time.

Keegan's unrivalled passion and magnificent brand of football narrowly earns him the manager's role ahead of the equally beloved Sir Bobby Robson.

Shay Given made a phenomenal 463 appearances in 12 years at the club.

Third highest in the all-time appearance rankings for Newcastle, Given was voted the Magpies' best ever goalkeeper by fans in 2012.

A calming presence behind an often calamitous defence (3:00 onwards in the above video), the Irish international made up for his 6' frame—relatively short for a 'keeper—with outstanding reflexes (0:31, 1:20) that bailed Newcastle out time and again.

Thanks to the likes of Titus Bramble, Given even had to make saves against his own team occasionally (1:28).

A popular figure at St. James' Park, Given secures the No. 1 shirt ahead of Willie McFaul. While McFaul had the likes of Bobby Moncur to protect him, Given often had some of the most comical defenders the Premier League has seen in front of him, so who knows where Newcastle would be now without the stopper.

Football was a very different game when Bill McCracken first pulled on the black-and-white shirt in 1904.

Nevertheless, McCracken's defensive solidity and the success the Magpies enjoyed during his career see him make the team ahead of "Entertainers" right-back Warren Barton.

McCracken made 432 appearances for Newcastle in a 19-year career. In that time, Newcastle won three First Division titles and and an FA Cup, shown above.

So good was McCracken at exploiting the offside trap, the FA had to change the ruling in 1925, reducing the requirement of three defending players ahead of the attacker to two.

McCracken's defensive partner Frank Hudspeth (shown above winning the toss in 1924's FA Cup semi-final with Manchester City) is a true Newcastle great.

The left-back has the most appearances for the club of any outfield player, with 472. 

A strong and reliable defender, Hudspeth also chipped in with 37 goals, thanks in part to his brilliant penalty-taking.

The sheer number of games he played for the club make it hard to leave Hudspeth out of the side, even in the face of more modern contenders like John Beresford.

Arguably Newcastle's best ever centre-back, Bobby Moncur captained the side in the '60s and '70s.

Moncur was a rock for the Toon in 361 appearances.

A true leader, Moncur scored three of his 10 goals for the Magpies in the two legs of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup final—the precursor to the UEFA Cup/Europa League—in 1969, Newcastle's last major trophy.

The Scotland captain bagged the first two goals in the home leg (above), before adding a third in the away leg to steer Newcastle to a 6-2 victory.

This earns Moncur an almost indisputable place in our all-time XI.

A modern injection into our defence here with cultured Belgian Philippe Albert.

Confident on the ball and with an eye for goal, Albert would have the licence to go forward in this team with the likes of Moncur there to cover him.

A key part of the "Entertainers" back line, Albert will best be remembered for his exquisite chip over Peter Schmeichel in the 5-0 win over Manchester United (above).

It was a tough call leaving out stalwart Joe Harvey from the side, but with Keegan managing the side, a technically-gifted goalscoring centre-back suits our XI nicely.

Nolberto Solano, affectionately known as Nobby, was a popular player in his two spells with the club.

Playing on the right side of midfield, Solano scored 45 goals for the Toon. As you can see above, almost every one was a brilliant strike.

His magical right foot offered more than just goals, though. Solano was probably one of the best crossers of the ball to grace the Premier League, some feat in an era that also featured David Beckham.

Undoubtedly, Newcastle's forwards would not have scored as many goals without him in the side. 

Before Waddle hit the headlines with "Diamond Lights," the single he released with Glenn Hoddle in 1987, he was marauding down the left wing at Newcastle.

Signed for just £1000 while still working in a sausage factory in 1980, Waddle quickly became a fan favourite at St. James' Park.

The creative winger chipped in with 52 goals in almost 200 appearances for the Magpies and formed a deadly attacking midfield triumvirate with Keegan and Peter Beardsley. 

Waddle faced stiff competition from the beloved David Ginola for this position, but with the Frenchman only at the club for two seasons, Waddle feels slightly more deserving of a place in the starting XI.

"We can't replace Gary Speed. Where do you get an experienced player like him with a left foot and a head?" said one late, great footballing gent about another.

Sir Bobby Robson's quote shows how valuable Speed was to Newcastle in his six-year spell.

As the video above shows, the Welshman used his left foot and his head to devastating effect throughout his time at the club.

As well as scoring 40 goals in 285 appearances, Speed was a hard-working and creative midfielder, loved by fans and team-mates alike for his incisive passing and commitment to the cause.

A true legend on and off the field, Speed was the beating heart of any team he played for. He narrowly appears here ahead of Newcastle's other great central midfielder Rob Lee.

One of the rare occasions when a footballer deserves the title of genius.

The diminutive wizard made magic every time he stepped onto the pitch, and there is very little Peter Beardsley could not do.

"Pedro" scored 119 goals in two spells with Newcastle and remains a cherished figure to this day.

Beardsley not only scored brilliant goals, as shown above, but also created them in abundance as well. With the forwards set to feature in our all-time XI, Beardsley is the ideal player to sit just off the front two.

Paul Gascoigne, an incredible talent yet to be matched since, started out at the Toon. However, it's Beardsley who had more of an impact in his time at Newcastle and so takes his place here.

Jackie Milburn wrote himself into Newcastle's history, and there he shall forever remain.

His record 200-goal haul for the club stood for almost 50 years. A former professional sprinter, Milburn used his devastating pace and power to tremendous effect.

"Wor Jackie's" goals brought the Magpies great success, winning three FA Cups in 1951, '52 and '55.

Milburn netted in every round of the '51 FA Cup, including a magnificent brace in the final (shown above).

Although Newcastle have boasted many world-class strikers in their time—Hughie Gallacher, Andy Cole and Malcolm Macdonald spring to mind—only one scored more than Milburn.

Who else? The local hero himself, Alan Shearer, rounds out our all-time greatest XI.

The club's top scorer with 206 goals, Shearer is not only the greatest striker to grace St. James' Park, but the Premier League itself.

Shearer was the complete, classic English centre-forward. He was strong, possessed a powerful shot and was incredibly dominant in the air.

Shearer's goals against Aston Villa (1:58) and Everton (3:31) are particular highlights, and the free-kick against Arsenal (0:13) would probably still be travelling now if not for the net.

Despite two serious injuries in his career, "Captain Fantastic" never lost his ruthless edge and continued to score regularly until his retirement in 2006.

Any greatest Newcastle XI would be remiss not to have the unmatched No. 9.

Goalkeeper: Willie McFaul

McFaul played between the sticks 290 times in the league for the Magpies, as well as both legs of the '69 Fairs Cup final. An agile 'keeper with fast reflexes, McFaul would make a strong stand-in for Given.

Defender: Joe Harvey

A great United captain, Harvey played in the old "half-back" position. He steered the side to the FA Cup wins in the '50s and then to European success as a manager in '69. Harvey misses out due to Albert's inclusion as the ball-playing centre-back.

Defender: John Beresford

A left-back from Keegan's "Entertainers," Beresford spent six years at Newcastle bombing forward to great effect. Not as defensively solid as Hudspeth, "Bez" will have to settle for making an impact off the bench.

Midfielder: Rob Lee

A great all-round player, Lee only narrowly missed out on a starting berth to Speed. A mainstay in United's midfield for 10 years, Lee made 379 appearances, scoring 56 goals. If not for the wealth of creative and attacking talent available, Lee would have featured in the XI.

Midfielder: Paul Gascoigne

One of the most talented players to ever grace a football pitch, Gazza enjoyed three seasons with his boyhood club. Had he spent longer with the Toon, he would undoubtedly feature in the starting lineup, but it's difficult to include someone who left Newcastle at 21 ahead of 119-goal Beardsley.

Striker: Andy Cole

One of the best strikers of the Premier League era, Cole had an incredible goals-per-games ratio, scoring 68 in 84. Better associated with Manchester United, Cole was still a great player in his short time at Newcastle.

Striker: Hughie Gallacher

The most prolific scorer in the club's history, Gallacher netted 143 times in 174 appearances. The tiny forward captained Newcastle to a league title in 1926/27, and misses out on a starting place on sheer goals scored.