1987-88 Season - May
United finish with a flourish, a minority of fans turn thuggish, Gazza's off to win things and Mira's gone a missing.
Monday 02 May 1988 - Portsmouth [A] - Div 1 - Won 2-1
For the second game in succession United's win confirmed the relegation of the opposition. An inexperienced United side triumphing through goals from Lormor and Scott.
Saturday 07 May 1988 - West Ham [H] - Div 1 -Won 2-1
United brought the season to an end with a third successive victory which lifted them into 8th; their highest position of the season and their best League finish since 1976/77.
McFaul had earned himself a new three year contract and Stan Seymour was predicting "exciting times" ahead.
A lacklustre game would not live long in the memory and the headlines were created by "rioting yobbos" who scaled the fences before "rampaging" up and down the pitch, swinging on crossbars and chanting "sack the board"
In reality there was approximately 200 involved, mainly school kids and only a few went in for the woodwork acrobatics but it was not the best advert for Hall's democratisation campaign.
Gazza indicates in "The Sun" that he will not sign a new deal at Newcastle because he wants to "win things" and feels he has a better chance of doing that elsewhere.
Tuesday 17 May 1988 - Trinidad and Tobago [A] - Fr - Lose 0-1
United lose to the West Indians in a game to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Trinidadian FA and the hosts are seething that the United side is missing eight regulars.
Mira is the most conspicuous absentee as the club had sent his tickets but the little Brazilian who had earlier been reported as suffering from pleurisy failed to show up or reply.
Sunday 22 May 1988 - Jamaica [A] - Fr - Draw 1-1
More frantic phone calls and the game against Jamaica is delayed 24 hours so that Mira has time to get to the game but once again he fails to show with only an own-goal rescuing United from a second defeat of a highly embarrassing tour.
The United party returned with McFaul having to deny reports that Mira wanted to leave. This just added to the list of players whose future needed sorting out with Gazza and Neil McDonald having turned down new contracts and Goddard and Roeder allegedly wanting to return to London.
It was to be a busy summer.