NUFC Season Summaries

NUFC Season 1990/91

Manager	Jim Smith Ossie Ardilles
Lge Pos	D2 - 11th
FA Cup	4th
Lge Cup	2nd
Euro
Attendance
Top Scorer	Quinn [20]

The first season of the nineties saw more action and entertainment off the pitch than on.

With John Hall now on board the club was talking about ambitious plans to develop the stadium. To held fund the plans the club embarked on a public share issue

It proved to be an expensive flop and had to be abandoned; it was a sign of the lack of faith in the future of the club amongst both supporters and the local business community.

Hall left the board but remained Vice Chairman with son Douglas taking his place. Gordon McKeag resigned as Chairman and was replaced by George Forbes.

With little to spend Smith was left scrambling in the bargain basement and signings such as Neil Simpson, Scott Sloan and Andy Hunt hardly set the Toon alight. To be fair his last two signings - Gavin Peacock and Pavel Srnicek - would prove much more enduring.

It was yet another bad season for injuries. Thirty six players were used in all; the most in a season up to that time.

United never got going and as a result they finished half way down what was a very poor quality League. Only fourteen games were won all season with fifteen defeats and no less than seventeen draws.

Jim Smith finally called it a day just as United seemed to be finally putting some decent form together. Feeling as though he lacked support in the boadroom and sick of "banging his head against the wall" the Bald Eagle decided to get out.

He wasn't the only one flying the nest. The fans were deserting in droves and on no less than eight occasions the gate dipped below 15,000. The average was only 17,267. The fans had supported Johnny Hall and his Magpie Group but the situation on the field had deteriorated.

Middlesbrough beat us over two legs in the League Cup second round with the aggregate attendance falling short of 28,000. Forest were our FA Cup vanquishers.

The arrival of World Cup winner Ossie Ardilles as Smith's replacement raised hopes of better times. Swindon had lost out on promotion in 1989/90 due to the indiscretions of the previous management but had struggled badly during the current campaign and would finish just above the relegation zone.

But after the dour football of Smith most people welcomed the appointment with hopes that Ossie could develop a "pure footballing" side as he had done in Wiltshire.

Such was the blind optimism that a dismal record of 2/5/6 under Ossie's charge didn't totally dampen spirits for the new season.