Join us for an evening with Philippe Albert and Friends featuring football chat and fantastic memories, as we are joined by our special guests from the “Entertainers” team assembled by Toon legend Kevin Keegan which performed so admirably in the mid to late 1990s.
A colossus at the back for the club, centre back Philippe was undoubtedly one of the most popular players of the last few decades, with an eye for goal and the desire to get forward, remaining ever-popular to this day. Philippe will be joined by three team-mates who made up the back four on the famous day Newcastle thumped Alex Ferguson’s Man Utd 5-0 at St. James’ Park, Steve Watson, Darren Peacock and John Beresford. Enjoy a fabulous three course dinner at the Hilton Gateshead and then settle back as Philippe and his team-mates delve into their careers and share their thoughts on the future of the club, with our host, local lad Pete Graves!
Philippe Albert
Signed in 1994 from Anderlecht by Kevin Keegan, off the back of an excellent World Cup with Belgium, Philippe Albert was not your run-of-the-mill centre back. In his 5 seasons at St. James’ Park, Philippe made almost 100 Premier League starts, despite injuries, scoring a few memorable goals along the way! Perhaps the most iconic moment of his career was the audacious chip over Peter Schmeichel during the legendary 5-0 humbling of the Red Devils in October 1996. Fans at Newcastle created a terrace chant for the player, singing “Phillipe, Phillipe Albert, everyone knows his name” to the words of the theme song of 1970s children’s TV series, The Adventures of Rupert Bear. Although injuries limited his appearances towards the end of his spell on Tyneside, he had done more than enough to cement his status as a bona fide cult hero, leaving the club in 1999 to link up again with the man who signed him, Kevin Keegan, who was by then manager of Fulham.
Steve Watson
Ever popular with the club’s fans, Steve came through the Newcastle youth ranks alongside the likes of Robbie Elliott, Steve Howey and Lee Clark, going on to enjoy almost a decade in the first team. Newcastle’s youngest ever debutant at just 16, he played 263 matches for the Magpies in all competitions, becoming a firm favourite for his whole-hearted approach and versatility. Remarkably, Steve wore a jersey with every shirt number 2–11 at least once, earning a reputation as a key all round footballer integral to “The Entertainers” style of play. Steve is now manager of Darlington in the National League North.
Darren Peacock
A powerful centre back, Darren was signed from QPR by Kevin Keegan in March 1994, quickly establishing himself as an integral part of the back four. Over the next four seasons he made 176 appearances for the Toon in all competitions under Kevin Keegan, before moving on to Blackburn Rovers once Kenny Dalglish took the reins at St. James’Park. Although not a regular goalscorer unlike fellow centre back Albert, Darren and fans of the club will always treasure his goal against Utd in that famous 5-0 demolition job!
John Beresford
A diminutive yet combative left back, John is best known for his Newcastle United spell between 1992 and 1998, with his attacking tendencies being crucial to “the Entertainers”. During this time Beresford formed a formidable partnership with fellow full back, Warren Barton, he played over 200 matches during his time at St James’ Park, winning the Football League First Division title in 1992, as well as finishing runners-up in two Premier League seasons, and appearing in the 1998 FA Cup final.
Pete Graves
A passionate Newcastle Utd fan, Pete enjoyed a swift rise through thebroadcasting ranks to become one of the most recognisable faces on Sky Sports. Pete started his broadcasting career with the hospital radio show Radio Tyneside, before working at Metro Radio and then ITV Tyneside as a sports reporter. Since 2009 he has worked at Sky Sports, mainly as a presenter, where his passion for sport and all-round knowledge are amongst his greatest assets. Over the past few years Pete has become a great asset as a regular host of our sporting hospitality events and we are delighted to have him as always!
Hilton Newcastle Gateshead
One of the city’s best hotels, the Hilton Gateshead is a great location for our sporting dinner event, offering a classy environment for our guests. We will be holding our sporting dinner in the largest room, the Gateshead Suite, with guests seated on round tables of ten for what promises be a night to remember!
