1982
Keegan signs (Newcastle)
England captain Kevin Keegan walks into the second tier and changes everything.
1984
Up (Newcastle)
Keegan, Beardsley and Waddle fire Newcastle to promotion. Keegan retires at the end of the season.
1985
Milk Cup final (Sunderland)
Sunderland reach Wembley in the League Cup final, beaten 1-0 by Norwich in a tight game.
1986
Boro on the brink
Middlesbrough are locked out of Ayresome Park by the bailiffs. A last-minute consortium saves the club; promotion follows within two years.
1989
Newcastle down again
Relegation under Jim Smith. The decade ends back in the second tier.
From the archive