It all started back in 1975 when Malcolm Macdonald ran 100 meters in 10.9 seconds.
“These days, it’s 10 meters in 100 seconds,” we laugh as we stroll back to his home in North Tyneside after a four-hour pub lunch.
Back and hip surgeries are looming on the horizon for Supermac—what he calls the “VAT” of being a footballer.
He could have been an Olympic sprinter, but football called.
After running that impressive time on the 1970s TV show Superstars, athletics coach Ron Pickering told Macdonald he could have run under 10.5 seconds, but only if he quit football.
Macdonald’s response? “Goals beat golds,” he says with a grin as he heads up his garden path.
There’s no denying it—there’s nothing ordinary about Supermac.
From the Press Box to a Pub Storytelling Session
This lunch had been in the making for months. After Macdonald’s retirement from football, he had not been spotted in his usual seat in the press box at St. James’ Park.
His longtime friend, the legendary Evening Chronicle journalist John Gibson, had been sitting alone.
A few beers and some stories were long overdue, and last week, we finally made it happen. At 75, Macdonald felt ready for it.
But as fate would have it, this get-together was just days before Newcastle’s Carabao Cup final against Liverpool.
Macdonald had been part of the last Newcastle squad to meet Liverpool at Wembley, and he even made his debut in Roy of the Rovers against the Reds.
I asked Gibson if Macdonald was okay with a photographer and a dictaphone. Gibson’s reply? “OK with it? He’d insist! He still thinks he’s John Wayne.”
That’s Supermac for you—always larger than life.
The Rise of a Legend
Our conversation quickly turned to the past. Macdonald had just joined Newcastle from Luton Town in 1971, and Gibson recalled the day they first met.
“He was 21, had never played in the First Division, and showed up in a Rolls Royce,” Gibson chuckles. “This Cockney kid.” Was it Cockney or cocky? “Both!” they say in unison.
Macdonald himself recalls, “I made him drive around the car park before pulling up in front of all the journalists.”
Gibson, now 84, was one of those journalists. “I said to a colleague, ‘He better be f***ing good!’” And was he? “No, he wasn’t good. He was sensational.”
At that first press conference, Macdonald boldly declared his goal target: “30 goals.”
The next day’s headline? “Supermouth!” Gibson nods in agreement. “He was born to be a superstar.”
The Traits of a Football Icon
I ask the table what three words would best describe Macdonald as a player.
I offer, based on what I’ve heard, “Fast. Fearless.
Powerful.” Gibson adds, “Big heart.” Macdonald, with a smile, agrees but adds, “Don’t. Give. A. F***.”
“I always listened to the coaches, but then I’d say, ‘Stick your goals on the table.’” His hunger for scoring goals was unmatched.
He recalls an experience at 14 when his sports master asked him to watch Jimmy Greaves at White Hart Lane. “Greaves touched the ball only four times, but scored twice.
It was the perfect lesson for me,” he explains. “I was utterly greedy, ruthless, and single-minded as a striker.”
The Debut That Took Tyneside by Storm
Macdonald’s legendary debut for Newcastle against Liverpool still lives on in local lore.
I tell Gibson and Macdonald that if I could go back in time, I’d watch that 3-2 win, where Macdonald scored a hat-trick and lost his front teeth in the process.
“Football is about excitement,” says Gibson, reminiscing about the buzz in the stands at half-time, with fans still talking about Macdonald’s second goal, which was a stunning shot into the top corner.
Macdonald recalls the incredible sound of the crowd chanting his name: “Supermac, superstar, how many goals have you scored so far?” After completing his hat-trick, Macdonald was carried off the pitch with his front teeth missing. “We were just praying he was still alive,” says Gibson.
The 1974 FA Cup Final: A Bitter Memory
While the 1974 FA Cup final against Liverpool didn’t go the way Macdonald and Newcastle had hoped (they lost 3-0), the memories of the semi-final win over Burnley were still fresh.
Macdonald scored twice, with the iconic Brian Moore commentary ringing in his ears: “Supermac has scored!” That victory remains a personal highlight.
The final itself, however, was a different story. “We were awful.
After 0-0 at half-time, I told Frank Clark, ‘We can’t play any worse,’ but we did!” Liverpool triumphed, and Macdonald says with a laugh, “The only thing good about us that day was the dog-tooth jackets we wore beforehand!”
Friendship Beyond Football
What stood out most in our conversation, though, was the bond between Macdonald and Gibson.
Macdonald shared a heartwarming story of how he supported Gibson through the loss of his son, Nicholas, in 1971.
“We met to do a column, but Macdonald knew I was in a dark place.
He just sat with me all day and picked up the tab,” recalls Gibson. “That is what you call friendship.”
Macdonald also has a story about a night out with legends like George Best and Bobby Moore.
“We had a fabulous time, and Bestie was such a warm, wonderful man,” Macdonald recalls.
The interest in him has never waned. Later, two brothers came up to ask for a photo, and a man leaving the pub shouted, “Best striker in the world, he was.”
Supermac: A Legacy that Lives On
As we near the end of our afternoon, I ask about current Newcastle star Alexander Isak.
Gibson reflects on the time Newcastle sold Macdonald to Arsenal for £333,333 in 1976, which led to a downfall for the team.
“You can’t replace unique players,” Gibson says. “If they let Isak go, they’re asking for trouble.
You don’t get another Supermac or Isak overnight.”
Macdonald shares a story about a hat-trick he scored against Newcastle while playing for Arsenal.
“Alan Ball pinned an article on the wall before the game, saying I was over-rated.
We went on to stuff it up them. That’s the power of belief,” he says with a chuckle.
As the evening winds down, I ask Macdonald if he ever told me about his time on Superstars.
With a glint in his eye, he begins to tell yet another legendary tale.
The stories may end, but Supermac’s legend will live on forever.