| Club: | Newcastle United |
| Season: | 1987–88 |
| Chairman: | Stan Seymour, Jr. |
| Manager: | Willie McFaul |
| Stadium: | St James' Park |
| League: | First Division |
| League Result: | 8th |
| Cup1: | FA Cup |
| Cup1 Result: | Fifth round proper |
| Cup2: | League Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | Third round |
| Cup3: | Full Members Cup |
| Cup3 Result: | Second round |
| League Topscorer: | Michael O'Neill (12) |
| Season Topscorer: | Michael O'Neill Mirandinha (13) |
| Highest Attendance: | 28,796 (vs Wimbledon) |
| Lowest Attendance: | 7,787 (25 November 1987 vs Shrewsbury Town, Full Members Cup) |
| Average Attendance: | 21,059 |
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| Prevseason: | 1986-87 |
| Nextseason: | 1988-89 |
During the 1987–88 season, Newcastle United participated in the Football League First Division. Following the sale of star player Peter Beardsley to Liverpool for a club record fee of £1.9 million, manager Willie McFaul recruited the Brazilian international Mirandinha. With the Brazilian joining Paul Goddard and Paul Gascoigne, the team made a mediocre start to the season. Midfielder Glyn Hodges arrived from Wimbledon but only managed seven games in his 86-day stay, before heading back south. McFaul signed young Irishman Michael O'Neill in the winter; hailed as a new George Best by some, the 18-year-old went on a run of 12 goals in 19 games that saw Newcastle finish 8th, their highest finish since being promoted back to the top flight.
English company Umbro remained Newcastle United's kit manufacturers for the eighth consecutive season, and introduced a new kit for the season. Greenall's Beers remained kit sponsors, although the "Beers" was dropped from the kit sponsorship.[1]
(Substitute appearances in brackets)
| Pos. | Name | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Simod Cup | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| GK | Gary Kelly | 37 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 0 | |
| GK | Martin Thomas | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| GK | Tommy Wright | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | John Anderson | 33 (2) | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 (2) | 1 | |
| DF | John Bailey | 3 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 (1) | 0 | |
| DF | Peter Jackson | 28 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 2 | |
| DF | Neil McDonald | 40 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 48 | 5 | |
| DF | Glenn Roeder | 37 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 1 | |
| DF | Kevin Scott | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 2 | |
| DF | Kenny Wharton | 28 (3) | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 33 (4) | 2 | |
| MF | Ian Bogie | 3 (4) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 (4) | 1 | |
| MF | John Cornwell | 20 (4) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 25 (4) | 1 | |
| MF | Albert Craig | 1 (2) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 (3) | 0 | |
| MF | Paul Gascoigne | 34 (1) | 7 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 42 (1) | 11 | |
| MF | Glyn Hodges | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |
| MF | David McCreery | 35 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 1 | |
| MF | Michael O'Neill | 19 (2) | 12 | 2 (1) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 22 (4) | 13 | |
| MF | Paul Stephenson | 5 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 (3) | 0 | |
| MF | Andy Thomas | 1 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (3) | 0 | |
| MF | Brian Tinnion | 15 (1) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 (1) | 1 | |
| FW | Paul Goddard | 35 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 10 | |
| FW | Darren Jackson | 24 (7) | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 30 (7) | 4 | |
| FW | Anth Lormor | 3 (2) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 (2) | 2 | |
| FW |  Mirandinha | 25 (1) | 11 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 31 (1) | 13 | |
| Date | Player | From | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 1987 | £300,000 [3] | ||
| August 1987 | £575,000 | ||
| October 1987 | £100,000 | ||
| March 1988 | £30,000[4] [5] | ||
| Date | Player | To | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 1987 | Free | ||
| September 1987 | £300,000 | ||
Total spending: £30,000