NUFC’s Barry McQueen – One Of The Best

At 12.30 today I attended a very sad but also uplifting occasion.

Excellent Mag columnist and even better bloke, Barry McQueen, was laid to rest. Barry contributed to The Mag for more years than I care to remember and in recent times chose the name ‘Percy Street’ to write under, a place in Newcastle where he spent countless happy hours having a pre and post-match drink with his many match-going friends and acquaintances. Barry tragically died suddenly at the age of only 50 after suffering a torn aorta

Today’s ceremony at Newcastle’s West Road Crematorium was a lovely service, celebrating Barry’s wonderful life with his love of Newcastle United and involvement in The Mag featuring prominently.

The vicar was clearly taken aback at the sheer number of people who had turned up to pay tribute, I was one of the many who listened to the service on loudspeakers outside, comparisons with the old style Gallowgate came from those packed inside.

Everybody at The Mag will miss him very much and on behalf of all visitors to the website and readers of the magazine we will be making a donation to the nominated charities chosen in lieu of flowers.

The vicar rounded off by reading out two quotes that Barry’s family had chosen to sum up his sense of humour and perspective on life, I couldn’t have said it better myself..

The first was a Groucho Marx quote that Barry loved to use; ‘Those are my principles, and if you don’t like them… well, I have others’.

The other one was quoting from our very own Kriss Knights (Billy Furious) paying tribute to Barry McQueen on this website;

‘Barry was probably a shade quieter than the hundred mile an hour shouting you get from most Newcastle fans when they have got a pre-match pint in their hand but his passion for the nufc cause, his perception and quick wit was a delight. He could knock the wind out of your sails with a smart observation and a wry smile. He brought the same quality to his regular page (Percy Street) in The Mag. No grandstanding, half-arsed rabble-rousing, bad language and personal abuse to make his point, which was all the more worthy of consideration because of it. He also wasn’t the first bit interested in the petty politics it’s sometimes hard to duck when writing about Newcastle United’.