HaydnNUFC

https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11661/11265002/bournemouth-2-2-newcastle-late-dan-gosling-goal-snatches-bournemouth-draw https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/11667197/bournemouth-2-2-newcastle-matt-ritchie-scores-stunning-late-volley

Desperate for him to do well because we know his qualities but fucking hell, please stop being shit.

First half, lack of a striker is still costing us. Second half, mixture of too many players totally off it and they outclassing us.

He’s brill. Hope he smashes it here.

To Isak if he plays preferably for me. Him to be welcomed at SJP as a hero in February.

That Bayern goal music. Pure ragebait.

Sake.

Yewge.

Worst bit of writing I’ve had the misfortune to read by a native German speaker since Mein Kampf.

Real Madrid and Liverpool are two extremes of that tbf. Two Satanic institutions.

The ref with some solid defending for Real Madrid there.

Very harsh pen, though he’s using his right arm to break his fall/slide and he handles it with his left. Only relatively justifiable reason to give it.

I’d say that’s a red for Carvajal but Rulli’s theatrics are embarrassing.

Marseille look like pure chaos. Look excellent on the counter but shaky as fuck at the back especially in possession. Shame that rapist cunt plays for them.

Real Madrid v Marseille has been cracking.

Aye despite getting battered in the first game away at Milan the U19s did alright in 23/24.

If the cheapest tickets are 70 quid for a league stage game against a club the size of Villarreal then good on them.

Real Madrid appear to be the same, mind. The Bernabeu holds 83k, 80k before renovations and outside of El Clasicos, Madrid derbies or big CL games it hardly ever gets to capacity.

They’re only bringing 800 fans apparently. I know following clubs away isn’t really part of Spanish football culture but surprised at that.

Seskoffender hooked after another failure to score.

So predictable.

Having an unmitigated stinker and HOOKED as a result in the first half bwahaha

FC BARCELONA @ St. James' Park Trying something new for match threads for the Champions League. Whilst we have indeed played against 7 of the 8 clubs we are due to face before, the results aren't always great. There is one particular night however against these that lives long in the memory. Even for I, who wasn't alive for it and had just turned 2 years old when we last played them in the final match of the second group stage in March 2003; LAST TIME OUT? As mentioned above, Wednesday 19th March 2003. Final match of the second group stage, yes, there were 2 group stages in the early 00s. We got to the second one, qualifying from the first one in the last minute at Feyenoord. This second group featured for us games against Inter, Bayer Leverkusen and this lot. We took 6 points off Leverkusen, got hammered by Inter at SJP, lost at the Camp Nou 3-1 (with Shola scoring, chortle) but in the match preceding this we were unlucky not to win against Inter at the San Siro. This meant in order to qualify for the quarter finals we had to win and hope that Leverkusen, who were pointless and already out, could hold Inter in Germany. We fell 0-2, and Inter easily dispatched of the Schwartzroten. We would not return to the Champions League proper until 2023. The teams that night; NUFC: Given, Griffin, Bramble, O'Brien, Bernard, Dyer, Jenas, Solano, Robert, Bellamy, Shearer FCB: Valdes, Reiziger, De Boer, Andersson, Gabri, Mendieta, Motta, Xavi, Rochemback, Kluivert, Riquelme WHAT ABOUT THEM CURRENTLY? Barcelona are currently coming off the back of a La Liga and Copa del Rey double from last season and they reached the semi finals of the Champions League where against Inter they played out two quite canny games, though fell 7-6 on aggregate. Also in their first season under jorman Hansi Flick, replacing club legend Xavi, they scored 174 goals in all competitions last season which is frankly disgusting. This season they re enter Camp Nou following refurbishment and they enter this game from potentially 3 wins in 4 from a trio of away games at Mallorca, Levante and Rayo Vallecano and a their first game back at the refurbished Camp Nou against Valencia, which they play on Sunday at 7pm. They also have a new La Masia product called Lamine Yamal who apparently is alright at footy. Their most recent XI; J. Garcia, Kounde, E. Garcia, Christensen, Balde, F. De Jong, Pedri, Yamal, Olmo, Raphinha, Torres Coming off the bench were Rashford, Lewandowski, Fermin Lopez and Gerard Martin. ANY TIES BETWEEN THE CLUBS? Patrick Kluivert; Played for Barcelona from 1998-2004, 257 apps, 122 goals. Played for Newcastle United from 2004-05, 37 apps, 13 goals. Luuk De Jong (yes, really); Played for Newcastle United on loan from Borussia Monchengladbach from January-May 2014. 12 apps, 0 goals. Played for Barcelona on loan from Sevilla from 2021-22. 29 apps, 7 goals. Sir Bobby Robson; Managed Barcelona in the 1996-97 season, succeeding Johan Cruyff. Finished 2nd, won the Copa Del Rey, Cup Winners' Cup and Supercopa de Espana. Nurtured Jose Mourinho, signed Ronaldo Nazario. Moved to a directors role during the 1997-98 season before leaving to manage PSV Eindhoven. Managed Newcastle United from September 1999 to August 2004, succeeding Ruud Gullit. Revitalised Shearer's NUFC career, returned the club to the Champions League and led the club to 4th, 3rd and 5th placed finishes in 2001-02, 2002-03 and 2003-04 respectively, our highest since 1996-97. Was replaced by Graeme Souness. @Village Idiot HOW WELL DO WE DO AGAINST SPANISH SIDES AT SJP? 2006-07: Won 2-1 v Celta Vigo (UEFA Cup) 2005-06: Lost 1-2 v Deportivo La Coruna (Intertoto Cup) 2003-04: Won 4-1 v Real Mallorca (UEFA Cup) 2002-03: Lost 0-2 v Barcelona (Champions League) 1997-98: Won 3-2 v Barcelona (Champions League) 1994-95: Won 3-2 v Athletic Club (UEFA Cup) 1968-69: Won 2-1 v Real Zaragoza (Inter Cities Fairs Cup) I'll end this match thread OP with the following quote from Bobby Robson, taken from an Athletic article on what it's like to manage NUFC. “There are parallels with Barcelona. It has the same geographical isolation, the same philosophy, the same fervour, the same vibrant love of football and what it means to the region, and a similarly voracious media.” Odds are against us like they were against PSG in 2023. But I back us at SJP against anyone on nights like this. What an atmosphere in store and what a night it could be. Howay the lads!