Benfica 3 - 1 Newcastle United - 04/04/13 - post-match reaction from page 62

[Nobody]

People must be more optimistic than on here because tickets are selling like billy-o for the home leg, even at this hour.

 

Atmosphere will be immense if we score early doors.

I'd give us about a 25% chance of going through. That away goal is massive, as it allows us to really go for it without absolutely shitting ourself if we concede.

[Mole_Toonfan]

I wouldn't back us to beat Reading by 2 or more goals at home, myself

I'd barely fancy us to beat our seven-a-side by 2 goals. And we are f***ing gash, even for a seven-a-side team

 

We won by two goals in our 2nd to last home game btw.

[SMTW]

People must be more optimistic than on here because tickets are selling like billy-o for the home leg, even at this hour.

 

Atmosphere will be immense if we score early doors.

 

Hope everyone's put a day's holiday in for the Friday and turns up at least on their way to being pissed for the match.

 

We're overdue a "magical" European night.

[Ted Maul]

Don't take me wrong guys, but the mistakes preceding the 2nd and the 3rd were just childish. Not bad luck at all.

 

Completely agree, totally moronic.

[SMTW]

I wouldn't back us to beat Reading by 2 or more goals at home, myself

I'd barely fancy us to beat our seven-a-side by 2 goals. And we are f***ing gash, even for a seven-a-side team

 

We won by two goals in our 2nd to last home game btw.

 

That result would put us out though.

[Yorkie]

People must be more optimistic than on here because tickets are selling like billy-o for the home leg, even at this hour.

 

Atmosphere will be immense if we score early doors.

 

Hope everyone's put a day's holiday in for the Friday and turns up at least on their way to being pissed for the match.

 

We're overdue a "magical" European night.

 

If we go through, that's exactly what it'll be - regardless of how the game is won. Ideally hope it doesn't go to penalties, though.

[Mole_Toonfan]

I wouldn't back us to beat Reading by 2 or more goals at home, myself

I'd barely fancy us to beat our seven-a-side by 2 goals. And we are f***ing gash, even for a seven-a-side team

 

We won by two goals in our 2nd to last home game btw.

 

That result would put us out though.

 

Aye i know, just saying we are capable of it.

[cp40]

think these fuckers are soft as shite and wont fancy a battle here like, hopefully this winter snap will still be hanging around too.

[Corrigan]

People must be more optimistic than on here because tickets are selling like billy-o for the home leg, even at this hour.

 

Atmosphere will be immense if we score early doors.

 

[Rich]

People must be more optimistic than on here because tickets are selling like billy-o for the home leg, even at this hour.

 

Atmosphere will be immense if we score early doors.

 

Hope everyone's put a day's holiday in for the Friday and turns up at least on their way to being pissed for the match.

 

We're overdue a "magical" European night.

 

If we go through, that's exactly what it'll be - regardless of how the game is won. Ideally hope it doesn't go to penalties, though.

 

I can't see us doing it, but I may feel differently if we beat Fulham. Think we need to do that in order to be in the right frame of mind to go at Benfica.

 

Think you put the same in the Fulham thread, so definitely agree with you on it. Everything needs to align.

[Disco]

Ugh, knowing that I'm going to wake up tomorrow morning even more frustrated than I am now is gauling. Fucking rubbish, fucking stupid, stupid cunts! Argh!

[Nobody]

People must be more optimistic than on here because tickets are selling like billy-o for the home leg, even at this hour.

 

Atmosphere will be immense if we score early doors.

 

Hope everyone's put a day's holiday in for the Friday and turns up at least on their way to being pissed for the match.

 

We're overdue a "magical" European night.

 

If we go through, that's exactly what it'll be - regardless of how the game is won. Ideally hope it doesn't go to penalties, though.

Indeed, which is why I massively disagree with the likes of Neesy that would rather rest players should we lose to Fulham. The confidence boost before the mackems should we go through would be massive

[Yorkie]

People must be more optimistic than on here because tickets are selling like billy-o for the home leg, even at this hour.

 

Atmosphere will be immense if we score early doors.

 

Hope everyone's put a day's holiday in for the Friday and turns up at least on their way to being pissed for the match.

 

We're overdue a "magical" European night.

 

If we go through, that's exactly what it'll be - regardless of how the game is won. Ideally hope it doesn't go to penalties, though.

 

I can't see us doing it, but I may feel differently if we beat Fulham. Think we need to do that in order to be in the right frame of mind to go at Benfica.

 

Think you put the same in the Fulham thread, so definitely agree with you on it. Everything needs to align.

 

My head says we'll not manage it, if I'm being brutally honest with myself.

[Guest neesy111]

Ugh, knowing that I'm going to wake up tomorrow morning even more frustrated than I am now is gauling. Fucking rubbish, fucking stupid, stupid cunts! Argh!

 

Just be an awkward twat in the Pardew thread to cheer yourself up.

[Stifler]

People must be more optimistic than on here because tickets are selling like billy-o for the home leg, even at this hour.

 

Atmosphere will be immense if we score early doors.

 

Hope everyone's put a day's holiday in for the Friday and turns up at least on their way to being pissed for the match.

 

We're overdue a "magical" European night.

 

If we go through, that's exactly what it'll be - regardless of how the game is won. Ideally hope it doesn't go to penalties, though.

 

I can't see us doing it, but I may feel differently if we beat Fulham. Think we need to do that in order to be in the right frame of mind to go at Benfica.

 

Think you put the same in the Fulham thread, so definitely agree with you on it. Everything needs to align.

Thats why it will be magical, because not many people can see us doing it.

Really I can't see us doing it (though I think on our day we are capable), however I'm not prepared to right it off as others are.

[LesPaul]

Pardew saying he thinks Taylor was really unlucky with the penalty decision. The deluded twat should be sacked for that alone.

 

Do you go out of your way to attack Pardew in EVERY post? It gets old like.

[ElDiablo]

Makes it 10000x worse when we're the architects of our own downfall like tonight.

 

They're a good side, but not amazing and didn't create a clear cut chance really, lots of decent chances but we created the 3 best chances in the game. So, so frustrating.

[Nobody]

Anyone else thinks that it should have been Campbell that should have come on for Marveaux? Think it would have been as well had we not conceded.

[JB]

People must be more optimistic than on here because tickets are selling like billy-o for the home leg, even at this hour.

 

Atmosphere will be immense if we score early doors.

 

Hope everyone's put a day's holiday in for the Friday and turns up at least on their way to being pissed for the match.

 

We're overdue a "magical" European night.

 

If we go through, that's exactly what it'll be - regardless of how the game is won. Ideally hope it doesn't go to penalties, though.

 

[Mole_Toonfan]

Haven't had this feeling of frustration and all round rotten feeling in the pit of my stomach for a long time.

 

This defeat hurts, more than i thought it would.

[cp40]

Anyone else thinks that it should have been Campbell that should have come on for Marveaux? Think it would have been as well had we not conceded.

 

 

aye Pardew wants sacking for this alone.

[alexf]

I think it's very possible if we come out all guns blazing 100mph and get an earlier goal next week. Problem is I can't remember a time that we have done that under Pardew.

[Yorkie]

Anyone else thinks that it should have been Campbell that should have come on for Marveaux? Think it would have been as well had we not conceded.

 

Well aye, Shola was an intentionally negative sub. If he wanted to sit on the 1-3 (which he did, and I'm not going to berate him for even if I disagree), Campbell wasn't the guy to bring on.

[Nobody]

Haven't had this feeling of frustration and all round rotten feeling in the pit of my stomach for a long time.

 

This defeat hurts, more than i thought it would.

Well you say that, but it's only been a couple of weeks since the Wigan game. Completely different rotten feeling, but still a fucking shite defeat.

[midds]

Decent summary here:

 

http://www.football365.com/f365-says/8617856/F365-Says

 

It sounded like awfully big talk before a clash against a side who have scored more than 100 goals this season (including 18 in their last four games) and only been beaten at home by Barcelona this season, but Alan Pardew looked like a man who had done his homework - and quite possibly had it laminated - as he stood at the side of the Estadio da Luz pitch.

 

"We hope to knock them out of their stride. We picked a team to get that goal," he said. After two minutes in which Newcastle had already exploited Benfica's high defensive line, his plan seemed to have potential. After 12 minutes and with a 1-0 lead, it looked like genius. After 23 minutes in which the all-conquering Portuguese side had been panicked by the movement of Papiss Cisse, Pardew must have been thinking that this management lark is easier than it looks. Even at half-time with a 1-1 scoreline, he will have been quietly satisfied. That would certainly do.

 

Newcastle have reached this stage of the Europa League thanks to a 'thou shalt not pass' mentality which has reaped little excitement but a great deal of unexpected success. They tried the same tactic at Manchester City on Saturday and fell way short against the excellence of David Silva, Samir Nasri and Carlos Tevez. Pardew admitted they had lacked 'ambition' in that clash; they offered nothing and came away with a salutary pasting. They could not afford to lack ambition against Benfica.

 

To that end, they pressed high and constantly sought to get the ball behind a largely untested defence using the pace of Sylvain Marveaux, the vision of Jonas Gutierrez and the power of Moussa Sissoko. It worked. Cisse had four very good chances in the Estadio da Luz and there are few opposition strikers who can lay claim to that statistic this season.

 

Pardew and Arsene Wenger are far from the best of friends but the Frenchman will surely have felt some sympathy for the francophile on Thursday evening as all his best-laid plans went to waste at the feet and hands of his defence. As Wenger knows only too well, you simply cannot legislate for a suicidal back pass from your full-back or an outstretched arm from your handball-prone centre-half (the 'ouch, my balls' reaction was no more convincing than the 'ouch, my chest' reaction of yesteryear, Steven).

 

There is a little E in a red circle that appears next to a player's name on our favourite statistical site WhoScored.com when he makes an error that leads to a goal. There have been rather a lot of Es next to Arsenal players' names over the last few seasons and on Thursday it was the turn of Newcastle with both Santon and Taylor getting the little red circle treatment.

 

Unfortunately for Newcastle fans who are desperate for a first trophy since 1969, teams prone to individual errors are not prone to winning silverware. You have to feel sorry for them and for a manager who approached the game in exactly the right way.