Newcastle 1 - 1 Benfica - 11/04/13 (2 - 4 on agg) - post-match reaction from p60

[Guest benfiquista]

Benfiquista - do you think you would have lost if HBA had played 180 minutes?

 

Why didn't he play them, by the way? Back from injuries?

 

In all honestly, I think that's unlikely. For instance today, I'd say that Pardew's strategy was actually what made him so influential once he came on. He was fresh when Benfica's defenders were starting to collapse.

 

This is not to take away from his quality, as he's definitely one class above the average NUFC player.

 

 

[midds]

FT: f*** off Pardew

 

I'd normally agree. But he had the tactics spot on. Would've got murdered pressing for the goals the whole 90

 

Bingo. I've slated Pardew for most of the season for the negative stuff but I can completely understand how we played tonight. Any Benfica goal killed the tie stone dead, going hell for leather from the off would have left too much space at the back. We clearly got the first and threw everything at them to get the second and had Benfica on the ropes. We just couldn't quite finish the job and get the second goal.

 

We were forced to show a bit of restraint due to being 2 goals down from the first leg, it wasn't like we started the tie at 0-0 tonight. No blame attached to Pardew tonight from me.

 

I have defended Pardew more than most, certainly you in recent weeks, but I just can't understand this way of thinking at all. This was a game in which we needed a convincing win, a once in a lifetime opportunity to get to the semis in a European competition against a very beatable opponent, as we saw last week. Since we were two goals down we essentially had nothing to lose at the start of the match, and all to gain. Just go at them from the off, put them under pressure and try to get an early goal. Yes, you may not get the early goal, tire badly and get picked off later in the match as you run out of steam, but I don't think anybody would have complained if at least we would have tried. As it is, we tried to calculate our way to the semis, sat back for far too long, looked nervous and unsure what to do for the entire first half and gave them the initiative, resulting in a good number of chances for them that could, and arguably should, have seen them through well before the "planned" point in the game when we finally spurred into action. It was all very reasoned, and counter intuitive to any football player, and that showed through in our performance. In the last half an hour we showed we were capable of hurting them, partly through bringing on our creative players. I would much rather have seen at least one of them (Marv) from the off to get Benfica on the back foot early on.

 

In short: the fact that the gameplan nearly worked should not be mistaken for it being a good gameplan.

 

That's fair enough, I just think his hands were tied a bit due to needing 2 goals without conceding. I think had we gone for it and opened up then we'd eventually have been picked off and the tie would have been dead. I can understand those who wanted us to go for it from the off and get at them early, there's logic to it - you need 2 goals, try and get them asap. That makes sense.

 

I just think tonight was the time to be cautious, try to keep it tight and shorten the game. I'm not begging people to agree with me but I can see logic in Pardew's approach tonight. It was frustrating to see it develop in the first half but a break here or there in the last 5 minutes could have got that second goal and sent us through. I can see both sides of it but I can understand Pardew's gameplan tonight as frustrating as it was.

[Guest The Legendary Tiger Man]

Benfica fans. What ever you do you must stop Chelsea (and perhaps Spurs) winning this thing. Lie, cheat, steal. Whatever it takes. Chelsea have infinite luck by the way if you draw them.

Chelsea knocked us out last year in a relatively unfair way, so I'll take a revenge on them with great pleasure 

[Interpolic]

We were out on our feet by the end because we'd let them walk around for 65mins. Such backwards logic to hope that we'd suddenly be able to turn it on. They wobbled for a spell of about ten minutes during which time we didn't even make the goalkeeper make a meaningful save. Then they got their shit together again.

 

Nobody will convince me that we couldn't have been more positive in this match without going all-out attack and giving goals away by default. Oh, and they could have EASILY been out of sight by half time even given our ultra-defensive approach. We cleared one off the line ffs.

 

This is exactly how I feel about tonight.  Shit scared of the opposition and played like plucky underdogs.

[Stifler]

I could accept Chelsea getting it, I couldn't handle Spurs winning though.

[AfroP]

played some good football and had some good attacking movement in the 2nd half there for 20 mins or so

please we at least tried to give it a go.

 

thought the younger lads looked good, Mbiwe, haidara, and anita

 

tough side to beat but we did ourselves proud i think, just hope we keep our heads up and get hungry to destroy the shite from down the road on sunday

[Keefaz]

Should Shola have had a pen, btw? Looked like it to me.

[Guest Nick Valensi]

Great game, but you just had the hope due to a ridiculous mistake by Matic.

 

good luck in the EPL

 

http://cdn.record.xl.pt/storage/ng82318250-5D56-4218-8007-E39D6FE6C73E.jpg?type=big

[NUFCDoog]

Supported Newcastle long enough to know we don't win games like these, we never do. A lifetime of disapointment is what you sign up for when you follow Newcastle. There will be highs, but there will be horrible lows too. I genuinely believe this club will never win anything whilst i live. Expectation isnt the problem, I've got that, it's acceptance that's the key. I know I will never accept it, that's why it hurts so much everytime.

[mikejaxer]

We didn't deserve to win it but neither did Benfica, pack of cheaters and timewasters.

We started playing far too late.

[Beren]

Supported Newcastle long enough to know we don't win games like these, we never do. A lifetime of disapointment is what you sign up for when you follow Newcastle. There will be highs, but there will be horrible lows too. I genuinely believe this club will never win anything whilst i live. Expectation isnt the problem, I've got that, it's acceptance that's the key. I know I will never accept it, that's why it hurts so much everytime.

 

Fucking hell man Wanna give this brother a hug

[Jaypee]

Should Shola have had a pen, btw? Looked like it to me.

Think so too.

[Varadi]

FT: f*** off Pardew

 

I'd normally agree. But he had the tactics spot on. Would've got murdered pressing for the goals the whole 90

 

Bingo. I've slated Pardew for most of the season for the negative stuff but I can completely understand how we played tonight. Any Benfica goal killed the tie stone dead, going hell for leather from the off would have left too much space at the back. We clearly got the first and threw everything at them to get the second and had Benfica on the ropes. We just couldn't quite finish the job and get the second goal.

 

We were forced to show a bit of restraint due to being 2 goals down from the first leg, it wasn't like we started the tie at 0-0 tonight. No blame attached to Pardew tonight from me.

 

I have defended Pardew more than most, certainly you in recent weeks, but I just can't understand this way of thinking at all. This was a game in which we needed a convincing win, a once in a lifetime opportunity to get to the semis in a European competition against a very beatable opponent, as we saw last week. Since we were two goals down we essentially had nothing to lose at the start of the match, and all to gain. Just go at them from the off, put them under pressure and try to get an early goal. Yes, you may not get the early goal, tire badly and get picked off later in the match as you run out of steam, but I don't think anybody would have complained if at least we would have tried. As it is, we tried to calculate our way to the semis, sat back for far too long, looked nervous and unsure what to do for the entire first half and gave them the initiative, resulting in a good number of chances for them that could, and arguably should, have seen them through well before the "planned" point in the game when we finally spurred into action. It was all very reasoned, and counter intuitive to any football player, and that showed through in our performance. In the last half an hour we showed we were capable of hurting them, partly through bringing on our creative players. I would much rather have seen at least one of them (Marv) from the off to get Benfica on the back foot early on.

 

In short: the fact that the gameplan nearly worked should not be mistaken for it being a good gameplan.

 

That's fair enough, I just think his hands were tied a bit due to needing 2 goals without conceding. I think had we gone for it and opened up then we'd eventually have been picked off and the tie would have been dead. I can understand those who wanted us to go for it from the off and get at them early, there's logic to it - you need 2 goals, try and get them asap. That makes sense.

 

I just think tonight was the time to be cautious, try to keep it tight and shorten the game. I'm not begging people to agree with me but I can see logic in Pardew's approach tonight. It was frustrating to see it develop in the first half but a break here or there in the last 5 minutes could have got that second goal and sent us through. I can see both sides of it but I can understand Pardew's gameplan tonight as frustrating as it was.

 

 

Agree with that.

[TenkoDaLuz]

TOTTENHAM OUT.

[Guest Nick Valensi]

We didn't deserve to win it but neither did Benfica, pack of cheaters and timewasters.

We started playing far too late.

 

newcastle is the team that plays with all those camembert francius 

 

 

[Spudil]

Supported Newcastle long enough to know we don't win games like these, we never do. A lifetime of disapointment is what you sign up for when you follow Newcastle. There will be highs, but there will be horrible lows too. I genuinely believe this club will never win anything whilst i live. Expectation isnt the problem, I've got that, it's acceptance that's the key. I know I will never accept it, that's why it hurts so much everytime.

 

'kin hell man, that's proper grim

[Fenham Mag]

Proud and think Pardew had the right idea, shame it didn't come off

 

Atmosphere in the 2nd half was fantastic, I thought we would do it, heartbreaking but proud, they will go a win the mackems for sure.

 

[Guest matic21]

Why do you say good luck against Chelsea?

 

I bet Benfica and Chelsea will not be "drawn" against each other.

[Skeletor]

Why do you say good luck against Chelsea?

 

I bet Benfica and Chelsea will not be "drawn" against each other.

 

Cos they are second only to Liverpool in terms of winning things via luck.

[mikejaxer]

We needed 2 goals from the start and while I understand the injuries that we had, I really don't get the starting line up.

Nothing in that first XI says "We're going to dominate and score 2 goals"

[Mike]

Just caught the highlights...was that second goal really offside?

[midds]

Just caught the highlights...was that second goal really offside?

 

2 yards off.

 

The first was tighter mind

[Mike]

Bad angle in the highlights, then.

[ponsaelius]

Gutted.

[Unbelievable]

FT: f*** off Pardew

 

I'd normally agree. But he had the tactics spot on. Would've got murdered pressing for the goals the whole 90

 

Bingo. I've slated Pardew for most of the season for the negative stuff but I can completely understand how we played tonight. Any Benfica goal killed the tie stone dead, going hell for leather from the off would have left too much space at the back. We clearly got the first and threw everything at them to get the second and had Benfica on the ropes. We just couldn't quite finish the job and get the second goal.

 

We were forced to show a bit of restraint due to being 2 goals down from the first leg, it wasn't like we started the tie at 0-0 tonight. No blame attached to Pardew tonight from me.

 

I have defended Pardew more than most, certainly you in recent weeks, but I just can't understand this way of thinking at all. This was a game in which we needed a convincing win, a once in a lifetime opportunity to get to the semis in a European competition against a very beatable opponent, as we saw last week. Since we were two goals down we essentially had nothing to lose at the start of the match, and all to gain. Just go at them from the off, put them under pressure and try to get an early goal. Yes, you may not get the early goal, tire badly and get picked off later in the match as you run out of steam, but I don't think anybody would have complained if at least we would have tried. As it is, we tried to calculate our way to the semis, sat back for far too long, looked nervous and unsure what to do for the entire first half and gave them the initiative, resulting in a good number of chances for them that could, and arguably should, have seen them through well before the "planned" point in the game when we finally spurred into action. It was all very reasoned, and counter intuitive to any football player, and that showed through in our performance. In the last half an hour we showed we were capable of hurting them, partly through bringing on our creative players. I would much rather have seen at least one of them (Marv) from the off to get Benfica on the back foot early on.

 

In short: the fact that the gameplan nearly worked should not be mistaken for it being a good gameplan.

 

That's fair enough, I just think his hands were tied a bit due to needing 2 goals without conceding. I think had we gone for it and opened up then we'd eventually have been picked off and the tie would have been dead. I can understand those who wanted us to go for it from the off and get at them early, there's logic to it - you need 2 goals, try and get them asap. That makes sense.

 

I just think tonight was the time to be cautious, try to keep it tight and shorten the game. I'm not begging people to agree with me but I can see logic in Pardew's approach tonight. It was frustrating to see it develop in the first half but a break here or there in the last 5 minutes could have got that second goal and sent us through. I can see both sides of it but I can understand Pardew's gameplan tonight as frustrating as it was.

 

I know you can't go gung ho for the full 90 minutes, so it would have made sense to start furiously and try to get the early goal (like we did last week coincidentally), then sit back for the rest of the first half after 15-20 minutes or so, give it another good go at the start of the second half after had a breather at half time, then sit back again between 60 and 80 for a final push in the last 10 or so minutes. Obviously events in the match would have influenced when to sit back or go at it, but as a general template I think that would have made much more sense than sit back for 70 minutes, as Dave points out not tiring them out at all as well which we possibly would have needed relying on our better physical attributes/fitness levels.

 

Another thing that mightily bugs me is Bigi on the right wing. Now, I like the look of Bigirimana, I really do, but there is no way he's ever an effective winger in the making. He lacks the pace and creativity needed to play that position. It would have made some sense if the plan was to sit back and keep it tight to play him next to Anita as a defensive shield (even if I wouldn't have agreed), but to have Cabaye deep and Bigi on the right, where is the sense in that? It doesn't provide an attacking threat, and nor does it help us being more defensively solid. It just doesn't make sense at any level. The other odd one out being Williamson ahead of Perch; I can only assume Perch was not fully fit, because why else would you play your least mobile, tall defender against fast, mobile forwards?

 

All in all, a clusterfuck of a gameplan in a once in a lifetime European knockout quarter final tie starting 2 goals down at home in front of a sold out, enthused stadium.