Cheers not Jeers

[Skirge]

Cheer not jeer is needed now

Mar 5 2007

By Luke Edwards, The Journal

 

He understood the frustration which greeted the drab goalless draw with Middlesbrough but Kieron Dyer has urged Newcastle United's supporters to have more patience with the side when they head into their crucial Uefa Cup clash with AZ Alkmaar this week.

 

Newcastle were booed off at half and full time in an uninspiring Tyne-Tees derby as Boro comfortably snuffed out the Magpies' attacking threat.

 

But while Dyer was critical of Newcastle's attacking players, he also argued that the boos and groans were counter-productive as they attempted to break down a stubborn defence superbly organised by the unflappable Jonathan Woodgate.

 

"We never took the game by the scruff of the neck," said Dyer, who insisted Newcastle could still qualify for the Uefa Cup next season despite taking just one point from their last two league games. "Everyone has off days and our attacking players, me included, just didn't click today.

 

"I think both teams will be happy with a point because neither side deserved to win it. Nobody's commitment could be questioned, everyone gave their all for the team, but it wasn't a good game. The attacking players were poor, our four front players and their four front players all had bad games. It was a game when the defences came out on top.

 

"I can understand why the fans were frustrated but hopefully we've got our bad game out of our system this week and we'll improve against Alkmaar on Thursday. I can understand the boos at the end but they were a little bit harsh. The crowd pay good money but players have off days.

 

"If we hadn't shown the commitment then they would be more justified. When we lost the ball we were chasing back and working our socks off, it was just a bad performance by the team as a whole.

 

"Obviously we heard the boos at half time and full time, I don't necessarily agree with it because we gave it our all, but they are entitled to their opinion because they pay good money to watch us."

 

Dyer, who had a decent shout for a penalty turned down in the second half, conceded that Newcastle will have to play far better against AZ Alkmaar on Thursday night if they are to have any chance of reaching the quarter finals of the Uefa Cup for the third time in four years.

 

But he also insisted United's much-criticised defence deserved some praise for keeping their first clean sheet in the Premiership for 15 games and suggested a similar outcome would suit them perfectly against the Dutch.

 

He said: "The clean sheet is a consolation, it's been 15 games. The defence have taken a lot of stick but Boro hardly had a shot. If anyone is going to take stick it's the attacking players because we hardly created a thing.

 

"We'll have to play better against Alkmaar on Thursday but they will come out trying to get an away goal. In European football an away goal is very important. If we were to draw 0-0 some people might think it's a bad result, but with our away record in Europe who knows what we can do out there.

 

"When I look at the last 16 of the Uefa Cup it's like the last two times we've been in the competition and reached the semi and quarter-finals. We seem to be doing extremely well, especially away from home, which we haven't been able to do in the Premiership.

 

"I think it will suit us playing Alkmaar at home first. They like to play open, attacking football. Hopefully it will be an open game. If we can keep a clean sheet it will set us up perfectly for the second leg over there. Away goals are very important in this format and we are capable of scoring over there."

 

* AZ ALKMAAR kept their slim title aspirations alive after beating mid-table outfit FC Utrecht 4-0 with goals from Maarten Martens Shota Arveladze Moussa Dembele and Danny Koevermans.

[NUFC06]

I will be very surprised if we keep clean sheet on Thursday

[James]

I have no idea why the players were booed at half-time.

 

We were looking quite confident and effective on the ball. If we had remained confident in the early stages of the second half, we would have won the game in my opinion.

[Guest Ridzuan]

I think they got booed because it was a very boring 1st half from both teams.I would be booing if I were there.Anyways back to the topic,I thought that the players work very hard last week,the only problem is that we were poor in going forward and that was probably the reason why the fans were booing.I just hope we will put in a much better performance against Alkmaar this Thursday.

[Rich]

I didn't hear too much jeering at half-time where I was sitting, and even at the end it wasn't exactly the majority. I was asleep for most of it, though...

[Guest Gemmill]

There was a canny bit of booing where I was at the end.  Bit daft for a draw tbh.  I was too depressed at how mediocre we are to boo.  What a fucking waste of a Saturday afternoon though eh?

[Rich]

There was a canny bit of booing where I was at the end.  Bit daft for a draw tbh.  I was too depressed at how mediocre we are to boo.  What a fucking waste of a Saturday afternoon though eh?

 

My thoughts exactly, both then and now. It was such a non-event. "Say what you want about Newcastle, but we are never boring", etc. I just slunk out of the stadium and got straight on the metro, where one of the clown ticket inspectors seemed confused by the amount of miserable bastards queued up before him and proceeded to shout out, "Well at leat they won, eh?" Then turned bright red as the usual sarcastic replies flooded his way.

 

Daft cunt, aye we fucking won 10-0, hence all the long faces.

 

To think I had some drying paint at home, an' all.