Daft Enough To Win The UEFA Cup, are we ?

[NE5]

We last won this cup – or should I say it’s predecessor, in 1969.

In every round, our opponents underestimated us.

In the first round, we beat Feyenoord, who promptly went on to win the European Cup the following season,
and even wondered ourselves how we did it. Zero pressure and expectation in the great unknown resulted in Geoff Allen playing the game of his life, or sadly his short career anyway, terrorising the Dutch as we won 4-0.

They had probably never even heard of Newcaslte, and who could have blamed them, as we finished a paltry 10th in the league to qualify. No back door entries into europe in those days, eh ?

Shaking themselves out of their lethargy, they dusted themselves down and made a fist of trying to pull the lead back in the 2nd leg. A powerful fist of it. The mighty JohnKnackmeKnee and the Mighty Wyn lived up to their huge frames and led us to survival of the Alamo, holding onto the lead and going through on a 4-2 aggregate. Although I saw the first leg I was far too much of a spring chicken to be allowed to travel to Rotterdam and have had to rely on match reports of this game, which has became the stuff of legends and the day some of our boys became men, so they say.

The 2nd round brought a trip to Lisbon. Sporting Club are a club with a big reputation in europe. I would expect that most people thought this would be the end of the line, and we had had our moment. We drew 1-1. Once again, our opponents found it difficult to break down a resolute defence, and couldn't cope with the threat and courage of the magnificent Wyn Davies. In the 2nd leg, a spectacular and brilliant volley from Pop Robson won a tight affair.

In the 3rd round we played Real Zaragosa. They were rated as the best side we had came up against so far, none of them easy slouches, although going back to Feyenoord's imminent success which was to come, suggested more than a few poor judges were around in the press box in those days. Nowts changed there then !!

Goals by Pop Robson and Wyn Davies couldn't prevent us from going down, on New Years Day, by 3-2. As in most european ties though, a 3-2 away defeat in the first leg is far from over and gives you a very good chance of going through.

The 2nd leg was a 2-1 win, and we were through on away goals. The rest of europe may have been taking notice of us by this time but so far as I was concerned, and I'm sure most other NUFC fans fell into this category, was just enjoying the ride. Somewhere around this time, Lord Westwood was said to have uttered the immortal phrase "we are daft enough to win the Fairs Cup", as we went merrily on our way.

In the quarter final, Leeds, on their way to the league title, were doubled by Ujpest Dosza, who Don Revie described as the best team in europe. More about them soon. Newcastle however, were drawn against Vitoria Setubal, an unknown quantity and another opposition like ourselves but supposedly a team of genuine footballing quality and possible worthy winners of the trophy.

If Setubal didn't get caught out by us, they certainly did get caught out by the weather. A snowstorm preceded this game, and I think the rumour was that Newcastle fought tooth and nail for this game to go ahead, such was our own particular selfish agenda. It transpired that when it did go ahead on schedule, on a snowbound pitch, the Setubal players had never seen snow before. As most of them entered the lions arena sporting tights and gloves, while shivering in sub zero temperatures previously unknown to them, and totally unable to come to terms with the conditions, we proceeded to make the most of it and won 5-1.

The return leg, resulted in a 3-1 defeat with the talented Portuguese, having recovered their poise, unable to pull back the deficit. The same fate as Feyenoord in Rotterdam in fact.

Come the Semi Final, and Rangers were favourites, and we were underdogs, as had been the case in every round. At that time though, Scottish teams were genuine European contenders, Celtic having won the European Cup 2 years earlier, and Rangers too being as usual their closest rivals and fated to win the Cup Winners Cup a few years later. A tense game at Ibrox saw Iam McFaul save a penalty from Andy Penman, and us hold out for a 0-0 draw. Highlight of the pre match build up was KnackMeKnee, an ex Hibs and Celtic player, and Celtic supporter, tell the world he could play Colin Stein - the current Rangers and Scotland Centre Forward - "on one leg".

Cue uproar among the Glaswegian hordes. I bet our own Big Bad John had a canny few after that night.

The 2nd leg is better remembered for all the wrong reasons, and will forever be remembered as such. Another tense affair, deadlocked at 0-0, was finally broken by Scotsman Jim Scott who scored at the Leazes End in the 2nd half. This was followed by another from fellow Scotsman Jackie Sinclair. The Rangers fans had had enough and promptly decided to invade the pitch. Whether they intended to get the game abandoned we don't know, but the scenes as they forced the game to be stopped for 17 minutes is something I have never witnessed since.

The Notts Forest game in the FA Cup 5 years later, when Newcastle fans also invaded the pitch, was in my view, not an attempt to get the game abandoned.
How could it have been when the precedent had not been set in 1969 ? Anyway. Eventually the game restarted, and was played out in an eerie atmosphere as Rangers knew they were beaten and we knew we were in the Final.

Ujpest Dozsa almost certainly did underestimate us in the Final. Having beaten Leeds, emphatically, according to Revie, they must have thought they could not go wrong.

Cometh the hour though, cometh the man. Bob Moncur is still the last captain to lift a cup as Newcastle Captain, but the story of this final is truly the stuff of fairy tales.

You've all read and heard about it, so I won't go through it again, but what he did in both of those games will never be forgotten.

The next day, my headmaster gave us all the afternoon off school to go and see the victory parade, from the airport to St James Park. I didn't bother lining the streets, I went into the ground, and stood in my place in the middle of the Leazes End to see the trophy being shown from the old wooden stand by all the team and Joe Harvey.

We truly were "daft enough to win the Fairs Cup".

Whoever would have thought, looking back a year ago, that we would even qualify for it this time around. We now stand 90 minutes and one major game away from a quarter final against a team who underestimated us and sprang to life when they were 3-0 down, as Louis Van Gaal's team also did when he brought Barcelona to St James Park in 1997.

Survive this 2nd leg, when I think we will be tested to the limit, and who knows. Maybe we are daft enough to win it again.

[The Janitor]

Fantastic read, that. Not sure if we have enough players with "bottle" to go the whole distance this time around, but reaching the quarters would be a good achievment after the draws we've had and the injuries that have choked the squad.

All this extra European revenue bodes well for the summer, too, as Shepherd has shown he's not afraid to spend the cash we earn on the continent (as proven by the millions he gave to Sourmess after the run to the quarter-finals in the previous season.)

People write-off the UEFA Cup, but it's been a massive source of joy the last three times we've entered it and it has been an invaluable tool in being able to keep us comfortably in the Premiership - and even still in a position to challenge the top-six.

I like the optimism.

[NE5]

A run in europe does nobody any harm, only a nob would write it off. Like you say, its a source of revenue and good publicity and nobody will complain if we win this cup either.

[kiwi]

I can recall us (hope the memory is right) playing the great Ajax at St James's Park and we had them till Cruyff woke up.

If I'm wrong it doesn't really matter. One thing I have noticed over 56 years of madness is - we play well (generally) against European teams. We generally also play well against decent teams. Where we fall down is against rubbish. we seem to go up and down a level with ease.

AZ are a good team as thier progress last year shows but I tracked us on the BBC and was astounded to find us 4-1 up. Second half stats had AZ on 56% posetion which, theoretically, meant we were under the cosh.

On the brighter side we beat Fennerbache and their games V AZ were 3-3 and 2-2.

So AZ need to beat us 2-0 go go through on away goals. If we get 1 they need 3 etc and each goal we score makes it much harder for them.

I fancy our chances but beyond the next AZ game I'm not sure. It will depend who we get - although no one stands out.

Very good post NE5. Brought tears to my eyes.