Freddie's a bit peeved!

Newcastle angry at 63-year wait By William Johnson (Filed: 12/03/2001)

FREDDY SHEPHERD, the chairman of Newcastle United, reacted with a mixture of delight and anger yesterday following confirmation that his club will host England's World Cup qualifying match against Albania on Sept 5.

Shepherd was happy St James' Park had been chosen to fill the void created by the redevelopment of Wembley but also criticised the Football Association for taking 63 years to bridge a Tyneside gap on the international front.

"It's a disgrace that England haven't been here before now," declared Shepherd. "The last time was in 1938 and we must have really impressed them then! Really, it's not before time, but I'm glad they've seen sense at last. We have to be thankful for small mercies."

Shepherd then adopted a positive stance. "England will get more backing from this crowd than any other crowd in the country. If the players have their backs to the wall I can't think of a crowd that will get behind them more. They'll frighten Albania to death."

Newcastle pipped local rivals Sunderland for the right to stage the game, not least because St James' Park has a capacity of more than 52,000, the second biggest in the Premiership behind Old Trafford.

FA spokesman Paul Barber said that coach Sven-Goran Eriksson had been "amazed" by the strength of support and the volume of noise generated inside the stadium on his recent visits to watch Newcastle. "He has been a couple of times and he's looking forward to coming back," said Barber.

For Shepherd and his fellow directors, the award of a first full England international since Norway visited Tyneside in 1938 is vindication of a costly and occasionally controversial redevelopment of one of the country's most famous stadiums. Newcastle, who helped with the hosting of Euro 96, have spent around £70 million in the last decade to develop their ground.

-- Anonymous, March 13, 2001