Has Speed ruined our Chances?

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Last week there was all this talk about us maybe going into the UEFA due to Fair Play. Has Speed's sending off ruined this? How close were the team below us? Does any body actually know the criteria?

Not that I'm desperate in any way to see the lads in Europe, you understand ...

-- Anonymous, May 21, 2001

Answers

We needed to have 3 players sent off and a further few booked to enable us to drop below 4th placed Southampton.

I haven't seen confirmation but I am pretty sure we will be included in the draw.

-- Anonymous, May 21, 2001


As I understand it we needed at least three players to be sent off. And from what I hear Speed didn't deserve to get sent off so I think the question should be has the referee ruined our chances?

-- Anonymous, May 21, 2001

ry Aston Villa midfielder Ian Taylor is to mount an appeal over his dismissal against Newcastle on Saturday after a bust-up with Gary Speed.

Taylor was sent off by referee Barry Knight along with Wales international Speed after the pair had an altercation towards the end of The Magpies' 3-0 win.

But Taylor is adamant that what happened only really warranted a yellow card and he is eager to clear his name - especially as if the sending off stands he would be facing a three- match ban at the start of next season.

The former Port Vale and Sheffield Wednesday ace said: "I want to appeal against the decision and I hope that Gary Speed will as well.

"All I was doing was trying to shield the ball and then he clattered into me. There was a bit of a scuffle, but there wasn't anything to it really.

"I just cannot understand why we were both sent off. Maybe it warranted a talking to or a booking. When you have seen straight red cards before they have been for things that have been a lot worse than that.

"I am just keeping my fingers crossed that it will be overturned. I spoke to Gary after the match and he did not even realise that I had been sent off as well. There was no animosity at all between us."

Taylor is set to discuss the matter with the management at Villa Park before deciding whether he has a strong enough case to try and challenge Knight's decision.

-- Anonymous, May 21, 2001


I must admit I don't understand the "draw" from Uefa. Is it that the best three teams from all European leagues go into the draw, and one team is chosen, or is it one team from the EPL is chosen, or what? Does anyone know the 'rules' and therefore our chances?

I suppose I am asking whether we have a 33% chance or a 10% chance or more effing chance of winning the lottery. Don't want to get my hopes up for something until I know the likelyhood...

-- Anonymous, May 21, 2001


The way I see it is that a team from each European league or selected European leagues, is chosen and goes into a draw.

There are 12 teams in the hat in total. Two teams will be drawn out. Therefore we have a one in six chance of getting drawn out or 16.66%.

Don't hold your breath

-- Anonymous, May 21, 2001



I'm certain I read on nufc.com that there were only 11 teams in the draw because Belarus had been guaranteed a place giving us a 2 in 11 chance....

-- Anonymous, May 21, 2001

Has Speed lost the plot?

It was only last week he posted on his web site that he thought the last game of the season was against Arsenal and now he doesn't even know what's going on during the game:

"I spoke to Gary after the match and he did not even realise that I had been sent off as well."

It's worrying...

-- Anonymous, May 21, 2001


There seems to be some confusion about the exact number of teams to go into this hat. NUFC.com are reporting 11, Sporting life say 12 'expected' to be in the hat. I suppose we'll have to wait and see, at best he have a 1 in 5.5 chance! Still better than Sunderland.

There are two places up for grabs and 12 countries expected to be in the hat, but with only Ipswich and Manchester United - who have already secured European football for next season - ahead of them, United are likely to get England's ticket for the draw on June 7.

Newcastle have made a habit of getting into Europe without winning anything in recent years, their last two campaigns arriving courtesy of FA Cup final defeats. But while that may not be a satisfactory route to the big time, defender Aaron Hughes admits that they would grab it.

"To be honest, I didn't know anything about the Fair Play League until this week," he admitted. "I didn't even know it existed.

"Now I suppose the lads had better watch themselves against Villa!

"But seriously, while it would be a strange way to qualify for the UEFA Cup, we would obviously take it if it came along.

"Qualifying for Europe is always nice, but really we should be looking to achieve that by finishing in the top six of the Premiership every year, given the size of the club.

"We should be doing better than having to qualify in the Fair Play League. But if it offers a route into Europe, there's no way we'd turn it down."

-- Anonymous, May 21, 2001


Speed is on his way. Bobby was disgusted with him - turned his back as he left the pitch.

-- Anonymous, May 21, 2001

It's certainly a novel form of contract negotiation, although it worked for Batty.

-- Anonymous, May 21, 2001


From the clips I saw on the EPL show over here, neither player deserved to be sent off. For once Speed was right to moan about it. Not that it was going to do him any good at that point. I would hope Bobby wouldn't let that one incident be the decider. Though with Speed's form and needless bookings for dissent this season, Saturday's incident probably didn't make a bit of difference in Bobby's mind.

-- Anonymous, May 21, 2001

Looking at the fair play league in one of yesterdays papers we were mid way down the list with the likes of Man U and Ispwich were top, Charlton who are not in europe were higherthan us. HOW DOES IT WORK?

-- Anonymous, May 21, 2001

11 teams around Europe with the best fair play record (1 from each country)

All put into a hat and two are picked out.

So we have a 1 in 5.5 chance of being in the UEFA Cup next season.

Speed's sending off changes nothing. It's likely to be successfully appealed against anyway.

-- Anonymous, May 21, 2001


I'm not sure but the "Fair Play" leagues in the papers just look at bookings and sendings of in total. I suspect the "proper" one might take number of fouls committed and stuff like that into account as well. It might also make a difference that two of our sendings off (Nobby) were for handball and not foul play in the accepted sense. I don't know any of this, I'm just guessing.

Fair play leagues often have strange rules attached to them. In the 1996/7 season Bolton won the Div One fair play award ahead of Port Vale despite having 4 players sent off to Vale's none!

-- Anonymous, May 21, 2001


The fair play league takes into account all teams in the club and the club in general on match days. We're 3rd behind Manure and Ipswich.

Once all European leagues have finished the draw is made. 2 from 11 with an automatic place for Belarus.

-- Anonymous, May 21, 2001



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