Didier Domi's PSG also were awarded a place in the Intertoto as a result of the Spanish teams dropping out.

-- Anonymous, June 20, 2001

Answers

I may have missed it, but is it stated anywhere why the Spanish teams have dropped out? Do they know something we don't?

-- Anonymous, June 20, 2001

.... they've got more sense!

-- Anonymous, June 20, 2001

The unexpectedness of the Intertoto place is the cause of most of the good feeling, I think. Always nice to get a surprise pressie, even if it's just another pair of tasteless socks.

-- Anonymous, June 20, 2001

their league only finished at the weekend, don't know why (Swift ?) and they view the ten minute break before changing ends not long enough to recover

-- Anonymous, June 20, 2001

When this was discussed a few weeks ago, almost no one had a good word to say about it. Now we're in surprisingly in it, everyone's euphoric.

Go figure!

Personally I'm appalled at the thought that at the end of June our pre-season preparations have been cast to the four winds by the belated need to prepare our players to compete in this nonsense in July.
Mark my words, this is bad news, and I only hope it doesn't come back to haunt us next May.

-- Anonymous, June 20, 2001

Clarksy, i too have a nasty feeling about this, but my stance is, play the hopefuls and save the stars(?)
if we don't, i too fear we'll be all over the place with our tits in the air come may day, where the protests could be a bit more upset than those from the wankers on trafalgar square
but you can't afford to say no clarky, the club HAVE to say yes

-- Anonymous, June 20, 2001

Not at all swifty - trust me, a strong Chairman would simply have said NO WAY.

-- Anonymous, June 20, 2001

yes but, we now have share holders who may demand to know why we decided not to enter a competition that could have earnt xquid.
bang there goes even more off the stock rating the day after Stonehouse left - maybe that is why he left?
to be honest, i'm a bit scared too, but they have said yes and we have to accept it. It's by no way ideal and disrupts our programme badly. I'm taking the ALAVES did it option and being positive. Mind you, if our big summer buys are Murray Elliot and Euell, then i won't be around next may to care mate :-)

-- Anonymous, June 20, 2001

go have a pint clarky mate

-- Anonymous, June 20, 2001

Funnily enough swifty I'm just enjoying one.
Having dinner late tonight, so I'm sitting here "havin a Bud" with a large bag of corn chips and a nice hot salsa dip.

Life is good - apart from anything to do with NUFC, that is.

Hasta la vista, babe!! BTW - have you tried a bull steak in Barca yet - excellent.

-- Anonymous, June 20, 2001

Clarky, for what it's worth mate none of us have any idea what is going on behind the scenes at SJP. Is bobby back yet? who are these mystery signings? Indeed we may very well be laying the foundations for a relativley positive season. Blooding some new young guns on the european stage may just be what the doctor ordered. I think the risk is there, yes, but the positives far outweight the negatives I feel.

If I may be so bold, I think you have managed to convince yourself that this is a bad thing and can't possibly work. Of course this has been reinforced by years and years of NUFC letting everyones expectations get trodden year after year. Wait and see, hopefully we will all be pleasantly surprised.

-- Anonymous, June 20, 2001

Well syme marra, one thing is for sure - we're in it, and it don't matter a hill o' beans what I think. I just divven wanna be bubbling me eyes oot come May!
The problem is that my management experience tells me how dangerous splitting major objectives and losing a unified focus can prove to be. Oh f*** it - que sera, sera!

-- Anonymous, June 20, 2001

Dead right clarky! But just those last few straws fall from my broken hand, I'd love to think that perhaps NUFC may have done something other than F@*k everything up.

-- Anonymous, June 20, 2001

There is nothing to worry about, If we go out early then what have we lost? If we win, we get a place in europe. This will attract foreign players once we're in Europe every1 else will have forogtten how we got in.(especially foreigners) People will just remember us as the club that ws in Europe last year and are more likely to come to Newcastle. And who knows we might actually do well in Europe. (if we get in)

-- Anonymous, June 20, 2001

Clarky-what exactly was your 'other' objective come May--staying up? If so and despite the many times we have all been let down,I dont think you are setting your sites high enough-while if its to do the PL and FA cup double,then perhaps your sights are a smidgeon high. I would imagine that you would be looking for a top 6 place plus EUFA place?--then we should look at the Tonto cup as a back door to this years competition.. Scared about relegation in a years time-b**locks! Signed- 'ever hopeful of Hong Kong '(aka Fifties Fan)

-- Anonymous, June 21, 2001

Fifties Fan,
My concerns may well be utter "bollox" to you, but are nevertheless genuine. I've fully explained the basis for my concerns twice or thrice already on different threads and don't propose to elaborate them again.

With regard to your apparent comfort with the situation, let me remind you that we have flirted with relegation three seasons running. Last seasons squad was clearly not strong enough, and right now is considerably weaker than at the start of last year. Since then we have signed Quinn, Luax2, and O'Brien - and sold Howey, Domi, Charvet, Ferguson, and Goma, and released Glass and Gallagher.
We are told we have effectively signed two players who played in the Nationwide last season - reportedly Robbie Elliott and Paul Bloody Murray - and no one of any standing seems to want to even talk to us.
This may change over coming weeks - indeed I believe it will - but any incomings are unproven until tried, and Elliott and Murray don't fill me with any confidence. Word of Craig Bellamy's possible signing doesn't have me doing cartwheels either. The adequacy of this playing squad for the rigours of a new PL season, even without their preparations being seriously disrupted by our late entry into this nonsense, is far from certain.

The lead in this mornings Journal has Steve Harper warning of potential player burnout after Xmas because of too short a recovery period this summer, and discussion of "NUFC's pre-season plans being thrown into chaos by the 11th hour call to the InterToto".

In the programme notes before the final game of last season Alan Shearer said "I'm delighted we're not in the InterToto. I have to be honest, I don't think it's a good move to be in a tournament that starts in the middle of July. The last thing you want is to play early and get injured for the start of the season."

Concerned about possible relegation? You bet I am - this is high-risk commercial expediency of the worst kind, that will create all kinds of unwanted problems for the Team Manager, who I doubt was even consulted on our participation, and who needs this farce like the proverbial 'hole in the head'.

Bollox? Your opinion. I'm entitled to mine.

-- Anonymous, June 21, 2001

Clarky my friend, with regard to your dig about a strong chairman saying no, do you not think, judging by typical fans reaction, that this would have been tantamount to sticking two fingers up at the fans i.e not taking their wishes into consideration.

IMeversoHO I'd have thought he's on a hiding to nothing, it may well be a bad decision but it is one I am delighted at (very shallow me) and a decision I hope wasn't left to one man, or if it was left to one man it should be Bobby.

I take the point of not having a big enough squad to cope with starting this early, but like Swifty says, play the young guns, It would be a dream for these lads to play in Europe.

-- Anonymous, June 21, 2001

I am ecstatic at the thought of us playing in Europe next season.

Obviously we won't be risking players that are not fully fit for the first games. But the fact that we are now back in Europe should give us more pulling power in the transfer market. I also think that some of the fringe players will get their chance to impress Mr Robson before the season starts, the same as they would if they were playing in Pre season friendlies. You never know, we might just see some of these youngsters and fringe players put on a performance that will give us hope for the coming season. I'd like to see Chopra and Offiong lead the line in the first game.

As for Harper, Shearer and other players saying that they would rather not take part, and that they would rather be on the beach having a well deserved rest after a long season. I'd give the lazy bastards a good kick up the arse, as far as I can remember their holiday started last January.

I'm looking forward to July 15th, not only is it my birthday (hint, hint) but I'll be able to watch the the new look team and some big name signings play in Europe again.

-- Anonymous, June 21, 2001

yeah, they gave up around january

-- Anonymous, June 21, 2001

Oh yeh, every big-name player on the planet is gonna want to come to SJP now that we're in the InterTwoBob Cup. Do me a favour!

-- Anonymous, June 21, 2001

Clarky, remember how the Worthington Cup was sneered at as the Worthless Cup until we had crowds of 37,284 for Leyton orient and 41,847 against Bradford? The media remarked on our crowds as the headlines on the competition the next day. When Liverpool started making headway it was already being viewed as a quality competition again.

The Inter Toto may be the Inter Two-Bob to the shirkers at Villa and West Ham, but when 40,000+ of us show up on July 14/15 there will be nobody calling it Mickey Mouse anymore. The crowd are still the power behind football. That's how NUFC have got away with murder for so long and why the FA had kittens about using the Milennium Stadium. If no b*gger had turned up for the Cup Finals then the competitions would have been devalued: likewise, the Inter Toto is as serious a competition as we choose to make it. The media are whores and just say what they think we want to hear. If we vote with our feet to attend these games then the paper tigers will fall into line. Notice how in all the viscious attacks on NUFC in the media they have been very careful to make quite clear that they think the fans are wonderful.

As for how targetted players will view it: won't it show them how ambitious we fans are for success and give them an idea of the level of adulation they can look forward to if they sign? Compare that with 3 cockneys crossing and uncrossing their legs and reading the guide to the dogs at White City while a group of geriatrics huff and puff in claret and blue, and you might find this competition is a winner after all.

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2001

Jun 22 2001

Evening Chronicle

Chairman Freddie Shepherd today angrily blasted critics of Newcastle United's decision to enter Europe via the once maligned Intertoto Cup. And he made it plain that he had little time for players talking of burn-out and injuries through extra games next month. "If I can get Newcastle United into Europe for the fans then that's what I'm here for," Shepherd told me. "The Intertoto Cup has gone from initially being a joke competition to a meaningful European adventure. "That's underlined by the heavyweights who have entered along with us - clubs like Paris St Germain, last season's Champions' League competitors Sturm Graz and Heerenveen, Werder Bremen, 1860 Munich and Aston Villa. So why not Newcastle United? "I'd rather play in a competitive tournament with an end product like the UEFA Cup than in meaningless pre-season friendlies." Shepherd was quick to point out that United lost Christian Bassedas with a broken foot in a friendly in Washington a year ago, Alan Shearer was badly hurt at Goodison in a warm-up match, Mark Robinson was out for a year after sustaining an injury at Hartlepool, and several years ago John Anderson's United career was ended at Whitley Bay. "Players can get injured in a five-a-side so the risk is always the same," said United's supremo. "It's certainly not greater." And I was left in no doubt that players bleating about burn-out even before the new season has started gets short shrift in the chairman's office. While United have cleared the decks on proposed trips to Sweden and Portugal because of the Intertoto, Shepherd revealed that United will go ahead with Rob Lee's testimonial against Athletic Bilbao on August 11 - even though it falls between the two-legged final. "We're honour bound to play that game," said Shepherd. "We won't let Rob down." United will almost certainly play either Sporting Lokeren of Belgium or Polish outfit Zaglebie Lubin in the third round of the Intertoto Cup - the first leg away on July 15 with the return due on the weekend of July 21. The police are anxious for United to move the St James's Park clash from the Saturday because of the Love Parade in the town and have suggested the Friday night though Shepherd prefers Sunday afternoon.

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2001

Wise words, Softie.

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2001

Those goons at IC24 have put up a picture of Freddie Fletcher where there should be a picture of Freddie Shepherd.

How the hell these sites get on is beyond me.

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2001

a) They don't give a toss, and
b) They don't give a toss

Technically that's only one point, but it's so important it's worth mentioning 2ce.

with apologies to Red Dwarf

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2001

bold off

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2001

I see they've changed it to that unflattering photo of Freddie Shepherd now. Mind you I imagine that a flattering photo of our Freddie doesn't exist?!

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2001

Softie,
You make some excellent points, and of course I'll be there supporting them with as much vigour as anyone. I also hope we are able to pull in good gates for the games - we're in it, so we may as make a success of it.

My issues are entirely with the impact this will have on pre-season preparations for what I see as a critical season for us - frankly, I'm nervous as hell about it.

I'm one of the very few who feels the players play way too many games already, and really do need a good break in the summer, but even that is not my main concern. Our engagement in this thing, at this late stage, will inevitably throw our PL preparations into disarray, and for that reason alone I feel it is a bad decision.

Time may or may not prove me to be correct, but if I were given responsibility for making the decision today I would still say categorically no. Forget FS's disingenuous blatherings about "doing it for the fans": this is entirely a commercial expedient, and it is absolutely not worth the risk to the Club's PL status.

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2001

But it is what the fans want (most anyhow) I hate cricket!

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2001