Monday is the deadline for teams to apply for entry into the Intertoto. So the question is does YBR and/or the board think it will not be necessary this year based on our performance to date in the league (and FA Cup for that matter!). If they dont then they obviously think that we can at least maintain a top 5 position. Leeds have already thrown their hat into the intertoto ring but they are 8 points adrift of 4th place. Personally I dont think it will be necessary and hope we dont apply!

-- Anonymous, February 19, 2002

Answers

appealing predicament?

-- Anonymous, February 19, 2002

Where do we sign? After the ribbing we game SooperKev and co after Reid lost out...

-- Anonymous, February 19, 2002

Exactly Nick....lets not take any chances! we can always turn it down if we don't need it! :))

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

NUFC weere ridiculed for entering but I thought at the time, that given the importance of getting into Europe these days, that the Intertoto would become of more value.

We were also ridiculed for getting the second spot in Champs league when it was first made available. Now everyone is desperate to finish second and third and no one makes any kind of fuss about it.

Where NUFC lead, others follow...........

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

we MUST apply

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

Hang on a sec, I don't see Liverpool or ManU signing up for it. We're equal on points, 2 down on the leaders and a game in hand of them. I think we'd be sending out the wrong message to the team and the fans. It smacks of lack of self belief to be 3rd in the league with a good chance of a Chumps League place and even a sneaky league victory to sign up for a 'losers' competition.

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

Fair comment Bobby, but we don't have the history yet of qualifying for Europe directly, so we still need to hedge our bets a bit.

I think we should apply, even if we have to turn it down afterwards because we don't need entry via the back door.

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

No way will we apply. In the position we're in it would smack of ridiculous lack of confidence in the team. Leeds are panicking for financial reasons.

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

If we don't at least make the UEFA as of right, we want shooting.

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

this debate was had by Sunderland supporters exactly this time last year, it was viewed then that it would be seen as a great sign of lack of faith in the side, who were mroe than likely going to be in the Champions League anyway.

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

We can finish 6th and not get into Europe. It is madness not to apply.

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

How'd you work that out? I thought it's top 4 Chumps League, then at least 2 extra for UEFA - in fact, if a top team wins the FA Cup then it's goes to top 7 places. Or am I wrong?

As far as the makems go, they were debating the Intertoto entry from a low UEFA qualification position. Although hesitant to sound too arrogant we are in a lot stronger position. It would take a disaster of immense proportions for us not to automatically qualify. The ribbing from the unwashed would be almost unbearable.

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

MacB, were Sunderland really third this time last year, two points behind 1st with a game in hand and 8 points above 5th place?

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

On Feb 25th, 2001 Sunderland were 4th, having played more games than most around them. 9 points behind the leaders and 6 points behind 2nd place. Only 4 points separated 3rd and 8th. See for yourselves on: http://www.sunderland-mad.co.uk/footydb/loadgen.asp? Day=24&Month=Feb&ssnno=113&teamno=505

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

4 cl places, 1 Uefa for the league, 1 for the Worthless and 1 for the FA cup. 6th place will only get a UEFA place of one of the top teams win the FA cup. Spurs winning the Worthless and finishing 7th ish won't help. Good chance that a team outside the top 5 will win the FA cup

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

Corrected on 2 counts! :-) Impressively wrong, even for me ;-)

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

It's all irrelevent as we will win the Premiership and the FA Cup

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

But I'd still put our name down for the inter 2 bob

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

I'd have thought trying for the intertoto would have been seen as good business common sense. What's wrong with having a contingency plan ?

The point about showing a lack of faith seems to be another of these 'no half measures' things. You either see nowt wrong with it or that it'll be our downfall, sort of thing.

I find it hard to take in that the players might be affected by applying, to the extent that they would ease off going for qualification straight off.

Or, they'd have to be pretty lacking in self confidence in the first place to be adversely affected at all, I'd have thought.

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

Don't tell them :))

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

There must be a downside to applying, otherwise every team with a mathematical chance of being just outside the UEFA places would apply. Perhaps there's an application fee? If you apply and qualify, can you turn the place down? Does application preclude you from other things? Perhaps a trip to China is more lucrative in the close season?

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

the downside is that teams think their players need a long rest so the comp will knacker their league chances

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

Sunderland's decision not to enter the Intertoto in the last two seasons was nothing to do with faith in the side's ability. Reid and Murray repeatedly stated their chief aim was avoiding relegation.

Rather it was felt it could have a detrimental effect on the pre- season run-in. So we played lower division teams like Plymouth, Torquay, Calais and Mansfield instead and started the season underprepared.

The implication is European qualification is not essential to SAFC's long-term plans, which gets most fans' backs up as they perceive it as lack of ambition and incompetence from the board.

Booby Robson has repeatedly understated NUFC's title credentials. This psychology has worked so far, so why change it? If you apply you have nothing to lose IMHO.

ML3

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

Unless there is an entry fee (and even then if it's peanuts) it would be ridiculous in the extreme not to apply. Not to mention unprofessional.

To me it is merely an insurance policy against everything going tits- up. No-one expects it to, but there's a bloody long way to go yet.

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

I think there were a number of things about the InterToto that made it the right thing for us to do last season, not least that, after a season where the players largely looked gutless and uncommitted, they came back from hols early and knuckled down and got us back on board. Equally, we were without a few "star" players and the other players must have taken heart and confidence from doing so well without the Shearers, Corts, Dyers and Roberts. They also got into the competitive frame of mind earlier than usual.

Whether it would have this effect season on season is debatable and summers without much of a holiday can't be sustained too often. We can't predict that being in the InterToto would always be as good for us as it was this season.

However, for me, I think we should go into the InterToto even if we quliafy for Europe properly just cos it was such ace fun :)

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

Last year was the best pre-season preparation in my lifetime. The Intertoto was brilliant, all six games were extremly interesting. Compare our pre-season with the Mackums who did what everybody does. Namely play shite teams all over Britain and northern europe and play 18 players in every game. The Intertoto is better than that.
What I believe we are doing this summer is to play in China because money can be made. Remember what happened the last time we went to the far east? We got shat on in the Charity Shield.

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

What was right for us once, isn't necessarily right the next time. We're fortunate not to have too many players going to the World Cup, but two summers of Intertoto is aking a lot. Just because we've had a good season so far coming off the back of the Intertoto, doesn't mean the same will apply next season. I say 'NO' to the Intertoto.

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

And then beat ManU 5-0

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

According to Ronnie Gill today we are applying for the Inter toto to hedge (cue Screacher)our bets.

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

Good! We should apply. Better to have the place go to the next team below us than be left regretting not entering. It can be used as reverse psychology on the players. Either keep working hard now and qualify for CL or UEFA, or your hols will be cut short and you'll go to summer school. ;-)

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

The makems have decided not to apply because they'll have so many (7 ?) players away on World Cup duty, and they'll need a rest when it's all over so they'll be raring to go next season.

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

Apart from Given, and maybe Dyer (outside chance of Robert) do we have any World Cup representatives?

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

O'Brien

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

Gavilan

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

So Harper will get a chance in goal, Distin and Dabs at the back, Jenas in for Dyer. No problem. :-)

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

I thought entering the Interlotto Cup was the stupidest idea I'd ever heard of, so I better just keep my trap shut!

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

at Jenas' accelarated rate of improvement shouldnt he be displacing Beckham from England captaincy by early May ?

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

Why not? I agree with whoever said that Bobby has been downplaying our chances and that applying would be consistent with this. It's a damn sight more use than friendlies. If we should somehow fail to qualify for Europe through 'normal' means from where we are now, then I pray that Bobby will blood a load of new signings and reserves in the InterToto to make sure that we DEFINITELY win the league next year :)

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2002

Isn't it amazing the range of feelings about even something like Intertoto application ? Come the revolution (TM Bobby) we'd better not think we're gonna be able to the club via committee !

-- Anonymous, February 21, 2002

Newcastle United have confirmed that they will seek entry to the Intertoto Cup if they do not hit the European big time this season. Bobby Robson's side are gunning on two fronts for automatic qualification for either the Champions League or the Uefa Cup through the Premiership and the FA Cup.

Intertoto Cup possibles Newcastle Aston Villa Leeds Ipswich But if their dreams are shot down over the next two months, the Magpies will take up the offer of an Intertoto place after almost winning through to the Uefa Cup through it this season.

Newcastle won through to one of the three finals this year after beating Belgian side Sporting Lokeren and Germans 1860 Munich over two legs.

But they fell at the final hurdle when, after a 0-0 draw in France at Troyes, they went out on the away goals rule following a thrilling 4- 4 goal-fest at St James' Park.

Aston Villa, Leeds and Ipswich have indicated their interest in the competition, although derby rivals Sunderland have confirmed that they will not be in the running for a competition which starts in the middle of July. Care of the BBC.

-- Anonymous, February 21, 2002

Good call. Professional decision.

-- Anonymous, February 21, 2002

Absolutely - enter & if Uncle Bobby decides some players need a rest then just draft in the reserves & youth team as appropriate. I think we can reasonably assume that we might have struggled to sign Jenas if we hadn't entered the InterToto last year so the financial benefits are evident. Key is surely just to manage it properly. I don't buy the argument that it's a statement of no faith in the players. It's no more so than the various stories that we've got a plan A, B and C depending on whether we make it into the CL, Uefa or Intertoto.

-- Anonymous, February 23, 2002