I try to get a sleep in on my days off, but today was an exception. As a long suffering Newcastle United supporter, there was no chance I was going to miss my chance to watch history unfold. You see, long suffering is an understatement, the last time the Magpies won ANYTHING was the 1969 Inter-Cities Fair (A now defunct competition designed to bring increased interest to trade fairs), and the last time they won a domestic trophy was the 1955 FA Cup. 70 years is a long time to wait, and at 33, I didn’t dare gamble another multi-decade wait just for a few extra moments of shut-eye.
Spoiler alert, despite the pundits, bookies, and online chatter, the team from Newcastle got the chocolates. And the best thing about it was they well and truly deserved it.
Knockout competitions have an element of luck to them. A lottery decides whether you get to play home or away, against Premier League giants or League 2 minnows. Getting a “lucky” draw means that you can overperform, but for NUFC, their path to Wembley went through the likes of Nottingham Forest (currently 3rd), Chelsea (currently 4th) and Arsenal (currently 2nd). An easy draw it was not.
Secondly, and I know I am biased, but Newcastle really were the better team on the day. There is no denying that their opponents, Liverpool, have played some scintillating football this year, and will deservedly be league champions for 2025. Nevertheless, this was not their day.
Warning: you are now about to read some bottom-tier football wonkery based off half-truths, vibes, and misremembering. You have been warned.
It is common to blame the coach when things go wrong, but in this instance, the criticism is fair. I haven’t watched many Liverpool games, but even Blind Freddy could tell you the following:
- Salty Salah: Mo Salah, the best player at Liverpool, the league, and arguably the world, barely made an impact across the entire game. You can point your finger at two things: 1) whether people like it or not, Salah has a TERRIBLE record in finals (1 goal (a penalty) from 10 finals) and 2) the poor bloke is in the middle of Ramadan, so only got to have some food and water late into the second half. It was a risk to play a guy who was hungry, thirsty, and most importantly has …
- Tired Legs: Liverpool played 120 minutes on Tuesday as they welcomed Paris St. Germain to Anfield for the Champions’ League Quarter Finals. Playing 120 Minutes, then losing in penalties, midweek, is not a great way to prep for a cup tie. Although, you have a squad of players, so unless you …
- Botch the team selection: The Liverpool team was essentially a carbon copy of Tuesday’s, with one exception, the goalkeeper. For reasons only the manager must know, Liverpool decided to replace their world-class keeper with their more than handy back-up, but backup nonetheless. The first goal was always going to be a tough one to save, but why keep one of the world’s premier keepers on the pine, it isn’t exactly an exhausting role. This was only one part of their …
- Terrible tactics: This is where my knowledge of the beautiful game wears thing, but even I saw some strange behaviour on the field. For example, Liverpool seemed committed to playing long aerial balls into the box, which doesn’t work that well when the opposition has a defender who is 6’6, and your stars are 5’10. Trying new things is one thing, repeating them when they’re obviously failing is another. In the last 15 minutes, the ‘Pool seemed to adopt a more free-flowing style with some fresh subs, and unsurprisingly, scored quickly. It wasn’t to be, but remained a massive “what-if”
It’s been a wild ride supporting a club like Newcastle for 20 years. They have been relegated twice. They have had players sent off for fighting … one another. There have been false dawns, managers sacked, multi-goal thrashings, and more. It’s not fashionable to go for them; I doubt they have many fans outside the A167. The supporters club events I have been to rarely have more than 15 attendees in the black and white stripes.
But the downsides come with the upsides, and today was exactly that!
A final aside, for those who are still reading, I wanted to share my favourite story about my favourite player, Jamaal Lascelles. Captain of the team during the dark years of relegation, he helped create a culture that went from pathetic to winning. Of the 25 players in the squad, he’s probably the 23rd most talented. He’s also the captain, which says a lot.
Sadly, he suffered an ACL injury last year, and hasn’t been able to get on the grass this season. Nevertheless, when it was time to lift the trophy, the game day captain called him over to lift the trophy, and you can see him in the middle with the long black sleeves. A really nice touch.
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