Newcastle United Vs Hapoel Bnei Sakhnin |
|
Date:
Thursday 16th September 2004
Kick Off: 7.45pm BST
Venue: St. James' Park
Ref: Antonio Manuel Almeida Costa (Portugal)
Comp: UEFA Cup 1st Rnd 1st Leg |
| Match Preview
In Association With Toon
Ale |
|
A new beginning...
A little over 5 years ago Sir Bobby Robson started his adventure as
Newcastle United manager with a tricky match against European opposition
in the UEFA Cup and so does his successor Graeme Souness - starting
tonight. Bobby's 5 years at the helm was like a roller coaster with
some exhilarating moments and a few stomach churning ones too.
How the next 5 years pans out is anyone's guess. Tonight, a new chapter
of our history begins as Souness takes charge for the first-time against
unknown Hapoel Bnei Sakhnin as United look to go one better in the
UEFA Cup this term.
Charged with bringing home that elusive trophy, a quest that has failed
the previous 12 managers, Souness will look at his new squad and believe
he can produce the goods. It all starts tonight folks. Lets get behind
the new man and show him we are with him all the way. A new, exciting
and somewhat unknowing future awaits.
Israeli based Newcastle fan, Gil, wrote in:
"Sakhnin are not a big team. Newcastle will be too strong. They
play a quick passing game and use the wings very much. Sakhnin's biggest
weapon is spirit. They are feared for a never lie down attitude but
since winning the Cup and getting into the UEFA competition they play
like celebrities because of world attraction."
Robert Tait of the Independent:
Bnei Sakhnin's foray into the heady territory of Europe's footballing
elite has been made possible by its historic achievement in becoming
the first Arab club to win Israel's National Cup last season. Playing
in front of 38,000 people, the vast majority of them Arabs, at the
national stadium in Tel Aviv, the team beat Hapoel Haifa 4-1 in the
final in May.
In a stadium festooned with Star of David flags, the national emblem
of Israel, the team captain, Abbas Suwan, an Arab and devout Muslim,
received the trophy from Israel's President, Moshe Katzav, the highest
elected official in the Jewish state. Ariel Sharon, Israel's Prime
Minister - regarded by many Arabs as a natural enemy - telephoned
the club's president, Mazen Ghenaim, to offer congratulations.
Having negotiated their way past Partizana Tirana of Albania in the
last round, Bnei Sakhnin's players find themselves preparing for a
clash which, in football terms, is as romantic as it is unequal. While
Newcastle's dressing room has reportedly been the scene of ego-driven
political in-fighting, Sakhnin's Arab and Jewish players have had
to overcome the mutual mistrust endemic to a fractured society to
pull together for a common cause. Most of them are part-time - some
are teachers - with the best-paid earning little more than £20,000
a year, a fraction of the sum that Newcastle stars such as Alan Shearer
take home each week.
The local authority, which owns the football club, is in the throes
of a seemingly endless financial crisis that has led to chronic funding
problems for the club. The situation is exacerbated by the reluctance
of big Israeli sponsors to become associated with an Arab team. Only
the Israeli mobile phone company, Cell Com - at the urging of a local
Arab representative - has provided sponsorship.
As a consequence, the club lacks the funds for a stadium or proper
training facilities. In contrast to the towering stands of St James's,
Sakhnin's stadium is little more than a pile of rubble as it awaits
re-development into a modern functioning venue. After the cup success,
Mr Sharon pledged government funds to help re-build the stadium. But
club administrators, pointing to a historical pattern of under-funding
of Israeli-Arab projects, fear that the promise will never be fulfilled,
thus leaving the project unfinished. They hope the Newcastle tie may
attract enough publicity to woo a wealthy foreign benefactor. In the
meantime, the team is forced to play its home games in Haifa, 30 miles
away.
| NUFC Squad News &
Pre-Match Reaction |
Graeme Souness on the match:
"We're expected to get after the opposition, we're expected to entertain
the crowd and we're expected to play a certain style of football at
St James's Park.
"We are expected to play our football in and around the opposition's
penalty area and dictate games, I'm aware of that. There is a brand
of football which must be played here and it involves always trying
to score goals.
"I am a coach who believes there is only one way to play football
and I believe that with the players we have got at this club, we have
got what it takes to get after any team.
"Whoever we play at home, we will play the same, it is our
type of football.
"We're at home and it's up to us to do well. I'm excited, just
like everybody else is excited and I'm really looking forward to the
game.
"These European nights are fantastic. They are special for
the supporters and are something different for the players, and I
have been able to sense the excitement in the dressing room.
"We are going into the unknown with this team, certainly. But
there are not any real mysteries in football. The rules are the same
in Israel.
"We won't take anything for granted because it's only a couple
of years ago that Chelsea went out to an Israeli team (Hapoel Tel
Aviv) and it is important that we start the game correctly.
"I have a group of players who are extremely confident in their
own ability and they are all looking forward to it."
United squad:
Given, Harper, Carr, Hughes, Bernard, Elliott, O'Brien, Butt, Dyer,
Robert, Jenas, Bowyer, Milner, Ambrose, Brittain, Shearer, Kluivert,
Ameobi.
| Sakhnin Squad News
& Pre-Match Reaction |
Sakhnin squad:
Murambadoro, Danan, Elyahu, Oben, Genaiem, Hamud, Kasum, Masudi, Rabbah,
Soan, Agoye, Hilik, Shalaata, Saleh, Khalaila, Salameh, Cleber, Edri.
Sakhnin's goalkeeper, Energy Murambadoro on the match:
"I like English football and watch a lot of it on the television.
"Newcastle have some very good strikers - Alan Shearer has to
be one of the best England has ever produced and Patrick Kluivert
is also a big player - but on Thursday we will all do our jobs and
try to win the match.
"They've got the new coach and they'll want to win their first match
for him, but all our guys are confident."
NUFC 5-0 NAC Breda (UEFA Cup 1st Rnd: 24th of September 2003)
This time last year in the 1st round of the UEFA Cup we thumped Dutch
side NAC Breda 5-0 at St. James' Park to register our first win of
the Season. Kieron Dire started out on the right-wing in that game
after years of calls from the Toon Army for Bobby to move him out
from central midfield. As it was he had a blinder as did Laurent Robert
who set up four of the goals. Craig Bellamy grabbed himself a brace,
Alan Shearer scored his customary European goal, Titus Bramble scored
his first goal for the Toon and substitute Darren Ambrose did as well
to round off a comprehensive victory. We also won the away leg 1-0
as we marched all the way to the Semis. |
 |
Toon
Shirts |
|
Sponsors |
|
|
