Sunday, March 13, 2016

When Newcastle United won the 2006 Intertoto Cup

Staring down the barrel of relegation from the Premier League at present, that 2006 Intertoto Cup success doesn't look to shabby to Newcastle United fans right now, I imagine.

Shay Given has never won a major European competition – unless you count Newcastle's fabled Intertoto Cup win, which UEFA must do seeing as they count his 11 Intertoto Cup games towards his overall tally of 71 appearances in UEFA club competitions. However, though Wikipedia may also credit Damien Duff with the honour of being an Interoto Cup winner, he only signed for the Toon Army on the day of their pivotal 3-0 second leg final round victory over Lillestrom, so it shouldn't count in his case (sorry, Duffer).


"The perfect end to the perfect day." Emre nets goal number three versus Lillestrom. Source: toonieA YouTube channel.

The Intertoto Cup only came under official UEFA control in 1995. They tinkered with the format of the off-season-backdoor-to-European-competition-that-plenty-of-teams-didn't-want-to-play-in until eventually deciding to abolish it after the 2008 season. UEFA eventually even allowed countries to forfeit their places in the competition if they so desired.

One of the last alterations they made, introduced for 2006, was to expand the number of winning teams from three to 11 and acknowledge the competition's outright winner by awarding a plaque to the qualifying team who progressed farthest in that coming season's UEFA Cup. In 2006/07, Newcastle United out-lasted their other ten co-winners to claim the plaque everybody in Europe craved (probably).


"It would be disrespectful to consider it a lesser tournament, as some managers do." - Glenn Roeder. Sources: chroniclelive.co.uk (picture)/bbc.co.uk (quote).

The Geordies only played one Intertoto Cup tie to achieve the feat as they entered the competition at the third round stage where they saw off Norwegian side Lillestrom 4-1 over two-legs (with Given starting in both). This victory made Newcastle one of the 11 co-winners who booked a passage to the second qualifying round of the 2006/07 UEFA Cup. 

The other ten sides were: AJ Auxerre, Olympique de Marseille (both France), Ethnikos Achnas FC (Cyrpus), FC Twente (Netherlands), Grasshopper-Club (Switzerland), Hertha BSC Berlin (Germany), Kayserispor (Turkey), NK Maribor (Slovenia), Odense BK (Denmark) and SV Ried (Austria).

Some well known names there (and some I only recognise from FIFA games, I admit), but Glenn Roeder's charges were the only ones to qualify from the group stages to reach the round of 32, making them the outright Intertoto Cup champions. It was Newcastle's first trophy in 37 years

Too bad it wasn't an actual trophy but a plaque which was presented to Magpies skipper Scott Parker before a delirious St. James' Park crowd ahead of their last 16 clash with Dutch side AZ Alkamaar. They would lose this tie on away goals having drawn 4-4 on aggregate.


The pinnacle of Scott Parker's career. Source: dailymail.co.uk.

Halycon days, indeed, ones that Rafa Benitez will be aiming to bring back to Newcastle should he succeed in keeping the club in the Premier League this season. Benitez has won his fair share of European competitions as a manager, to be fair, but Roeder and Newcastle will always have that Intertoto Cup victory. Quite frankly, it was the greatest competition you never won (unless you did, then fair play).

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