The Real Champions League
Scott's been watching some real football this week, as the Champions League kicks off!
In the European Cup in 1987, the most decorated team in the history of the competition, Real Madrid, were drawn against the Serie A champions, Napoli. Butragueno v Maradona. Not in the quarter or semi final. In the very first round.
The two best sides on the planet and one of them was bundled out (it ended up being Maradona) before September was torn off the calendar. That match up and subsequent fall out (PSV would win the cup) changed the Champions Cup forever more.
Group stages came in not long after that and ballooned over the next few decades to include, first, runners-up teams, then third and fourth place sides. Then last season UEFA decided the first round, which Real Madrid and Napoli had sorted out just after the schools went back, would essentially last until February.
It's a different world now of course and lucky for Newcastle it is.
United deserved what they got last season. We were terrific post March, BUT our late season falter would have, in normal years, harpooned our Champions League hopes.
The EPS spot was given to Germany last year and it was England's turn this season. Five automatic spots and no questions asked. The Premier League didn't even have to do any arse licking. They need us more than we need them.
Newcastle were in and, I mean, in, despite finishing fifth in the division. Take away tribalism and you can see how that seems unfair to some.
We have had to qualify three times and though we easily bypassed Bosnians Zeljeznicar (not long out of a war), people still have palpitations about Croatia Zagreb (Ketsbaia), and I've got a theory that defeat to Partizan Belgrade in 2003 started the slippery slope to relegation five years later.
Imagine us having to play a qualifying tie against Ajax, Celtic, Red Star Belgrade, or even Maccabi Tel Aviv. There would be tears and that's just in the boardroom. Jeopardy isn't our forte.
This luxury is because of the coefficient. Not because money rules football and England has the most of the stuff. Honest.
Qualification for the Champions League is a given for the top leagues, but for twenty-eight teams, all of them Champions of their own countries unlike ourselves, this week sees the lottery of qualification start. Just as our pre-season training does and 38 days after PSG gloriously ended last year's competition, with a dismantling of Internazionale’s ‘dads army’.
We have a team (sort of, it's complicated) that won the competition in 1984 in FCSB. We have Malta visiting Lithuania, Gibraltar flying to the Faroe Islands, and North Macedonia’s Shkendija drawing 0-0 in Oswestry against the quaint TNS, managed by Gateshead born Craig Harrison. Temperatures hitting 30 at 9pm in some ties for part-time footballers mixing it with heroes you didn't know existed.
Uefa is pretty quiet on the prize money at this stage, but last year teams were given over £300,000 for winning and the losers half that and another chance in the Conference League. This is like a lottery win, though you do get a feeling it's a case of hush money for these teams. Don't bother us after August or we will send Chelsea around.
For some, this is cutthroat football. These teams’ financial desperation means they HAVE to qualify. Others are happy to be there and have no fear, the result is a joyous period of football so undervalued and shoved under the carpet that most people think the tournament starts in September.
Next round Rangers play Panathinaikos which will be the most desperate two games of football you will see all season. It's essential stuff. Get the popcorn out.
The most attractive game of this week took place at the magnificent relic of Tolka Park in the Drumcondra area of Dublin. Shelbourne v Linfield. The all Ireland crunch of all crunches.
Shelbourne, until around a month ago, were managed by Damien Duff. He gave Irish football the injection of sass it didnt know it needed, dragging ‘Shels’ from the Championship to the top flight title. His interviews dragged the opposition, their managers and particularly the IFA with him.
There was such relief in the thrones of power when Duff exited the building with Shelbourne struggling in eighth place, unable to keep the title light flickering, won after a last day thriller involving three teams. Joey O’ Brien took over a few days ago.
Meanwhile, crowds are going through the roof in Ireland. Over 40,000 watched a game this year. Linfield for their part, have won the Northern Ireland Championship 56 times (the world's most successful team, no less) but last season was the first year in three they have prevailed.
This game was full of caveats, but one was that Shelbourne are in the middle of the season, Linfield, managed by David Healy, have barely blinked out of hibernation.
Unless you are totally ignorant to British and Irish history you would understand how much of a powderkeg game this could be. Linfield challenge Rangers to be the most Unionist team on the planet and the chance to knock a team from the Republic would have been red meat to fans and players alike. Now this is football. You must have a wooden heart to not want to watch this rather than Real Madrid v PSG on a Wednesday night. Or is it just me ?
Due to Uefa rules on standing, the capacity crowd were packed into stands running the lengths of the pitch with a tiny away support squeezed into the corner, a 250 strong enclave of blue and union jacks.
The home side dominated from the off. The match sharpness was clearly in evidence as Shels flew out the blocks. They hit the bar, then missed a sitter, before a penalty was overturned by VAR.
Linfield were excellent at the back and 18 year old Matthew Orr, who has been chased by both us and Sunderland, looked very assured, but they kept giving the ball away and the only shock was that it took Shelbourne 58 minutes to score. Mipo Odubeko picked up the ball just outside the box and slithered a low shot into the corner for total Tolka bedlam.
The Dublin summer took its toll after that, but Linfield almost snatched a goal when a keeper clearance rebounded just wide. Everyone ended happy enough, Shelbourne won. Linfield stayed in the tie. Windsor Park next week. 5,000 tickets bought already.
When NUFC kick off, both of these teams will be long gone. However they all deserve their place in the sun. If only it wouldn't shine so hard in Malta for those poor Lithuanians.
You have to just love football at times.
Scott Robson
Photo: TNS kicks off in the Champions League in sleepy Oswestry. Not exactly the San Siro.
Thanks for the comments it's appreciated.
The atmosphere sounded electric but very little sectarian chants. Quite rightly it's a massive UEFA fine for that these days, so would basically wipe out any prize money for either side if it happened.
This week could be different I fear.
Scott, you might have started and ended your Champions League article with the word ‘money’ but instead you taught yours truly a lot I didn’t know (or had forgotten) about it. And here’s a thought… who’s to say we can’t win it someday, with Isak and Etitike leading the line?