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Season 2000-01
Aston Villa (h)  Premiership
 
 
 

Date:
Sat
19th May 2001 3.00pm

Venue: St.James' Park 

Conditions: Bright, optimistic.




Newcastle United 3 - 0 Aston Villa
Teams

Goals

9 mins: Nolberto Solano put over a deep cross and Stephen Glass caught it with a reasonably firm half volley. Not for the first time against United, David James failed to stop it going through him and into the net.

13 mins: A lovely ball by Nicos Dabizas to Solano saw the Peruvian exhibit some sharp control before lobbed in a perfect cross which James misjudged. Carl Cort beat him to it and headed into the unguarded net for a goal not dissimilar to Les Ferdinand's effort against the same opposition five years earlier.

Half time: Newcastle 2 Aston Villa 0

74 mins: Shola Ameobi looked favourite to reach a ball played down the right. Despite running in slow motion, he got a toe to it, beating Wright to the ball and allowing an unchecked run to the byline. 

It wasn't the best cross in the world but proved enough to induce blind panic; Mark Delaney and James misreading each other's intentions and Delaney making a hash of his clearance to slide the ball perfectly into the goal.

Full time: Newcastle 3 Aston Villa 0

We Said

Bobby Robson commented:

"It has cost us because it means he will miss the first three matches next season.

"I am disappointed with the referee's decision. Perhaps he should have given a yellow card in the spirit of the last game of the season.

"I think the whole stadium would have been surprised by the decision. Taylor stood on him and he just pushed him."

About the crowd: 

"They were stupendous and created a marvelous atmosphere. I'm just pleased we gave them a farewell present."


Gary Speed:

"The first game of any season is always special and it will be awful if I have to sit it out because of what happened. I have seen a video of the incident and it was nothing really. I didn't throw a punch or anything like that and I'm gutted at being sent off."

They Said

John Gregory said

"I wish we could talk about the match and not just (David) Ginola. I wouldn't have expected anyone to be doing cartwheels when they're about to be brought off.

"David's reaction showed he was unhappy but I was concerned he might get sent off after being booked. In a way he subbed himself. The way he was playing was affecting the whole team.

"I was also concerned that we might lose three or four goals but I take full responsibility for us being 2-0 down and I had started with a very adventurous line-up.

"Who knows what will happen next season. August is a long way away and he's under contract but it's up to David whether he wants to stay.

About his brush with the law: 

"It was shop-floor language that replaced thought. It was being picked up by the fans. I'm rather surprised, it's a bit pedantic."

Stats


Villans @ SJP in the Premiership:

2000/01: Won 3-1 Glass, Cort, og
1999/00: Lost 0-1 No scorer
1998/99: Won 2-1 Shearer, Ketsbaia
1997/98: Won 1-0 Beresford
1996/97: Won 4-3 Ferdinand 2, Shearer, Howey
1995/96: Won 1-0 Ferdinand
1994/95: Won 3-1 Venison, Beardsley 2
1993/94: Won 5-1 Bracewell, Beardsley 2, Cole, Sellars.

NUFC Premiership scorers 2000/01:

Carl Cort 6
Nolberto Solano 6
Kieron Dyer 5
Alan Shearer 5
Gary Speed 5
Clarence Acuna 3
Stephen Glass 3
Shola Ameobi 2
Daniel Cordone 2
Kevin Gallacher 2
Christian Bassedas 1
Alain Goma 1
Andy O'Brien 1
OG 2

There was a successful first outing for United's 2001-02 season home kit.

Waffle

If Newcastle's season closer failed to reach the heights of their final home game four years ago (A 5-0 win over Forest sealing second spot and a Champions League place as Boro and the mackems both went down) then this wasn't bad.

Three goals, David Ginola throwing his rattle out of the pram again, mackem Euro hopes in tatters and Dirty Don Hutchison's dismissal added something of a sheen to what has otherwise been a disappointing Premiership campaign.

Only the ridiculous double dismissal of Gary Speed and Ian Taylor and a late Matt Le Tissier goal put a slight dampener on something of a carnival atmosphere here - common sense rightly prevailing when the red cards were overturned and Speed had the prospect of a three game ban to contend with next season removed.

A late goal by that bloke from the Channel Islands was enough for Southampton to finish a point ahead of United and drop us a place to eleventh -something that seemed particularly irksome to Bobby. 

The £340k in extra prize money may be missed, but perhaps he wanted to reject recent criticism by claiming our first top half finish for four years. Appearing on the first page of Ceefax's Premiership table would have been slightly undeserved.

From the first whistle, United played with a spirit and purpose sadly lacking in recent weeks and roared into a two goal lead helped by a particularly inept Villa side. Nobby Solano enjoyed bags of room down our right and a far post cross found Stephen Glass who shot low and hard enough to beat David James

A fantastic flowing move then saw Carl Cort double the score after further fine work from Solano. Football then took a back seat though as an unseasonal pantomime unfolded, with David Ginola acting the dame.

The SJP old boy was having a frustrating time down the wing, scuffing a few balls and feeling some firm challenges from Warren Barton and Christian Bassedas. His Villa team-mates seemed on a different wavelength and frustration boiled over five minutes before the break as he was booked for dissent. 

Then, with a minute to go to half-time visiting manager John Gregory substituted the errant Frenchman.  That was meat and drink to the home support who had jeered him from the start. An indignant trudge off the turf was followed by a few expletives from Ginola before he stormed down the tunnel. 

His shirt was hurled pitchwards seconds later as many Villa fans left their seats in disgust. Those still in situ meanwhile howled, "You don't know what you're doing," at their Prince of Darkness, Gregory.

Delicious as the moment was, it has to be said that the public tiff was humiliating for both player and manager and as such was an extremely unprofessional exhibition all round. 

If Gregory wanted to make a point (presumably to his Chairman) then this was a poor way to do it. But having created the headlines, his reluctance to talk about it afterwards also did him little favours. It's safe to say that one or both of them won't be at Villa Park in August and it wouldn't be a shock to see Gregory depart. 

Villa reorganised during the break and United didn't quite find the same rhythm that had proved so fruitful earlier. Substitutions allowed Shola Ameobi to lope forward and provoke Delaney into beating his own keeper.

The sending-offs spoilt the ending (even with the benefit of TV replays, yellows should surely have been the correct punishment) but our first half performance and the crowd's second half ebullience made it a day to remember. 

Rousing choruses in support of our sexagenarian must have warmed the owld fella's heart and Kevin Gallacher's fantastic ovation choked the wee man.

The now-traditional lap of "honour" saw familiar applause from the stands directed at a trophy-less set of players, and while messrs Cordone, Serrant and Gallacher joined the rest of the players, we couldn't see Hamilton in among assorted injury victims (Shearer, Lee, Acuna, Griffin etc). 

Bringing up the rear with a broad grin on his face was Robson, but being eternal malcontents, Bobby's post-match comments still caused some consternation. 

If he really thinks that this XI plus Acuna, Lee, Dyer, Shearer and two others will see us challenge for honours then heads are being buried deep in the sand. 

There's been a steady decline from the sixth spot we occupied after victory at Leeds in January, a seven game winless run taking us well into April before belatedly confirming our top-flight place. That's not down to Shearer's ailments.

Only the failure of our derby rivals to sneak into Europe has quelled what could have been genuine unrest here and

Hopefully, Robson's press-conference facade is just that and deep down he knows our many shortcomings as much as we do. Coming out in support of his signings is all well and good but defending the indefensible does no-one any favours.

Here's to a summer of Keeganesque transfer dealings followed by a winter of much content. Some added effort in the cups also wouldn't go amiss.

Niall Mackenzie

There was a successful introduction to SJP for Jonathan Edes - accompanied by his dad. Take it from us Johnny, a lifetime of misery awaits...


Page last updated 27 August, 2020