Can our European experience help us challenge in the Europa?

Yohan Cabaye - Our most experienced player in Europe
So we know we’ll be in the Europa League next season, but how far can we go in that particular competition?

Much of that will depend on what happens over the summer, but it’s not exactly a new experience, either for us or for the players.

It may have been a while since we got the passports and headed away with Newcastle United, but it wasn’t that long ago we were regulars on the European stage. Still time moves quickly and after a five-year absence it’s almost like starting all over again.

Not for the players though as we have a nucleus of them who have played in Europe before. It’s not like we are going into the competition blind which should help us mark a mark on the competition.

From front to back we have European experience within our team although admittedly to varying degrees. A look at the list below shows that most of our team have played in Europe before so they should have nothing to fear as a consequence.

Tim Krul – Limited experience, but remember that night in Palermo?
Davide Santon – Has played in Europe with Inter Milan.
Steven Taylor – Has made 24 appearances in Europe with us.
Fabricio Coloccini – Has played in Europe with Villareal and AC Milan
Hatem Ben Arfa – 34 European appearances for the former Lyon and Marseille man.
Yohan Cabaye – 35 European appearances for Lille.
Cheik Tiote – Has made 23 European appearances with Anderlecht and FC Twente.

Even players like Gabriel Obertan have got experience in Europe and of course you can’t forget Barcelona Shola!

You see what I mean? It’s not like our players are going boldly to a frontier that they’ve never experienced before. In fact most of those appearances have been made in a higher European competition than the Europa League!

I know it has its detractors, but personally I can’t wait for the draw to be made to see who we are up against. I just hope we get through the qualifying round!

If we don’t, it won’t be through lack of experience anyway…

About toonsy

A lifelong Newcastle fan and current webmaster of this very 'blog who has the sole aim of creating a place by Newcastle United fans, for Newcastle United fans.

240 thoughts on “Can our European experience help us challenge in the Europa?

  1. I’m actually pleased for them. I thought overall it was a poor standard, not what you would expect from a champions league final. I thought Munich were poor and I’m glad they didn’t win. Plus Spuds get knocked out of the champions league and down to our level which is good news for this summer and next season. 🙂

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  2. Just been on the fighting **** forum. 3 gems from spuds fans

    “There is no god….filthy money and neo-nazi fans is what wins prizes….maybe we shoulda done more gas chamber hissing and booing the minutes silence at wembley…..did the trick for them didn’t it?
    The exodus starts here ……Fucking Schweincuntz! ”

    “Whats the point anymore”

    “Couldn’t give less of a **** about playing in the champions league
    It’s the fact that that scummy ,disgusting, cancerous,husk of a football club and it’s dirty racist, BNP fans with their dirty racist BNP captain are celebrating flucking the CL by playing complete anti football
    utter dogshite”

    Not too bitter then 😆 you should see what they say about harry .

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  3. Congrats Andrew T on adding to the Toon Army. Hope all are well.
    Well done to Chelski, poor old Arry it’s just not been his year 😆

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  4. Kim
    Spurs fans are disgusting, much like WH fans, all involved in the riot in some way. 😮 Would like someone to approach Arry’ or a spud fan and say “That Bale guy looks good, will look even better in blue and red” 😈

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  5. Just stopped by to lol at spurs. Some journo needs to fing arry and stick a mic in his face.

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  6. ‘Redknapps sacking has to be swift and immediate and i feel we should take the FA to court to compensate us for the revenue we will miss out on due to Redknapps failure when the England job was vacant and members of the FA and opposition managers were constantly linking our manager to the job.
    we have now practically lost Bale, Modric, Adebayor and any chance we had of signing real top quality this summer i will not attend another THFC match until that charlatan has gone’

    hehehe 😆

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  7. Just reading through a few comments, the expectation of Spurs fans is sky high now!! They are absolutely expectant of champs league and if not then the manager should be sacked. I know we have been in the doldrums and they have had a good few seasons but who do they think they are?? Man United fans now? I love that the expectation levels have gone down to a realistic level at Newcastle now. I can see spurs sliding back to where they belong (virtually irrelevant) if a few players jump and the manager walks.

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  8. Djg. Was thinking the same thing. They’re dedelusional. Theyre more like us than the manchesters. We’ll see how
    they deal without modric and bale.

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  9. It’s funny because we qualified for the CL a few times, so we kind of started to expect it(which is only human nature imo) and got labelled deluded. They do it once and come to “expect” it yet won’t get labelled deluded 👿 nowt to do with ‘Arry being the media darling I suppose?
    Spurs fans are whinging like **** but I bet every single last one of them would have accepted 4th at the start of the season, much as I dislike ‘Arry(and I detest the fecker) it’s not his fault 4th hasn’t brought CL this season, more a quirk of fate.

    Well done Chelsea though, one of my least favourite teams but they’ve worn down better teams than they are(imo) and got themselves the “big prize”…and the added bonus of John Terry not playing a part on the big night :mrgreen:

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