Newcastle could be four points away from Europe today

toonsy

European football on the menu at St James' Park?
Newcastle can take a giant leap towards European football for next season today, without even kicking a ball!

Liverpool take on Everton this afternoon in an FA Cup semi-final which could have a huge bearing on whether or not we end up in Europe next season.

Of course we’re in the box seat the qualify for the Europa League anyway, and still, rather surprisingly, have a chance of making the Champions League. However the right result today will give us a form of safety net and will ensure that we need only four points from the remaining Premier League games to secure at least Europa League football for next season.

The right result would be a Liverpool win of course, as it would mean that 6th place in the Premier League would guarantee a Europa League spot while an Everton win would mean that 5th place would be needed for European qualification as Everton would get the spot instead.

The permutations

If Liverpool win…

This is the ideal result for Newcastle. As the other semi-final (Tottenham v Chelsea) is being contested between two sides likely to qualify for Europe, and because Liverpool have already qualified via their League Cup win, it would mean that the European spot drops to the next available league position, which is 6th.

If Everton win…

This is not good for Newcastle as Everton are likely to finish below us in the league but would qualify by virtue of taking the European place as losing finalists.

There are more permutations so it’s not quite as black and white as it seems at the moment, but right now those are the ones that matter. The message is simple, come on Liverpool! Alan Pardew agrees:

“It would suit our European hopes if Liverpool won,” Pardew told The Journal. “Everton could get through to the final and I think the rule needs to be looked at because if we finish higher than them in the Premier League, that has to be better than the runners-up in the FA Cup qualifying for the Europa League.”

“If Everton win the FA Cup, I’d say, ‘Fair enough’. There would be one side of me quite pleased if we don’t qualify for Europe, because it will mean we can attack next season without having the extra pressure of the Europa League.”

“Having said that though, the other side of me would welcome it because it would take the club forward, bond some of the players to the club, and it would be an achievement of sorts. We could also perhaps add to the squad with the extra finance we’d get.”

I never thought I’d say this, and I probably never will again but, come on Liverpool!

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.

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181 thoughts on “Newcastle could be four points away from Europe today”

  1. Going to be surreal knowing we’re pretty much in Europe today without kicking a ball.

    The permutation that Everton getting to the final, getting beat off the team that finishes 5th, we finish 6th and that clinching Europe too is a mad one….

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  2. Toonsy ,It stick in my claw having to back that lot ,and if they don’t win today I will be right miffed. 👿 I think Pards is spot on about Everton takeing the spot only if they win and even then i’m not sure it’s right. Thing is I know some say you got to have an incentive but isn’t the F.A cup trophy enough prestige.God how I would love Toon to win the F.A cup ,****** Europe the F.A cup in the Trophy cabinate would be great . No all in all I reckon reward for the cup is the trophy itself and reward for high league position is Euro spot .It can never be right that losers get a place in Europe if they are out of the top 6 imo.

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  3. Dan – Aye that is mad like. Would still rather it didn’t come to that mind and hope its clearer today 😉

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  4. Champions league is what we need to focus on. Forget what happens today. Europa cup will just be a distraction if I’m honest and would effect our league form and I believe we may have a great chance of top 4 next season if we keep this squad together and add to it.

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  5. Stuart @4 You make a good point there C.L is what you want ,that’s where the money is and the ability to attract players too and keep existing ones. I too have part of me that is worried Europe will effect our League form ,worth the risk if it’s CL though. 😉 😀 😎

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  6. Howay Liverpool(feel sick just thinking it)….I disagree with the Chelsea “likely” to qualify bit, they’re best chance is via the cup surely? 😉 …in which case they’ll be rooting for a Liverpool win too :mrgreen:

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  7. Stu – what’s your views now, with the benefit of hindsight, about how Ashley and his team (players, manager, coaches, directors, scouts) have rebuilt us.

    Do you admit any kind of failing in your logic over time or do you attribute our success to luck?

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  8. Toonsy, it can get even more complicated if Chelsea were to go on and win the Champions League couldn’t it? 😆

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  9. hahaha get stuck in Stardust .. personally can’t bring myself to support Liverpool and i have only slight interest in qualifying for Europa League.

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  10. Sorry Lads but I want to do it on our own, we don’t need help from the bin dippers, so I will be well pleased if they get stuck against the toffees 😀

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  11. Dave..I’d rather do it on our own but it would be nice to have that safety net 😉

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  12. It’s a pitty that we are looking to other teams to secure qualification. We have had a great season and believe there should be enough belief in the team to go on and challange for the champions league, especially since they worked so hard in the first place to get in this position. Mind you had we taken our chances and won that game at st.james against wolves where we dominated the first half and held out against Arsenal, we’d be challanging for 3rd not 4th.

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  13. @12…I don’t really agree with the “if” scenarios because to do that you’d also have to say “if” other teams had taken their chances against u, QPR away, pen v Man Utd springs to mind. Fans of every team will be able to point out games where they “should” have got something but didn’t and games where they did get more than their play deserved. Over the season you generally get what you deserve and for us I reckon it’ll be 4th or 5th place 😉

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  15. Dan – Its not so much relying on other teams as we can still finish anywhere up to 4th, but its nice to know we have a safety net so that if we don’t finish 4th or 5th we aren’t going to miss out.

    Agree with Stuart about going for 4th, but it will be tough to finish there when you look at other run ins compared to ours

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  16. I think when you factor in the “distractions” Chelsea and Spurs have I don’t think they have easier run ins than us, I’d go as far as to say Chelsea have a difficult run in even if you don’t count the CL and FA cup distactions, Spurs also isn’t easy imo.

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  17. I agree with the comment about going for a champions league position,the Europa league is a long drawn out meaningless tin pot cup brought about by that Platini,who cant lie straight in bed….great player….but a complete idiot now…It will extend a squad to its limits and beyond and we are not strong enough yet…so im the same as most weve waited a long time for it we can wait a bit longer …Oh and i was definately guilty of the get Mike Ashley out of Newcastle thing….but i have to say it would appear that if sky went bump we would probably be one of four football clubs left in the league….its a big if i know…but if a government can bust a country like ours anything is possible….anyway Tottenhams form has dipped so much they have a job on to get a lift…we on the other hand have to maintain our level and we will finish fourth…so come on lads.

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  18. I think that Liverpool winning will relieve us of any pressure going into the final games.
    It means we can go all out and attack every game with the aim of 4th spot and if we drop points by going for it against the likes of Man City it doesn’t matter as we have Europa secured

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  19. awww man and the cherry would be on the cake if we got palmero in sciliy id be laughing all the way to the ferry :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

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  24. ST I disagree I think the player need the challenge of having to go for it, so often our team has went into games thinking the hard work was done, and they just had to turn up.

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  25. CL would be nice but I still think Europa is still an attraction to players and gets the club back into the European spotlight. So I’m hoping for a Liverpool win AND (sorry, Evertonians – nothing personal- quite like your club) Man U to beat Everton next Sunday, then a draw against Stoke the day before would mean Europe for definite!
    Even if we “only” make the Europa we can still sing the “Did you ever see a Mackem in Milan” song again!!

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  26. I think it’s rediculous that if Everton get to the final of the FA cup they can lose the final and finish 15th in the league and they get a place in Europe, what a reward for falure. Compared to a team that finish 6th in the league over the course of a season. Fair enough if they win the FA cup but for just winning a semi-final is absurd.

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  28. DJG….true, it’s also daft calling the Champions League the “Champions league” when it clearly isn’t 😕

    Pup…very true, and I look like Buddha too 😯

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  30. Richie. True but some of the teams that gain entry at the start as champions in some countries are probably barely mid-table EPL class.

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  31. Pup…..you are what you eat 😆

    DJG…very true, for all it’s faults would still love to get in it though, or even Europa for the reasons Magpie6699 says. :mrgreen:

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  32. I’m hoping for a Liverpool win today for the saftey net as has been said so we can push on for 4th. As for whats being said about it not being right if Everton get to the final, loose but still get UEFA, think we need to turn the clock back a few years. We did it 3 times, might not have been right with other teams finishing higher up the league, but we did benefit as well. So think we just have to hope the result works for us today, and we can still get at lest 5th anyway

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  34. I agree with putting stronger teams in from the bigger leagues even though they are not champions otherwise the same teams would get to the knock out stage every season, let alone win it. Which they do anyway. 😳

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  35. When we won the fairs cup, we qualified by finishing 10th in the first division, due to the 1 city 1 club rule.

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  36. Nobody mentioning what result they would like to see from the Spuds – Chelski semi tomorrow. Here’s what I’d like to see:
    1. The match goes to extra time and penalties
    2. Both teams have 4 men sent off
    3. Oh, and both have 5 players injured for the rest of the season
    (Not necessarily in that order)
    Not much to hope for, is it?

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  37. DJG… yep, agree with that too, just not with calling it the CL.

    Big Steve…aye,proves there’s nowt wrong with getting in a competition by default :mrgreen:

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  40. Remember when we had to qualify through the intertoto. They should make Everton have to do something like that for a snide default entry. 🙂

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  41. Richie – I think the cup tie is (unfortunately for me) on ESPN; the Norwich-Citeh game is on Sky at 12.45.

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  46. Reading are absolutely flying at the min, looks like they might pip Southampton to the title. Wet Spam in the play-offs would be great. 🙂

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  47. DJG..yep that’s why I corrected it @44 😉
    The Kirin Cup in Japan ’83 was the biggie for me :mrgreen:

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  52. Afternoon ladies, reet, I know I’ve mentioned this before, but what the fark happens if Everton win today, we finish 4th, Spurs 5th, and Chelsea finish 6th but also win the Champions League final? I’m still not sure on the procedures.

    Would that have a domino effect and push Chelsea into next year’s Champions League, us into the 3rd allocated Europa slot (Everton and Liverpool other two), and leave Spurs with **** all for finishing 5th????? 😯

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  54. Rodz…if Chelski win the CL the 4th place team would drop down into the Europa league

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  56. …Richie, my hypothetical situation would also mean either Everton, Chelsea or Spurs would win the FA cup too so it gets even more complicated. Ah forget it. I’m tying myself up in knots again trying to predict the future. Where’s Troy and his granny’s magic ball when you need him. 😯

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  64. Bats, I heard someone else recommend that one two so guess I can’t avoid it now. 16/1 with bet365 and they do e/w on 5 places. Cheers I’ll give it a pop.

    Richie, you had me looking for a horse called ‘que sera sera’ there man 😆

    …off noo anyway, laters…. 😎

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  67. Rodz…Batty just had me looking for horses called “don’t blame me” and “you know the score” 😆

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