Easy, easy, I believe is the phrase. Despite the oppositions best attempts to kick us out the competition (and the disgraceful performance of the officials allowing them to do so---presumably they were making some compensation for Sakhnin apparantly not actually knowing the rules), we sent them back to the school kicking grounds where they belong.
Souness stuck with what has worked so far, Shearer and Kluivert up front and Bellamy wide right. While Bellamy was certainly very effective it was again apparent he is desperate to be in a central striking role and his natural tendancy to wander towards such a position does leave our right flank exposed (especially with Carr at righ back, who had a particularly poor game. Undoubtedly a make-do signing I'm beginning to rate him less and less as a first team player). My having mentioned that Roberts exclusion would be easier to justify this game, Souness included him in the starting lineup. He didn't do too badly, especially considering one might have expected him to hide with his gallic flair being certailed by so many fouls.
One Kluivert scored the opening, neatly worked goal the result was never in doubt. It's a pity that at the back we still look frail though. We switched off to allow some hope for the home side when we should have been completly killing the tie, Carr in particular guilty of ball watching for not the only time during the game. Despite that disappointment there really only seemed one team likely to score. Harper got a welcome run out second half but only really had one, admitedly fine, save to make. In the last twenty minutes we got bored, basically, and sloppiness frustratingly crept in when all we really needed was to pass the ball simply.
Eventually Sakhin were reduced to ten men, for the silliest of hand balls by their keeper. With all three of their subs used and an out field player in goal it only remained for Shearer to secure his hat-trick with a hard left foot shot the original keeper would have struggled to save (his first attempt from the free kick due which resulted from the sending off was converted by Bowyer but given offside in a truely awful decision which summed up the quality of the officials).
Onwards then. having safely negotiated the opening tie with the ease we would expect but rarely achieve, to one of the more bizarre league formats yet thought up. Two ties away, two at home (so, no, we don't play everyone home and away, just the once thank you), with the top three going through (which makes you wonder if it's almost worth all the effort). One would think we ought to manage that much (though this is Newcastle!), then it gets tricky as the elimated teams from the Champion's League drop in. Ah well, the european adventure has begun. Haway the lads.
(@18:10)
