Roeder’s Magpies turned despair into a place in Europe
NEWCASTLE United’s 2005/06 season had been written off with seven games to go and caretaker boss Glenn Roeder’s team sitting in 13th place.
The campaign, which saw Graeme Souness sacked and Roeder coming in as emergency boss from the Academy, had taken a major dent during a 3-1 defeat at the Valley with then captain Alan Shearer furiously boarding the team bus after an inept performance in the capital. When asked for an interview, Shearer simply told reporters that day: “What is there to say about that?” Shearer had a point but Roeder was duty-bound to explain what had gone wrong and wasted no time getting straight into the huge issues that had haunted Souness previously. Roeder said: “It’s not good enough. All three goals were really poorly defended and should not happen at this level. “We have to set our standards much higher and for us to lose 3-1 isn’t encouraging at all and for Newcastle it isn’t good enough.”
Roeder was very much a man who was obsessed with standards, whether at senior level, the reserve team or the club’s Academy.
I was there one night when he kicked the door open and burst into the dressing room to berate the club’s second string, then managed by Lee Clark, as they lost 2-1 to Whitley Bay at Kingston Park. He told them that they’d never have a chance of playing for Newcastle with performances of that manner, and then warned them that wearing a Toon shirt was a privilege not a given for any player at the club.
Backed up by Shearer going into the final seven games of what was the number 9’s last ever at the club, Roeder had demanded an improvement from his players.
They had seven games left to improve on 13th place but even at that stage nobody had expected what was to follow.
In those seven games, Newcastle faced some tough tasks against Tottenham and Chelsea at home plus local derbies away to Middlesbrough and Sunderland.
Incredibly, Roeder guided United to three consecutive victories in the top flight and propelled them into seventh place.
Given that place would be rewarded with a slot in the old Intertoto Cup and a back door entry into Europe, suddenly there was talk of what felt like an impossible mission.
Beating Sunderland would be a major boost but Roeder was more interested in local pride than talk of the Intertoto!
At 1-0 down at half-time Roeder endured Wearsiders boss Kevin Ball taunting him when the home side, doomed for relegation, went ahead.
But the second half was a thing of beauty for Newcastle fans and is still spoken about to this day as Michael Chopra equalised on the hour mark and then goals from Charles N’Zogbia, Alan Shearer (pen) and Albert Luque wrapped it up.
Roeder told Ball: “The game lasts for 90 minutes, Kevin, not 45.”
That Easter clash would prove to be Shearer’s last in action on a competitive note with a knee injury ending both his career and season early.
All of a sudden though Newcastle found themselves in with a genuine shot of getting into Europe.
If they could hold their nerve in the final three matches of the season, they’d be in the hat for the Intertoto Cup!
United easily strode to a 3-0 win over West Brom before holding Steve Bruce’s Birmingham to a 0-0 draw and sending them down in the process.
It was then all about the final day against Chelsea in which Newcastle triumphed 1-0 over the Blues thanks to Titus Bramble’s winner.
And that was enough to transform
a season from what was once a relegation battle in February, into a successful fight for Europe and land the Londoner the job on a permanent basis.
Roeder, who sadly died in 2021, told me in an interview with the Chronicle in 2012: “In the last few weeks you have to just go for it because the supporters love their trips to Europe. It is the very least those supporters deserve.”
The run into Europe saw Newcastle brush Lillestrom aside 3-0 away from home and advance into the UEFA Cup to set up some famous nights against Palermo, Fenerbahce and Celta Vigo.
A successful trip to Belgium to face Waregem followed before the fateful two-legged last-16 encounter with AZ Alkmaar effectively decided Roeder’s future.
On a high-energy night against the Dutch side at St James’ Park, Roeder’s team roared into a 4-1 lead with just 38 minutes on the clock thanks to a Gretar Rafn Steinsson own goal, two from Obafemi Martins and one from Kieron Dyer.
It was a tie that was begging to be put to bed but Danny Koevermans pulled one back and under the away goals rule, the game was still alive for the second leg.
And so on to the Dutch capital of cheese a fortnight later for the second leg. It was a night that promised so much but in the end, Alkmaar won 2-0 and after a 4-4 aggregate tie went through on away goals.
The European run was over for Newcastle and Roeder as the Magpies bowed out in a sorry state. Despite being plagued by an injury crisis similar to the current modern-day version that Edde Howe is enduring now, Roeder would be handed just eight more games before leaving his post.
He left them in 12th position and in a respectable place but ultimately became a victim of his own success. Roeder though would leave a legacy for the next few managers at St James’ Park. As ever, the forward-thinking coach, Roeder saw the European nights as a chance to blood younger stars.
He told me once: “Europe is important for the youngsters as it is part of their education.
“If you’re not a starter and getting bits and pieces from the bench, it all adds to being a better player. That’s what we had with Tim Krul and Andy Carroll. It was a great start for them.
“To have a top squad you have to bring a few through your Academy.”
Carroll would go on to be worth £35million and was sold to Liverpool while Krul would be between the posts between 2009 to 2015.
When Roeder died in 2021, Krul, who made his debut in that 1-0 win over Palermo and made save after save, said of him: “The man who believed in me.”
Roeder not only left his legacy with youth team players and glorious European memories, he’d also live a life as captain, leader, manager, player and Academy director.