IT IS 22 years ago since one of the most under the radar but magical European nights occurred at Newcastle – and Steve Harper got an incredible memento.
Tino Asprilla’s incredible hat-trick in the 3-2 victory over Barcelona back in 1997 still takes some beating for those members of the Toon Army old enough to remember it.
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Simon Smith (left) was goalkeeper coach under Sir Bobby Robson (right)Credit: PA:Press Association
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Newcastle United’s Andy Griffin (C) scored the winner against Juventus in 2002Credit: Reuters
However, another club famed for wearing black and white have also suffered disappointment under the lights at St. James’ – and it was packed with superstars.
Alessandro Del Piero, Lillian Thuram, Pavel Nedved, Edgar Davids and Gianluigi Buffon were all part of the Juventus side that suffered a 1-0 loss to Sir Bobby Robson’s Newcastle on this very day in 2002.
The Magpies had lost each of their opening group matches that year with a 2-0 reverse at Dynamo Kyiv, a 1-0 home setback to Feyenoord and a 2-0 defeat in Turin leaving them with a mountain to climb.
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The probability of them reaching the next round was slim – so much so that Sir Bobby opted to play back-up ‘keeper Harper in order to just give him experience.
But it turned into an evening that the Toon legend would never forget as Andy Griffin scored the only goal to secure the win.
It was a result that reignited their Champions League campaign, with following victories over Kyiv and in Feyenoord meaning they completed a remarkable turnaround to reach the next stage, where they would eventually be eliminated.
Newcastle’s former Geordie goalie coach Simon Smith, who has also worked under the likes of Ruud Gullit, Steve Bruce and Eddie Howe during his two spells at his boyhood club, still remembers the game as if it was just yesterday.
He told Sun Sport: “We thought that we were out. We hadn’t won one of our opening three games and then we had Juventus, who were packed with great players.
“But, lo and behold, we won 1-0. We then went on and beat Feyenoord to get through into the next stage.
I was earning £10,000 a week at Newcastle before I went to jail and I’d still be in the Premier League now if I’d behaved
“There was no pressure at all. It really just felt like we hadn’t done very well and we were going out and Sir Bobby changed his team.
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“I know Harps played and I think Sir Bobby just wanted to give him some experience of playing in Europe, not thinking that we’d go any further. But he kept a clean sheet.”
And Smith’s work was only just beginning once the full-time whistle had gone.
He continued: “My main memory of that night is that Harps was desperate to swap shirts with Buffon.
“He gave me his shirt to go and swap and I had to go and stand outside of their changing room and ask their staff if Buffon would exchange his shirt after they had just lost.
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“To be fair to him, he came out and it was a real classic pink and black goalie shirt, and he swapped it for Harps’ blue Newcastle one. A quite remarkable night really.”
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Newcastle’s Andy O’Brien battles with Juventus’ Edgar Davids in the Champions League matchCredit: PA:Press Association
Smith enjoyed plenty of memorable moments sat in the dug-out at St. James’ – two of which came when the ground was being redeveloped into the huge arena it is now.
He said: “I’ve had two really magical experiences of the place that will always stand out. One was when they built the new stands with the top on.
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“We had an afternoon out, just before it was finished, and went right to the top and looked down and we all just thought ‘oh my, this is unbelievable’.
“Then they arranged for me to take Shay Given and Steve Harper to test out the floodlights when nobody else was there.
“We pitched up at St. James’ one night, just the three of us, to have a kickaround and they switched all of the lights on and it was all to make sure that the new lights would not be shining in the eyes of the goalies.
“So we did corners, free-kicks etc to make sure that the lights were on the right angle and it was totally unbelievable to be there, just the three of us with no crowd. That was very special.
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“The other special day was after Sir Bobby’s death and the tribute at the Leazes end with the scarves, flags – that was totally unbelievable.”
Jayson Tatum continued Boston’s Banner 18 celebration by scoring 37 points and making eight of the Celtics‘ NBA record-tying 29 3-pointers on Tuesday as Boston ran away with a 132-109 victory over the New York Knicks on opening night.
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Derrick White scored 24 points, Jaylen Brown added 23 and Tatum had 10 assists for the defending champions, who raised their NBA-most 18th championship banner to the rafters before the game. Boston led by as many as 35 points before missing its last 13 3-point attempts while trying to break the record.
With the Celtics leading by more than 20 points early in the third quarter, the TD Garden crowd’s attention strayed from the basketball game and it began chanting “Yankees Suck!”
Takeaways
The new-look Knicks were supposed to be the biggest threat to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference, but even after adding Towns and Mikal Bridges over the summer, they were no match for the team that finished 14 games in front last season.
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Key moment
On July 28, U.S. Olympic basketball coach Steve Kerr benched Tatum for a game against Serbia, guaranteeing Tatum would be motivated for the Celtics’ title defense.
Key stat
The Celtics hit their 29th 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter, then fired up two long airballs and 13 misses in a row from beyond the arc as they went for the record set in 2020 by Milwaukee. The crowd chanted “One more 3!” in the final minutes, but on Boston’s last possession Payton Pritchard dribbled out the shot clock without making another attempt.
Up next
The Celtics visit Washington on Thursday and the Knicks play their home opener against Indiana on Friday.
Rodgers is brave, in a sense. He’s sticking to his guns, no matter the noise. He’s totally sold on the belief that things will turn around soon enough.
What he sees, few others see, but if he’s to be proven right then he needs some encouragement on nights like this. He needs some ammunition to fire at all the sceptics. A combative performance is required.
That type of display becomes all the harder when you note Celtic’s penchant for imploding under pressure, their ruinous habit of conceding goals in bunches.
They conceded the first two in Dortmund in four minutes and conceded two later on in three minutes. It was the continuation of a brutal trend.
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They conceded in the 82nd and 85th minute against Lazio in Rome last season.
They conceded in the 60th and 66th minute against Atletico in Madrid.
Postecoglou’s team had this weakness, too. Real Betis. Real Madrid and Leipzig all scored twice in rapid order in games on his watch.
It was also a feature of Rodgers’ first spell. Barcelona scored three times in 10 minutes. PSG scored in the 34th and 40th minute and in the 83rd and 85th minute in one game and in the 22nd and 28th minute and in the 75th and 79th minute in the other.
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Salzburg scored twice in six minutes in a Europa League game under Rodgers. Leipzig, again, scored two in four. What chance have you got when that happens?
Celtic do not need to get anything from this game in terms of points – easier matches lie in wait later on – but the restoration of pride after the debacle in Dortmund is a must. For the team and for Rodgers himself.
Rodgers has been a brilliant domestic manager, but in European terms he’s been decidedly second-rate at Celtic, the owner of some of the most excruciating losses in the club’s history.
The last marquee European victories were the home and away triumphs against Lazio in 2019. Lennon was in charge.
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Celtic need more performances of that ilk and resilience under pressure is part of it. Too often in this type of game they have made it easy for opponents to play against them in critical moments rather than being the nightmare rival that Rodgers wants them to be.
McGregor will be at the heart of it for Celtic. For his sake, onlookers would want him to be the spearhead of a resounding display rather than being the one chasing shadows again. Rodgers says he’s excited. That’s one word for it. There are others.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has insisted he was not prepared to ‘destroy’ the balance within the squad by employing team orders for Oscar Piastri to help Lando Norris in his quest for Formula 1’s drivers’ title.
Norris is hunting down three-time reigning champion Max Verstappen and remains within touching distance of the Red Bull driver, though he lost ground at the United States Grand Prix in controversial circumstances, having been penalised for overtaking off the track.
But outside the team, it has been felt by many that points have been left on the table for Norris by not enforcing orders onto Piastri earlier in the season, the most notable situation at the Hungarian Grand Prix where the Briton was instead asked to give the lead to his team-mate following a change in positions at the final pitstop window.
It has been a scenario the Woking-based team has had to adapt to with a fresh management structure still learning the ropes at an outfit that has been away from the limelight for over a decade.
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Discussing the dynamics of number one and two drivers in an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com, Stella explained: “Driver management must be seen in the context of the competitiveness of the car.
Andrea Stella, Team Principal, McLaren F1 Team
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
“You always need to have a management line, but if you compete for tenth and eleventh place, all your efforts are directed towards achieving competitiveness. It is when you get to fighting for the top positions that the scenario changes.
“Our focus has always been on maximum collaboration. This is because there is a main objective, something bigger than the team principal, something bigger than Lando and something bigger than Oscar, and that is the interest of the team, of McLaren. This aspect is non-negotiable, in any situation.
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“We have always approached driver management, and in general, the rules by which we go on the track according to some principles: the first, as I said, is the interest of the team, the second is sportsmanship, or if you prefer, integrity.
“These are very important values, we want to act fairly and correctly towards both our drivers, and this aspect becomes even more important when you have two talents who have the skills and the whole package needed to win races.
“We have worked hard to be where we are today, we have worked hard to have and develop Oscar, as well as Lando. When you have two drivers who work together, the growth of the team benefits, and since we were able to provide Lando and Oscar with a competitive car, that is from the Miami Grand Prix, McLaren has become the team that has scored the most points in the constructors’ championship.
Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team, 1st position, and Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team, 3rd position, congratulate each other in Parc Ferme
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
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“When you get to be in this situation, you have to define a situation that, I think, many would like to have: how do you manage the drivers? We always start from our principles, we don’t negotiate them.”
On whether the team could really be successful without a designated number one driver, Stella pointed to the dangers of such tactics, replying: “We don’t have a number one driver or a number two. This is a scenario that works well for the media and in pub chatter, but it’s not good when you manage a Formula 1 team because you also have to consider the future.
“I can’t know if we will win this season, but I am aware that we want to be in a position to win in ’25, ’26 and ’27, and if in managing the 2024 season I end up destroying the balance, I will end up not having a solid base in the following years.
“This is the way I believe we should work in Formula 1, then I am aware that complex situations can always arise. When I hear people talking about the mathematical approach of the type ‘Oscar from now on must put Lando behind’, I reply that Lando himself doesn’t want Oscar to make himself available.
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“My challenge is to be able to count on a united and compact group, I can’t be sure that we will always do a good job, but we must always be clear that we are here to continue working and building, not with the aim of having a glorious weekend, but to do well in the years to come.”
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Phil Taylor has announced his retirement from dartsCredit: AFP
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Taylor was forced to pull out of the World Senior Series with a hip problemCredit: Rex
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The Power is the most successful darts player of all timeCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd
Having won more titles than any other player during his pro career, Taylor was set to step away from the oche following the tournament.
Taylor retired from pro darts in 2018 with 14 World Championships to his name between 1995 and 2012, 16 World Matchplay and 11 World Grand Prix titles.
The Power originally retired in 2018 as he felt he could no longer compete with the likes of Michael van Gerwen or Luke Humphries.
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He then made his return to competitive darts four years later in the senior series.
Taylor had hoped to sign off his career once and for all with the World Seniors Masters, but could not compete due to a hip problem after he underwent surgery in the summer.
And speaking on talkSPORT, he has now confirmed his decision.
He said: “I’m retired now, properly retired. I’m just going to do some personal appearances like yourself (Ally McCoist).
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“How do I know? My eyes started going a few years ago then my hip went and then the travelling. You’re away from home four -five days a week and it’s good for money but it’s not good for your family.
“My mind is still in my teens but my body is 90.
“How did I keep going? If I won a players championship that paid for the food bills. Every tournament was about paying the bills.
“Has there been a better marketed sport in last decade? They don’t have a little bit of fun they have a lot of fun. It’s fantastic.”
He previously admitted: “I’m struggling a bit with my hip. Scar tissue.
“Everything was going fine, but then I just did a little too much and apparently I’ve torn my scar tissue. So yeah, it’s a bit painful.
Darts legend Phil Taylor, 63, issues health update after having operation that left him needing crutches
“It’s been the worst pain I’ve ever had these last twelve months. Honestly, I’ll be glad when this year is gone.
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“Practicing, I’ve been okay, but when you’ve been playing for a few hours there’s this really bad pain in the hip. It’s like having toothache and it drives me crazy, it really does.”
More to follow.
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Red Bull reckons an FIA clarification over slot-gap tricks has had an impact on the fight at the front of Formula 1.
Ahead of the United States Grand Prix, the FIA issued a note to all teams saying that it was not comfortable with some of the flexing of rear wings that was helping open up slot gaps for a straightline speed boost.
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This had reached a peak at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, when McLaren’s ‘mini-DRS’ came under scrutiny from rival teams and the FIA.
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While that rear wing passed the static load test, it subsequently emerged that the FIA expressed its belief it was pushing the boundaries of flexibility too much, and McLaren subsequently agreed to change it.
McLaren was one of several teams that had to make further minor changes to their rear wings to reduce flexing from last weekend’s United States Grand Prix, and it coincided with the team having a harder fight on its hands than it has had in previous races.
And that left Red Bull, which denied that it had to modify the wing specification it used in Austin, convinced that it will have had an impact on the fight at the front when things are as close as they are right now in F1.
Asked if he felt the FIA move on rear wings was something that could have influenced the competitive picture, team principal Christian Horner said: “Small details do make a difference, and particularly when the cars have converged as they have.
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Christian Horner, Team Principal, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Andreas Beil
“It’s all about marginal gains. That’s what Formula 1 is all about. So yes, inevitably, there will be a difference from it [the FIA clarification]. How material it is will vary from circuit to circuit.”
But McLaren team boss Andrea Stella, whose squad still leads the constructors’ championship, is sceptical that the level of impact prompted by the changes will make a noticeable difference – especially because he thinks quite a few outfits had to make modifications.
“I would be surprised that there’s only a couple of teams that had to make adaptations to the rear wing,” he said.
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“Our rear wing was adjusted after Baku, following some of the conversations we have had, and with the FIA providing some references as to what they would like to see.
“But this is a really minor element in terms of car performance. It does not have to do with any performance switch from event to event.
“None of the performance that we see, being better, being worse, should be associated with this. And I think this is not only for McLaren, it’s for any team, with the fact that some teams might have been asked to adjust the behaviour of the rear wing.”
Andrea Stella, Team Principal, McLaren F1 Team
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
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When McLaren was originally advised to change its ‘mini-DRS’ wing, it urged the FIA to expand its probing to other competitors, as it felt there was exploitation of slot gap openings happening elsewhere.
Stella believes that the FIA’s most recent note will have prompted others to revise their designs, but he does not think that will have an impact in slowing them down.
“Certainly, there were some other teams that were opening the slot gap,” he said. “My expectation is that these teams would have been subject to the same requests as we have been.
“From an engineering point of view, even when I see that they were opening the slot gap a little bit, and I think they might have been asked to reduce it, I’m expecting pretty much zero effect in terms of ‘these things will change their performance’.
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“This is not what makes the performance of an F1 car, at least not to a level that is noticeable, measurable or quantifiable from one event to the other.”
In October 2023, then Newport striker Omar Bogle was the victim of a racial incident when scoring both goals in a 2-0 win over Gillingham, at the Priestfield Stadium.
As he wheeled away in celebration having scored the first of two penalties, a Gillingham fan performed a racist gesture towards him.
Bogle recalled the incident as the the EFL and its clubs recently united to relaunch the league’s “Together Against Racism” campaign.
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The initiative runs until October 28 and encourages players, managers and fans to use their voice to drive change.
On Tuesday night, Townsend made some fine saves as Newport ended a run of three consecutive defeats with only their second league clean sheet of the campaign.
Solihull born Townsend, 29, qualifies for Antigua and Barbuda through his grandfather.
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