Euro 2012: The Guide

GROUP A

TV	Date/time (BST)		Venue
BBC	Fri 8 June, 17:00	POLAND v GREECE	Warsaw
ITV	Fri 8 June, 19:45	RUSSIA v CZECH REPUBLIC	Wroclaw
ITV	Tue 12 June, 17:00	GREECE v CZECH REPUBLIC	Wroclaw
ITV	Tue 12 June, 19:45	POLAND v RUSSIA	Warsaw
BBC	Sat 16 June, 19:45	CZECH REPUBLIC v POLAND	Wroclaw
BBC	Sat 16 June, 19:45	GREECE v RUSSIA	Warsaw

POLAND

FIFA ranking: 62
Coach: Franciszek Smuda (since October 2009)
Best performance: 2008 - Group stage
Last appearance: 2008 - Group stage
Qualification: 
Automatic as host nation of Euro 2012
Warm-up matches:
22.05.2012 v Latvia (N) W1-0
26.05.2012 v Slovakia (N) W1-0
02.06.2012 v Andorra (H) W4-0 
Prediction: Quarter finals
Poland's attempt to qualify for World Cup 2010 was pitiful as they finished fifth in qualifying, ahead of only complete minnows San Marino. Polish football, for a long time seemingly in decline, had reached its lowest ebb. At the time, there were calls from the Poles themselves for their country to give up its hosting rights to Euro 2012 to avoid humiliation but a recent recovery of form and a genial draw have given hope that they may yet make an impression at their home tournament, despite being the lowest ranked of the 16 teams. Robert Lewandowski is a canny outside bet as top scorer while, in midfield, skipper Jakub Blaszczykowski played alongside Lewandowski in Borussia Dortmund's impressive Bundesliga-winning team.   

GREECE

FIFA ranking: 15
Coach: Fernando Santos (since July 2010)
Best performance: 2004 - Winners
Last appearance: 2008 - Group stage
Qualification:  
Winners of Group F (W7 D3 L0 F14 A5 Pts 24)
03.09.2010 v Georgia (H) D1-1
07.09.2010 v Croatia (A) D0-0
08.10.2010 v Latvia (H) W1-0
12.10.2010 v Israel (H) W2-1
26.03.2011 v Malta (A) W1-0
04.06.2011 v Malta (H) W3-1
02.09.2011 v Israel (A) W1-0
06.09.2011 v Latvia (A) D1-1
07.10.2011 v Croatia (H) W2-0
11.10.2011 v Georgia (A) W2-1
Warm-up matches: 
26.05.2012 v Slovenia (N) D1-1
31.05.2012 v Armenia (N) W1-0
Prediction: Group stages
The stunning Greece triumph in 2004, when they ground out three successive 1-0 wins in the knockout stages, is unsurprisingly still fondly remembered in Athens. Under the same manager Otto Rehhagel at World Cup 2010, Greece were no more expansive - indeed, needing to win the last group game, they were still largely on the back-foot as Argentina won 2-0. Following that defeat, German Rehhagel left the manager's post and was replaced by Portuguese Fernando Santos - but there was little evidence of Latin flair having been added to the Greeks' game in the qualifiers with just 14 goals scored from 10 games.     

RUSSIA

FIFA ranking: 13
Coach: Dick Advocaat (since May 2010)
Best performance: 1960 - Winners (as USSR), 2008 - Semi finals (as Russia)
Last appearance: 2008 - Semi finals
Qualification:
Winners of Group B (W7 D2 L1 F17 A4 Pts 23)
03.09.2010 v Andorra (A) W2-0
07.09.2010 v Slovakia (H) L0-1
08.10.2010 v Republic of Ireland (A) W3-2
12.10.2010 v FYR Macedonia (A) W1-0
26.03.2011 v Armenia (A) D0-0
04.06.2011 v Armenia (H) W3-1
02.09.2011 v FYR Macedonia (H) W1-0
06.09.2011 v Republic of Ireland (H) D0-0
07.10.2011 v Slovakia (A) W1-0
11.10.2011 v Andorra (H) W6-0
Warm-up matches:
25.05.2012 v Uruguay (H) D1-1
29.05.2012 v Lithuania (N) D0-0
01.06.2012 v Italy (N) W3-0
Prediction: Quarter finals
The tendency for Russia to do better at European Championships than World Cups was repeated in the last four year cycle in which Russia followed up a Euro 2008 semi final place by failing to qualify for World Cup 2010. Guus Hiddink left his post after that, only for the Russians to replace him with another Dutchman, Dick Advocaat. The former Rangers boss did well to negotiate a tricky qualifying group which turned into a four-way fight alongside Republic of Ireland, Slovakia and Armenia - and a good draw has given rise to hopes that Russia may perform just as well as again this summer as they did four years ago. Also, the possibility of a meeting with Netherlands at the quarter finals would be one which Russia would revel in, following their 3-1 extra time defeat of the Dutch at the same stage four years ago.

CZECH REPUBLIC

FIFA ranking: 27
Coach: Michal Bilek (since October 2009)
Best performance: 1976 - Winners (as Czechoslovakia), 1996 - Runners-up (as Czech Republic)
Last appearance: 2008 - Group stage
Qualification:
Runners-up in Group I (W4 D1 L3 F12 A8 Pts 13)
07.09.2010 v Lithuania (H) L0-1
08.10.2010 v Scotland (H) W1-0
12.10.2010 v Liechtenstein (A) W2-0
25.03.2011 v Spain (A) L1-2
29.03.2011 v Liechtenstein (H) W2-0
03.09.2011 v Scotland (A) D2-2
07.10.2011 v Spain (H) L0-2
11.10.2011 v Lithuania (A) W4-1
Playoff matches (won 3-0 on aggregate)
11.11.2011 v Montenegro (H) W2-0
15.11.2011 v Montenegro (A) W1-0
Warm-up matches:
26.05.2012 v Israel (N) W2-1
01.06.2012 v Hungary (H) L1-2
Prediction: Group stages
The Czechs have come up with some surprises in the European Championships over the years - beating West Germany on penalties in the 1976 final, and then reaching the Euro 96 final where the Germans got revenge. Their run to the 2004 semis was less of a surprise considering the likes of Pavel Nedved, Jan Koller and Tomas Rosicky were at the top of their game but group stage exits in 2006 and 2008 were followed by a complete failure to qualify for 2010. That prompted the arrival of Michal Bilek and, while he has at least reached the finals at his first attempt, the Czechs were unconvincing qualifiers, winning just four games in the group, two of which came against Liechtenstein. Rosicky remains one of the Czechs better players alongside Petr Cech, Jaroslav Plasil and Milan Baros - but all of them are on the wrong side of 30.



GROUP B

TV	Date/time (BST)		Venue
BBC	Sat 9 June, 17:00	NETHERLANDS v DENMARK	Kharkiv
BBC	Sat 9 June, 19:45	GERMANY v PORTUGAL	Lviv
ITV	Wed 13 June, 17:00	DENMARK v PORTUGAL	Lviv
BBC	Wed 13 June, 19:45	NETHERLANDS v GERMANY	Kharkiv
ITV	Sun 17 June, 19:45	PORTUGAL v NETHERLANDS	Kharkiv
ITV	Sun 17 June, 19:45	DENMARK v GERMANY	Lviv

GERMANY

FIFA ranking: 3
Coach: Joachim Low (since July 2006)
Best performance: 1972, 1980 - Winners (as West Germany), 1996 - Winners (as Germany)
Last appearance: 2008 - Runners-up
Qualification: 
Winners of Group A (W10 D0 L0 F34 A7 Pts 30)
03.09.2010 v Belgium (A) W1-0
07.09.2010 v Azerbaijan (H) W6-1
08.10.2010 v Turkey (H) W3-0
12.10.2010 v Kazakhstan (A) W3-0
26.03.2011 v Kazakhstan (H) W4-0
03.06.2011 v Austria (A) W2-1
07.06.2011 v Azerbaijan (A) W3-1
02.09.2011 v Austria (H) W6-2
07.10.2011 v Turkey (A) W3-1
11.10.2011 v Belgium (H) W3-1
Warm-up matches:
26.05.2012 v Switzerland (A) L3-5
31.05.2012 v Israel (H) W2-0
Prediction: Winners
Semi finalists at the last two World Cups, and runners-up four years ago in the European Championships - this new generation of Germans are getting closer. Still, you have to go back 16 years for Germany's last success in international football - and, while that sounds like nothing to an Englishman, it is in fact the longest that the Germans have gone between tournament wins since an 18-year gap between 1954 and 1972. But, with Spain showing a few chinks of weakness, Germany appear to be the ideal candidates to win this tournament after they followed up their high-scoring World Cup 2010 wins with an exemplary qualifying performance. The only question, which remains, is: can the likes of Thomas Muller and Bastian Schweinsteiger succeed in dealing with the pressure of being one of the favourites having failed to do so with Bayern Munich in the Champions League final? I think, with the goals of Miroslav Klose, Lukas Podolski and Mario Gomez, they will be fine - and, with games first up against Portugal and Netherlands in a tough Group B, we shall not have long to find out.    

PORTUGAL

FIFA ranking: 10
Coach: Paulo Bento (since September 2010)
Best performance: 2004 - Runners-up
Last appearance: 2008 - Quarter finalists
Qualification:
Runners-up in Group H (W5 D1 L2 F21 A12 Pts 16)
03.09.2010 v Cyprus (H) D4-4
07.09.2010 v Norway (A) L0-1
08.10.2010 v Denmark (H) W3-1
12.10.2010 v Iceland (A) W3-1
04.06.2011 v Norway (H) W1-0
02.09.2011 v Cyprus (A) W4-0
07.10.2011 v Iceland (H) W5-3
11.10.2011 v Denmark (A) L1-2
Playoff matches (won 6-2 on aggregate)
11.11.2011 v Bosnia-Herzegovina (A) D0-0
15.11.2011 v Bosnia-Herzegovina (H) W6-2
Warm-up matches:
26.05.2012 v FYR Macedonia (H) D0-0
02.06.2012 v Turkey (H) L1-3
Prediction: Group stages
There was a serious case of deja vu for Portugal in the Euro 2012 qualifiers as, just like in the preliminaries for World Cup 2010, early struggles undermined better later performances. On both occasions, the Portuguese went on to finish behind group winners Denmark and were condemned to the playoffs, and - just to complete the coincidences - on both occasions, the Portuguese were drawn against Bosnia-Herzegovina. But, having just settled for a pair of 1-0 wins in qualifying for 2010 - this time braces from Cristiano Ronaldo and Helder Postiga helped Portugal smash six past their Bosnian opponents. It just went to show exactly how Portugal can play when they hit top form - but that often relies on how Ronaldo and his former Manchester United team-mate Nani are feeling. Even then, it is often still not enough to off-set a creaky defence. 

NETHERLANDS 

FIFA ranking: 4
Coach: Bert van Marwijk (since July 2008)
Best performance: 1988 - Winners
Last appearance: 2008 - Quarter finalists
Qualification: 
Winners of Group E (W9 D0 L1 F37 A8 Pts 27)
03.09.2010 v San Marino (A) W5-0
07.09.2010 v Finland (H) W2-1
08.10.2010 v Moldova (A) W1-0
12.10.2010 v Sweden (H) W4-1
25.03.2011 v Hungary (A) W4-0
29.03.2011 v Hungary (H) W5-3
02.09.2011 v San Marino (H) W11-0
06.09.2011 v Finland (A) W2-0
07.10.2011 v Moldova (H) W1-0
11.10.2011 v Sweden (A) L2-3
Warm-up matches: 
26.05.2012 v Bulgaria (H) L1-2
30.05.2012 v Slovakia (H) W2-0
02.06.2012 v Northern Ireland (H) W6-0
Prediction: Semi finals
Netherlands have high hopes of continuing their fine European Championship record in which they have reached at least the last eight of every Euros since winning it in 1988. No further tournament wins have been forthcoming, however, and defeat in the final of World Cup 2010 meant the Dutch were the first country to have lost their first three World Cup Finals. In other words, there is no shortage of motivation for this supremely-talented team which has a particular embarrassment of riches up front. All seasoned Premier League viewers will know about Robin van Persie but Schalke's Klaas-Jan Huntelaar may yet depose him as the central striker. With support from Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder and Dirk Kuyt, the Dutch - top-scorers in qualifying - should again score plenty of goals, and that should be enough to get them through a tough opening group. A repeat of the quarter final from four years ago against Russia is a distinct possibility but, again, the Dutch look to have too much scoring prowess this time. Hopefully, another run to the latter stages of a tournament will not be matched by a denigration of their football, as occurred in the World Cup Final where Nigel de Jong and Mark van Bommel just kicked anything that moved. 

DENMARK

FIFA ranking: 9
Coach: Morten Olsen (since July 2000)
Best performance: 1992 - Winners
Last appearance: 2004 - Quarter finalists
Qualification: 
Winners of Group H (W6 D1 L1 F15 A6 Pts 19)
07.09.2010 v Iceland (H) W1-0
08.10.2010 v Portugal (A) L1-3
12.10.2010 v Cyprus (H) W2-0
26.03.2011 v Norway (A) D1-1
04.06.2011 v Iceland (A) W2-0
06.09.2011 v Norway (H) W2-0
07.10.2011 v Cyprus (A) W4-1
11.10.2011 v Portugal (H) W2-1
Warm-up matches:
26.05.2012 v Brazil (N) L1-3
02.06.2012 v Australia (H) W2-0
Prediction: Group stages
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of this Denmark team is its coach, Morten Olsen, who will have been in situ for 12 years by the time the tournament ends. It demonstrates a rarely-seen loyalty in football, both from the Danish FA and Olsen himself, with the Danes have endured plenty of ups and downs in that time. Indeed, a manager at a bigger European country would surely not have held onto his job after successive failures to qualify in 2006 and 2008 - but, despite that bad patch, Olsen's Denmark have generally punched above their weight. Certainly, that has been the case recently with the Danes topping their World Cup 2010 qualifying group ahead of Portugal... and then, for the avoidance of doubt, repeating the feat in the Euro 2012 qualifiers just for good measure. Denmark meet the Portuguese again in these finals but their primary focus will be on their opener against Netherlands, a repeat of a World Cup 2010 group stage match which the Dutch comfortably won 2-0. If Denmark are going to make any impression at all on this tournament, they simply must get off to a better start than that.


GROUP C

TV	Date/time (BST)		Venue
ITV	Sun 10 June, 17:00	SPAIN v ITALY	Gdansk
ITV	Sun 10 June, 19:45	IRELAND v CROATIA	Poznan
BBC	Thu 14 June, 17:00	ITALY v CROATIA	Poznan
ITV	Thu 14 June, 19:45	SPAIN v IRELAND	Gdansk
BBC	Mon 18 June, 17:00	CROATIA v SPAIN	Gdansk
BBC	Mon 18 June, 19:45	ITALY v IRELAND	Poznan

SPAIN

FIFA ranking: 1
Coach: Vicente del Bosque (since July 2008)
Best performance: 1964, 2008 - Winners
Last appearance: 2008 - Winners
Qualification:
Winners of Group I (W8 D0 L0 F26 A6 Pts 24)
03.09.2010 v Liechtenstein (A) W4-0
08.10.2010 v Lithuania (H) W3-1
12.10.2010 v Scotland (A) W3-2
25.03.2011 v Czech Republic (H) W2-1
29.03.2011 v Lithuania (A) W3-1
06.09.2011 v Liechtenstein (H) W6-0
07.10.2011 v Czech Republic (A) W2-0
11.10.2011 v Scotland (H) W3-1
Warm-up matches:
26.05.2012 v Serbia (N) W2-0
30.05.2012 v South Korea (N) W4-1
03.06.2012 v China (H) W1-0
Prediction: Runners-up
Spain continued their imposing international record by qualifying for Euro 2012 with a 100% record, though the likes of Scotland, Lithuania and Liechtenstein were never likely to pose much of a threat. The qualification record means Spain are now unbeaten in European Championship football since losing a Euro 2008 qualifier in October 2006 against Sweden - a total of 23 matches. However, Spaniards would do well to remember that no European side has won three consecutive major tournaments - and it seems as if the fates are indeed conspiring against them. A fractured leg has ruled out all-time leading scorer David Villa while the Gerard Pique-Carlos Puyol axis at the back has been broken by a knee injury to the latter. Still, it is hard to feel too sorry for Spain: up front, Villa will be replaced by either Fernando Torres, who was returning to form with Chelsea, or Fernando Llorente, who had it all season for Athletic Bilbao. Meanwhile, in midfield, Xavi and Andres Iniesta will continue to pull the strings and mesmerise the opposition. Consequently, Puyol's injury at the back may be the greater blow. Spain relied on a string of 1-0 victories to win the World Cup, and it might be harder to achieve this time around.  

ITALY

FIFA ranking: 12
Coach: Cesare Prandelli (since July 2010)
Best performance: 1968 - Winners
Last appearance: 2008 - Quarter finalists
Qualification:
Winners of Group C (W8 D2 L0 F20 A2 Pts 26)
03.09.2010 v Estonia (A) W2-1
07.09.2010 v Faroe Islands (H) W5-0
08.10.2010 v Northern Ireland (A) D0-0
12.10.2010 v Serbia (H) W3-0 (awarded after crowd trouble by Serbian hooligans)
25.03.2011 v Slovenia (A) W1-0
03.06.2011 v Estonia (H) W3-0
02.09.2011 v Faroe Islands (A) W1-0
06.09.2011 v Slovenia (H) W1-0
07.10.2011 v Serbia (A) D1-1
11.10.2011 v Northern Ireland (H) W3-0
Warm-up match:
01.06.2012 v Russia (N) L0-3
Prediction: Group stages
Italy looked to have recovered well from their humiliating exit at World Cup 2010 when, as defending world champions, they failed to negotiate their way past Paraguay, Slovakia or New Zealand in the group stages. The Azzurri conceded just twice in an unbeaten Euro 2012 qualifying campaign, suggesting that new coach Cesare Prandelli had restored the Italian knack of keeping it tight at the back. Ever since qualification was ensured, however, it has all gone wrong. Three successive friendly defeats would not be so much of a worry if it were not for the fact that Italy failed to score in any of those games. Meanwhile, the latest beating was a 3-0 reverse to Russia came at the end of a week in which Domenico Criscito had to be dropped from the squad having been arrested, along with 18 other Italian league players, for alleged match-fixing. This turmoil can be added to the unpredictability of the forward line of Mario Balotelli and Antonio Cassano - although no one would surely blame Balotelli for carrying out his threat of walking off the pitch if he is racially abused from the stands. But, with Spain first up, followed by games against Croatia and Ireland - where Italy's record is also patchy - it could all be set up for another underwhelming tournament from the Azzurri. Italy have only won the European Championships once, and that was back in 1968.

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND

FIFA ranking: 18
Coach: Giovanni Trapattoni (since February 2008)
Best performance: 1988 - Group stage
Last appearance: 1988 - Group stage
Qualification:
Runners-up in Group B (W6 D3 L1 F15 A7 Pts 21)
03.09.2010 v Armenia (A) W1-0
07.09.2010 v Andorra (H) W3-1
08.10.2010 v Russia (H) L2-3
12.10.2010 v Slovakia (A) D1-1
26.03.2011 v FYR Macedonia (H) W2-1
04.06.2011 v FYR Macedonia (A) W2-0
02.09.2011 v Slovakia (H) D0-0
06.09.2011 v Russia (A) D0-0
07.10.2011 v Andorra (A) W2-0
11.10.2011 v Armenia (H) W2-1
Playoff matches (won 5-1 on aggregate)
11.11.2011 v Estonia (A) W4-0
15.11.2011 v Estonia (H) D1-1
Warm-up matches: 
26.05.2012 v Bosnia-Herzegovina (H) W1-0
04.06.2012 v Hungary (A) D0-0
Prediction: Group stages
While the media and public across the Irish Sea in England wail about perhaps their weakest ever team to qualify, the Republic of Ireland genuinely are just happy to made it back to a finals. This is the Irish's first major tournament since World Cup 2002 and their first European Championship finals since 1988 when a Ray Houghton header embarrassed England in 1-0 win in the group stages. In fairness to Ireland, recently they had been getting closer to qualifying all the time and were denied of a shot at World Cup 2010 only by Thierry Henry's handball for France in the playoffs. Thankfully, there was no controversy in the playoffs this time, as Robbie Keane scored twice in a 4-0 thumping of Estonia away to set up a 5-1 aggregate victory. Despite playing in the relatively sedentary MLS, 31-year-old Keane - the record British and Irish international goalscorer with 53 goals - remains Ireland's biggest threat, with much of the rest of Giovanni Trapattoni's team focused on stopping the other team. Unfortunately, that puts a lot of pressure on the opening game against Croatia as, with Spain up next, it could easily be that Ireland's adventure is over after just two games.      

CROATIA 
FIFA ranking: 8
Coach: Slaven Bilic (since July 2006)
Best performance: 1996, 2008 - Quarter finalists
Last appearance: 2008 - Quarter finalists
Qualification:
Runners-up in Group F (W7 D1 L2 F18 A7 Pts 22)
03.09.2010 v Latvia (A) W3-0
07.09.2010 v Greece (H) D0-0
09.10.2010 v Israel (A) W2-1
17.11.2010 v Malta (H) W3-0
26.03.2011 v Georgia (A) L0-1
03.06.2011 v Georgia (H) W2-1
02.09.2011 v Malta (A) W3-1
06.09.2011 v Israel (H) W3-1
07.10.2011 v Greece (A) L0-2
11.10.2011 v Latvia (H) W2-0
Playoff matches (won 3-0 on aggregate)
11.11.2011 v Turkey (A) W3-0
15.11.2011 v Turkey (H) D0-0
Warm-up matches: 
25.05.2012 v Estonia (H) W3-1
02.06.2012 v Norway (A) D1-1
Prediction: Quarter finals
Slaven Bilic will say goodbye to the Croatia job after this tournament, bringing the curtain down on six topsy-turvy years. Bilic's reign started well when a famous 3-2 victory over England at Wembley helped Croatia qualify for Euro 2008. However, it is almost as if the Croatians have never recovered from the incredible last-minute defeat to Turkey in the quarter finals of that tournament. Bilic's men failed to qualify for World Cup 2010 and were generally unconvincing in qualifying for Euro 2012. Still, they did make it after an impressive revenge win in Turkey and, with Ireland unfancied and Italy having problems of their own, it could yet mean coach Bilic bows out on a relative high.   

GROUP D

TV	Date/time (BST)		Venue
ITV	Mon 11 June, 17:00	FRANCE v ENGLAND	Donetsk
BBC	Mon 11 June, 19:45	UKRAINE v SWEDEN	Kiev
ITV	Fri 15 June, 17:00	UKRAINE v FRANCE	Donetsk
BBC	Fri 15 June, 19:45	SWEDEN v ENGLAND	Kiev
ITV	Tue 19 June, 19:45	ENGLAND v UKRAINE	Donetsk
ITV	Tue 19 June, 19:45	SWEDEN v FRANCE	Kiev

UKRAINE

FIFA ranking: 52
Coach: Oleg Blokhin (since April 2011)
Best performance: n/a. Ukraine make their European Championship debut at Euro 2012.
Last appearance: n/a
Qualification: 
Automatic as host nation of Euro 2012
Warm-up matches:
28.05.2012 v Estonia (N) W4-0
01.06.2012 v Austria (A) L2-3
05.06.2012 v Turkey (N) L0-2
Prediction: Group stage
Ukraine could not have asked for a much worse build-up to their home international tournament than has happened. Successive defeats to Austria and Turkey have raised doubts over whether the hosts can compete at Europe's top table, and the mood in the squad was further damaged by a bout of food poisoning which affected 10 of the players during the second of those losses. Still, the likes of Andriy Shevchenko and Anatoliy Tymoshchuk are expected to make a full recovery for Ukraine's vital opener against Sweden. With group favourites France as the second game, it seems imperative that the hosts get off to a good start before then trying to come out on top in a winner-takes-all final group match against England. Ukraine had a remarkable run to the quarter finals of World Cup 2006 in Oleg Blokhin's previous spell in charge but, despite home advantage, he will do well to repeat that feat this time. 

SWEDEN

FIFA ranking: 17
Coach: Erik Hamren (since November 2009)
Best performance: 1992 - Semi finalists
Last appearance: 2008 - Group stage
Qualification:
Best runners-up in Group E (W8 D0 L2 F31 A11 Pts 24)
03.09.2010 v Hungary (H) W2-0
07.09.2010 v San Marino (H) W6-0
12.10.2010 v Netherlands (A) L1-4
29.03.2011 v Moldova (H) W2-1
03.06.2011 v Moldova (A) W4-1
07.06.2011 v Finland (H) W5-0
02.09.2011 v Hungary (A) L1-2
06.09.2011 v San Marino (A) W5-0
07.10.2011 v Finland (A) W2-1
11.10.2011 v Netherlands (H) W3-2
Warm-up matches:
30.05.2012 v Iceland (H) W3-2
05.06.2012 v Serbia (H) W2-1
Prediction: Group stages
Sweden's new coach Erik Hamren has tried to cast off his country's doughty reputation by setting his team up with a more attacking formation in the qualifiers. It seemed to have worked with 31 goals plundered meaning that, although the Swedes did not win their group, they avoided having to go through the dreaded playoffs. In Johan Elmander, Sweden have finally found a player with which to partner Zlatan Ibrahimovic who himself can be a world-beater on his day. However, like Ibrahimovic, Hamren's Sweden can be infuriatingly inconsistent and, in the 1-0 defeat to England last autumn, the Swedes showed none of this apparent attacking threat. Meanwhile, a couple of other defeats under Hamren - to Denmark and Hungary - suggest it is doubtful that Sweden will improve on their group stage exit from four years ago. 

FRANCE
FIFA ranking: 14
Coach: Laurent Blanc (since July 2010)
Best performance: 1984, 2000 - Winners
Last appearance: 2008 - Group stage
Qualification:
Winners of Group D (W6 D3 L1 F15 A4 Pts 21)
03.09.2010 v Belarus (H) L0-1
07.09.2010 v Bosnia-Herzegovina (A) W2-0
09.10.2010 v Romania (H) W2-0
12.10.2010 v Luxembourg (H) W2-0
25.03.2011 v Luxembourg (A) W2-0
03.06.2011 v Belarus (A) D1-1
02.09.2011 v Albania (A) W2-1
06.09.2011 v Romania (A) D0-0
07.10.2011 v Albania (H) W3-0
11.10.2011 v Bosnia-Herzegovina (H) D1-1
Warm-up matches:
27.05.2012 v Iceland (H) W3-2
31.05.2012 v Serbia (H) W2-0
05.06.2012 v Estonia (H) W4-0
Prediction: Semi finals
Two years ago, France had reached an incredible nadir. Player strikes and poor performances saw Les Bleus bow out of a major tournament at the group stages for a second tournament in a row. That was the only similarity, though - World Cup 2010 was much, much worse than Euro 2008. For a start, in the Euros, France had been drawn into a tough group anyway featuring Italy and Netherlands; in the World Cup, they failed to get past Mexico and South Africa. More worrying was the prevalance of older players in the squad who were well-past their prime. It was quite audacious then that, when new coach Laurent Blanc selected his first squad after the World Cup, he chose none of the players who had gone to South Africa. Blanc, a legend after the 1998 World Cup win, actually came under pressure early in his reign with the French beaten 1-0 at home by Belarus in the qualifiers. But, from then on, France have played with great assurance to rack up the longest current unbeaten streak in international football. Following the three warm-up matches, featuring nine goals, the run now stands at 21 games, and the likes of Karim Benzema, Samir Nasri and Hatem Ben Arfa look ready to explode on the international stage. That leaves just concerns at the back where neither Philippe Mexes nor Adil Rami convince in the middle. Patrice Evra, who is no spring chicken aged 31, has also shown signs of being exposed at left-back for Manchester United this season. 

ENGLAND
FIFA ranking: 6
Coach: Roy Hodgson (since May 2012)
Best performance: 1968, 1996 - Semi finalists
Last appearance: 2004 - Quarter finalists
Qualification:
Winners of Group G (W5 D3 L0 F17 A5 Pts 18)
03.09.2010 v Bulgaria (H) W4-0
07.09.2010 v Switzerland (A) W3-1
12.10.2010 v Montenegro (H) D0-0
26.03.2011 v Wales (A) W2-0
04.06.2011 v Switzerland (H) D2-2
02.09.2011 v Bulgaria (A) W3-0
06.09.2011 v Wales (H) W1-0
07.10.2011 v Montenegro (A) D2-2
Warm-up matches:
26.05.2012 v Norway (A) W1-0
02.06.2012 v Belgium (H) W1-0
Prediction: Quarter finals
England's campaign came off the rails before it had even started when Fabio Capello made an abrupt departure in February following a disagreement over the FA's decision to strip John Terry of the captaincy for a second time after he had allegedly racially abused Anton Ferdinand. The fact that Terry has still made new manager Roy Hodgson's squad - while Anton's brother Rio remains unpicked, despite a spate of injuries - has become a talking point in itself with Rio's representatives suggesting he has been shown "a total lack of respect". A bigger issue is England's lack of goal threat in the absence of suspended talisman Wayne Rooney who idiotically got himself sent off in the final qualifier against Montenegro. Andy Carroll is favourite to be played up front on his own despite just four league goals last season - and even Rooney has not scored at a tournament finals since Euro 2004. Perhaps, it will be the pace of Manchester United pair Ashley Young and Danny Welbeck which will get England out of trouble, especially if - as expected - they set up with the aim of containing the opposition. This certainly looked to be the case in the recent 1-0 wins over Norway and Belgium in the warm-up matches - but, even with defensive tactics, England's ball retention must improve if they are ever to compete with the likes of Spain in the latter stages.

Roy's Boys: England's Euro 2012 squad

ENGLAND arrived in Krakow yesterday to make final preparations for their three Euro 2012 Group D games against France, Sweden and Ukraine.

Straightaway, though, Football Association chiefs were forced on the defensive after an awkward build-up beset by injuries to players and a debate over their replacements.

"We're here to talk about the tournament, about the 23 players who are here and I'm not prepared to discuss - at all - any players who are not here," said FA chairman David Bernstein, sternly.

That list includes Frank Lampard, whose hopes of probably a last major tournament were dashed by a thigh injury, and Gareth Barry who is out with a stomach injury.

Third-choice goalkeeper John Ruddy, himself a surprise call-up from Norwich City, sustained a broken finger and had to be replaced by Jack Butland, a 19-year-old Birmingham City keeper.

But the biggest controversy occurred when Chelsea's Gary Cahill was ruled out of the tournament with a fractured jaw following a nasty push by Dries Mertens of Belgium in a warm-up match.

Martin Kelly, the young Liverpool full-back, was the shock call-up in place of Cahill, causing Rio Ferdinand's representatives to claim the Manchester United defender was being ignored for non-footballing reasons.

Indeed, Jamie Moralee - Ferdinand's agent - claimed that new England boss Roy Hodgson had shown a "total lack of respect" towards the 33-year-old who has won 79 caps for England.

However, Hodgson then received support from the likes of John Barnes and David Pleat for leaving out a player who - let's face it - is not getting any younger.

Still, that does not mean the choice of Kelly was necessarily the answer. For a start, it brings up the Liverpool contingent in the 23 to six - and this follows the Reds' worst league finish since 1954.

More pointedly, Micah Richards' exclusion is rather strange, especially as the promising, attacking right-back can also be used as centre-back in an emergency. 

It seems, though, that Richards' refusal to be placed on a stand-by list irked Hodgson, meaning from then on he had no chance of making it to the finals anyway.

The problem for England at the moment is that they cannot really afford to be so picky.

Cahill's unfortunate injury has exposed the national team's lack of depth at centre-back while a similar issue in the goalkeeper shirt is obvious from the selection of an untried 19-year-old, who spent last season on loan at Cheltenham Town.

In midfield, meanwhile, England are not only without Lampard and Barry but also the fresher talents of Arsenal's Jack Wilshere and Man United's Tom Cleverly, both of whom picked up bad injuries during the season.

Finally, up front, England are still too reliant on Wayne Rooney. Except, it is a fact that they cannot rely on him for the first two games of the group following his idiotic red-card for a petulant kick at a Montenegro player in the final qualifying match.

Instead, then, it looks like Hodgson will line-up with Liverpool forward Andy Carroll even though the big Geordie has scored just six league goals in the 16 months since his £35m move from his boyhood club.

Carroll faces genuine competition from Man United's Danny Welbeck who staked his claim in perfect fashion by scoring a neat winner in the 1-0 warm-up win against Belgium.

And Ashley Young is expected to play just behind whoever the main striker is after his winner in another 1-0 warm-up win against Norway added to his impressive statistics in qualifying.

Young, with three goals and three assists, was England's most effective player in getting the Three Lions to Euro 2012.

Perhaps it will be him - and not his Old Trafford team-mate Rooney - who will be England's key man in the next couple of weeks...




ENGLAND EURO 2012 SQUAD

		Club	Age	Caps	Goals	Comments
	Goalkeepers:
1	Joe HART	Manchester City	25	18	0	Undisputed number one, club won their first league title for 44 years this season.
13	Robert GREEN	West Ham United	32	12	0	Lost his place in the team following mistake v USA in the World Cup.
23	Jack BUTLAND	Birmingham City	19	0	0	Uncapped. Played on loan at Cheltenham Town in League Two last season.
	Defenders:
2	Glen JOHNSON	Liverpool	27	36	1	Marauding right full-back but suspect at the back.
3	Ashley COLE	Chelsea	31	94	0	Most capped player in the squad. Played brilliantly in the Champions League final.
5	Martin KELLY	Liverpool	22	1	0	Surprise call-up as replacement for Gary Cahill (jaw). Late debut v Norway.
6	John TERRY	Chelsea	31	73	6	Former captain. Stands trial in July for alleged racist abuse of Anton Ferdinand.
12	Leighton BAINES	Everton	27	8	0	Reserve left-back. At pains to state claims of homesickness in 2010 were untrue.
14	Phil JONES	Manchester United	20	5	0	Versatile youngster who can play in midfield. Question marks over his best position.
15	Joleon LESCOTT	Manchester City	29	16	0	Expected to line-up alongside Terry in the first XI following Cahill's injury.
18	Phil JAGIELKA	Everton	29	12	0	Replaced Gareth Barry (stomach). Can also play as a defensive midfielder.
	Midfielders:
4	Steven GERRARD	Liverpool	32	92	19	Skipper. Reds' regular hero playing in his sixth major tournament for England.
7	Theo WALCOTT	Arsenal	23	24	3	Pacy right-winger. Has not scored for England since hat-trick v Croatia in 2008.
8	Jordan HENDERSON	Liverpool	21	3	0	Baffling, ineffective replacement for Frank Lampard (thigh).
11	Ashley YOUNG	Manchester United	26	21	6	Left-winger but will likely play behind the striker. Poor reputation for diving.
16	James MILNER	Manchester City	26	26	0	Versatile midfielder, can play on either flank or through the middle, or even at full-back.
17	Scott PARKER	Tottenham Hotspur	31	13	0	Former skipper but late-bloomer. Much-admired Player of the Year, 2011.
19	Stewart DOWNING	Liverpool	27	34	0	Failed to score or make a single assist last season in the Premier League.
20	Alex OXLADE-CHAMBERLAIN	Arsenal	18	2	0	Youngest player in the squad after exciting in his breakthrough season at the Emirates.
	Forwards:
9	Andy CARROLL	Liverpool	23	4	1	Scored just four league goals last season but also found the net in the FA Cup Final.
10	Wayne ROONEY	Manchester United	26	74	28	Suspended for the first two games. Has not scored for England at a finals since 2004.
21	Jermain DEFOE	Tottenham Hotspur	29	47	15	Experienced international, returned home on eve of tournament following death of father.
22	Danny WELBECK	Manchester United	21	5	1	Man United regular last season. Staked a claim for the first team with goal v Belgium.

REPRESENTATION BY CLUB
6 Liverpool
4 Manchester United,
3 Manchester City
2 Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Everton
1 West Ham United, Birmingham City


THE MANAGER
Head coach Roy HODGSON is an experienced international manager having taken charge of Switzerland, Finland and the United Arab Emirates in the past. Under his tutelage, the Swiss qualified for World Cup 1994 and Euro 96, and reached third in the FIFA World Rankings in August 1993.

As a club boss, the 64-year-old from Croydon, south London, has also managed extensively abroad with 10 clubs in five different countries, including two spells at Internazionale. His honours include seven Swedish league titles, two Swedish cups, a Danish league title, a Danish Super Cup, while he is a twice runner-up in the UEFA Cup/Europa League with Inter and then Fulham.

But, despite his achievements with Fulham and also at West Bromwich Albion, where he stabilised the club in the Premier League, Hodgson's record in England has been patchy, at times. He lasted just four months at Bristol City back in 1980, and was also sacked from his job at Blackburn Rovers in the middle of his second season with the club bottom of the league and ultimately relegated. In the previous season, Hodgson had taken Rovers into the UEFA Cup by finishing sixth.

He is perhaps most remembered now, though, for his ill-fated spell in charge of Liverpool where he was sacked after just six months of a three-year contact. Hodgson's supporters suggest he was sacked prematurely from a club which needs a major overhaul; his detractors point to home defeats against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Blackpool, and in the League Cup against Northampton Town.

Still, Hodgson staged a mini-recovery of his career at the Hawthorns, securing consecutive solid mid-table finishes at what had previously been a yo-yo club. That was enough to convince the Football Association to make Hodgson their only choice with the much-heralded media favourite Harry Redknapp not even interviewed.

Hodgson was appointed head coach of the England national team on 1 May 2012. His first two games, against Norway away and Belgium at home, have both resulted in 1-0 victories, suggesting his organisational drills have already had some effect. In the absence of Wayne Rooney, England have so far favoured a counter-attacking approach with a deep-lying defence and the exploitation of the pace of the likes of Ashley Young and Danny Welbeck up front.

Hodgson career record	From	To	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Win%
Halmstads (Swe)	Jan 1976	Nov 1980	130	52	45	33	40%
Bristol City (Eng)	Jan 1982	Apr 1982	20	3	5	12	15%
Oddevold (Swe)	1982	1982	-	-	-	-	-%
Orebro (Swe)	Jan 1983	Nov 1984	48	24	15	9	50%
Malmo FF (Swe)	Jan 1985	Dec 1989	110	68	28	14	62%
Neuchatel Xamax (Swi)	Jul 1990	Jun 1992	72	29	27	16	40%
Switzerland	Jan 1992	Nov 1995	41	21	10	10	51%
Internazionale (Ita)	Oct 1995	May 1997	86	38	25	23	44%
Blackburn Rovers (Eng)	Jun 1997	Nov 1998	62	22	18	22	35%
Internazionale (Ita)	May 1999	Jun 1999	3	2	1	0	67%
Grasshoppers Zurich (Swi)	Jul 1999	Jun 2000	36	14	12	10	39%
FC Copenhagen (Den)	Jul 2000	Jun 2001	35	18	12	5	51%
Udinese (Ita)	Jun 2001	Dec 2001	17	7	5	5	41%
United Arab Emirates	Apr 2002	Jan 2004	17	4	6	7	24%
Viking (Nor)	Jul 2004	Dec 2005	38	16	10	12	42%
Finland	Jan 2006	Nov 2007	22	6	11	5	27%
Fulham (Eng)	Dec 2007	Jul 2010	128	50	32	46	39%
Liverpool (Eng)	Jul 2010	Jan 2011	31	13	9	9	42%
West Bromwich Albion (Eng)	Feb 2011	May 2012	54	20	13	21	37%
England	May 2012		2	2	0	0	100%
Overall			952	410	284	258	43%

Never mind the Jubilee, here's the Blaydon Races

AS the country gets swept away by a patriotic fervour for the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, here in Geordieland there is growing excitement at the celebration of another special anniversary.

For, as noted previously on this blog in January, this coming Saturday 9 June marks the 150th anniversary of the Blaydon Races.

Of course, Geordie Day always attracts a variety of celebrations - but this year's date has meant there seems to be even more going on in Tyneside and elsewhere.

Marking the approximate start and the end of the course sung about by Geordie Ridley back in 1862, two flagship events take place at Grey's Monument in Newcastle and Shibdon Pond in Blaydon.

In Newcastle, the centrepiece of the celebrations from 1-5pm includes music, song and dance inspired by the Blaydon Races and its associated folk and music hall traditions. It will conclude with a mass singing of Ridley's verse.

Meanwhile, in Blaydon, a family day from 1-7pm will also feature traditional music hall entertainment as well as local youth marching band 'the Blaydon Buzzers'. Additionally, there will be two magicians, a circus strongman, an antique steam-powered carousel, a 5-a-side football area, and more.

Then, as the sun begins its slow decline at 6pm, the main event begins with the gathering of runners at the bottom of the Groat Market for the 32nd running of the 5.9-mile road race.

The race will wind itself through Newcastle city centre up Collingwood Street before gannin' alang the fabled Scotswood Road past Armstrong's factory.

It then takes in Derwenthaugh and Chainbridge Road, passes the Bisley pub in Blaydon, and finishes this year in the playing fields on Shibdon Road.

The leading runners can expect to be back before 6.30pm while I will just hope to make it all the way round to the finish.

No doubt, by that point, I will be gasping for the complementary beer provided by Wylam Brewery - and, speaking of the booze*, here is a full list of Blaydon Races events, organised in association with the 150th anniversary:
(*Not all events feature alcohol!)

FLAGSHIP EVENTS		Date	Time	Entry
- Grey's Monument, NE1	See link	9 June	1-5pm	Free
- Shibdon Pond, NE21	See link	9 June	1-7pm	Free
MUSIC
- Black Bull, NE21	Folk music concert	7 June	7.30pm	£6
- St Nicholas Cathedral, NE1	Felling Male Voice Choir	8 June	7pm	£10
- The Bridge Hotel, NE1	The Songs of Geordie Ridley	9 June	7.30pm	£6/
- The Three Tuns, Sheriff Hill, NE9	Black Rose (Thin Lizzy tribute)	9 June	9pm	£3^
- The Ware Rooms, NE1	Geordie beer hall/Oompah band	9 June	7pm	£5
IN THE PUB
- The Free Trade Inn, Byker, NE6	Themed quiz Night	6 June	9pm
- The Hotspur, Haymarket, NE1	Beer festival	7-10 Jun	All day	Free
- The Crown Posada, NE1	Beer festival	7-10 Jun	All day	Free
SPORT & LEISURE
- Complete Football Centre, NE3	Five-a-side football	9 June	10am	£70~
- The 32nd Blaydon Race	Newcastle to Blaydon (5.9 mi)	9 June	6pm start	Link
- Newcastle Greyhounds, NE6	Race Night	9 June	6.15pm	Free!
CHURCH SERVICES
- St Nicholas Cathedral, NE1	Service of Celebration	9 June	1pm	Free
- St Cuthbert's Church, NE21	Ecumenical Service	10 June	4pm	Free
EXHIBITIONS/HISTORY TALKS
- Newcastle City Library, NE1	Balmbras Music Hall	til 31 Jul	All day	Free
- Blaydon Leisure Centre, NE21	Blaydon Harriers Exhibition	9 June	8am-4pm	Free
- The Bisley, NE21	Art Exhibition; Live band	9 June	All day	Free>
WALKING TOURS
- Meet at Grey's Monument, NE1	‘Gannin te Blaydon Races’ tour	6 June	7pm	£4
- Meet at Cloth Market, NE1	‘Away we went alang Collingwood Street’ tour	8 & 10 June	10.30am &1pm	£4+
OTHER EVENTS
- Central Station, NE1	Alan Shearer renames a train	6 June	9.50am	Free
- Scotswood Village, NE15	Family event	9 June	4-7pm	Free
- Balmbras, NE1	Last Night in Balmbras Comedy	9 June	7pm	£15
- City Hall, NE1	Blaydon Bash: School Choirs	12 June	6.30pm	£5
GEORDIES IN EXILE
- Clerkenwell, London, EC1	See link	9 June	All day	Free
- 402 Nancy Avenue, Linthicum, Maryland, USA	Blaydon Race Event USA	9 June	12-4.30pm	Free

KEY

/ Sold out, returns only
^ £3; or free entry for anyone who dresses with this great celebration in mind (i.e. cloth caps/braces/hobnailed boots for the lads, bonnets and crinolenes for the lasses etc.)
~ Price per team (up to nine players). For the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation.
! Reserve places by calling 0191 2105300 and quote "Blaydon Races"
> Limited admission. Contact: Steve Ronchetti 07966496971
+ Pre-booking essential. To book, email info@tomkeating.net or call 0191 4885115

The Season 2011/12: Chelsea win the Champions League as Man City end title drought

DIDIER DROGBA bowed out in style, scoring the decisive spot-kick as Chelsea won a dramatic Champions League final in his last appearance for the club.

The Ivorian had already rescued the Blues with a late goal in normal time after Thomas Muller had given Bayern Munich a deserved lead.

And, though the German side then took the lead again in the penalty shoot-out when Juan Mata missed, further failures from 12 yards by Ivica Olic and Bastian Schweinsteiger for Bayern gave Drogba match point.

The 34-year-old duly took it, winning a first Champions League title for the Stamford Bridge club and rounding off an amazing month for him personally.

For, not only did Drogba step up in Munich, he also did it again at Wembley where he scored his eighth goal at the newly-built stadium to help Chelsea beat Liverpool 2-1 in the FA Cup.

Ramires gave Roberto di Matteo's men a great start on 11 minutes and Drogba doubled the lead just after half time, squeezing his shot into the corner of the net to become the first player to score in four separate finals.

It was a good job he had done as Kenny Dalglish's Reds - aiming for their own Double after their Carling Cup win in February - reduced their arrears midway through the second half.

The £35m man Andy Carroll was the scorer with a thumping shot, and the ex-Newcastle striker thought he had scrambled an equaliser with a late header from Luis Suarez's cross, only for Petr Cech to react brilliantly and divert it onto the bar.

Meanwhile, in other spectacular news, the Premier League winged its way to the blue half of Manchester after surely the most dramatic end to an English football season ever (final table).

Only 1989-90, when Arsenal beat Liverpool to win the league against the Merseyside rivals, can come anywhere near to matching what happened on 13 May.

Manchester City, in their customary style, looked like they had blown the chance of a first league title in 44 years after falling 2-1 behind to relegation-haunted Queens Park Rangers.

But, just as Manchester United completed their comfortable 1-0 away at Sunderland, Edin Dzeko netted at the Etihad Stadium to make it 2-2.

Then, incredibly, in the 95th minute, it was 3-2 as Sergio Aguero somehow kept his cool to blast Man City back to the top of the league on goal difference.

Despair at Eastlands turned into joy just as joy turned into utter despair at Old Trafford.

Man United had lost titles to the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea in the past but this one hurt the Red Devils. It really hurt.

Defeats to Man City and Wigan Athletic, as well as a barely believable giveaway in the 4-4 draw against Everton in the run-in, meant they had blown an eight-point lead which they had held with just a few weeks of the season left.

Nothing could prepare you for the drama of the last day, however, with Man City winning in almost perfect style - by using the fabled Fergie time.

The title win coming down to goal difference also meant that the 6-1 victory at Old Trafford in October had been ultimately decisive in giving Man City their first title since 1968.

Man United, meanwhile, were left without a trophy from the five competitions which they entered in 2011/12 - and, doubtless, the highest ever points haul for a second-placed team will mean nothing to Sir Alex Ferguson.

Third place, and what was effectively the final Champions League spot, went to Arsenal who recovered well from that early 8-2 defeat at Old Trafford and a wretched autumn generally.

The Gunners' North London neighbours Tottenham Hotspur finished fourth - but, despite their placing, Harry Redknapp's men must content themselves with another season in the Europa League after Chelsea's Champions League win in Munich.

Spurs are joined in the Europa League by Newcastle United who enjoyed a brilliant season to finish fifth, ahead of Chelsea in sixth.

Liverpool also qualify for Europe, courtesy of their Carling Cup final win on penalties against Championship club Cardiff City, even though they finished 8th and behind city rivals Everton for only the second time in 25 years.

For the first time in 11 Premier League seasons, all three promoted sides - Swansea City, Norwich City and QPR - stayed up (though, for Swansea and Norwich, their success has come at the cost of losing their manager).

Ironically, Bolton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers - two of the last trio to achieve the feat - were relegated this time, along with rock-bottom Wolverhampton Wanderers.

They will be replaced by familiar faces from the Championship (final table) in Reading, Southampton and West Ham United.

The Royals won their second Championship in six years to regain the top-flight place which they had surrendered in 2008-09.

Meanwhile, the Saints return after taking the long route back via League One, before two successive promotions under Nigel Adkins repeats Norwich's recent achievement.

Finally, West Ham ensured their Championship sojourn was no more than one season by winning the playoff final against another team hoping for a quick return - Blackpool.

Ricardo Vaz Te struck the winner just three minutes from time to make it 2-1 after Tom Ince - son of unpopular former Hammer, Paul - had equalised Carlton Cole's first half opener.

A happy end, then, for Sam Allardyce and West Ham - but, having done it the hard way in his usual pragmatic style, the jury remains out on Big Sam at Boleyn Ground.

Heading out of the Championship the other way are Doncaster Rovers, for whom this always seemed a season too far; Coventry City, who will play in the third-flight for the first time since 1963-64; and Portsmouth.

Pompey were only relegated because of another 10-point deduction for going into administration and the south coast club remain in deep, financial difficulty. Indeed, they would do well to last the summer, as it stands.

And, even if they make to August, Portsmouth will find League One an unforgiving division.

Nevertheless, some of the bigger clubs did find a way out of it this season (final table) with Charlton Athletic storming their way to the title and a century haul of points.

That left just one automatic place for the two chasing Sheffield clubs, United and Wednesday, who battled all season long.

In the end, it was Wednesday who won the Steel City chase - though only by three points - and the ultimately decisive factor, just like in Manchester, were the derby matches. The Owls took four points from them, the Blades only one.

Danny Wilson's men did at least qualify for the playoff final but there they met another Yorkshire club, Huddersfield Town, who were well experienced as end-of-season campaigners.

This was the third time in a row that the Terriers had ended up in the playoffs and, after successive failures under Lee Clark, Huddersfield finally made it count with Simon Grayson in charge.

Only just, mind. An 8-7 shoot-out win from after penalties from all 22 men meant that all the excitement from this tie had been condensed into its final few moments, the 0-0 draw having been overly-cautious from both sides.

But, while effectively it was the bigger clubs in the division who battled for promotion, it was no surprise to see some of the lesser lights towards the wrong end of the table.

In the end, all four relegated clubs - Rochdale, in bottom place, Exeter City, Chesterfield and Wycombe Wanderers - fell well short of the 50 points usually required to survive.

Walsall and Leyton Orient only just made it to the half-century on the final day but the relegated quartet had already left them no concerns by then.

That does mean the Saddlers and the Os will face Swindon Town next season after the Wiltshire club made light work of League Two (final table).

The Robins quickly overcame a poor start to life under manager Paulo di Canio to win the title from Shrewsbury Town who were also promoted.

Crawley Town crept into the final automatic spot with a win against Accrington Stanley on the final day securing consecutive promotions.

And the final place went to Crewe Alexandra who, thanks to a slow start, finished just seventh in the regular season but timed their unbeaten run perfectly.

The Railwaymen's 19-game streak culminated in a 2-0 win over Cheltenham Town at Wembley in the playoff final, with the scorer of their opener - teenager Nick Powell - apparently now the subject to a bid from Man United.

But, while the season ended brilliantly for Crewe, the second half of 2011/12 was a total disaster for Macclesfield Town.

The Silkmen are still awaiting their first win of the calendar year after drawing seven and losing 16 of their last 23 matches on their way to propping up the whole of the Football League.

The Cheshire club will be joined in the Blue Square Premier by Hereford United after the Bulls, with two wins and two draws from the final four games, left it too late to get out of trouble.

Fleetwood Town and York City are their replacements in the Football League after their fine respective seasons in the BSP (final table).

Fleetwood, on the west coast of Lancashire, won the division with a huge haul of 103 points - and, given their big spending and lofty ambitions, the Fishermen will be aiming to follow Crawley's example in not just settling for League status.

Meanwhile, York make a welcome return to the 92 after an eight-year absence, capping their season with - not one - but two Wembley cup final wins.

The Minstermen finished the campaign in style with a 2-1 comeback win in the playoff final over old foes Luton Town. Matty Blair scored the winner just after half time, Ashley Chambers had deservedly restored parity.

Blair was on the scoresheet a week earlier when York beat Welsh club Newport County 2-0 in the FA Trophy final. The wonderfully-named Lanre Oyebanjo got the other goal in what was a pretty straightforward win.

And finally, there was more north of the Humber success in the FA Vase as Dunston UTS in Gateshead beat fellow Northern League outfit West Auckland 2-0. Andrew Bulford scored twice for the Fed in front of a lively crowd of 5,126 at Wembley.

Newcastle restore the natural order

NEWCASTLE UNITED returned to European football for the first time in six years after a fantastic 2011/12 season at St James Park.

The Magpies recorded their first top-five placing since the days of Sir Bobby Robson, finishing ahead of Champions League winners Chelsea, and 13 points clear of Liverpool.

It could have been even better for the Toon who harboured hopes of Champions League qualification right until the very last day.

But even a defeat on the final day to Everton at Goodison Park could not disguise what had been a brilliant campaign from start to finish.

Certainly, it did not look on the cards after a turbulent summer when influential figures Kevin Nolan and Joey Barton followed Andy Carroll out of the exit door.

Indeed, it seemed as if owner Mike Ashley had little regard once again for Newcastle's Premier League status, breaking up key elements of a team which had won promotion at the first attempt and then stabilised the club with a 12th-placed finish in 2010/11.

Thankfully, for once, the Magpies had a plan. In came cheaper, hungrier alternatives such as Demba Ba from relegated West Ham United and French Ligue 1 winner Yohan Cabaye.

Moreover, the return of Hatem Ben Arfa was a massive boost to the team's creativity while, at the back, goalkeeper Tim Krul and Argentine international Fabricio Coloccini both began with at least a decent year of Premier League experience behind them.

All of these players, and others, would play their part in making this one of the most memorable Newcastle seasons for years. There was even the introduction of a wildcard but that would come a bit later.

The season began with a 0-0 home draw against Arsenal who were having problems of their own after their losses in midfield of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri.

A game of few chances will be most remembered for Barton getting new Gunners forward Gervinho sent off by throwing himself dramatically to the floor.

Incidentally, Barton - at his new club, Queens Park Rangers - would end the season on the opposite end of the referee's judgement following an elbow on Carlos Tevez, an attempted headbutt on Vincent Kompany, and a brutal kick on Sergio Aguero.

This total loss of control has earned Barton a 12-match ban for the start of next season, and the Scouser further reacted by abusing Alan Shearer on Twitter. Never has the name of the social networking site seemed so apt.

Back to Newcastle anyway, and next up was a trip to the Dark Place where the Magpies had lost just once in 31 years.

That was made once in 32 years after Ryan Taylor curled a free-kick over the wall for a tight 1-0 win.

It would have been perhaps an easier win if England's premier referee Howard Webb spotted a blatant handball in the box by Sebastian Larsson.

But, it did not matter once Taylor joined the pantheon of over-the-wall greats, a list which already included Liam O'Brien, Scott Sellars and Emre from just the last 20 years.

As often is the case with an early derby match, the result proved important in contextualising the first part of the season.

While Sunderland were condemned to scrapping among the lower reaches of the table throughout the autumn, Newcastle could look ahead confidently to a kind set of fixtures in the rest of August, September and October.

Indeed, the Magpies would remain unbeaten during these months for their best start to a top-flight season since 1994.

A Leon Best brace saw off Fulham before a third clean sheet out of four came in a 0-0 draw against QPR. Barton started for his new employers but made little impression against the club who let him go.

Shaun Wright-Phillips was much more influential, regularly beating full-back Ryan Taylor but, with a dud like Jay Bothroyd up front, the Magpies were able to escape Loftus Road with a fortunate point.

A second away point in the same week came at Villa Park. However, this was a much better performance from United who reacted well to Gabriel Agbonlahor's early goal with Best grabbing a deserved second half equaliser.

Back at home and finally the Toon Army were rewarded by the awakening of Demba Ba. A quiet start to the campaign for the Senegalese striker had been attributed to his devout Muslim faith and practice of Ramadan.

But, by the time Blackburn Rovers visited St James Park at the end of September, Ba's Holy Month was over and Steve Kean's men were put to the sword by a brilliant hat-trick.

Ba scored again the following Saturday away at Wolverhampton Wanderers and the tireless Jonas Gutierrez added a second before half time or a confident Toon side.

To their credit, Mick McCarthy's men came back strongly in the second half and were belatedly rewarded for their efforts when Steven Fletcher scored two minutes from time.

Wolves could have even rescued a point but were denied a blatant penalty of their own as luck, for once, seemed to adhere to the cliche of evening itself out.

Next up was a 2-2 draw - but a very good one against Tottenham Hotspur at home. Newcastle were never ahead in an evenly-matched contest as Rafael van der Vaart penalty gave Spurs a half time lead.

Ba hit an equaliser from close range straight after the resumption but Jermain Defoe, off the bench and chasing an England place, struck a sweet shot from just outside the box.

If that had looked to have won the game for Harry Redknapp's men, Shola Ameobi was having none of it. Ameobi, also a substitute, picked up the ball in an unpromising position with his back to goal.

A quick turn and exquisite half-volley later and the ball was in the net. Coloccini could have even won it at the death but a point was just reward for a brilliant all-round effort and a first sign that Newcastle's place in the top four would not just be a fleeting appearance.

But, if Newcastle had shown glimpses of top four quality in matching Spurs, none of it was in evidence at home to Wigan Athletic, six days later.

The expected Ba-inspired mauling did not materialise and the Magpies were indebted to some great goalkeeping from Krul and a fine late strike from Cabaye to keep the unbeaten run going.

Ba had been strangely quiet against the struggling Latics but, nine days later, it became evident why - he had been saving his goals up for the visit to Stoke City.

One year on from the Hallowe'en massacre of Sunderland, Newcastle took apart another team in red-and-white stripes with Ba hitting his second hat-trick for the club. It was a sweet moment for the Senegalese striker against the club who rejected him on account of his dodgy knee.

Newcastle entered November in third place, and briefly went second with another win, this time at home against Everton.

United made an ideal start with Johnny Heitinga heading into his own net under pressure from Best before Ryan Taylor scored his second stunner of the season with a dipping volley that would win Goal of the Month.

Jack Rodwell pulled a goal back for the Toffees out of the blue and it changed the game.

Newcastle were forced Newcastle to rely on Krul and their defence for most of the second half and Dan Gosling was fortunate to get away with handball against his old club as the Magpies just about held it together.

Still, that was made it nine wins, four draws and just eight goals conceded in the first 13 games.

Nevertheless - at this relatively early stage - many of the pundits suggested Newcastle had simply taken advantage of a generous fixture list. And, while that was true to an extent, the next two games were both away in Manchester.

Newcastle battled hard against leaders Man City but a nightmare five minutes before half time gave the Blues an unassailable two goal lead before Aguero added a second penalty of the afternoon on 72 minutes.

A late consolation goal by Gosling showed the Magpies fought to the bitter end but there was a much greater success just around the corner.

For, while Newcastle have still not won in the league at Old Trafford since 1972, Ba converted a fortunate penalty to reply to Javier Hernandez's goal just after half time for a 1-1 draw.

Sir Alex Ferguson was left fuming but his team only had themselves to blame after missing a boat-load of chances following Gutierrez's sending off with 12 minutes left.

The draw shut the pundits up for the best part of the week. However, in typical Newcastle style, the Toon had just about cleared two hurdles and fell at the third.

Chelsea at home was pinpointed as the easiest of the three tough games in a row after their indifferent start under then-manager Andre Villas-Boas - and it could have been all so different if Mike Dean had sent off David Luiz for hauling Ba down on the edge of the box.

However, Luiz remained on the pitch, and Chelsea took the game to United with Daniel Sturridge torturing the defence.

Didier Drogba gave the Blues a lead at the interval but Newcastle played better thereafter, only for this match to have a cruel sting in the tail as the visitors twice caught United on the break in the last two minutes.

In worse news still, the impressive early form of Steven Taylor came to an abrupt end through injury while Coloccini also picked up a knock. Newcastle's settled back line was suddenly no more - and it showed.

Against Norwich City in the next game, United lined up with Danny Simpson and James Perch at the heart of the defence, neither of whom stand at a height of six feet.

Grant Holt had a field day, scoring two headers and rendering Ba's brace irrelevant in a 4-2 win for the Canaries.

Later in December, at home to West Bromwich Albion, Ba would again hit two goals for no return in terms of points as the Baggies bagged three by hitting United on the break.

In between Norwich away and West Brom at home, Newcastle played out a 0-0 draw against Swansea City on a solemn afternoon in which the football seemed secondary.

Louise Speed, wife of Newcastle stalwart and Wales boss Gary, was present at St James Park to pay respects to the former midfielder following his suspected suicide.

Gary's parents, and his two sons, were also present as Welsh tenor Gwyn Hughes Jones sung Bread of Heaven to mark a black day on Tyneside.

Prolonged applause and further Speed chants could be heard on 11 minutes, that being the number which he wore on his back. At a later inquest, the coroner said he could not be satisfied Speed intended to kill himself in recording a narrative verdict. Regardless of that, RIP Gary Speed.


Back to the football, and Newcastle had dropped to 7th in the league table on Christmas Day, having failed to win since the fireworks had fizzled out.

Boxing Day at Bolton Wanderers was vital if United were not just going to fall away despite an impressive start.

The problem was that the game was just as vital for the Trotters who were fighting a relegation battle which they would ultimately lose. Consequently, it was perhaps no surprise that the first hour of this match was simply dreadful with both sides seemingly too scared to commit men forward.

But that all changed when the maverick Ben Arfa was introduced. Suddenly, United took control and a Ryan Taylor pull-back found Ben Arfa waiting on the penalty spot, the Frenchman hitting a crisp half-volley to make it 1-0.

Within two minutes, it was 2-0, Ba inevitably scoring having been set by Gabriel Obertan. The Magpies had their first three-pointer since Bonfire Night and could approach the trip to Anfield in good spirits.

Unfortunately, there is something about that ground which causes Newcastle never to have a good day there. The last five results before this season had been two 2-0 defeats and three 3-0 defeats and so it was to considerable surprise and delight when Daniel Agger's OG gave United the lead.

It was an advantage which would be held for less than four minutes as Craig Bellamy took advantage of a rare Cheik Tiote error to make it 1-1 at half time.

Almost inevitably perhaps, former Newcastle hitman Bellamy gave the Reds the lead midway through the second half and, though Ba hit the post with a chance for 2-2, Steven Gerrard killed off any hopes of an unlikely point with a goal on his comeback from injury. Cue much fawning over the current England captain by the Skysports commentary team...

The traditional reversal at Anfield meant that, despite victory over Bolton in the other festive match, Newcastle had taken just five points from their last 24. First up in the New Year: Manchester United at home.

But, while the team had largely failed to turn up in Liverpool, every black-and-white shirt was raring to go on this Wednesday evening kick-off.

In the early stages, Newcastle comfortably matched the then-defending champions before Ba hit a wonder-strike, hooking the ball over his shoulder after an Ameobi flick on from Krul's goal kick.

The Magpies then doubled their advantage straight after the break, Ba having won a free-kick almost 30 yards out following a marauding run. Cabaye stepped up and struck the dead ball in off the underside of the crossbar - it was a dream goal from the man nicknamed the Dreamboat.

Newcastle defended their two-goal lead with ease and, late on, completed their humiliation of the Red Devils. Another long Krul punt was miscued badly by Phil Jones and the defender could only divert it into an unguarded net off his thigh after Anders Lindegaard had gone walkabouts.

All of a sudden, the mood around Tyneside had lifted again and, following a home victory over Blackburn Rovers in FA Cup courtesy of a wonder-goal by Ben Arfa, United made it three wins out of three in 2012 at home to QPR.

Barton was absent from the Hoops' starting line-up, predictably suspended after the first of his two dismissals, and Best continued his canny knack of scoring against some of the league's lesser lights for a 1-0 win.

This was flat bitter as opposed to the champagne football served up against Man United but the three points were no less important.

Indeed, they were especially important considering what next occurred at Craven Cottage against Fulham. One-nil up after a competent first half performance ended with a Danny Guthrie goal, Newcastle proceeded to collapse after the break, conceding four goals in 16 minutes, including two penalties.

Ben Arfa made it 4-2 with a goal five minutes from time but Clint Dempsey completed his hat-trick in the last minute, meaning United had shipped five for the first time in 14 months.

After a lame 1-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion in the FA Cup, it was clear that Newcastle needed Ba and Tiote back from the African Nations Cup.

Fortunately, Senegal were dumped out in the first round and Ba came back with a friend, Papiss Demba Cisse, who had been signed for £10m from German club Freiburg.

Ever the gambler, Ashley hoped Cisse would be the man to keep Newcastle near the top though a lack of depth at centre-back remained of particular concern.

Meanwhile, neither Ba nor Cisse were required as United did the double over Blackburn with a 2-0 win at Ewood Park.

An own goal from Scott Dann at the start of the game and a stoppage time breakaway goal courtesy of Obertan gave Newcastle a fifth away league win of the season even though Rovers dominated almost all the game between the two goals.

The Magpies also lost their way in the next game against Villa at home with Robbie Keane equalising on the stroke of half time after Ba's close-range opener.

Thankfully, Cisse was ready to make an impression on his debut after his early introduction for the injured Best - and what an impression it was!

The new Number 9 made it 2-1 with a sublime left-footed drive into the roof of the Gallowgate net and his every touch thereafter was met with a heightened anticipation from the euphoric crowd at SJP.

Sadly, the supporters were brought back down to earth with a bump in the next game as Newcastle conceded five in London for the second time in three weeks.

This time, it was Spurs who were United's torturers in the week that their boss Harry Redknapp was acquitted in his tax fraud trial and the England manager's position became available following Fabio Capello's resignation.

Capello's replacement would ultimately be West Brom manager Roy Hodgson but Redknapp's Spurs gave a fine reference at the time in a crushing 5-0 win.

Former Magpie Louis Saha scored twice as the home side were four goals clear after the half-hour mark. Thankfully, Tottenham relented after the break with only Emmanuel Adebayor's effort to show for their complete control.

A game against rock-bottom Wolves seemed the perfect fixture for Newcastle following that thrashing but, having shown plenty of inconsistency between games in January and February, the Magpies showed it within the 90 minutes in this match.

Cisse gave United the lead with his second in black-and-white before Gutierrez scored his third goal in three games against his favourite opponents - all within 20 minutes.

That should have been the signal for United to go on and record a handsome win against the dispirited strugglers but, instead, the Magpies ambled to half time with their lead.

It was indeed a mistake and two of the scrappiest goals you will ever see - from Matt Jarvis and Kevin Doyle - rescued an ultimately worthless draw for Wolves. This was definitely two points dropped by United and the disappointment came with Sunderland at home next on the calendar.

The Mackems had enjoyed somewhat of a resurgence after replacing 'Plastic Geordie' Steve Bruce with a boyhood fan Martin O'Neill though they too had suffered a dreadful result on the previous weekend, losing 4-0 to West Brom.

Nevertheless, the Mackems began a bad-tempered affair on top and took the lead through Nicklas Bendtner's penalty after Mike Williamson had senselessly tugged Michael Turner to the ground.

Sunderland held their 1-0 advantage until half time and looked comfortable enough in the second period after seeing off a spell of United pressure.

Then, just before the hour, the game changed as the Mackems' main threat Stephane Sessegnon stupidly got himself sent off.

Wave after wave of attacks followed from the black-and-white shirts and it looked as if the home side had their just desserts with just 10 minutes left when Mackem slayer Ameobi won a penalty.

Strangely, the ball ended up in Ba's hands but he could only shoot weakly at Simon Mignolet as Sunderland eyed only their second derby win in 15 attempts.

But Ameobi would not let it lie, scrambling the ball into the net in the 92nd minute for his seventh goal in this fixture to seal his legendary status among the Geordie faithful.

This may have only been one more point towards a European place - but it was so much more than that - though, with United still chasing the Champions League, Arsenal away also carried extra significance.

Ben Arfa gave Newcastle an early lead at the Emirates but the dream start was dashed when eventual Premier League Golden Boot winner Robin van Persie hit back within 60 seconds.

The Gunners went on to dominate much of the rest of the game though it looked as if Newcastle's defence would hold firm. There was certainly no chance of another collapse, as had happened against Fulham and Spurs.

Indeed, a throw deep into the Arsenal half late on in the match seemed to offer Newcastle the chance of an impressive away scalp. Unfortunately, possession was given up cheaply, the Gunners broke quickly and Thomas Vermaelen was able to hit an unmarked winner in the 95th minute.

Just as the Mackems had felt it at St James Park eight days earlier, the Geordies were feeling it now. It was absolutely heart-breaking, totally gut-wrenching.

It also left Newcastle's season at a cross roads. Still in 6th place, five points clear of Liverpool, United had fallen eight points off the pace of the top-four.

An impressive challenge threatened to fade away with the return fixture against Carling Cup winners Liverpool on the horizon. It looked as if Newcastle may have to settle for the still not-inconsiderable achievement of 7th but even that could not be guaranteed.

First, though, Newcastle had to deal with Norwich and West Brom who had combined to put seven past United in the run-up to Christmas.

Against Norwich at Carrow Road, Holt had a field day but he was strangely absent from proceeding at St James Park until a late substitute appearance.

But, by then, United had long established a lead - albeit a narrow one - after Cisse intentionally sliced a right-footed volley in the top corner to match his debut goal with his other foot against Villa.

Newcastle knew they would have to play a lot better away at West Brom to take three points from the Hawthorns.

As it happened, Newcastle did not just play a bit better but produced perhaps their performance of the season - including the home win over Man United - to blow away the Baggies in half an hour.

A three-pronged attack of Ba, Cisse and Ben Arfa conjured up memories of the days of the Sky-acclaimed Entertainers when Andy Cole, Peter Beardsley and Robert Lee filled those roles.

West Brom just could not live with United in that opening half an hour, Cisse and Ben Arfa setting the away side on their way with two goals in the opening 12 minutes.

It was 3-0 on 34 minutes when Cisse scored his second after great work by Ba and an intelligent pull-back by Ben Arfa.

And, though the Baggies pulled a goal back shortly after half time after a mix-up between Krul and Williamson, Newcastle regained their composure to ensure they headed into the game against Liverpool eight points ahead of their Merseyside rivals.

That became an 11-point lead as United followed up what in my opinion was their best performance of the season with easily the best all-round day of entertainment.

Often it is the Mackems who have a squad full of clowns but, this year, it was Liverpool. The Reds were simply dreadful in the 2-0 victory for the Toon.

Embarrassing from the very start when Andy Carroll dived in an attempt to win an early penalty, Cisse soon showed him how to put the ball in the net with a header from Ben Arfa's cross.

Cisse scored his fourth goal inside a week shortly after the break after being set up by Ben Arfa again before Jose Enrique ended up going in goal following Pepe Reina's sending off for an altercation with the vastly improved James Perch.

On April Fool's Day, it was Enrique who played the part of the fool, his prediction that Newcastle would never again challenge in the top six coming back to haunt him, as 50,000 fans were happy to remind him.

Carroll was withdrawn then aimed a sweary rant at manager Kenny Dalglish and perhaps the only thing missing was Enrique picking the ball out of the net.

In truth, though, Newcastle had already done more than enough to give Dalglish good reason to look as miserable as he usually does.

The Scot may have been a Liverpool legend in the past, and ended up winning the Carling Cup and getting the Reds to the FA Cup Final this time around.

But, just as 13th in the Premier League and playing for a 0-0 draw in the Cup Final was underwhelming for Newcastle fans in 1997/98, eighth place was clearly unacceptable for Liverpool.

The Reds were now a long way back in the rear-view mirror and Newcastle - with three league wins in a row for the first time since November - were ready to extend that sequence.

Extend it, they did, as United enjoyed a perfect Easter weekend with two 2-0 wins. The first victory, at Swansea was remarkable in that the Magpies let the Swans almost permanently own the ball.

Match statistics showed the Welsh side had 77% of the possession but their problem was they were left chasing the game after Cisse's early goal.

When another rare Newcastle attack, with 20 minutes left, doubled the lead, Swansea were finished as a force in this game.

However, it had taken an outrageous chip from Cisse to give United the cushion as he scored his third brace in three games.

Victory over Bolton on Easter Monday was similar to the win over the Trotters on Boxing Day. A soporific performance from both sides had produced little of note in the opening hour but the feeling of an end-of-season match was then broken by - who else? - but Ben Arfa.

Picking the ball up on the edge of his own box, the Frenchman drove forward, beating a couple of men on the halfway line before continuing his run to the box. There, he beat another couple of defenders before nonchalantly flicking the ball wide of advancing goalkeeper Adam Bogdan for 1-0 lead and another unbelievable memory.

The goal was so special that it seemed to lift the mood inside the stadium and United were soon 2-0 up when Cisse converted Ameobi's inch-perfect cross.

Less than a week later, Newcastle's place in Europe was confirmed without them kicking a ball as Chelsea and Liverpool reached the Cup Final, meaning a the minimum of a top-seven place would be enough.

Back at St James Park, meanwhile, Stoke were put to the sword as United made it six wins in a row with another comprehensive performance.

The Magpies were quick out of the blocks this time, taking a 2-0 lead inside 18 minutes thanks to Cabaye's close-range finish and Cisse's shot across the goalkeeper following Cabaye's outstanding through-ball.

And, unlike in the match against Wolves in February - when a comfortable two-goal advantage was given up - Newcastle were not in such a charitable mood.

Some chances early in the second half did come and go but Cabaye soon put an end to the matter by hitting a low shot from the edge of the box with still 33 minutes left.

Newcastle were top of the form guide and had clawed their way back into the top four and the Champions League chase... so it was predictable what would happen next away at Wigan Athletic.

In fairness, Wigan were in fine form themselves, having recently beaten Man United and Arsenal, but the nature of the defeat - a 4-0 thumping with all the goals by half time - was hugely disappointing.

Certainly, Newcastle have lost fewer games this season than most people expected but, baring in mind the collapses to Fulham and Tottenham earlier, it seemed that when they were bad, they were horrid.

At least it was within Newcastle's capability to recover well from a blow. The Magpies did this again by extending their unbeaten run at Stamford Bridge since returning to the Premier League to three games.

The 2-0 away win - Newcastle's seventh on the road in 2011/12 - was, however, a first league success at the Blues' home since 1986... and, once again, United were indebted to Cisse for the win.

Cisse's first goal wasn't bad, a dipping left-foot volley from the edge of the box. But the second goal in stoppage time was breathtaking as the Senegal striker basically leathered the ball off the outside of his right foot from out of the left wing.

An incredible effort which was an apt way just about to bring down the curtain on a simply incredible season.

But before backs could be formally patted, there was the small matter of title-chasing Man City in the final home game of the season.

United allowed the Blues to take the initiative early on in a fast-paced game but the Magpies came more and more into the game as the first half wore on.

As the match entered its final 20 minutes, it was still 0-0 - but, just as United fans were hoping to push for a famous victory, Yaya Toure - scorer of the winner in the FA Cup semi final and final last season - popped up with a deflected goal.

Toure scored again in stoppage time to seal the win for Man City, United caught out at the back having gamely poured forward in search of an equaliser. The Blue Moon was rising.

Meanwhile, Newcastle's final excursion was to Goodison Park - never the happiest hunting ground, although those who witnessed Ben Arfa's brilliant introduction to English football in September 2010 may disagree.

Unforunately, there was none of that on this occasion as the Toffees confirmed their customary strong second half to a season in a 3-1 win against a Toon side bedecked in their new burgundy change strip.

The Merseysiders were, in fact, 2-0 up in half an hour through Steven Pienaar and Nikola Jelavic - two January signings who did much to lift the spirit in David Moyes' team.

And it was 3-0 midway through the second half when Heitinga made up for his own goal at St James' by scoring in the right net this time.

Another Spurs-type capitulation looked like it could be on the cards but, as the match wore on, Everton eased off and indeed aided the Magpies' cause with a second own goal of the season against the Toon - this time scored by Tony Hibbert.

That means Newcastle have to go back to Cisse's wonder strike against Chelsea for their last 'proper' goal of this campaign - or at least that is how I would like to remember it, over a poxy OG.

But, while there could be many nominations for Player of the Season from all over the pitch, my Man of the Season has to be someone intentionally not mentioned in this review until now... Alan Pardew.

The manager has done a magnificent job and, considering the reception he received on his arrival - not least by this correspondent - the man who was expected to fail has instead built the most exciting and competent team since the Robson era.

Pardew's travails will undoubtedly continue as he faces a struggle keeping this squad together but he now at least has three cup competitions with which to keep them happy.

Some dismiss - or even deride - the Europa League but a club which has not won anything of note since 1969 cannot afford to be so snooty.

For, while it is already a tough ask to repeat the feat of fifth place in the Premier League next season, a mid-table finish and some decent cup runs would be more than satisfactory for me.

Incidentally, one of the few disappointing factors of the Pardew reign has been the lack of cup progress with the defeats to Stevenage and Brighton in the FA Cup especially poor.

In mitigation, both of those losses occurred while United's eyes were on bigger prizes - in 2010/11, Newcastle's aim was simply to stay up. Last season was all about getting into Europe through the league.

Next season, hopefully, the retained squad will still be good enough to ensure a mid-table place anyway, allowing a proper attack on the Cups. 

After all, football is still about winning things and - for the first time in almost a decade - Newcastle look like they might be able to crack it. Ho'way the Lads!




NUFC PROGRESS CHART 2011/12

NUFC 2011/12 LEAGUE RESULTS IN FULL

Date	Fixture	TV	Result	Scorers	Points	Pos
13.08.2011	Arsenal (H)	ESPN	D0-0		1	10
20.08.2011	Sunderland (A)		W1-0	R Taylor	4	4
28.08.2011	Fulham (H)		W2-1	Best (2)	7	6
12.09.2011	Queens Park Rangers (A)	Sky	D0-0		8	4
17.09.2011	Aston Villa (A)		D1-1	Best	9	4
24.09.2011	Blackburn Rovers (H)		W3-1	Ba (3)	12	4
01.10.2011	Wolverhampton W (A)		W2-1	Ba, Gutierrez	15	3
16.10.2011	Tottenham Hotspur (H)	Sky	D2-2	Ba, Ameobi	16	4
22.10.2011	Wigan Athletic (H)		W1-0	Cabaye	19	4
31.10.2011	Stoke City (A)	Sky	W3-1	Ba (3)	22	3
05.11.2011	Everton (H)	Sky	W2-1	R Taylor, OG	25	3
19.11.2011	Manchester City (A)		L1-3	Gosling	25	3
26.11.2011	Manchester United (A)		D1-1	Ba	26	4
03.12.2011	Chelsea (H)	Sky	L0-3		26	6
10.12.2011	Norwich City (A)		L2-4	Ba (2)	26	7
17.12.2011	Swansea City (H)		D0-0		27	6
21.12.2011	West Bromwich Alb (H)		L2-3	Ba (2)	27	7
26.12.2011	Bolton Wanderers (A)		W2-0	Ben Arfa, Ba	30	7
30.12.2011	Liverpool (A)	Sky	L1-3	OG	30	7
04.01.2012	Manchester United (H)	Sky	W3-0	Ba, Cabaye, OG	33	7
15.01.2012	Queens Park Rangers (H)	Sky	W1-0	Best	36	6
21.01.2012	Fulham (A)		L2-5	Guthrie, Ben Arfa	36	6
01.02.2012	Blackburn Rovers (A)		W2-0	OG, Obertan	39	5
05.02.2012	Aston Villa (H)	Sky	W2-1	Ba, Cisse	42	5
11.02.2012	Tottenham Hotspur (A)	ESPN	L0-5		42	6
25.02.2012	Wolverhampton W (H)		D2-2	Cisse, Gutierrez	43	6
04.03.2012	Sunderland (H)	ESPN	D1-1	Ameobi	44	6
12.03.2012	Arsenal (A)	Sky	L1-2	Ben Arfa	44	6
18.03.2012	Norwich City (H)	Sky	W1-0	Cisse	47	6
25.03.2012	West Bromwich Alb (A)	Sky	W3-1	Cisse (2), Ben Arfa	50	6
01.04.2012	Liverpool (H)	Sky	W2-0	Cisse (2)	53	6
06.04.2012	Swansea City (A)	Sky	W2-0	Cisse (2)	56	5
09.04.2012	Bolton Wanderers (H)		W2-0	Ben Arfa, Cisse	59	5
21.04.2012	Stoke City (H)		W3-0	Cabaye (2), Cisse	62	4
28.04.2012	Wigan Athletic (A)		L0-4		62	4
02.05.2012	Chelsea (A)		W2-0	Cisse (2)	65	5
06.05.2012	Manchester City (H)	Sky	L0-2		65	5
13.05.2012	Everton (A)		L1-3	OG	65	5

A SEASON FULL OF MAGIC MOMENTS
August:
*Ryan 'Over-the-Wall' Taylor scores the winner v Sunderland
September:
*Ba turns and shoots for the first of his hat-trick v Blackburn Rovers
October:
*Ameobi leathers a late equaliser v Tottenham Hotspur
*Cabaye's late cracker v Wigan Athletic
*Newcastle hit THREE last-minute goals in the League Cup v Blackburn Rovers. And still lose.
November:
*Ryan Taylor's dipping strike v Everton
December:*Er, nothing much to see here
January:
*Ba over-the-shoulder v Manchester United
*Cabaye's free-kick in-off the bar v Manchester United
*Ben Arfa bamboozles Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup
February:
*Cisse takes out the Gallowgate net on his debut v Aston Villa
March:
*Shola leaves it late to slay the Mackems this year
*Cisse intentionally slices his shot v Norwich City
*Ba, Ben Arfa and Cisse tear apart West Bromwich Albion
April:
*The whole of the Liverpool home game - from the moment Carroll was booked for diving to the moment Jose 'We're in the Top Six' Enrique ended up playing in nets
*Cisse's outrageous chip v Swansea
*Ben Arfa runs the length of the field and scores v Bolton Wanderers
May:
*Cisse's first goal v Chelsea
*Cisse's SECOND GOAL! v Chelsea