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Troyes	0 - 0	Newcastle United
Half time:	0 - 0
Score Sheet:
	Teams
Heurtebis Amzine Berthe Boutal Bradja Celestini Ghazi Gousse  Leroy O.Thomas Zavagno		Given Barton Elliott Hughes Dabizas Quinn Solano Speed Lee Ameobi Bellamy
Substitutes:
Saisi for Boutal (75) Djukic for Gousse (63)  Rothen for Leroy (63)		LuaLua for Bellamy (88) Bassedas for Ameobi (90)
Subs not used:
Sekli Hamed Niang		Harper S.Caldwell Griffin Bernard Acuna
Bookings:
		Dabizas (78)
Sendings off:
n/a		n/a
Referee: T. Ovrebo (NOR).
Attendance: 10,414. Approx 300 Toon fans.

Half time: Troyes 0 Newcastle 0

Full time: Troyes 0 Newcastle 0

Uncle Bobby said, tongue in cheek:

"I've never been in Europe before, so it must all be down to beginner's luck!"

He then commented:

"Troyes were unlucky. They're the best team we've faced so far - a real step up from 1860 Munich - but we've got a useful draw. If you don't play well, you've got to make sure you don't lose and we did that. It was the work ethic of the players that got us through.

"It's down to everyone really. Yes there has been a bit of tactical planning, but the players are in much better condition now. They had to withstand a bit of pressure against Troyes. Yet we did not crack. We stood our ground and we never shirked a challenge. We challenged in the box with good clean tackles and we marked well.

"We did not play well but the players fought hard and got what they deserved. I thought Rob Lee and Gary Speed were tremendous. One is 35 and one is 31 and they were a shining example to everyone.

"Shay did his job but I wouldn't say it's down to him that we're still on level terms in this tie. He made saves I would expect him to make but he would have been asked to do more had the players in front of him not worked so hard."

Coach Alain Perrin (who didn't get where he was today by mincing words) said:

"If we'd only converted half the good chances we had. Still we can console ourselves with not having conceded a goal".

Striker Samuel Boutal was slightly more forthcoming (if a tad obvious):

"Yes we're disappointed, especially with the result because I think we played well.

We played very well and had a great first half producing the best chances. It is true that we're disappointed with 0-0 but nothing is lost, there is still the return match. It will be up to them to score and for us to stop them. We will try to score away from home."

Counting all qualifying games, and matches in the Fairs, UEFA, Cup Winners, Anglo Italian, Champions League and Intertoto cups, this was our 74th European tie and 7th scoreless draw. 

Manager Bobby Robson extended his run of positive results in Europe, and we've now lost only once (1-0 at Roma) in the 11 games he's presided over.

Troyes became the 4th French side we've faced in European competition, the others were:

1977-78 (UEFA Cup) Bastia, lost 1-2 away and 1-3 at home.
1996-97 (UEFA Cup) Metz, drew 1-1 away, and won 2-0 at home.
1996-97 (UEFA Cup) Monaco, lost 0-1 at home, and 0-3 away.

We've now played 5 games in the Intertoto cup, and lost our 100% record, but have still never been behind in a tie.

After a Belgian breeze and Deutschland delight, this third Euro trip of the season was in grave danger of becoming a French farce, as the soggy conditions and superiority of the opposition threatened to wash away our UEFA Cup qualification hopes.

The temptation to slag off United for a pedestrian performance is great, until one remembers that at this stage of the pre-season in recent years we've been tussling against the likes of Reading and Bray Wanderers.

Suffice to say, however, that the lack of live TV coverage of this game probably meant that the fallout from our forgettable performance will be minimal. Had our limitations in all outfield areas of the pitch been exposed to the viewing public, a slightly bleaker outlook would certainly be pervading, rather than the post-match "done the hard work, do 'em at wor place" attitude of many websites and papers.

As it was, our failure to create chances and general ineffectiveness as an attacking unit makes the impending return of the likes of Cort most welcome, and the successful introduction and integration of Laurent Robert on the left flank imperative.

A semblance of good luck is certainly with the lads at present (although not a such a level as to have us forecasting a three point haul at Stamford Bridge.) Troyes came out with all guns blazing and within the first seven minutes had seen two golden opportunities to score go begging, shots being magically attracted to Given's gloves after our porous defence had stood aside. Cue anxious glances in the away end.

Gradually the home side began to run out of steam, but Newcastle failed to get even a toehold on the game, and were restricted to occasional but brief attacking flurries. One or two thrusts from Bellamy and a twist from Shola that presented a shooting chance were about the sum total of our forward menace however. Solano appeared to have other things on his mind (!), and even Robert Lee found himself in more forward positions that our Greco-Peruvian globetrotter.

The second half followed a broadly similar pattern, with another Troyes onslaught almost seeing them take the lead, and a continuation of our failings in basic skills. Offender in chief was Robbie "Missy" Elliott, who just couldn't find a man in a black and white shirt with a pass. With both Quinn and Barton attempting to bail him out at various points, things got a tad confused in our ranks, and Dabizas had to spring into action with some crucial blocks to foil the French.

With time running down and the home side throwing on all their permitted subs in an attempt to carve out a lead to take over to England, we did manage a handful of forays upfield and the two minutes of action that LuaLua was allowed saw him weaving to and fro in familiar fashion. Ultimately however, a lack of chances by United and shortcomings in the shooting department by Troyes ensured clean sheets aal roond.

A damp pocket of toon fans generously applauded the lads at the end of the game, and even cheered on the substitute warm downs, as the French CRS prevented our departure from the ground. Newcastle later confirmed that they'd complained to UEFA about the level of policing and the sub-standard accommodation given to United fans.

Taken at a French league game, this is what they meant. As can clearly be seen, our corner of the North Stand had no seats, and instead concrete blocks were simply painted with dividing lines and seat numbers. Although the upper section was larger and afforded a better view of the pitch, the police chose initially to leave it closed and only later opened it in response to complaints, when they allowed a small number of families with children to move upstairs.

For the rest of us, it was a case of squashing in at the back and standing on the blocks to try and see through the side dividing fence to the goal at our end of the pitch. Fortunately a fair few toon fans, some of whom were in an advanced state of refreshment chose to stand out in the rain near the front, sans shirts. 

Even though we were only charged the equivalent of £5 and ample catering and toilet facilities were available under the stands, this was still a pretty piss pauvre section to house us in. It was only a few weeks ago that we were told via the club that UEFA were restricting the number of seats at Lokeren to a minimum as they had to be of an individual construction with a seat back. Well, they ignored that in Belgium and in Troyes our "seats" appeared to have been acquired second-hand from Bedrock FC (donated by a Mr F.Flintstone).

The rest of the ground was fully open, and almost 5,000 below capacity. If Newcastle are capable of housing a few hundred away fans in among the home fans as we've done for the two intertoto home games so far, why couldn't the French have done likewise?

Support to the lads was good, helped by the overhanging upper section, and almost totally toon-related. None of the "no surrender" crap was heard, and only a couple of late bursts of "if it wasn't for the English you'd be Krauts" in among the Mickey Burns, Frank Clark, Terry Hibbitt and Joe Harvey ditties marred proceedings.

Going back to the policing for a moment, it appears that United complained about the 150+ cops in riot gear deployed to watch us, but despite their large numbers they weren't in openly aggressive mood, their refusal to allow fans upstairs or out at the end being no more than mildly irritating.

Similarly the pre-match police presence in the town of Troyes seemed to have been deliberately low-key, with only a few plain clothes cops keeping an eye on the gathering of mags in the Town Hall square and adjacent bars. They were soon spotted, with a number of our lot chatting amiably with them, while others joined in a chorus of "can you hear the coppers sing?"

In our usual manner, the presence of a mob of people resplendent in black and white shirts, draping flags over handy walls and tables and singing songs attracted the attention of the locals. A fair few films in the Troyes branch of Boots will no doubt surprise and delight their owners when developed, showing groups of toon fans posing for the camera with locals. Happily there appeared to have been nothing to spoil the pleasant atmosphere, and we should be very welcome if we ever venture to Troyes again, especially by those bar and cafe owners who were reduced to dispensing beer into dusty glasses, test tubes and vases to slake the thirst of the travellers. 

Indeed, had it not been for the torrential rain that arrived an hour before kickoff, and our performance, this would have been another cracking European trip. As it was, we still have a great chance of taking our place in the first round of the UEFA Cup. However, an improved display will be required against a Troyes side who looked slicker and more organised than our lot. While they may have been playing to the best of their collective abilities, we know our lot are capable of much more.   
      
Biffa

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