After half a dozen forgettable European games here this season, it proved to be a lucky seven for those fans who were motivated enough to turn out and indulge in that increasingly outdated activity of actively supporting one's own side.

After the tedium of the Zulte second leg, Wigan snoozeathon and the smoggy non-event,  loyalty was repaid as Newcastle cut loose and filled their goalscoring boots for once - achieving this with some controlled, flowing football that is rarely glimpsed in domestic games.

Numerous echoes of former times at St.James' Park were evident, from the re-appearance of Van Gaal in the visitor's dugout to a rare onfield sighting of our Turkish misfit. 

One thing that wasn't spotted though was a Mexican wave of the type that famously distracted our players when they raced into a 3-0 lead against Bilbao here in October 1994.

Despite that welcome avoidance of crowd buffoonery tonight though, the Magpies still contrived to allow our opponents to regain a foothold in the tie. 

The award of the penalty and brave but futile attempts to keep it out couldn't be helped, but our attitude in the second half seemed a little triumphalist, as we quite literally took our eyes off the ball and failed to kill the tie completely.

Having scored four in the first half, history dictates that a second half repeat doesn't often come to pass. But while AZ undoubtedly organised themselves better after an interval pep talk, there remained opportunities for us to really get out of sight of the Dutch.

While we would have certainly settled pre-match for taking a two goal lead to Holland, spending the final moments pressed back as AZ looked to become the first side to net three times in a UEFA Cup tie here wasn't quite what was envisaged when cheering the lads off at half time.

At least though we showed some positivity from the off and committed men into forward positions whilst making a concerted attempt to play the ball through midfield and get to the byline, rather than the rather more familiar option of an aimless aerial assault.

And although the visitors did come back into it in terms of possession (actually coming out on top in that most meaningless of stats), they contributed to their own downfall some dallying on the ball and a reluctance to play anything resembling a physical game - a perfect example of the former being Bramble's legal cleaning out of Koevermans on the hour, although he should never had have the chance to get near the ball before it was driven past Given.  

Speaking of Shay, the most work he'd had to do before conceding the first goal was removing a cluster of black and white balloons from his area. He'd have surely twisted them expertly into a zebra and presented it to some orphans, but wouldn't want to appear a show off...

As expected Carr walked back into the side tonight while soft targets Milner and N'Zogbia were "rested" - policies that say much about our current managerial direction.

If there was one big downer tonight, it was that a vastly more enjoyable game than most of the usual shambolic slug fests we endure in the Premier League failed to draw a 30,000+ crowd.

Whilst it's sorely tempting to lay into people for dereliction of their toon-supporting duty and look at previous cup crowds here in wonderment (over 41,000 for the visit of Bradford in the League Cup Third Round here seven years ago) then there comes a time when reality intervenes. 

In a week when Niall Quinn has resorted to working the clubs in an effort to shame the missing mackem multitudes into going again and the smoggies congratulate themselves for selling 29,000 tickets to their own fans, we're not alone.

At what point does the lack of a crowd become a factor in a live televised game? 

Aside from our utter ineptness when losing here in the FA Cup to Birmingham, the most startling image evident in the TV pictures of that night were the blocks of empty seats behind the goals -  right from the off, not when people had drifted away in disgust. 

More than one watcher has since written that they never knew what colour our seats were previously - which may just be a throwaway line, but betrays the fact that the football recession has at last reached these parts.

Eyebrows were raised at the claim that night of a half-full ground of 26,000 and on other recent occasions there have been suspicions that our crowd figures included players, pigeons, policemen and passengers on the 62 bus going up Barrack Road.

So on the basis this is a no-lose situation and 20,000 people will turn up regardless of time or price, why not at least try to be imaginative in selling these unwanted seats?  

Contrary to some other fans I certainly have no desire to be punished for my loyalty by seeing blocks of seats given away to some nefarious youth organisations with a dangerously large number of adult helpers (see numerous internationals of various types here over the years).

But halving the £10 bairns rate would surely be a positive gesture - putting an extra few shekels in the pot for the other expenses involved in taking young 'uns to the match eg food, drink, transport, programme etc.

And if the Chronicle is to believed, then the walk-up scheme to try and attract fans in off the street is a complete and utter waste of time - the paper claiming that over 28,000 seats had been sold by Tuesday night.

Is a scheme to charge £20 on the gate but £15 if bought before match day really beyond our wit? 
That would certainly be a damn sight more helpful than the latest crackpot scheme to buy money off vouchers for club outlets via the programme.

At some point the apparent apathy of many will transfer itself to season ticket sale though. The annoying thing about all of this though is that it's avoidable - and gate revenues are just a fraction of the latest TV bonanza. In other words making positive pricing gestures wouldn't break the bank, but might just improve the perception of cynical punters. 

Like everything else at this place though, there has to be a will to achieve and improve matters - and that has to over-ride the inbred smugness of decades of taking punters for granted. 

For a prime example of that, look no further than tonight's kickoff of 7.30pm - something agreed before tickets were printed, only for them to duly appear with 7.45pm printed on them.    

We will hopefully progress further in this competition, but AZ's admirable home record in cup competitions and our enduring ability to screw things up mean that this one isn't over yet.

While we may struggle to keep a clean sheet over there though, certainly the ease with which Martins and Co. penetrated their defence here in the opening half hour should see us also register. 

Were we to come a cropper though, we'd merely be adding another line to the roll of dishonour that is our history - the date of the second leg marking the anniversary of among other things, losing 5-4 to Ipswich, hoying petrol bombs at Hammers and Freddy & Douggie's unwanted front page appearance in the News of the World. High time for some good news.

Looking into the future though, we need to take some of the positive attitude shown from the off here into the game at the Valley on Sunday week - rather than the unadventurous approach seen at the JJB and against the Smoggies - repeats of either won't fill the ground at any price.......

Biffa

(Answer: the 1997 minute's silence was for Louis Van Gaal's grandmother.)

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