The inaugural Sela Cup is the ideal opportunity for Newcastle to get minutes in the legs of their whole squad ahead of the new season
Italy’s Fiorentina have arrived on our shores to renew acquaintance with Newcastle United while thousands of Geordies like myself still dream of witnessing an elusive European success after half a century of wait.
It is exactly 50 years ago – June 3, 1973 – since I visited the beautiful city of Florence to see United claim the Anglo Italian Cup 2-1 in front of 45,000 screaming locals.
Afterwards I penned in the Chronicle: “Four barren years ended in this magnificent stadium here.”
Four ‘barren years’ since United triumphed in the European Fairs Cup of 1969. If I had known what was to come I would have taken to my bed and collapsed into a permanent sleep – just as our club did!
Newcastle had battled through seven rounds to defeat Fiorentina and glint silver with a David Craig goal and they did it minus their star centre-forward Malcolm Macdonald who was away on England duty.
Funnily enough one of my lasting memories is of little Terry Hibbitt, a star performer on the night, falling down the steps leading from the pitch, landing flat on his face, and in the process putting a dent in the trophy he was carrying.
What was it with United and defacing rare silverware? When we secured the Fairs Cup skipper Bob Moncur lifted it high into the air on top of the coach transporting the victorious players from the airport to St James’ Park and hit the wires crossing the road which left a huge scorch mark etched down their prize.
Saturday’s visit of Fiorentina may be much more low key but my mind will still travel back to happy days which every Geordie now believes are about to become even happier. What lies ahead is the real deal – Champions League and Premier League.
This is a weekend for Geordies to gorge themselves on five matches, no less, packed into 24 hours without the worry of a Newcastle defeat being costly. For what it matters in five pre-season friendlies so far, the Magpies have never bowed the knee.
What does matter is putting petrol in the tank and avoiding serious injury in the process. Eddie Howe will naturally field two totally different sides against Fiorentina and Villarreal on Sunday but it would be nice if Sandro Tonali, fresh out of Serie A with AC Milan, plays against old rivals and fellow countrymen.
Tonali and AC finished fourth last season while Fiorentina were eighth in a 20-club league, one position below Juventus and ahead of the likes of Bologna, Torino, Udinese, and rock bottom Sampdoria.
Villarreal’s recent successes were, perhaps inevitably, under the tutelage of Unai Emery. He managed them sandwiched between Arsenal and Aston Villa and confirmed his stamp on a continent’s playground.
Emery won the Europa League again with them in 2021 relishing the defeat of the Gunners in the semis and then Manchester United in the final. The following campaign Villarreal progressed to the semi-finals of the Champions League after knocking out Juventus in the round of 16 and Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals before losing 5–2 on aggregate to Liverpool.
