By Matthew Jones
August 9 2002

Back in the days of Terry Hibbitt, Terry Mac, Supermac and 'Hallalujah' John Tudor, we played a team from Brazil called SC Internacional in a friendly at SJP. March 1974 if I remember right, and we were a little disappointed there were no Brazilian household names. Back in the days of Terry Hibbitt, Terry Mac, Supermac and 'Hallalujah' John Tudor, we played a team from Brazil called SC Internacional in a friendly at SJP. March 1974 if I remember right, and we were a little disappointed there were no Brazilian household names.

But for 90 minutes they made Newcastle look like amateurs. They took the game by the scruff of the neck and toyed with Newcastle like a dog with a bone.

I'm not saying it was that bad last night against Barcelona, because for the early period we were carried away on the hopes and prayers of the vocal 51,000 crowd. But once the dust settled, and we had failed to convert any of the early chances, the visitors stepped up a gear and turned the screw.

It was competitive, as you would expect. Even more so when the Spaniards came close to taking the piss. But the boys were there to show what we had to offer the new Premiership campaign, and pit our talents against one of Europe's finest.

Sadly, after 90 minutes when the crowd refused to be down beat, I walked away asking more questions than I had answers for.

While Barca were playing Parma, Ajax and Manchester United in preparation for their Champions League qualifier next Wednesday, was Sir Bobby right giving his boys four games against Dutch opposition that were no more than pub teams?

Lulled into a sense of false security having scored 22 goals and let in none against a bunch of amateurs, we went to the City Ground at Nottingham and took a hammering. Wolves was better, but only just. Then came the mighty Barca.

Let's face facts, with O'Brien, Bellamy and Robert out of action, this is the line-up that will face the Bosnians on Wednesday.

A back-line of Hughes-Bramble-Dabizas-Bernard, and we can only hope they settle in time to tackle the biggest game we have played in years.

"They need time to settle", is the phrase so often used this last week. But sadly folks, there is no more time left. The next match is the REAL deal. We stand or fall by it.

Yet, what is there to settle? We only signed two players this summer so is that a major problem? The rest took us to fourth place in the Premiership for God's sake, so we only have to look at Bramble and Viana.

Back to the match last night, Shearer had a couple of efforts early on and Dyer was only stopped by a superb tackle that was right out of the top drawer.

Lua Lua came close when he shot wide, and two free-kicks in two minutes tested the sights and shooting skills of Shearer and Solano. Sadly neither made much of an impression.

With Newcastle firing blanks, Barca broke away to show how it should be done. Kluivert proved too hot to handle for Nikos Dabizas, and he skipped past Titus Bramble too, just to rub it in. His finish was well executed as slipped the ball under Shay Given.

Seven minutes later Mendieta found Saviola, and the midfielder chipped the ball over Given's head into the empty net.

United came out for the second half determined to put on a show for the huge Geordie crowd, but within three minutes Barca had the ball past Given yet again. Luis Enrique doesn't need time and space to punish a rattled defence. Yet when you GIVE him it, he'll gladly accept it just the same, only pick his spot a little more easily.

It could have been worse. Bramble bundled over Enrique to gift the Spaniards a penalty but Given pulled off a great save to deny Kluivert his second.

Robson is right to play down the result, although the performance must have left him a little concerned (at the least). He's got his work cut out to build up the confidence after this, but I'm sure he'll have his side ready for Bosnia. It is a Champions League game after all, and anyone who isn't up for it shouldn't be at this club.

The biggest 'plus' of last season was seeing us bounce back from going a goal behind. We never saw heads drop, because we had a pensioner stood on the touch-line going red in the face with passion. He won't accept defeat ... and that will be what takes us into the Champions League.

This was just 'pretend'. Next week is for real!