Toon Crash Out With Half-Hearted Performance

AZ: Waterman, Jaliens, De Cler, Steinsson, De Zeeuw, Donk,Martens (Boukhari 90), Dembele, Koevermans (Opdam 84), Arveladze, Jenner (Lens 80).
Subs Not Used: Bulters, Luirink, Vormer.

NEWCASTLE: Given, Solano, Bramble, Taylor,Huntington (N'Zogbia 86), Dyer, Butt, Parker, Duff (Emre 59),Sibierski, Martins.
Subs Not Used: Harper, Luque, Milner, Moore, Carroll.

Att: 16,401

Glenn Roeder blames French referee Bertrand Layec for his UEFA Cup dreams going up in smoke in Holland, as Scott Parker saw a late 'winner' disallowed. But the fact of the matter is the Toon manager came off second best to Louis van Gaal who out-thought and out-witted him on just about every count.

The Toon Army were gutted when, with three minutes remaining, Layec blew for a foul in the build-up to Parker's goal. But looking back at the video of the incident, it was difficult to see anything that even looked remotely like a foul.

Trailing 4-2 from the first leg, the Dutchmen reduced the deficit within 14 minutes when Shota Arveladze fired home from close range when Steve Taylor failed to cut out a cross at the near post. And the Dutch club went ahead on away goals when Danny Kovermans headed home a second 11 minutes after half-time.

In truth Newcastle were rarely at the races. Van Gaal's men might have won more comfortably had it not been for the excellence of Shay Given and goal-line clearances from Taylor and 19-year-old left-back Paul Huntington.
 
We're out of the competition after sitting on a 4-1 lead at half-time in the first leg, and seeing a three goal cushion chipped away for reasons that are hard to come to terms with. We blasted the Dutch coach for insisting Roeder wasn't up to the job and the Magpies should be challenging for a Champions League place "with the players Roeder has at his disposal". But in the end, despite an amazing 45 minutes at St James' Park when Newcastle looked like world beaters, the Dutch have looked a class apart.

We all have out theories as to why this has happened, and boy there are many to touch on. Is Roeder good enough; are the players good enough; should Shepherd have backed the manager in January when it was obvious we needed a left-back; were the tactics wrong; were the players up for it? And I'm sure you have a lot more to add.

We will cover those questions in another report. As for the match in Alkmaar ...

Both Kieron Dyer and Obafemi Martins passed up glorious opportunities to pile the pressure on the home side, but it was not to be.

The Magpies arrived at the DSB Stadium knowing a clean sheet would see them through, but that scenario went out of the window within 14 minutes.

AZ won the tie because they used their widemen Jenner and Maarten to great effect, while Damien Duff continues to be the best player in the world when it comes to running round in circles out on the wing. Jenner tormented young Huntington for the whole show, and there were times when you had to feel sorry for the kid. He wasn't so much outclassed ... he wasn't even in the same ball park!

Martens, supported by full-backs Gretar Steinsson and Tim de Cler, pinned United back inside their own half for long periods, and Roeder's men just didn't seem to have the ammunition.

The former Rangers hitman was handed the simplest of tasks to open the scoring on the night when his strike-partner drilled in a cross from the right.

With Roeder once again fielding a makeshift defence - teenager Huntington came in at left-back for the injured Stephen Carr, while midfielder Nolberto Solano once again lined up on the right - the pressure was firmly on.

Taylor, who had passed a late fitness test on a calf injury, looked uncomfortable at times and Titus Bramble was left walking a tightrope by a 33rd-minute booking for a heavy challenge on Jenner.

The midfield quartet of Dyer, Parker, Butt and Duff worked tirelessly trying to cover the back four, but there was rarely anything constructive to free Martins and Sibierski.

Alkmaar keeper Boy Waterman was a spectator for much of the first half, and he didn't do that much in the second period either.

He had only one real scare when Parker whipped a right-foot shot inches over his bar on 15 minutes, but Sibierski's looping 41st-minute header was his side's first effort on target.

The Magpies dropped ever deeper as they tried to protect Given's goal, but that simply invited pressure with Martins and Sibierski once again marooned.

However, they might have taken back the advantage on 54 minutes when Dyer beat the offside trap to collect Solano's free kick and round Waterman, only to see his shot from a tight angle slide agonisingly wide.

Dyer was made to pay within two minutes when Jenner forced Huntington to concede a corner and Koevermans rose at the near post to head Martens' cross home.

But with men committed to the search for a precious goal, the Magpies were looking increasingly vulnerable at the back and Given had to save from Jenner with 18 minutes remaining.

Taylor hacked a Koevermans shot off the line after the striker had rounded the keeper seconds later, and Huntington headed away Dembele's 77th-minute shot with Given beaten.

Martins could have snatched back the tie with seven minutes remaining after being played in by Dyer, but he shot straight at the advancing Waterman.

Parker briefly thought he had won it, but Given turned an Arveladze shot on to the bar as AZ survived a late flurry with few genuine scares.