Interesting to read through these BBC Sport comments, following on from Newcastle United winning 6-1 away at Qarabat FK.
The comments from neutrals especially telling…
A lot of it different to what Newcastle United fans had come to expect from the BBC Sport ‘neutrals’.
The BBC Sport comments from neutrals in the past had been overwhelmingly a catalogue of abuse aimed at NUFC supporters.
Particularly stuff about the Newcastle United owners and the media-inspired pile-ons that NUFC fans have become used to, when blamed for who now owns their club.
On this occasion the politics entirely absent, concentrating instead on matters on the pitch…
The BBC Sport readers comments from neutrals including some Aston Villa fans and the odd Mackem, no Qarabat FK fans, though one or two Newcastle supporters also contributing:
‘Great result. The only English team I’d like to see do well in this. Deserved win against us in the fa cup too. UTV’
‘With Villa’s injury problems I would like all English teams to do well for the coefficient, we may be 3rd but a cushion of 5th place would help lift some pressure. Well done Newcastle making it 6 in the game and 6 in the last 16.’
‘Great result. Excellent all round performance. Now let’s hear from the “Eddie out” brigade…’
‘Calm down calm down dear you are beaten a club that has been accepted by FIFA.s bribery!!
Its only Qravuahhhh lol I can’t even spell their names they are that much unknown a little club even country.’
‘Hopefully this will end the online mackem campaign to undermine Eddie. Although the fact that mackems stir trouble online, only serves to illustrate what a good job Eddie is doing. If he wasn’t, they wouldn’t want rid of him.’
‘Really? I’m a neutral but this smacks of very wishful thinking. It might just be that out of the thousands and thousands of Newcastle fans, there are quite a few numpties. I think it’s more adult to accept that rather than blaming poor Sunderland. Enjoy your success and leave them alone, it’s a bit pathetic.’
‘To think Gordon’s scored the same amount of goals in 45 mins of CL football than the Mackems have had European games.’
‘Congrats to Gordon for his hatrick plus. The number of times he missed easy chances show why he is not a natural goalscorer. Mbappe or Kane would have had a dozen given those chances. Very poor.’
‘Why though, why not just stay silent if your only aim is to show us all that you’re a sad and lonely little child.’
‘One of those games.
Win easily and people say yeh well, poor opposition.
Well done the mags.’
‘What others say really doesn’t matter. That was a sublime performance from your team, and fair play to all those who went on such a long trip.. that’s dedication.
You might have ruined my FA Cup dreams for another season on Saturday but I’d still love it if you went far in this competition. Good luck.’
’24 Attempts…Keegan levels
Good win
Happy bday wor Bobby.’
‘Kochalski was outstanding in goal for Qarabag tonight!
Without him Newcastle united could have scored 12 or 15 goals!
Great performance from Newcastle united.
Woeful from Qarabag.’
‘Congrats to Newcastle on showIng money bags Chelsea how to handle a carrier bag.’
‘Congrats Newcastle think you might sneak through on that result lol.
You can only beat what is in front of you and you did it in style (Villa fan).’
‘From a moral point of view, Qarabag are more deserving of their Champions League spot than Newcastle. If you’re saying that Newcastle warrant the spot more because they won the game convincingly then you might as well give champions league spots to every PL side and the majority of championship sides (who’d all make light work of Qarabag) !!’
‘This puts the European Cup triumph of Man Utd in 1968 into a bit of perspective, in the five ties they played in, the first three were against Hibernians of Malta, Sarajevo & Górnik Zabrze of Poland. Getting through to the semis was no great feat. At that time winning the Fairs Cup was a much harder task.’
‘More mackems on here than they get at home games. Obsessed.’
‘Mackems talking about Newcastle is as old as the hills.
This season’s novelty is all the numerous Liverpool supporters and their numerous curmudgeonly posts!
We are definitely rattling cages beyond that small town in Durham these days!’
‘Lets see what yous do against a proper team on Saturday night ,ya fans are quick to call arsenal the bottlers ,well let’s see how your super team play on Saturday’
‘So much bitterness on here. You can only beat what’s in front of you. Newcastle have one foot in the knock out stages and I’d say that is a pretty decent achievement. ‘
Photo by Aziz Karimov/Getty Images
‘Qarabag Keeper probably deserves the MOTM. Played the game of his life. Would have been 0-10 at half time.
Perhaps spared the blushes of not just his team but Azerbaijan too.’
‘Well done NEWC my 2nd fav team, LIVERPOOL been my 1st, had many great times there as thats where my best mate was from, lovely people who always made us welcome, not hard to like NUFC either with the likes of KEEGAN, SHEARER [my idol] B ROBSON & MAC’DONALD over the years.’
‘Brilliant result.
Lets not forget that is close on 13 games in 40 days and has to be the most travelled team in that period out of the Premier league.
Then off to Man City on Saturday.
Congratulations Newcastle and the travelling supporters Congratulations Newcastle and the travelling supporters, best in the land, if not Europe.’
‘Not even the best fans in the North-East.’
‘Amazing Geordie support in Baku !’
‘Anthony Gordon was outstanding tonight. Not just the goals but his link up play and press were world class. Totally deserved to take the second penalty – he created it! Shearer would never have handed the ball over to someone else either…’
‘And there was me thinking a draw would be fine.’
‘I hope Newcastle don’t rest their first team for the return leg.
The fans that travelled all that way deserve better at St James’, and Newcastle could now easily register the biggest score ever in a 2 game CL tie.
Those kind of stats always get mentioned during games, so go for it. Have them mentioning Newcastle for years as the team that won a 2 tie game 14-1.’
‘The record aggregate win is Benfica 18-0 Stade Dudelange in 65/66 so they’ll need to win the home leg by 13 goals to better that. You never know lol.’