Premier League team Newcastle United slammed after getting thrashed 8-0 by a second-string A-League All Stars squad in Melbourne
- A-League All Stars hammered a Newcastle United youth team
- There were no big names from the Magpies in sight on Friday
- Some tickets in Melbourne cost $700, fans felt ripped off
Newcastle United has been accused of ousting disgruntled football fans after the Premier League side were embarrassed 8-0 by second division A-League All Stars on Friday evening.
Two days after playing Tottenham in Melbourne, the Magpies played an under-21 squad at Marvel Stadium – and were left red-faced.
The hosts went into turmoil, with goals from Wellington Phoenix’s Ben Old, young Western Sydney Wanderers player Nicolas Milanovic and A-League golden boot winner Adam Taggart making it 3-0 at half-time .
Patrick Kisnorbo’s side were even more ruthless in the second half, finding the back of the net five more times.
Supporters understandably felt shortchanged – and with some tickets costing up to $700, paying to watch Premier League stars and seeing youth team players instead was unacceptable in the eyes of many.
Newcastle United have been accused of ripping off football fans after the Premier League side (right) were embarrassed 8-0 by a second-tier A-League All Stars team
Two days after playing Tottenham in Melbourne, the Magpies and manager Eddie Howe (pictured) played an under-21 squad at Marvel Stadium.
Many Newcastle fans, both based in Australia and traveling from around the world, were embarrassed by the full-time scoreline
What many football fans didn’t know was that many of Newcastle’s first-team stars left Australia on Wednesday following the 1-1 draw with Spurs at the MCG (pictured: a youthful Newcastle XI).
‘Embarrassing level of disrespect. Fly halfway around the world. Put the check in your pocket and play the B team,” one fan further wrote Newcastle’s page on X full time.
Another sarcastically posted: “The future looks bright.”
A third simply weighed in: “embarrassing.”
And in a telling insult, San Marino – the boys of world football given their record of one win and nine draws in 203 games as a nation – mocked the Magpies on social media.
In response to the result, they cheekily posted: ‘We want to play against you. We have similar levels.”
What many football fans didn’t know was that many of Newcastle’s first-team stars have left Australia following the 1-1 draw with Spurs at the MCG on Wednesday night.
The likes of Lewis Hall, Elliot Anderson and England’s Kieran Trippier remained on local soil but wisely did not take part in Friday’s match.
Luckily for fans decked out in black and white, the shocking result won’t end up in the record books.
That dubious honor followed a 9-0 defeat to Burton Wanderers on April 15, 1895 – three years after the club was founded.
It comes as the two friendlies organized for the Magpies – part of Global Football Week in Melbourne – have come under heavy criticism.
Former Newcastle legend Alan Shearer described it as pure ‘madness’.
England manager Gareth Southgate, who has included Trippier in his provisional squad for Euro 2024, described the friendlies as ‘not good news’.