2003–04 Newcastle United F.C. season

Newcastle United
2003–04 season
Chairman	Freddie Shepherd
Manager	Bobby Robson
Stadium	St James' Park
FA Premier League	5th
FA Cup	Fourth round
League Cup	Third round
Champions League	Third qualifying round
UEFA Cup	Semi-finals
Top goalscorer	League: Alan Shearer (22); All: Alan Shearer (28)
Average home league attendance	51,996
	← 2002–03 2004–05 →

During the 2003–04 season, Newcastle United participated in the FA Premier League. This season saw the club reach the semi-finals of the 2003–04 UEFA Cup.

Newcastle finished 5th in the Premiership at the end of the season, which ensured qualification for the UEFA Cup once again for the 2004–05 season. Many fans were left disgruntled that United did not make it into the Champions League.

Season summary

Newcastle had finished the 2002–03 season third in the Premier League,^[1] entering the qualification rounds for the Champions League.

However, Newcastle did not qualify for the Champions League. They beat Partizan Belgrade 1–0 away from home, but then lost 1–0 at St James' Park and were eliminated via the penalty shootout.^[2] This defeat dropped Newcastle into the first round of the UEFA Cup.

Newcastle reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup, defeating Breda,^[3] Basel,^[4] Vålerenga,^[5] Mallorca^[6] and PSV^[7] in the competition. Newcastle were knocked out by Olympique Marseille in the semi-finals 2–0 on aggregate.^[8]

In the league, the team were unable to repeat the success of the previous two seasons as Liverpool pipped them to the fourth Champions League spot in the last week of the season. Newcastle were able to nip in ahead of Aston Villa and Charlton Athletic to take fifth place and qualify for the UEFA Cup.

The club could have finished higher if they hadn't started and ended the season with terrible runs. Newcastle failed to win until October in the league and ended the season by winning only one of their last seven league games. The club's away form was a major Achilles heel, with the club registering only 2 away wins (at Middlesbrough and Fulham in the space of 4 days) and a staggering 12 away draws.

Jermaine Jenas
Shola Ameobi
Gary Speed

Final league table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
3	Manchester United	38	23	6	9	64	35	+29	75	Qualification for the Champions League third qualifying round^[a]
4	Liverpool	38	16	12	10	55	37	+18	60
5	Newcastle United	38	13	17	8	52	40	+12	56	Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round
6	Aston Villa	38	15	11	12	48	44	+4	56
7	Charlton Athletic	38	14	11	13	51	51	0	53

Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:

^ Since Manchester United qualified for the Champions League, their place in the UEFA Cup as 2003–04 FA Cup winners went to First Division club Millwall, who were the FA Cup runners-up.

Team kit

The team kit for the 2003–04 season was produced by Adidas and the main shirt sponsor was Northern Rock.

Club transfers

In

Date	Pos.	Name	From	Fee
1 July 2003	MF	Lee Bowyer	West Ham United	Free^[9]
2 February 2004	CF	Michael Bridges	Leeds United	Three-month loan^[10]

Total spending: £0

Out

Date	Pos.	Name	To	Fee
14 October 2003	MF	Clarence Acuña	Rosario Central	Released^[11]
1 January 2004	DF	Nikos Dabizas	Leicester City	Free^[12]
25 January 2004	FW	Carl Cort	Wolverhampton Wanderers	£2,000,000^[13]
30 January 2004	MF	Nolberto Solano	Aston Villa	£1,500,000^[14]
30 January 2004	DF	Gary Caldwell	Hibernian	Released^[15]

Total spending: £3,500,000

First-team squad

Squad at end of season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
1	GK	IRL	Shay Given
2	DF	ENG	Andy Griffin
3	DF	ENG	Robbie Elliott
5	DF	IRL	Andy O'Brien
7	MF	ENG	Jermaine Jenas
8	MF	ENG	Kieron Dyer
9	FW	ENG	Alan Shearer (captain)
10	FW	WAL	Craig Bellamy
11	MF	WAL	Gary Speed (vice-captain)
12	GK	ENG	Steve Harper
14	FW	ENG	Michael Bridges
17	MF	ENG	Darren Ambrose
18	DF	NIR	Aaron Hughes
19	DF	ENG	Titus Bramble
20	FW	COD	Lomana LuaLua
21	MF	PAR	Diego Gavilán


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
22	DF	ENG	Jamie McClen
23	FW	NGA	Shola Ameobi
24	GK	ENG	Tony Caig
25	MF	SCO	Brian Kerr
27	DF	ENG	Jonathan Woodgate
28	FW	ENG	Michael Chopra
29	MF	ENG	Lee Bowyer
30	DF	SCO	Steven Caldwell
32	MF	FRA	Laurent Robert
33	GK	ENG	Adam Collin
35	DF	FRA	Olivier Bernard
37	FW	COD	Calvin Zola
38	DF	ENG	Steven Taylor
39	MF	ENG	Martin Brittain
40	MF	ENG	Bradley Orr
45	MF	POR	Hugo Viana

Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
4	MF	PER	Nolberto Solano (to Aston Villa)
6	MF	CHI	Clarence Acuña (released)
14	DF	ENG	Wayne Quinn (on loan to West Ham United)


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
16	FW	ENG	Carl Cort (to Wolverhampton Wanderers)
34	DF	GRE	Nikos Dabizas (to Leicester City)
36	DF	SCO	Gary Caldwell (to Hibernian)

Appearances, goals and cards

(Starting appearances + substitute appearances)^[16]

No.	Pos.	Name	League		FA Cup		League Cup		Champions League		UEFA Cup		Total		Discipline
No.	Pos.	Name	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	Shay Given	38	0	2	0	0	0	2	0	11	0	53	0	1	0
2	DF	Andy Griffin	5	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	1	0	8	0	2	0
4	MF	Nolberto Solano	8+4	0	2	0	1	0	2	1	2+1	0	15+5	1	0	0
5	DF	Andy O'Brien	27+1	1	1	0	0	0	2	0	10+1	0	40+2	1	5	2
7	MF	Jermaine Jenas	26+5	2	2	0	1	0	0+2	0	10	1	39+7	3	5	0
8	MF	Kieron Dyer	25	1	0	2	2	2	2	0	4+1	0	33+1	3	2	0
9	FW	Alan Shearer	37	22	2	0	0+1	0	2	0	10	6	51+1	28	3	0
10	FW	Craig Bellamy	13+3	4	0	0	0	0	1	0	6+1	5	20+4	9	4	0
11	MF	Gary Speed	37+1	3	2	0	0+1	0	2	0	11	1	52+2	4	6	0
12	GK	Steve Harper	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	2	0	0	0
14	FW	Michael Bridges	0+6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1+2	0	1+8	0	1	0
17	MF	Darren Ambrose	10+14	2	0+1	0	0+1	0	0	0	6+5	1	16+21	3	3	0
18	DF	Aaron Hughes	34	0	2	0	0	0	1	0	10	0	47	0	1	0
19	DF	Titus Bramble	27+2	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	11	3	40+2	3	9	0
20	FW	Lomana LuaLua	2+5	2	0+1	0	1	0	0+1	0	0+1	0	3+8	0	1	0
23	FW	Shola Ameobi	18+8	7	0+1	0	1	0	1+1	0	7+4	3	27+14	10	2	0
27	DF	Jonathan Woodgate	18	0	2	0	0	0	2	0	5	0	27	0	3	0
28	FW	Michael Chopra	1+5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1+5	0	0	0
29	MF	Lee Bowyer	17+7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0+1	0	17+8	2	6	0
30	DF	Steven Caldwell	3+2	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0+1	0	4+3	0	1	0
32	MF	Laurent Robert	31+4	6	2	2	1	1	1+1	0	11+1	3	46+6	12	1	1
35	DF	Olivier Bernard	35	1	2	0	1	0	2	0	11	0	51	0	1	0
38	DF	Steven Taylor	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0+1	0	1+1	0	0	0
39	MF	Martin Brittain	0+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0+1	0	0+2	0	0	0
45	MF	Hugo Viana	5+11	0	0+1	0	1	0	1	0	4+4	0	11+16	0	3	0

Coaching staff

Position	Staff
Manager	Bobby Robson
Assistant Manager	John Carver
First Team coach	Nigel Pearson
Goalkeeping Coach	Simon Smith
Development Coach	Arthur Cox
Reserve Team Coach	Steve Clarke
Chief scout	David Ginola

Last updated: 3 May 2011
Source: [1]

Results

Pre-season

18 July 2003	Newcastle United	2–1	Doncaster Rovers	Newcastle upon Tyne
	Speed 20' Dyer 30'		Gill 40'	Stadium: Darsley Park

24 July 2003 PL Asia Cup	Newcastle United	2–1	Birmingham City	Kuala Lumpur
20:45 MST 08:00 UTC	Shearer 36' (pen.) Ameobi 75'		Devlin 72' (pen.)	Stadium: Bukit Jalil Stadium Attendance: 14,600 Referee: Rob Styles

27 July 2003 PL Asia Cup	Chelsea	0–0 (a.e.t.) (5–4 p)	Newcastle United	Kuala Lumpur
20:45 MST 08:00 UTC				Stadium: Bukit Jalil Stadium Attendance: 41,500 Referee: Andy D'Urso
	Penalties
	Lampard Duff Huth Guðjohnsen Hasselbaink Keenan Terry		Shearer Robert Dyer Bowyer Bellamy Woodgate Jenas

1 August 2003	Sheffield Wednesday	4–3	Newcastle United	Sheffield
19:45	Owusu 2' Smith 68' Armstrong 77' Kuqi 79'		Dyer 20' Ameobi 46' LuaLua 65'	Stadium: Hillsborough Stadium Attendance: 14,995 Referee: Howard Webb

1 August 2003	Hartlepool United	0–6	Newcastle United	Hartlepool
19:15			Bellamy 9' Shearer 17', 29', 35' Solano 46' Speed 53'	Stadium: Victoria Park Attendance: 4,712

4 August 2003	Hull City	0–4	Newcastle United	Hull
19:45			Chopra 21', 59' Ameobi 35' Cort 90'	Stadium: Kingston Communications Stadium Attendance: 15,206

5 August 2003	Newcastle United	2–2	Bayern Munich	Newcastle upon Tyne
	Shearer 39', 85'		Hargreaves 60' Pizarro 89'	Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 32,277

Premier League

17 August 2003	Leeds United	2–2	Newcastle United	Leeds
	Viduka 24' Smith 57'	Report	Shearer 20' (pen.), 88'	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 36,766 Referee: Alan Wiley

23 August 2003	Newcastle United	1–2	Manchester United	Newcastle upon Tyne
	Shearer 26'	Report	van Nistelrooy 51' Scholes 59'	Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 52,165 Referee: Uriah Rennie

30 August 2003	Newcastle United	0–1	Birmingham City	Newcastle upon Tyne
15:00		Report	Dunn 61'	Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 52,006 Referee: Matt Messias

13 September 2003	Everton	2–2	Newcastle United	Liverpool
	Naysmith 58' Radzinski 67' Ferguson 88' (pen.)	Report	Robert 40' Shearer 59' (pen.), 82' (pen.)	Stadium: Goodison Park Attendance: 40,228 Referee: Rob Styles

20 September 2003	Newcastle United	0–0	Bolton Wanderers	Newcastle upon Tyne
		Report		Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 52,014 Referee: Graham Barber

26 September 2003	Arsenal	3–2	Newcastle United	London
	Henry 18', 80' (pen.) Silva 67'	Report	Robert 26' Bernard 71'	Stadium: Highbury Attendance: 38,112 Referee: Mike Riley

4 October 2003	Newcastle United	1–0	Southampton	Newcastle upon Tyne
	Shearer 44'	Report		Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 52,127 Referee: Phil Dowd

18 October 2003	Middlesbrough	0–1	Newcastle United	Middlesbrough
		Report	Ameobi 21'	Stadium: Riverside Stadium Attendance: 34,081 Referee: Alan Wiley

21 October 2003	Fulham	2–3	Newcastle United	London
	Clark 6' Saha 8'	Report	Robert 16' Shearer 51', 56' (pen.)	Stadium: Loftus Road Attendance: 16,506 Referee: Barry Knight

25 October 2003	Newcastle United	3–0	Portsmouth	Newcastle upon Tyne
	Speed 17' Shearer 28' (pen.) Ameobi 61'	Report		Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 52,161 Referee: Paul Durkin

1 November 2003	Newcastle United	1–1	Aston Villa	Newcastle upon Tyne
15:00	Robert 45'	Report	Dublin 11' McCann 70'	Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 51,975 Referee: Matt Messias

9 November 2003	Chelsea	5–0	Newcastle United	London
16:00	Johnson 25' Crespo 40' Lampard 42' (pen.) Duff 78' Guðjohnsen 84'	Report	O'Brien	Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 41,332 Referee: Paul Durkin

22 November 2003	Newcastle United	3–0	Manchester City	Newcastle upon Tyne
	Ameobi 57' Shearer 77', 85'	Report		Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 51,159 Referee: Neale Barry

29 November 2003	Wolverhampton Wanderers	1–1	Newcastle United	Wolverhampton
	Blake 27'	Report	Shearer 31'	Stadium: Molineux Stadium Attendance: 29,344 Referee: Steve Bennett

6 December 2003	Newcastle United	1–1	Liverpool	Newcastle upon Tyne
	Shearer 63' (pen.)	Report	Murphy 6'	Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 52,151 Referee: Graham Poll

13 December 2003	Newcastle United	4–0	Tottenham Hotspur	Newcastle upon Tyne
	Robert 35', 55' Shearer 59', 66'	Report		Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 52,139 Referee: Alan Wiley

20 December 2003	Charlton Athletic	0–0	Newcastle United	London
		Report		Stadium: The Valley Attendance: 26,508 Referee: Steve Bennett

26 December 2003	Leicester City	1–1	Newcastle United	Leicester
	Dickov 67'	Report	Ambrose 90'	Stadium: Walkers Stadium Attendance: 32,148 Referee: Chris Foy

28 December 2003	Newcastle United	0–1	Blackburn Rovers	Newcastle upon Tyne
		Report	Gallagher 72'	Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 51,648 Referee: Mark Halsey

7 January 2004	Newcastle United	1–0	Leeds United	Newcastle upon Tyne
19:45	Shearer 4'	Report		Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 52,130 Referee: Phil Dowd

11 January 2004	Manchester United	0–0	Newcastle United	Manchester
16:05		Report		Stadium: Old Trafford Attendance: 67,622 Referee: Paul Durkin

19 January 2004	Newcastle United	3–1	Fulham	Newcastle upon Tyne
20:00	O'Brien 4' Speed 41' Robert 54'	Report	Davis 74'	Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 50,104 Referee: Neale Barry

31 January 2004	Birmingham City	1–1	Newcastle United	Birmingham
15:00	John 90'	Report	Speed 37'	Stadium: St Andrew's Attendance: 29,513 Referee: Rob Styles

7 February 2004	Newcastle United	3–1	Leicester City	Newcastle upon Tyne
15:00	Ameobi 30' Taggart 37' (o.g.) Jenas 59'	Report	Ferdinand 80'	Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 52,125 Referee: Steve Dunn

11 February 2004	Blackburn Rovers	1–1	Newcastle United	Blackburn
20:00	Stead 85'	Report	Bellamy 52'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 23,459 Referee: Matt Messias

21 February 2004	Newcastle United	2–1	Middlesbrough	Newcastle upon Tyne
15:00	Bellamy 63' Shearer 83' (pen.)	Report	Zenden 33'	Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 52,156 Referee: Graham Poll

29 February 2004	Portsmouth	1–1	Newcastle United	Portsmouth
15:00	LuaLua 89'	Report	Bellamy 34'	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 20,140 Referee: Andy D'Urso

14 March 2004	Tottenham Hotspur	1–0	Newcastle United	London
15:00	O'Brien 86' (o.g.)	Report		Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 36,083 Referee: Howard Webb

20 March 2004	Newcastle United	3–1	Charlton Athletic	Newcastle upon Tyne
17:30	Shearer 2', 77' Jenas 35'	Report	Jensen 54'	Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 51,847 Referee: Mike Riley

28 March 2004	Bolton Wanderers	1–0	Newcastle United	Bolton
14:00	Pedersen 4'	Report		Stadium: Reebok Stadium Attendance: 27,360 Referee: Mike Dean

3 April 2004	Newcastle United	4–2	Everton	Newcastle upon Tyne
15:00	Bellamy 5' Dyer 21' Shearer 52', 90'	Report	Gravesen 12' Yobo 81'	Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 42,155 Referee: Dermot Gallagher

11 April 2004	Newcastle United	0–0	Arsenal	Newcastle upon Tyne
16:05		Report		Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 52,141 Referee: Paul Durkin

18 April 2004	Aston Villa	0–0	Newcastle United	Birmingham
14:00		Report	O'Brien 10'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 40,786 Referee: Barry Knight

25 April 2004	Newcastle United	2–1	Chelsea	Newcastle upon Tyne
14:00	Ameobi 44' Shearer 48'	Report	Cole 5'	Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 52,016 Referee: Rob Styles

1 May 2004	Manchester City	1–0	Newcastle United	Manchester
15:00	Wanchope 59'	Report		Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 47,227 Referee: Mark Halsey

9 May 2004	Newcastle United	1–1	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Newcastle upon Tyne
15:00	Bowyer 38'	Report	Ganea 70'	Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 52,139 Referee: Matt Messias

12 May 2004	Southampton	3–3	Newcastle United	Southampton
20:00	Beattie 19' Bramble 39' (o.g.) Griffit 88'	Report	Ameobi 7' Bowyer 35' Ambrose 90'	Stadium: St Mary's Stadium Attendance: 31,815 Referee: Graham Poll

15 May 2004	Liverpool	1–1	Newcastle United	Liverpool
15:00	Owen 67'	Report	Ameobi 25'	Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 44,172 Referee: Mike Riley

Champions League

13 August 2003 3rd qual rd. 1st leg	Partizan Belgrade	0–1	Newcastle United	Belgrade
		Report	Solano 38'	Stadium: Stadion FK Partizan Attendance: 32,500 Referee: Vladimir Hrinak (Slovakia)

27 August 2003 3rd qual rd. 2nd leg	Newcastle United	0–1 (a.e.t.) (1–1 agg.) (3–4 p)	Partizan Belgrade	Newcastle upon Tyne
		Report	Iliev 50'	Stadium: St James' Park Referee: Jan Wegereef (Netherlands)
	Penalties
	Shearer Dyer Woodgate Ameobi LuaLua Jenas Hughes		Malbaša Nađ Stojanoski Radaković Iliev Ilić Cirkovic

UEFA Cup

24 September 2003 R1 1st leg	Newcastle United	5–0	NAC Breda	Newcastle upon Tyne
	Bellamy 31', 37' Bramble 59' Shearer 77' Ambrose 89'	Report		Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 36,007

15 October 2003 R1 2nd leg	NAC Breda	0–1 (0–6 agg.)	Newcastle United	Breda
		Report	Robert 86'	Stadium: Rat Verlegh Stadion Attendance: 16,400 Referee: Espen Berntsen (Norway)

6 November 2003 R2 1st leg	FC Basel	2–3	Newcastle United	Basel
	Cantaluppi 11' Chipperfield 15'	Report	Robert 14' Bramble 37' Ameobi 75'	Stadium: St. Jakob-Park Attendance: 30,000 Referee: Tom Henning Øvrebø (Norway)

27 November 2003 R2 2nd leg	Newcastle United	1–0 (4–2 agg.)	FC Basel	Newcastle upon Tyne
	Smiljanić 14' (o.g.)	Report		Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 40,387 Referee: Knud Erik Fisker (Denmark)

26 February 2004 R3 1st leg	Vålerenga	1–1	Newcastle United	Oslo
	Normann 54'	Report	Bellamy 39'	Stadium: Ullevaal Stadion Attendance: 17,039 Referee: Grzegorz Gilewski (Poland)

3 March 2004 R3 2nd leg	Newcastle United	3–1 (4–2 agg.)	Vålerenga	Newcastle upon Tyne
	Shearer 19' Ameobi 47', 89'	Report	Hagen 25'	Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 38,531 Referee: Eric Braamhaar (Netherlands)

11 March 2004 R4 1st leg	Newcastle United	4–1	Mallorca	Newcastle upon Tyne
	Bellamy 67' Shearer 71' Robert 74' Bramble 84'	Report	Moya 35' Correa 57'	Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 38,012 Referee: Alain Hamer (Luxembourg)

25 March 2004 R4 2nd leg	Mallorca	0–3 (1–7 agg.)	Newcastle United	Palma, Majorca
		Report	Shearer 46', 89' Bellamy 78'	Stadium: Son Moix Attendance: 11,500 Referee: Konrad Plautz (Austria)

8 April 2004 Quarter-final 1st leg	PSV Eindhoven	1–1	Newcastle United	Eindhoven
	Kežman 15'	Report	Jenas 45'	Stadium: Philips Stadion Attendance: 35,000 Referee: Gilles Veissière (France)

14 April 2004 Quarter-final 2nd leg	Newcastle United	2–1 (3–2 agg.)	PSV Eindhoven	Newcastle upon Tyne
	Shearer 9' Speed 66'	Report	Kežman 52' (pen.)	Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 50,083 Referee: Manuel Mejuto González (Spain)

22 April 2004 Semi-final 1st leg	Newcastle United	0–0	Marseille	Newcastle upon Tyne
		Report		Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 52,004 Referee: Valentin Ivanov (Russia)

6 May 2004 Semi-final 2nd leg	Marseille	2–0 (2–0 agg.)	Newcastle United	Marseille
	Drogba 18', 82'	Report		Stadium: Stade Vélodrome Attendance: 57,500 Referee: Ľuboš Micheľ (Slovakia)

FA Cup

3 January 2004 Round 3	Southampton	0–3	Newcastle United	Southampton
		Report	Dyer 24', 67' Robert 39'	Stadium: St Mary's Stadium Attendance: 28,456 Referee: Mike Dean

24 January 2004 Round 4	Liverpool	2–1	Newcastle United	Liverpool
	Cheyrou 2', 61'	Report	Robert 4'	Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 41,365 Referee: Graham Poll

League Cup

29 October 2003 Round 3	Newcastle United	1–2 (a.e.t.)	West Bromwich Albion	Newcastle upon Tyne
	Robert 79'	Report	Ameobi 29' (o.g.) Hughes 101'	Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 46,932 Referee: Neale Barry