- The A-League All Stars thrashed a Newcastle United youth team
- No big-name Magpies stars on Friday
- Some Melbourne tickets cost $700, fans felt ripped off
Newcastle United have been accused of ripping off disgruntled football fans after the Premier League side were embarrassed 8-0 by a second-string A-League All Stars side on Friday night.
Two days after playing Tottenham in Melbourne, the Magpies fielded an under-21 team at Marvel Stadium and were left red-faced.
The hosts went on a rampage, with goals from Wellington Phoenix’s Ben Old, Western Sydney Wanderers youngster 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 on a further five occasions.
Fans were understandably disappointed, and with some tickets costing up to $700, paying to see Premier League stars and instead watching youth team players 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-string A-League All Stars side.
Two days after playing Tottenham in Melbourne, the Magpies and coach Eddie Howe (pictured) fielded an under-21 team at Marvel Stadium.
Many Newcastle fans, both based in Australia and around the world, were embarrassed by the full-time score.
What many football fans didn’t know is that many of Newcastle’s first-team stars flew in from Australia on Wednesday following the 1-1 draw with Spurs at the MCG (pictured, a young Newcastle XI).
‘Shameful levels of disrespect. She flies to the other side of the world. He saves the check and plays with the B team,” one fan wrote on Newcastle Page on X full time.
Another sarcastically posted: “the future is bright.”
A third simply chimed in with: “shameful.”
And in a telling insult, San Marino – the scapegoats of world football given their record of one win and nine draws in 203 matches 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 flew in from Australia following the 1-1 draw with Spurs at the MCG on Wednesday night.
Players such as Lewis Hall, Elliot Anderson and England’s Kieran Trippier remained on home soil but wisely sat out Friday’s match.
Fortunately for fans clad in black and white, the shocking result won’t go into the record books.
That dubious honor came after a 9-0 defeat to Burton Wanderers on April 15, 1895, three years after the club was founded.
It comes as two post-season friendlies organized for the Magpies, part of World Football Week in Melbourne, came under widespread criticism.
Former Newcastle legend Alan Shearer described it as pure “madness”.
England manager Gareth Southgate, who named Trippier in his provisional squad for Euro 2024, described the friendlies as “not good news”.