10 Times Newcastle United Totally Bottled It In The Big Game

5. AZ Alkmaar 2-0 NUFC

Competition: UEFA Cup Last-16 Season: 2006/07 The beginning of the end for Glenn Roeder on a night when our European adventure ended with a strikingly familiar capitulation to the one experienced in Lisbon two years earlier. It seemed inconceivable that Newcastle would yield a two-goal advantage to Alkmaar at the DSB Stadion having beaten the Dutch side 4-2 at St James' Park in the first leg. Alas, our castle in Scotland was rendered a mere pipe dream in the end as reality intervened and we gifted AZ passage to the last-16. Losing on "away goals" was a kick in the teeth but the manner of the defeat wasn't enough to dull the pain of a timid surrender to team who weren't exactly world-beaters. Roeder's team selection read like a suicide note and leaving James Milner, by far the best player at the Club, on the bench for the full 90 minutes must be regarded as a concession of failure. It spoke volumes that he didn't see out the season at St James' Park as we lost four of his final seven Premier League games immediately following our European exit.