# 2003–04 Newcastle United F.C. season

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, 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. This defeat dropped Newcastle into the first round of the UEFA Cup.
Newcastle reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup, defeating Breda, Basel, Vålerenga, Mallorca and PSV in the competition. Newcastle were knocked out by Olympique Marseille in the semi-finals 2–0 on aggregate.
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 | Teamvte | 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 |
| 4 | Liverpool | 38 | 16 | 12 | 10 | 55 | 37 | +18 | 60 | Qualification for the Champions League third qualifying round |
| 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 | |
* ↑ 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 |
| 2 February 2004 | CF | Michael Bridges | Leeds United | Three-month loan |
* Total spending: £0

### Out

| Date | Pos. | Name | To | Fee |
| 14 October 2003 | MF | Clarence Acuña | Rosario Central | Released |
| 1 January 2004 | DF | Nikos Dabizas | Leicester City | Free |
| 25 January 2004 | FW | Carl Cort | Wolverhampton Wanderers | £2,000,000 |
| 30 January 2004 | MF | Nolberto Solano | Aston Villa | £1,500,000 |
| 30 January 2004 | DF | Gary Caldwell | Hibernian | Released |
* Total spending: £3,500,000

## First-team squad

    Squad at end of season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. 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. 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)
| No. | Pos. | Name | League | League | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Champions League | Champions League | UEFA Cup | UEFA Cup | Total | Total | Discipline | 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: