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.
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.
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 Cupwinners 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.