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Alan Kennedy was part of the Newcastle side beaten by Liverpool in the 1974 FA Cup Final and he expects a very different Toon display in Sunday's Carabao Cup Final
Alan Kennedy arrives at Manchester Cathedral to attend the funeral of Sir Bobby Charlton
Alan Kennedy expects a different Newcastle on Sunday
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Image: Getty Images)
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Alan Kennedy is confident Sunday’s Carabao Cup Final will be much more competitive than when he faced Liverpool at Wembley with Newcastle in the 1974 FA Cup Final.
Liverpool comprehensively beat Newcastle 3-0 in what was the sides’ only previous meeting at Wembley and in what proved to be Bill Shankly’s last game. Kennedy, who was then just 19, remembers the Toon were “naive” and told Mirror Football: “I felt Newcastle were a little bit, and some people might say a lot, naive.
“Liverpool were doing well in the league and there was a big gulf on the day. They were more professional and we were sort of like amateurish because it was our first Cup Final since 1955.”
Kennedy recalls Malcom Macdonald trying to rally Newcastle because it was still goalless at half-time when he knew Liverpool would score. “The bravado of Malcolm Macdonald was such that he said ‘listen lads, they haven’t touched us’,” he said.
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“I thought ‘Flipping heck! We were second best to a team who were just waiting to score and a few minutes after half-time they did score. I remember thinking ‘we’re in for it here’. It was 3-0, but it could have been six.”
Kennedy, 70, insists Newcastle are a totally-different proposition under Eddie Howe and feels it is just a matter of time before they win their first trophy since 1969. He loves Alexander Isak and feels the Sweden striker is a throwback to SuperMac with his goalscoring exploits.
“Newcastle have a good team and I love the manager,” he said. “Eddie Howe knows what he wants and he will get there eventually. It might not be when the fans want it and they’re all waiting for this glory day.
“Isak’s on fire and Newcastle have to play to his strengths. He gets in some very, very good positions and every time he gets the ball, he knows where the back of the net is.
Eddie Howe is preparing Newcastle for the Carabao Cup final
Eddie Howe is preparing Newcastle for the Carabao Cup final
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Image:
Getty Images)
“That’s like with Malcolm Macdonald and John Tudor, Malcom knew where the back of the net was. I like that and whether it’s a tap-in or whatever, Isak’s great at getting into that position.
“I definitely give Newcastle a chance. I think what the manager has done is put a really good attitude into the players. They don’t know when to give up and they have a style of play that I really like. It’s a very, very open game and Newcastle deserve to be there. I don’t see anybody running away with it.”
Kennedy joined Liverpool from Newcastle in 1978 and scored the winners in the 1981 and 1984 European Cup Finals. He loves watching Mohamed Salah and says he is almost as good as his all-time finest Red and former team-mate Kenny Dalglish.
“If you’ve got Mo Salah in your team, you’ve always got somebody who can do something to excite the crowd,” he said. “Kenny was my all-time favourite, but Mo Salah wouldn’t be too far away. I love the way he plays his football, but Kenny will always be my No 1.”
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