Time to replicate the fine European results

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FORM COUNTS FOR NOTHING DOMESTICALLY

- JOHNGIBSON

AFTER the caviar of the Champions League comes a bread and butter Premier League match.

However, Newcastle's domestic programme is their staple diet and they must start being consistent where it also matters greatly.

United have just won two successive European games, scoring seven goals and conceding none - figures good enough to impress any mathematician. Compare those stats with their Premier League record 14th out of 20, only two victories in eight matches, only seven goals scored in those eight fixtures.

Not for a moment would I label the Magpies Big Time Charlies but if they are to avoid such comparisons then they must get the business done on the home front.

They must score goals and win when it’s rank and file. With respect, Fulham are not Arsenal or Manchester City, Liverpool or their like, but United must be up for it and view them as an opportunity with commitment and swarming intensity to collect three points.

We are in the middle of a three-match home run in three different competitions all within a week and searching for home comforts. Indeed, starting with Benfica, four out of five confrontations were scheduled for SJP so surely this is an ideal opportunity to turn an indifferent season on to a permanent upward curve.

Why do United look so impressive in Europe's premier competition but so toothless in their domestic league? Perhaps if we look beneath the surface and accept reality there is a reason.