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Dyer's warm reception raises Robson's spirits

Newcastle United 0 Tottenham Hotspur 1

Scott Barnes
Monday 23 August 2004 00:00 BST
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The faces that trudged past Bobby Robson on the final whistle said it all. Kieron Dyer, head down, eyes to the floor. Alan Shearer, a milk-curdling scowl. Patrick Kluivert, a dismissive toss of the tape torn from his socks. Craig Bellamy, eyes fixed forward, head shaking in disbelief, straggly blond ponytail swaying from side to side.

The faces that trudged past Bobby Robson on the final whistle said it all. Kieron Dyer, head down, eyes to the floor. Alan Shearer, a milk-curdling scowl. Patrick Kluivert, a dismissive toss of the tape torn from his socks. Craig Bellamy, eyes fixed forward, head shaking in disbelief, straggly blond ponytail swaying from side to side.

Robson valiantly slapped their backs as they disappeared in a surly silence broken only by a lowing sound rolling off the emptying terraces. Two games in, one point won, and there's an air of crisis at St James' Park. Not a full-blown crisis, just an air, which is why the booing at the final whistle was quite gentle - a mark of displeasure, rather than a spiteful outburst of derision and venom.

"I have to think clearly and as positively as I can after a home defeat," Robson said. At 71, he knows how quickly things can change. Take the refusenik Dyer. A few days ago, if someone had offered a couple of pennies, they would have been able to take him. On Wednesday, he was barracked (ie. a spiteful outburst of derision and venom) by his own crowd while playing for England.

But come 3pm on Saturday his name, mentioned among the substitutes, was greeted by a lowing sound (ie. a mark of displeasure); 15 minutes later, his touchline warm-up received a lukewarm cheer and the odd soul standing to offer ovation. By the 78th minute, the flash of his No 8 on the electronic substitutes' board was so enthusiastically embraced that it sounded as if news had spread that scientists at the nearby Centre for Life had wiped 10 years off Shearer's age.

"The response from the public was brilliant," said Robson. "He wants to rebuild, which is why he wore a black and white shirt. He had the courage to go on and got a great response, and let's hope that it settles down now," he added. On the final whistle, Dyer was one of those who departed amid a sullen silence broken only by that lowing.

Having started brightly, with Jermaine Jenas running the show and James Milner bringing a fine save out of Paul Robinson, Newcastle faded badly once Tottenham scored, and Robson's triple substitution only seemed to confuse matters.

"You could say in the last 20 minutes we didn't get the desired effect from the changes," said Robson. But he was of the belief that this embarrassment - the fall-outs, the sell-off of Jonathan Woodgate, and the home defeat - were just an unfortunate blip.

"Last year we beat this side 4-0," he said. "After half an hour it was nip and tuck until Laurent Robert scored a sensational goal. It was a similar story today, but we didn't score." Bellamy, who looked most perplexed by the substitutions, agreed. "No disrespect to Tottenham, but I feel we've let the fans down," he said. "We need to win our home games. You get the occasional hiccup and we hope this is just one of them."

Even Thimothee Atouba's exquisite goal, when he cut in from the left and unleashed a shot across Given, was just one of those things. "We said to Stephen Carr to push him on to his right foot and he would fall over," said Robson. "I bet it's the only goal he's ever scored like that in his career." Now Robson and his chairman, Freddy Shepherd, face a frantic week before the transfer window closes on 31 August to stop the air of crisis whiffing like a real one.

By contrast, the Spurs players filed past Jacques Santini with their faces wreathed in smiles. Their manager has enough English to say he was happy for Atouba, happy for creator Jamie Redknapp, and happy for the outstanding Robinson. "When against a big team away, it is a good performance for my young team and I'm very happy," he concluded.

Goal: Atouba (51) 0-1.

Newcastle United (4-4-2): Given; Carr, O'Brien, Hughes, Bernard; Milner (Kluivert, 78), Butt, Jenas (Dyer, 78), Robert (Ameobi, 78); Shearer, Bellamy. Substitutes not used: Harper (gk), Elliott.

Tottenham Hotspur (4-4-2): Robinson; Ifil, Naybet, King, Edman; Redknapp (Brown, 69), Davis, Mendes, Atouba (Jackson, 90); Kanoute (Gardner, 80), Defoe. Substitutes not used: Keller (gk), Edson.

Referee: Mike Dean.

Booked: Newcastle: Robert. Tottenham: Redknapp.

Man of the Match: Robinson.

Attendance: 52,185.

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