Magpies eye European football

BOBBY ROBSON has challenged his Newcastle side to pick up three victories and a draw from their remaining five Premiership games to clinch their place in the Champions League.

The Magpies’ lingering hopes of snatching the title from Manchester United and Arsenal were brushed aside in devastating style at St James’ Park last weekend as the men from Old Trafford plundered six goals in a powerful exhibition.

Robson’s troops returned to work this week still licking their wounds, but after a thorough debriefing yesterday, the 70-year-old has ordered them to put their black day behind them and concentrate on the task of ensuring that European football once again comes to Tyneside next season.

United head for Fulham today still lying third and knowing that 10 of the last 15 points available to them will clinch a top-four finish regardless of what the teams below them do.

“We have to say to the players ‘We need three victories and a draw minimum to get out of this’.”

With Aston Villa due at St James’ Park on Monday, Birmingham to follow on May 3 and trips to relegated derby rivals Sunderland, on the last day of the season, and West Brom, to come, Newcastle will feel confident of achieving that target.

However, they will need to forget the psychological scars of their United nightmare.

Robson and his coaching staff went through a video nasty of the game with the players yesterday and pulled no punches as they addressed the relevant issues.

“We’ve gone through the match, we’ve gone through performances, we’ve gone through the video, we’ve gone through errors, we’ve gone through mistakes,” he said.

“We’ve gone through Bela Lugosi films. Remember? They were horror films, and we’ve had a horror film.

“We gave a dismal performance, we all know that, but we’ve just got to get over it.

“We mustn’t forget the fact that the players have given us a good season, but we have to finish it off.”