Speed blames naive approach for Newcastle’s Europe flop
Wednesday night's 3-3 draw at Southampton, in which the visitors twice led before the break, ended their hopes of pipping Liverpool to fourth spot and left them knowing that, even if they win at Anfield in their final game of the season on Saturday, Aston Villa will condemn them to a season without European football if they beat Manchester United at home.
That would have been unthinkable a few short weeks ago, and Speed, like skipper Alan Shearer, now unlikely to get another crack at the big time, knows exactly where the blame lies.
Defeat at Manchester City and draws against Wolves and the Saints in their last three Premiership games have brought matters to a head, but their propensity to concede goals away from home, especially in the latter stages of games, has proved fatal. "When you come away from home, you expect teams to put you under pressure and that's why we have got to learn not to be so naive," he said.
It took an injury-time strike from Darren Ambrose to earn the Magpies a point at the St Mary's Stadium which could yet prove invaluable.
But they left the south coast knowing they should have collected all three points despite the heroics of debutant goalkeeper Alan Blayney and the help of the crossbar. They have managed to win only twice on the road all season.
Speed continued: "We had our chances and to be fair their goalkeeper had a great game. But this all sums up our season away from home.
"We didn't lose that Champions League spot at Southampton, we lost it throughout the season away from home by giving away silly goals."
Shearer was one of Blayney's victims, seeing a close-range header somehow kept out as United laid siege to the Saints' goal, but although he was left devastated by the loss of the chance to play Champions League football in what will almost certainly be the last campaign of his career, he has not given up all hope of shining on the European stage once again.
"Their young lad has come in and done a great job in goal and really everyone should be congratulating him for some great saves," he said.
"That fourth place has now gone and so has the Champions League and we are bitterly disappointed, but we are still aiming for that UEFA Cup spot at Liverpool on Saturday."
If Newcastle were to snatch that lifeline they have not won at Anfield since the 1993-94 season and Bobby Robson has never left with all the points in his illustrious management career Ambrose's strike could prove one of the most important of the season.
"I knew my shot was going in as soon as I hit it, and it's a shame that we didn't have the time to grab a fourth goal because we had our tails up," said the former Ipswich winger.
"To play out a 3-3 draw was not a good result, but hopefully the point we did get will still turn out to be important."
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