Gooch new star in stripes as Bellamy and ’Pool tamed

AMERICAN international Oguchi Onyewu is proving a star in stripes at Newcastle, where the defender played a significant role in ensuring a losing start to Liverpool’s new era under American billionaires Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

The player already nicknamed “Gooch” by his new team-mates has delighted manager Glenn Roeder by settling in quickly as he tries to win a permanent contract.

And his popularity with the Newcastle supporters was guaranteed yesterday as Onyewu leaked details of his physical and verbal sparring with Craig Bellamy.

The Welsh international is public enemy number 1 among some Newcastle fans after his acrimonious departure from St James’s Park two years ago. And he certainly came off worst when he tried to take on Onyewu, who soon discovered that Bellamy can be hugely irritating.

“He never shuts up,” said the United defender. “When you come across players like him, you’ve just to laugh at them and smile and that’s what I did. If you react in a bad way, you are giving him what he wants and I didn’t want to let him inside my head. I just told him to keep on talking and that we would keep on playing.

“My team-mates warned me that he was a very fast and skilful player and if you let him get in your head he’llaffect you and your performance. I did my best to not let that happen.”

Onyewu even had the last word when Bellamy moaned about beingelbowed in the head: “I told him ‘look where your head is, I can’t help it if you’re so short you only come up to my elbow’. He just looked at me, smiled and said ‘you’ve got a point’.”

It was more than Liverpool had at the end of a game they should have made secure long before half-time. Bellamy gave them a sixth minute lead, but was the main culprit as they squandered a string of chances to maintain their record under Rafa Benitez of always winning after scoring first.

Instead, a rash clearance by Jose Reina in the 26th minute enabled Obafemi Martins to score in a rare first-half break by Newcastle, who sealed victory through a penalty from Nolberto Solano after John Arne Riise brought down Steven Taylor.

Striker Dirk Kuyt said: “Until the penalty we were the better team and just had to take our chances to win well, but we couldn’t do it. It’s disappointing because two weeks ago we were looking at catching Chelsea, but that will be very difficult now.”

Benitez added: “This is the first time we have lost after going in front, but when you have clear-cut chances you need to finish them off. If you don’t, you don’t deserve to win games.

“I don’t know if we thought it would be easy, but we can’t afford to think like that. In England, there is no such thing as an easy game.”

Benitez now takes his squad to Portugal this week to prepare for their Champions League clash with Barcelona on Wednesday week.

Newcastle are also in Europe this week for Thursday’s UEFA Cup tie against Zulte Waregem, where they will be without Onyewu who hasalready played in the competition with Standard Liege. They head to Belgium in a confident frame of mind, according to Glenn Roeder after stretching their unbeaten home record in the league to eight game.

“My nature is to play a lot things down. I prefer not get carried awayafter a good victory or get too low after a bad performance, but I suppose in the cold light of day that these are three very good points.

“Any points you get off the top four are hard to earn and, after the disappointment of last week when we lost at Fulham, we now have a dressing room full of happiness and looking forward to the UEFA Cup this week.”

Onyewu may not be the only absentee in Belgium. Celestine Babayaro, the Newcastle defender, could also be missing following the death of his younger brother.

The former Chelsea full back was informed by relatives on Friday night that Oweja Babayaro, 26, had finally lost a long battle against tuberculosis.

After a late night call to the Newcastle manager, Glenn Roeder, the Nigerian international took the decision to play here, but was clearly overcome by grief on the final whistle.

“If someone does that it shows they have mental strength,” said Roeder,after Babayaro returned to London on Saturday night to be with his family.

“A lot of people would have found it too difficult. I am hoping to get a call from Celestine later in the week to say he is able to play in the tie but it not my decision to make.”

Opta Fact: Newcastle have gone 16 games without keeping a clean sheet.

Opta Fact: Liverpool dropped points from a winning position for the first time this season.