Duo put Magpies before country

Newcastle defenders Nikos Dabizas and Aaron Hughes have put club before country as they prepare for Monday night’s Barclaycard Premiership opener against West Ham.

The Greek international and his Northern Ireland team-mate, who played such an important part in the 1-0 Champions League qualifier victory over Zeljeznicar in Bosnia on Wednesday night, will remain on Tyneside instead of joining up with their colleagues for midweek friendlies after a gruelling few days.

Greece are due to face Romania on Wednesday evening as Northern Ireland take on Cyprus in Belfast.

With Welsh international Craig Bellamy and Gary Speed both on the injured list, only keeper Shay Given will be on duty with the Republic of Ireland, and that is a boost for manager Sir Bobby Robson with a long season looming.

The manager said: "Nikos Dabizas has pulled out, he’s been in touch with the coach, and Aaron Hughes has done the same.

"Sammy (McIlroy) has been very good to us. He’s been in touch with me and he’ll only use him if he gets a massive injury at the weekend. Shay will go, but that’s all right, he’s not running about for 90 minutes."

The fact that some of the club’s most important players will be safe at home next week is a major plus for Robson as he prepares for the new season with six first-team players on the sidelines.

Carl Cort, Laurent Robert, Clarence Acuna, Bellamy, Speed and Andy O’Brien will all miss the West Ham game, but all six could be back in action within weeks.

O’Brien lasted just 45 minutes of the reserves’ 5-0 friendly win over Durham City last night before his shin problem returned, while Chilean Acuna is likely to be out of action for 10 days after tearing a thigh muscle in training in Sarajevo.

But there is better news of Speed, who returned to training after an ankle injury today, but is still unlikely to make Monday, and long-term absentees Laurent Robert, who has a stress fracture of one of his vertebrae, and Craig Bellamy, who underwent surgery on a knee problem at the end of last season.

Robson said: "We expect Robert to be back in about two weeks playing. That will be six weeks since it was diagnosed - I think it was a month yesterday since he had the injury - and six weeks is about right, they (the doctors) said.

"They were talking three months, but apparently he’s resting, he’s having treatment and he’s having rehabilitation, and apparently that has been going well.

"He’s been on the treadmill and if it’s two weeks from now, that’s about six weeks. How quickly he can get back after the two weeks into the first-team, I don’t know.

"Craig Bellamy is progressing well. He’s up to three-quarter pace with no problem at all and he’s ready to be let loose next week to get back that last 25%.

"I would think in two weeks’ time, he will be knocking on the first-team door as long as he doesn’t get a setback.

"He might just miss the second leg of the qualifier. Don’t think less than two weeks from today."

Cort too is ready to begin his latest comeback after his latest injury blow, a groin problem, and the manager is desperate for him to get a chance to show what he can do.