Louise Taylor
at St James' Park
Bobby Robson spent part of last week lecturing on coaching at Warwick University. Chris Coleman took time out from his managerial duties at Fulham to attend but he may not have bargained for Robson treating him to an additional tutorial here.
Although Newcastle's manager would doubtless congratulate Coleman on the quality of some of Fulham's passing last night he saw his side collect a reasonably straightforward three points in their attempt to qualify for the Champions League.
Life after Louis did not begin well for Fulham. With Louis Saha, their leading scorer, en route to a new life at Manchester United, they fell behind in the fourth minute.
Andy O'Brien scored it from a set piece. After Gary Speed failed to make a proper connection with Laurent Robert's corner the ball fell to Jonathan Woodgate on the right-hand side of the area.
He put it back into the middle, where Alan Shearer found his path to yet another goal blocked before, amid the mayhem, O'Brien finally stabbed home from close range.
Yet while the deficit remained a single goal, Fulham counter-attacked with hope. Steed Malbranque and Luis Boa Morte took turns to support Barry Hayles from the wings while Lee Clark and Sean Davis sporadically made bursts from central midfield.
The visitor who would have cherished a goal here was Clark, the former Newcastle midfielder captaining Fulham for the first time against his home-town club.
Clark, ably assisted by Davis, exerted an increasing influence on the game, succeeding in slowing things down and preventing Bobby Robson's men from operating at their preferred high tempo during a protracted, if unexpected, period of midfield dominance. Suddenly Fulham were the team enjoying the monopoly of possession.
Yet when Boa Morte spurned a half chance Newcastle stirred and Edwin van der Sar was forced to save smartly with his legs from Nolberto Solano, the edge almost certainly being taken off the Peruvian's strike by the fact that Woodgate collided with him just as he shaped to shoot.
Gary Speed may be one of Coleman's closest friends but he had no compunction in exacerbating his fellow Welshman's woes by heading Newcastle's second goal direct from a Robert corner.
Fulham had no answer to Newcastle's third goal, a spectacular overhead kick from Robert who, meeting Solano's cross with back to goal, produced the most flamboyant of finishes.
There was still time for Fulham to score, Davis seeing his 22-yard drive going in off a post, but by now the only points Coleman's men were going to collect were for artistic merit.
Guardian Service
NEWCASTLE UTD: Given, Hughes, Woodgate, O'Brien, Bernard, Solano (Ambrose 84), Jenas, Speed, Robert (Viana 84), Dyer, Shearer (Ameobi 84). Subs Not Used: Harper, Bramble. Goals: O'Brien 4, Speed 41, Robert 54.
FULHAM: Van der Sar, Djetou, Goma, Knight, Legwinski (Volz 18), Sean Davis, Clark, Malbranque, Bocanegra, Boa Morte, Hayles (Sava 66). Subs Not Used: Crossley, Petta, Green. Booked: Djetou. Goal: Sean Davis 74.
Referee: N Barry (N Lincolnshire).
