19mins Flamini controlled a long pass before flicking the ball into the box to Bergkamp, who had ghosted forward. He knocked it home at the Clock End from close range after taking a touch to control the ball. 0-1

Half time: Arsenal 1 Newcastle 0

Full time: Arsenal 1 Newcastle 0

Graeme Souness said:

"We came up against an excellent Arsenal side that was upset at being beaten by Bolton last week. Our goalkeeper made two or three great saves. But while it was 1-0, we felt we still had a chance.

"We knew sooner or later we'd get that chance but when it came we didn't take it. But I have no complaints about the result really.

"Arsenal are still very much in the hunt. It would be foolish to write them off.

"I don't believe Chelsea have written Manchester United or Arsenal out of the title race. Until it is mathematically impossible you can't do that."

On the missing Bellamy:

"After Friday's press conference at St James' Park I arrived at the training ground to find Craig Bellamy in the dressing room and with his boots off.

"He told me he felt his hamstring was a bit tight. But my first-team coach Dean Saunders informed me that Bellamy had told other players in the dressing room he was going to feign an injury.

"I took him to see the chairman on Friday afternoon at St James' Park and he admitted to both of us that this was true. 

"I asked him in front of the chairman if he had feigned an injury and he said `yes'.

"I told Bellamy that he had to apologise to the rest of the players, but I then found out later that he had not done so. That was on Friday tea-time and that's when I decided he wasn't going to be in my team at Arsenal.

"If he had apologised he would have been in the team.

"And last week he didn't turn up for training on Friday, saying that he had a stomach bug but he still played against Southampton the following day."

"Bellamy said in front of Babayaro and Boumsong that this was a rubbish club with a rubbish manager.

"I asked him what all this was about and he told me he was upset about the speculation he was going to be sold or used as a makeweight in an incoming transfer.

"But I told him that if this was the case he would have heard it first from me and why hadn't he come to see me?

"I told him on Friday that I wanted him here but on my terms. And these terms are that everyone is pulling together and not acting in a confrontational manner and sniping away all the time. 

"There has to be a boss and at the moment that's me. We are talking about other things here.

"The only thing I am interested in is the cause and that cause is Newcastle United."

Our number 9 gave some post-match quotes of particular 
significance to the number 10: 

"Craig declared himself injured on Friday dinner time and then was fit on Saturday morning.

"The manager - like everyone at Newcastle United - only wants players who want to play for the club, whether it's in the position they want to play in or not.

"We all want to go in the same direction, we all want success for Newcastle United, and if anyone doesn't want that, the manager will replace them with other players."

"I think the manager has done a good job. You never get a job when things are going right at a football club.

"Graeme came to Newcastle and knew about one or two problems and he is trying his hardest to sort them out. If anyone can do it, he can."

If you've come here looking for answers as to our current status on the field and plight off it, then keep looking - we're as bemused as everyone else.

The bare facts: we lost 1-0, created nothing in front of goal and could have gone down by more were it not for Given. Our injury problems increased and neither Bellamy or Kluivert featured in the game. 

Behind that lies a multitude of back-biting, in-fighting and intrigue - and we're thoroughly sick of the whole damn shooting match.

In trying to write this we'd resolved not to allow the Bellamy situation to impinge upon our comments about the match. 

However that proved impossible, as the fate of the Welshman is inextricably linked to the performance, or lack of it.

The version we go with is that Bellamy reacted badly to finding out that he wasn't playing up front. For what it's worth, we tend to agree with him - having seen his previous displays out wide, it's not the best use of his talents.

However, neither we nor he pick the team - that's some other bloke's job.

Under those circumstances what is the best policy then? Grumble in private and get on with it, or act the goat? It's now generally accepted that Bellamy has opted for the latter, neatly avoiding what Tony Blair would call the Third Way of putting in a transfer request - and kissing goodbye to a large bag of money.

Of course he'll never ask to leave Newcastle - his pension fund manager would have a coronary....

That's where it ends really - everything else is hype and bluster. Yes we'll miss his goals, but not his attitude, not his snarling at officials. And like the other members of the golden generation at St.James', if he leaves he goes empty-handed in terms of medals - just like Kieron, just like Laurent..... 

In the absence of a better word in our vocabulary than irony, we'll use that one - as writing "a blow equivalent to getting repeatedly slapped in the face with a large wet haddock" is a tad unwieldy.

It's ironic that we acquire two new defenders, see them both play once in the league and then by the three-quarter mark of this game have lost the services of them both, leaving us to play with a back four composed of a contract rebel, two virtual discards....and Titus.

It's ironic that our top performer today was a goalkeeper who looks to be edging towards the Gallowgate exit, playing on a ground against a side who are one of a number of clubs with a vacancy for a gloves wearer. 

Had Given written his agent's mobile number on the North Bank goalpost at the end of the game I certainly wouldn't have blamed him - he may be an adopted Tynesider but shares our frustration with a continued failure to genuinely challenge for honours. If after eight years he's fed up and wants a change, good luck to him.  

And it's ironic that Bellamy's point of no return with the chairman seems to have come 24 hours after the Highbury defeat, when the player poured his heart out (and allegedly cried his eyes out beforehand) to those good people at Sky TV.

That's the same Sky TV that hands out a generous wedge to the club to televise many of its matches, plus of course offering an instant platform for the chairman to convey his viewpoint.

But in return for the money, my God don't they get their full shilling. 

Cameras everywhere, even when the team got back to Tyneside, just in time for some footage of Craig Bellamy pulling his suitcase down a path and getting into his car, after pushing the camera away. 

Why not just go the full hog and give us our own 24 / 7 station - after all we appear to be living through some sort of bastard hybrid of Dream Team, Street Crime UK, the Sopranos and the Simpsons. 

Maybe the next Big Brother could feature Bellamy - if they took that superfluous R out of the title.....   

So a sideshow. An unfortunate, wretched regrettable sideshow, but not the main event here despite what the media would have you believe. 

People didn't tune in to watch a pantomime or hear interviews. People didn't drag themselves down the country and back on a Sunday via train diversions etc. to witness hot air being spouted at first hand. 

No, £33 was taken out of bank accounts in return for a view of a football match.

But we lost that football match, putting in a display barely worthy of the name against a side we'd matched in endeavour and application barely three weeks ago. Forgive me if I'm more annoyed about that than some bairn who didn't get his way.

When the dust finally settles, we can reflect up on a performance of utter mediocrity. Bellamy may not have played today, but a few more didn't do much better, notably Robert and Dyer.

Quite simply we're pig sick of them and at the point where any of them can get out of toon. No matter who they are, if they think they can get better deals elsewhere at bigger clubs, then go right ahead.

We're sick of being notorious for non-footballing reasons, tired of watching spoilt rich brats bleating on and cheating this club, bored with the mediocre, lack-lustre rubbish served up in return for the ever-increasing sums of money we're expected to fork out.

God knows whether Souness is the man to knock this club into shape - we still harbour the thought that we are unmanageable, at least under the present administration.

However for him to deal with Bellamy would be at least a line in the sand, a marker - something that Robson failed to do during his reign, precipitating the situation that greeted the present manager. Bobby's comments in the media on this matter were as predictable as they were unwelcome.

Meanwhile as the player who tried it on once too often packs his bags for another pay day and more chances to antagonise another employer and another set of fans, another so-called star striker spent Sunday sitting on his lavishly upholstered Dutch arse once again - so much for the big game hunter.

Meanwhile his fellow Amsterdammer on the other team - a mere seven years older than our lame duck - pocketed another goal. 

Bergkamp may be afraid to fly, but it's Kluivert that we wish would just take off....

Onwards and upwards, to the FA Cup and no doubt yet more heartache just around the corner. 

Never mind fining him, waving some silverware in the Welshman's face in his home town next May would be a nice way for it all to finish up - "here's what you could have won" as Jim Bowen used to say on Bullseye. Money couldn't buy that.  

Biffa

Reports