Full time: Arsenal 1 Newcastle 1

Glenn Roeder said:

"I'm very proud of them.

"They had a lot of possession, which was to be expected - after they took Liverpool apart last week, you could hardly expect us to come here and have the lion's share of the play.

"The boys defended very, very well. They put themselves in the way of the ball and scored a classic breakaway goal, by a player who thoroughly deserved it.

"He has been through a terrible time over the last 18 months and has trained a lot of days on his own. If there is any justice, this will be the start of a long run for him.

"He (Obafemi Martins) has got explosive speed and the height he can jump, for a short man, is incredible. That comes from the power he’s got in his legs which makes him so quick.

"Steve Harper was unfortunate not to play today - he has done really well for us.

"He has carried an injury for five or six weeks and unfortunately he will probably need some surgery soon.

"Shay Given made the sort of saves you’ve seen and I’ve seen over the years.

"Shay got a run-out for Ireland in midweek and we thought he was ready for the game.

"And he made some saves out there that we all know he can make. He was an inspiration to the lads out there.

Kieron has proved that when he's fully fit he is England class, but he wouldn't want to be talking about England yet. He would want to be talking about playing for Newcastle a dozen or more times without problems. He knows that the present England manager likes him a lot but that's in the future.

"Nicky (Butt) is a great example to our young players. There was a block by him which epitomised our performance. He's won so many medals, he's in his 30s, yet he always stays out after training to do extra.

"We have shown today we are more than capable of pulling away from the bottom three over the coming months.

"I never get carried away and never get so down that I cannot do my job - and that is the best character to have."

Talking about the abuse he allegedly received from certain home fans behind the Newcastle dugout (including a repeat of the tumour boy jibe from Upton Park earlier in the season) Roeder said:

"All managers get abuse. If a supporter is critical of a brain tumour I had three and a half years ago I wouldn't respect him anyway."

Kieron Dyer:

"I have felt embarrassed. It's hard being in Newcastle with fans asking, 'When are you back, when are you back?' You feel embarrassed, it's just embarrassment.

"You get paid a lot of money and you haven't played football for two years. It's embarrassing.

"Then you've got the lads as well asking: 'Are you training this week? When will you play?' You feel like you have to lie to them because you just feel like you are letting everyone down.

'So when I had the opportunity to go down South, stay down there and keep out of it, it was a welcome break not to have the questions.

"It's just been so frustrating because you go to all the top specialists in the world, take their advice, do everything they say, come back and then it's still not right.

"There was talk about my medication, about my back, I had an injection for that. Stuff like that is frustrating because there never seemed to be an end to the problem.

"After coming on in the West Brom game, I felt really sharp. I woke up the next day and the first thing I do every morning is feel my legs, and they felt fine. Then in training we had a little five-aside on the Monday, I went to do a sprint and just felt my hamstring again.

"I was gutted. It was embarrassing having had the hamstring trouble for so long. I carried on training to try and get through it, just thinking: "It's going to go away, it's going to go away.' Then you've got the manager in your ear, saying 'Come on, you've got to get sharp, you've got to get match fit.' So I lied to him, I was that embarrassed.

"He said: 'Is everything fine?' I said: 'Yeah.' Then when I came back into the changing room to speak to Derek Wright, our physio, he knew straight away. That was probably the lowest point.''

"He came to the conclusion that my body was in quite a mess, probably from doing certain exercises in the wrong position and running in the wrong position.

"He worked on everything from my head down to my feet. We started from scratch. His motto was, 'You're taking a sledgehammer and smashing a Tic Tac with it'. He made everything in my body stronger, he has got me running the right way.

"I certainly feel great and hopefully now I can just start playing football.

"It must be like Newcastle having a new signing back."

Arsene Wenger commented:

"The way they played they played well, they defended well. For us, it is important we stay 0-0 until half time and then we can take over, but we made a big mistake defensively and after that it was difficult.

"It is disappointing, it is the repetition of a story. We don't score in the first 20 minutes and then give away a soft goal and after that we give everything.

"We have to learn some essential ingredients to win the championship, as we have the potential. We cannot give goals away like we gave away. I think the potential will come out in the end."

We'll be honest. 

Spotting former Peter Beardsley in the crowds heading to this game was about as close as we thought we'd come to seeing someone score for us today in this part of North London.

To the memories of his two well-celebrated efforts at what is soon be Highbury Gardens though can now be added our debut strike on Arsene's new Manor, from the most likely or unexpected person to score for us in this game - depending on your point of view.

Dyer's introduction last week at Manchester City transformed us from a ponderous, predictable, powder-puff XI into a side with the ability to worry their opponents, rather than bore them into submission.

That magic element of pace allied with the ability to run with the ball and beat defenders is a precious commodity at any club, let alone our lot - where we've often been frustrated by half-equipped imposters such as Ian Stewart and Franz Carr. 

In past times we've openly speculated that Dyer's best position could perhaps be out wide, partly due to his inconsistency in front of goal but also because of his speed of thought and delivery - threading killer balls though into space for quick strikers, rather than simply lumping crosses over.

And if Dyer today was in the Beardsley mode of working, inspiring and delivering in front of goal, then maybe there was a glimmer that Martins could prove to be the 21st century equivalent of Andy Cole - if not in terms of the volume of goals but in grabbing a few and unsettling sides with his trickery and close control, both of which were in evidence here.

We're desperate for someone to forge an understanding with Martins and get on his wavelength - something that's only really happened fleetingly in the eleven appearances he's made for us. 

If that person can be Dyer, then things may start to look slightly better. However the hunt for Martins' first touch continues - perhaps he left it in Milan?

Another positive to be taken from the day from our jaundiced eyes was the non-appearance of both Carr and Babayaro - neither of whom impresses us with their contribution, commitment  or body language, despite both being experienced internationals (a gold star to anyone who thinks of Kenny Sansom's Toon sojourn at this point).

In his absence the bare bones defence did bloody well, athough neither Ramage nor Taylor would profess to being full backs and the latter once again was caught out making a rash challenge. 

Behind this all though was Given, absent since the last trip to the capital and having seen a half-fit Harper and in experienced Krul help us to notable cup results with some fine keeping.

There was a certain sense of order being restored with the man from Lifford back between the posts though - and that four leaf clover type good fortune that sometimes accompanies his appearances was there at the end, when two late deflections off Moore and Parker worried the frame of our goal but no more. 

And what of the home side? Lovely passing, nice movement but lacking the incisiveness to really hurt us as they have in past times on their own pitch. 

In some ways they were probably easier for us to play against than the likes of Sheffield United, allowing us the vital space and time to play little bits of thoughtful, cohesive football and fashion one top-drawer goal.

Partly though fortune and partly though endeavour we held out though - an almost symbolic reward coming with the news that this prized point took us out of the relegation zone, with Sheffield United, Watford, Charlton and West Ham all losing.

If one looks for positives in our recent winless run, it's that individual performance levels have gradually improved for the collective good - today's backs to the wall, united approach a pleasing example, with Butt, Solano, Parker and Duff especially all getting behind the ball to frustrate an Arsenal side who were running out of ideas by the time they were handed a chance to draw level. 

Against that though the constant injuries provide a reminder that our squad isn't equipped for the ravages of the Premiership, let alone our three/four cup campaign.

Failing to beat Portsmouth heaps pressure back on us again and before that we have a tie against a Celta Vigo side capable of producing notable results on their travels. Another quiet week then... 

Some positive support in both home games though would be an advantage, rather than sitting waiting to moan or hanging on to boo at half and full time. As it was at Manchester City, the encouragement from the away section here was old-fashioned - throaty, loyal, unquestioning. There's a message there for some home birds.
 
We'd love to have ended with some grand analogy based on seeing the half-torn down Highbury stadium from the train as we came out of Kings Cross, but frankly by then our descriptive powers were on the wane - and fighting for seats/drink was higher on our list of priorities.

Suffice it to say that the 6pm ex-Kings Cross resembled Sauchiehall Street when the pubs chuck out at Hogmanay - police intervention being required at one point to remove sauced-up travellers who found it amusing to moon at unsuspecting "normal" passengers.

Presumably they were practicing before settling bets that involved disrobing in the window of a well-known Tyneside emporium had we done anything other than getting a hiding today. 

PS: To everyone whose coupons were ruined by this "banker home win" not coming to pass, can we just say, HA! 

Biffa

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