"A lot has been said about coaching courses, which I'm not against, but you can never know what it's like until you are right in the middle of it and you have to make big decisions."

Newcastle celebrated the ending of the transfer window and the beginning of Glenn Roeder's second year in charge with a performance as tepid, lethargic and unimpressive as that which saw his side deservedly removed from the FA Cup on home territory last month.

In what was almost T-shirt weather, the Magpies barely broke sweat by the Thames, proving to be the perfect visitors for a Fulham side who had meekly surrendered at Bramall Lane in midweek to rehabilitate themselves with three points.

Whether the prospect of representing their countries in midweek for seven of our starting XI was enough to put them into boots cleaned mode is unclear, but we just didn't look like we fancied this at all - wrecking our run of decent displays in front of the one-eyed Cockney press this season.

And this all took place against a familiar backdrop of good support from travellers and London exiles - the latter taking the chance afforded by public sale of a decent number of places to see their side serve up precisely nought for 93 minutes. 

Not being best chuffed with what they forked out to witness, those fans were doubtless equally underwhelmed by the post-match comments of their manager, who in a desperate attempt to say something positive spoke of Owen's rehab rather than what had just been witnessed.

But had the England striker's ailments magically healed enough for him to have featured in this game, it's still open to considerable debate where precisely his expensively-rehabilitated legs could have carried him to receive a pass.

Certainly nobody on our starting line-up looked capable of providing anything resembling a chance - with the recent flow of goals from midfield and defence also drying up.

It's tempting to trot out a line about being left high and dry by not bringing in players last month, but that hardly helps - although the decision to hang on to Luque continues to mystify, his pre -match routine for this game being to don a club tracksuit on Friday as he took a flight out of ...........Amsterdam. Work that one out.

Regardless of those who couldn't be with us (or in the case of the loan strikers didn't want to be or weren't deemed good enough), there was still surely enough in the way of options to change what became a losing team.

Having seen Solano rested for two weeks due to his suspension, the expectation was that he'd return in some capacity to the starting XI.

Instead Roeder chose to press Carr into left back as he had against West Ham, put Taylor on the opposite flank and pair new man Gooch with Titus. 

OK, fair enough - a decent decision to rest Hunty - let's see if it works - or change it.

But no, on and on we plodded, in the same miserable fashion. 

Getting eleven players on the field would have undoubtedly aided our cause, but even that proved beyond us. Both of Fulham's goals stemmed from second half attacks down their right flank, which United on this occasion had chosen to populate with Carr and Duff - neither of whom showed the slightest interest in this game.

Only Butt will know what he was trying to achieve when giving away the opener, but after his stirring return to form this season he remains well in credit  - and could be excused for seeking out Carr to ask him why he chose to chuck the ball to a colleague surrounded by three opponents... 

Diop then manfully shrugged off his disappointment at not being peddled to Wigan and then did something similar to Carr before setting up the second Fulham goal.

By that point Duff had wandered off to be replaced by Sibierski, although it's unclear what role he was sent on to play for us (by the way, we'll be tuning into the San Marino v Ireland game this week to see if Duff can actually beat an opponent with the ball at his feet for the first time since leaving Chelsea....) 

Solano meanwhile continued to warm up on the sidelines, ignored by the coaching staff but applauded by the travelling support.

The home side had been hit by the late withdrawal of first-choice 'keeper Niemi in the warm-up and forced to field reserve custodian Lastuvka - a Czech on loan from the Ukraine.

Frankly though Coleman could have borrowed and fielded the Cheeky Girls between the sticks for all his relief custodian had to do before hanging on the ball after Martins knocked it past him in added time.

The final seconds of the first half had seen Taylor and debutant Gooch both denied from close range, but other than that chances were thin on the ground and Harper was the busier of the 'keepers.

At 0-0 we were probably a beaten side - certainly going one behind did nothing to suggest a revival and the second one was hardly a clincher.
 
A final score that flattered Newcastle was still enough to ring the same alarm bells that defeat by Fulham on Tyneside in September did. 

Five months on and we are further up the table but trudged off the field having again been beaten by the most ordinary of outfits. 

Put simply, the recent luck that has seen us take eight points from the last four games, deservedly deserted us today - and with Liverpool next up and no more returning players expected, the midweek internationals can only bring reductions to the player pool (as we speak, Carr has pulled out of the Ireland squad).

Beware the ides of March - and it's only February.

Biffa

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