wow, a i can't quite believe this report, but then again Wardle IS a north east name...

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2001

Answers

Understudy Bernard steals the spotlight

John Wardle at St James' Park Monday December 17, 2001 The Guardian

Olivier Bernard's Premiership debut was pure theatre. The famed leading man drops out only two hours before curtain-up and an unknown understudy triumphs before exiting to a standing ovation. A star is born? That would be premature, but Newcastle's own Lord Olivier certainly displayed no first-night nerves as the stand-in for the £10m winger Laurent Robert. Bernard scored a memorable goal and stretched Blackburn sufficiently with his pace, balance and direct style to leave his manager Bobby Robson with a difficult decision when Robert is healthy again. Bernard's sudden emergence could not have been predicted last season when, as Robson admitted: "He was a long way from the first team." Three months in the demanding regional rep that is the Third Division helped alter the manager's assessment.

"Olivier hadn't heard of Darlington when I sent him there," Robson said. "It must have been a bit of a culture shock, but he enjoyed it. I thought it would be good for him to play in the hurly-burly of the lower divisions and get kicked about a bit. It worked so well that he came back this season a different player and has continued to progress. Now Laurent knows there is somebody around to make him fight for his place."

There were other bonuses for Robson from Newcastle's latest league win. Kieron Dyer provided 45 minutes of proof that he is almost back to his fluid best after a troubled year, while Lomana Lua-Lua repeatedly slalomed through Blackburn's defence after going on for the final third of the game.

Bernard and Lua-Lua will probably revert to the fringes of Robson's team with the return of Robert and Craig Bellamy, but here was evidence that Newcastle have players of Premiership promise. Blackburn have Mark Hughes. Their manager Graeme Souness had to turn to the veteran when Matt Jansen was injured in the 26th minute and Hughes lasted only 44 minutes before being replaced himself. Time enough to pick up another booking, though.

Souness's team were always on the back foot, but they defended effectively and occasionally broke decisively when David Dunn was involved. They even led when Dunn scrambled the ball in after 34 minutes, but Bernard and Gary Speed hit back for United in the second half. Speed's winner was a freakish looping header, but Souness and Robson were in unison over the quality of Bernard's splendidly struck shot that guaranteed the man-of-the-match award for the quiet Frenchman.

Bernard and Dyer could both start tomorrow night when Newcastle go to Arsenal in a match that is likely to indicate whether Robson is correct to be ultra-cautious about his team's chances of finishing as champions.

A pensioner leading Newcastle to the Premiership title? Now that would be a fairytale too far, a script to eclipse even the Bernard story.

Man of the match: Olivier Bernard (Newcastle United).

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2001

It's 66-1 on a pensioner leading Newcastle to the Premiership title, which I think is about right. But 13-2 to break the London jinx at Arsenal might be worth a tenner...if Bobby has got his voice back after Saturday.

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2001

In The Journal this morning Bobby says he's playing 4-4-4 tomorrow! He reckons it's a good system if he can get away with it. Great man; nice sense of humour.

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2001

If we could get away with 4-4-4, I might actually believe we'll win..or at least draw. ;-)

-- Anonymous, December 17, 2001