Interesting report on "4TheGame.com" on CB's condition, provides much greater insight into the problem than anywhere else I've seen, and suggests that CB is far from having given the "all clear", as reported elsewhere.:

Newcastle are anxiously awaiting news on striker Craig Bellamy after he was sent for a second scan on his injured knee. The 22-year-old Welshman travelled to Leeds to see a top specialist over the problem which is threatening to hamper Bobby Robson's title challenge.

Bellamy picked up the injury in Sunday's 1-0 derby victory over Sunderland, and now faces missing the tough Premiership clashes with Arsenal at SJP on Saturday and Liverpool away four days later. Robson has not yet given up hope of having his 14-goal striker available for the weekend, but admitted he was unlikely to figure.

However, he insisted he would not risk the £6million signing if the tendon problem - similar to the one which hampered skipper Alan Shearer for so long - was not solved in the short-term. "I haven't given it up, but it's likely that he will miss out on Saturday and even Wednesday," he said. "What we don't want to do is continue to play him if he has got a problem because if we continue to play him he might finish up like Alan, and we don't want that".

"If he needs a two-week or three-week rest, that's very important. We'll give him that and maybe we can get him in towards the end of the season for the vital matches at the end.

"We won't risk him. If he's out Saturday, he's out Saturday, it's as simple as that. He will be a very big miss for us. He's been outstanding for us, outstanding. It will be hard to replace him because we haven't got a similar player to Bellamy."

The striker had an initial scan on Tuesday before being sent home suffering from tonsilitis, but headed for West Yorkshire today in a bid to get to the root of his knee problem.

"The latest is that he is in Leeds where he's having another scan," said Robson. "It's a more detailed scan and it will be looked at by a top surgeon, an expert in this field. It's the patella tendon. It's the same tendon as Alan Shearer's, but it's not as bad."

Robson continued: "He's got the pain in there. He could hardly walk on Monday after the match. "He's had a scan, it's shown something that wasn't conclusive and we've sent him down to Leeds for a better scan, and to be examined by a top surgeon who is a specialist on that particular injury."

Robson is confident he has the back-up within his squad but admits that in Carl Cort, Shola Ameobi and Lomana Lua Lua, he does not have a direct replacement. "We've got Shola and we've got Carl Cort now fit. Carl's done very well. He's played two full reserve matches and he's in full-time training. And we've got Lua Lua, so we've got three players, so we have cover. We haven't got Bellamy, but we've got cover. The nearest to him in terms of quickness is Lua Lua, but obviously we like Shola, and Cort is ready to play."

-- Anonymous, February 27, 2002

Answers

AHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

Whats that all about!

"He's had a scan, it's shown something that wasn't conclusive"

Pretty different to the other reports but there's no way they'd dare make up a quote from Because they'd get in big trouble for that!

I don't mind him missing 2 games but we really could do with him back soon.

-- Anonymous, February 27, 2002

in the light of the news on Dirty Don and van Bronckurst who are both out until December after INITIAL scans, lets hope the Toon are just being careful and sensible on this one and have finaly learnt from Cort and Dyer

Bobby was chirpy on five live tonight and is optimistic about the return of Dyer

It does show the need for a real quality squad - yet the arse have been very stretched tonight

needless to say manure have all available aboard

fingers,toes and all and sundry crossed about Craig

-- Anonymous, February 27, 2002

I missed that interview on 5live Clarky. What was he saying about Dyer's return and CB's injury.

-- Anonymous, February 27, 2002