BOREDOM at St James' Park hit epidemic proportions on Saturday afternoon. Fans, tired with the excruciating painful display on show, amused themselves by tossing paper aeroplanes on to the pitch.

It was an extraordinary scene to witness but not altogether a surprise given the standard of football on display. It will be interesting to see if the club choose to advertise on the backs of supporters' seats in the future given their actions.

James Milner confessed he had witnessed some strange scenes last season while playing for relegation-bound Leeds United but nothing like Saturday's drama.

"We were just trying to concentrate on our football," said an astonished Milner.

"It was a strange situation and it is not something I have experienced before but I was not too aware of it. We were just trying to get on with the game and win three points."

The 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace, their second within four days, means United have not won in the Premiership since a 1-0 home victory against Liverpool in March, seven games ago.

The former Leeds man believes the run should have come to an end on Saturday.

"We created enough chances and with a tiny bit of luck we would have won the game comfortably," insisted Milner.

"They didn't have too many shots on goal so we are a bit disappointed not to have won. We definitely should have picked a few more points up in our last few games."

Injuries to United's squad means Milner has received an extended run in the side and reckons he is now feeling the benefit.

He said: "In the last few games I feel I have got better and I have a bit more confidence from being in the side and getting a run. That is what I have needed here. I have not played too many games until this run in the side.

"I can feel my confidence coming back and I feel as though I am playing better."

Despite the Magpies' miserable run of form Milner tried to look for some positives.

He believes the club's current crop of youngsters have benefited from the experience and reckons they can still turn things around and finish the season with a flourish.

He said: "If we can keep putting in some decent performances and keep it tight at the back we should pick up some more points before the end of the season.

"I think the young players will benefit from their run in the long term. In an ideal world I would have played every week, I need to prove in the games I have played that I am good enough to play at this club and I know I need to do that in the final games of the season.

"It has been a tough time to come in the team after the two cup defeats but it all adds to our experience. I had a tough season at Leeds last year which was really not a nice experience but that has definitely helped me in the long term and hopefully I can use these experiences in the future."

With United missing out on an automatic European place the club has made a controversial move to enter the Intertoto Cup once again.

The decision means the players won't get much of a rest before returning back to base for pre-season training. Milner says the decision is out of the players' hands and it is a one they must accept.

He added: "We can't really change the decision to go into the Intertoto Cup, we don't handle that side of things.

"The club wants to be in Europe, we have to take the games as they come but the players want to be in Europe because the UEFA Cup is a step above the Premiership."

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