After suffering two humiliating defeats in the space of four days, Newcastle fans are inevitably asking 'Where did it all go wrong?' Chief Sports Writer Scott Wilson offers six suggestions.

Injuries

It is a convenient excuse to make, but Newcastle undeniably suffered from a glut of injuries at the worst possible time.

The Magpies would almost certainly have been in the semi-final of the UEFA Cup had Kieron Dyer and Titus Bramble not broken down during the second half of Thursday's defeat.

Similarly, Newcastle's chronic shortage of fit defenders meant that Graeme Souness had to start Sunday's game with a patently injured Celestine Babayaro at left-back.

But, while the occasional injury cannot be helped, questions need to be asked about why Newcastle's players are repeatedly breaking down with a variety of strains, pulls and tears.

Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer's boxing bout

Newcastle's FA Cup hopes were scuppered from the moment that Dyer and Bowyer traded blows in the 'Thriller with the Villa'.

Not only were the Magpies robbed of two of their most influential midfielders, Souness was also forced to prepare his side for two of their biggest games of the season amidst a backdrop of infighting and backbiting.

The pair have expressed their regret for the incident and, judging by the fans' reaction during the home leg of the Sporting semi-final, they have been forgiven for their sins.

But, no matter what they achieve on Tyneside in the future, they will always be at least partly responsible for last week's double debacle.

The attitude of some so-called stars

While the usual suspects gave their all last week - Alan Shearer and Shay Given certainly emerged with their reputations intact - other members of the squad let both themselves, and the club, down.

Patrick Kluivert was the leading culprit, with his complete lack of effort mocking those who pay his exorbitant wages.

Nicky Butt was similarly culpable, with his dire display in Cardiff leaving most fans shaking their heads. Even figure of fun Fumaca wasn't that bad.

The fact that those two players are established internationals only makes their complete lack of effort even harder to comprehend.

Laurent Robert's rantings

What he said was just about right - but why did Robert feel the need to spill the beans at such an inopportune time?

By criticising his manager so publicly, the Frenchman was always going to be writing himself out of Thursday's second leg.

Consistency is hardly his forte, but there is no doubt that an on-song Robert could have swung things Newcastle's way in Lisbon.

Sunday's below-par performance merely made his bad week worse.

The Craig Bellamy bust-up

Souness might want to brush the whole Bellamy affair under the carpet, but the loss of the Welsh international has undoubtedly hit Newcastle hard.

Dyer's pace caused havoc in Lisbon on Thursday - imagine what he and Bellamy could have done in tandem during the opening half-hour.

Bellamy's position became untenable once he publicly accused his manager of lying but, as the last few days have proved, there have been no winners as a result of his sorry exit from the club.

Tactical errors

While Souness could point to injuries as the catalyst for Thursday's collapse, his tactics hardly helped matters in the second half.

By bringing on James Milner and starting with Charles N'Zogbia, the Scot ensured his side finished the game with two wingers who were reluctant to shore things up infield.

Sporting could therefore throw men forward, safe in the knowledge that they would have gaps to run into.