WITH Newcastle's fans focusing their discontent on his treatment of Laurent Robert, Graeme Souness last night conceded he is no nearer knowing what to do with the mercurial left winger.

With the Magpies trailing 1-0 in Heerenveen on Thursday night, the travelling supporters spent the first ten minutes of the second half chanting for Robert to be introduced from the substitutes bench.

They eventually got their way and, after replacing Shola Ameobi in the 62nd minute, the France international duly supplied Patrick Kluivert for the pass that led to Alan Shearer firing Newcastle level.

But, while his marauding runs forward highlighted the best bits of his game, Robert's reluctance to track back was also in evidence and almost cost United dear as Mika Vayrynen was left unmarked in the final five minutes.

Robert has always combined the good with the bad and former boss Sir Bobby Robson repeatedly admitted that the midfielder was the most infuriating player he had ever dealt with during his 35 years of management.

Souness would no doubt concur - despite last month's high-profile bust-up with another combustible influence, Craig Bellamy - and, despite the absence of both Amdy Faye and Lee Bowyer from the side to face Chelsea tomorrow, Robert is likely to find himself on the bench again.

The Reunion Islander has started just four games since the turn of the year and, while Souness accepts he offers the kind of genuine width no other player can provide, he will be reluctant to rely on him until he proves he can ally some discipline to his undoubted skill.

"Do I have a dilemma (with Robert)? Yes," said Souness, who is hoping to have Jean-Alain Boumsong, Kieron Dyer and Nicky Butt all available for tomorrow's FA Cup fifth-round tie.

"You want your flair players in the team, but you want to be chasing games in the correct fashion. I'm not the first manager of Newcastle United who has had this problem to face.

"I have asked him to be aware of his defensive duties when he is on the pitch. It is a concern. The statistics show that we are poor when it comes to defending.

"But Laurent has played 50 per cent of the games in which I have been in charge of the club. I have had 32 games and he has started 16 of them.

"We have tried to come up with a formation that helps us not to concede so many goals and Laurent has not been in the team for 50 per cent of the time. I am not the first manager to have asked him to be aware of his defensive duties."

Thursday night's shouts for Robert quickly developed into a series of more damning chants aimed at both Souness and Freddy Shepherd.

Newcastle's chairman came in for the more sustained abuse but, despite leaving Holland with a creditable 2-1 win, Souness' position was hardly strengthened by another below-par display.

While recent results have not been too bad - just one defeat in the last nine games - the standard of Newcastle's football has rarely risen above the mundane, although Souness remains unconcerned at the crowd's discontent.

"I have no worries about that," he countered. "When you're out on the pitch, you want to be loved if you are a footballer. My players are no different in that."

He is likely to be more concerned at the prospect of facing a Chelsea side who are still hoping to win an unprecedented four trophies this season.

Jose Mourinho's champions in waiting have already ended Newcastle's hopes of winning the Carling Cup and, despite the Chelsea boss promising to rest some of his biggest names tomorrow, Newcastle could not have been handed a much tougher test after routine wins over Yeading and Coventry in rounds three and four.

"We're playing against a team who are the team to beat at the minute," said Souness. "They are sitting at the top of the Premiership and all the interest is in them.

"It's the FA Cup and that always excites people. We're all looking forward to it. The win in Holland will count for nothing on Sunday.

"Chelsea are difficult opponents and it's a different game of football. We will start at 0-0 and it's up to us to go after them in a sensible way and not leave ourselves exposed. We will chase them, because that's what our crowd expects us to do - but we will do it in a sensible way."

November's Carling Cup game was hanging in the balance until Eidur Gudjohnsen and Arjen Robben both came off the bench to score crucial goals in extra-time.

Shola Ameobi was unable to make a similar impact in his substitute role but, after forcing his way into the starting line-up in recent weeks, the striker is determined to avenge the defeat tomorrow.

"They knocked us out of the Carling Cup earlier in the season so we've got one to get back over them," said Ameobi.

"I'm sure the crowd will be behind us like they were in that game. Hopefully I can play from the start and get some goals.

"The club's biggest priority is to get up the table and qualify for Europe that way, but the FA Cup is also one of the things that we're looking to win."

Ameobi is expected to partner Alan Shearer, with Patrick Kluivert continuing in the hole behind the front two.

The likely presence of both Butt (ankle) and Dyer (viral infection) should make up for the absence of the suspended Bowyer and Faye.

Boumsong faces a late fitness test after picking up a back injury and, if he makes it, it would be no surprise to see him lining up alongside Andy O'Brien following Titus Bramble's latest clanger on Thursday night