IF you take Newcastle United's game against Southampton and yesterday's clash against Birmingham City as a measure of how the Magpies will shape up on their travels under new boss Graeme Souness this season then it will be without influential winger Laurent Robert.

The Newcastle boss again decided to take a pragmatic approach when playing away from St James' Park and left the Frenchman on the bench while Craig Bellamy was employed on the left side.

Jermaine Jenas swapped wings with his team-mate for this game and took up a position on the right to double up with Stephen Carr and successfully combat the pace of Jesper Gronkjaer.

Robert is a fine player on his day and indeed a match-winner, but unless he learns to adapt to the ugly side of the game - tracking back and putting his foot in where it hurts when United travel away from home - then he will find himself unemployed for 19 weekends a year.

Souness must have felt even 45 minutes was too much to ask of his winger in yesterday's competitive encounter as he prefered 18-year-old James Milner when Patrick Kluivert trooped off at half-time with a tight hamstring.

The system also allowed the 51-year-old Scot to continue with the seemingly difficult mathematical problem of fitting his three star strikers into two places.

Alan Shearer, Craig Bellamy and Kluivert lined up together for the third game in succession.

So far so good for the Magpies' manager as he's recorded four wins from four and Shearer and Kluivert have bagged seven goals in only three starts between them.

At home against West Brom last week United operated with Kluivert in the hole behind a Shearer and Bellamy axis, and they stuttered somewhat until Robert's introduction on the hour. At St Andrew's, however, Newcastle reverted to a traditional 4-4-2 formation with Shearer and Kluivert operating through the middle in the 2-2 draw.

Souness also revealed he was not afraid to change things when they are not working. Trailing 2-1, the United boss brought off Bernard for Robert with 20 minutes left and reverted to a back three of Carr, Elliot and O'Brien. It immediately reaped dividends as Newcastle scored within two minutes.

But with no full-back and nobody tucking in on the left it exposed United's back three.

The home side exploited this advantage and wave after wave of attacks continued until Souness saw his error and brought on Aaron Hughes at left back for Lee Bowyer to stem the tide.

United may have to mix it and make it ugly on their travels this season but it is still evident on yesterday's showing that Robert has a future at the club.

He does frustarte supporters with his inability to work back but he also has the talent to conjure a chance from nothing, which was evident five minutes from the end when he was almost United's match-winner with a 40-yard free-kick against the post with Taylor rooted to the spot.

Yesterday's 2-2 draw was a gritty, competitive encounter with not much on display for the football purist. But if it means sacrificing pretty play for points no doubt the travelling fans will be more than happy.

Now if the chairman goes out and buys two top quality defenders in January, you just never know what might happen.

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