SIR BOBBY ROBSON has warned his Newcastle players against the perils of losing their cool in the heat of battle against Real Mallorca - after Craig Bellamy was at the centre of a furious bust-up with first-team coach John Carver.

Fiery striker Bellamy was reported to have hurled a chair at Carver in a private lounge at Newcastle Airport ahead of the Magpies' flight to Palma on Tuesday.

Carver, Robson's right-hand man, is alleged to have thrown a punch in retaliation before the pair were pulled apart by teammates.

Manager Robson did not witness the incident as he was conducting a press conference at the time.

The club issued a statement yesterday, dismissing the spat as a "push and shove playground incident'', and adding: "They spoke last night and are the best of friends again. The club will be taking the matter no further.''

Robson was last night reluctant to discuss the issue, but said: "It's been dealt with and we don't have a single problem. Craig is here to put himself up for selection and has trained.''

But there is a history of trouble between Bellamy and Carver, who were involved in a dust-up last season.

Bellamy's on-pitch conduct proved costly to Newcastle when he missed six Champions League games last term for headbutting Dynamo Kiev's Tiberiu Ghioane and lashing out at Inter Milan's Marco Materazzi.

Carver has had disciplinary problems of his own and could face a touchline ban after last week admitting an FA charge of improper conduct when he confronted referee Rob Styles at the end of a controversial game at Birmingham in January.

Welsh international Bellamy, 24, trained last night but has still not fully recovered from a hamstring injury and is likely to be on the bench for tonight's UEFA Cup fourth-round second-leg clash at the Son Moix stadium.

But Robson is anxious to see his side keep their "self-control and discipline'' on the field in the face of any intimidation as they defend a 4-1 first-leg advantage.

La Liga strugglers Mallorca resorted to rough-house tactics a fortnight ago at St. James' Park, where they lost the lead and had eight players booked before Edu Moya was sent off by Luxembourg referee Alain Hamer for a second yellow card.

Moya, fellow defender David Cortes and midfielder Gonzalo Colsa are all banned this evening.

But Newcastle must be on their guard as they look to seal a quarter-final place against either Auxerre or PSV Eindhoven, with skipper Alan Shearer and defenders Andy O'Brien and Titus Bramble each on two bookings and only a card away from suspension.

Robson said: "We were very good at home. They had a player sent off and eight definite yellow cards and we had one - and Kieron Dyer's booking was a nonsense.

"If the referee looks at that again, he'll wonder what on earth he was doing brandishing a yellow card for that in a tough European match. I don't think he would be very pleased with himself.

"But we haven't got to get involved in any rough, untidy stuff and be intimidated into errors we'll feel very sorry about. This is where the experience from the Champions League should come into play.

"Craig suffered badly last season and he has to learn from that. The team suffered because of it and the players have to know it is about self-control and discipline. We need that from them.''

Robson is looking to Jonathan Woodgate to show calm authority at the heart of a defence minus Aaron Hughes because of a calf injury.

England centre-back Woodgate, a contender for Sven-Goran Eriksson's Euro 2004 squad, has been plagued by injuries since his £9m move from Leeds in January last year.

The 24-year-old Teessider missed two months of this season after undergoing a double hernia operation and has complained of playing in pain after recently being sidelined for a further month with a groin problem.

Robson, though, believes Woodgate's fitness worries should soon be behind him. "Jonathan played very well at Tottenham the other week and there's no doubt he is our crack centre-half,'' said Robson. You never know, we might have conceded fewer goals if he'd played more games this season.

"But O'Brien and Bramble have done well and our defensive record this season has been quite good - we've conceded about a goal a game in the Premiership and that's pretty consistent.

"What we need is Jonathan to be fully fit and see games out. His ability and his presence are very important. He's a great player and we're delighted with him.

"But we need him in top-notch condition. He's not there yet, but the more games he plays, the fresher he'll be. He should be able to see the season out with ease.''

Mallorca, tipped to rest Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o, are likely to include only three players who started the first leg. Forward Arnold Bruggink, who played under Robson at PSV, returns from injury.

Probable teams - Newcastle: Given; O'Brien, Woodgate, Bramble, Bernard; Ambrose, Jenas, Speed, Robert; Shearer, Ameobi.

Mallorca: Miki; Ramis, Lussenhoff, Poli, Finidi, Nagore, Marcos, Toni Gonzalez, Bruggink, Perera, Nene.

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