A PHILOSOPHICAL Sir Bobby Robson refused to point the blame for defeat at the match officials after seeing his Newcastle side go down to a controversial goal at St James Park yesterday.

A combination of Blackburn Rovers' teenage striker Paul Gallagher and Newcastle defender Aaron Hughes bundled the ball over the line to give Graeme Souness's side all the points.

TV replays revealed Gallagher had literally punched the ball in, but neither the referee nor his assistant spotted the infringement.

Robson knew a win could have taken Newcastle into fourth spot but refused to reflect on what might have been had the visitors' goal been ruled offside.

"We all knew if we had won today we might have finished in a Champions League spot," said Robson.

"It was there for the taking but in the end we weren't really good enough.

"If you don't score you're not going to win a match and we didn't score.

"Their goal is not legitimate. He's neither headed it nor side-footed the ball in. We've had a bit of a rough decision but we didn't score.

"It's a goal after the game, and it's a goal in the papers tomorrow so we can't really complain about it.

"He's knocked it in with his hand but what can we do about it?

"You get them sometimes and sometimes you don't. It's been one of those days.

"If the referee or his assistant had seen it they would have flagged but they didn't."

Robson did however see encouraging signs in Michael Chopra after handing the 20-year-old his first Premiership start.

Chopra has just returned from the World Youth Championships in Dubai where he captained the England Under-20 side, and the Newcastle boss decided his time had arrived.

"Young Chopra did OK today," said Sir Bobby. "Bellamy's a miss, Shola's a miss but Chopra did OK.

"He did some nice things early on. He looked all right and although he didn't have an outstanding match he did all right.

"Chopra was perhaps a bit eager to get in that telling position when he scored that goal. He just needed to wait that little bit longer and he might have been onside.

"Their front two always gave us problems. They played off the shoulder, they played down the gullies.

"Our back four didn't look as solid as it has done most of the season at home.

"We've gone almost four months without losing at home and it's unexpected today. After Friday's disappointing performance (at Leicester) we had a long talk about things.

"We said we could have given 52,000 people the best Christmas present they could have - three points.

"It was there for us to give it to them but we didn't."

Robson refused to be drawn on where he would look to strengthen when the transfer window opens this week, but a move for Leeds striker Alan Smith appears a certainty.

Robson did however reveal that his former teammate Jonathan Woodgate would start Saturday's FA Cup clash at Southampton.

Robson said: "Jonathan will play next weekend.

"He came back into training last Thursday after a hamstring injury so he's had no training or preparation for a Premiership match.

"If we'd had two centre-halves injured today he would have played.

"But there's no point in risking him.

"If I'd played him and he'd come off with a damaged hamstring because we played him too early I'd have kicked myself. He's too valuable."

* Kieron Dyer will go into hospital today for tests on the stomach problem that has kept him out of Newcastle's last two matches.

* Blackburn manager Graeme Souness confirmed that Barry Ferguson had fractured his kneecap in a challenge with Gary Speed which will rule him out for the rest of the season.

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