SIR Bobby Robson last night ordered Alan Shearer and Craig Bellamy to rediscover their shooting boots and fire faltering Newcastle United into the Champions League.

Shearer and Bellamy have scored just once in Newcastle's last four matches and have failed to hit the target in successive defeats to Everton and Manchester United.

The barren spell has followed an altercation involving Bellamy in a Cardiff club that has seen the Wales striker charged with a public-order offence.

But Robson is keeping faith with Shearer and Bellamy for today's trip to Fulham, despite the impressive form of Shola Ameobi.

Robson said: "Alan and Craig are aware of their recent goal record and I don't think they're particularly impressed with it.

"We haven't looked that penetrative in some spells of games, and we've lost six points to Chelsea and Everton in the last two weeks.

"The service to them hasn't been great, which has affected us. But Alan and Craig need to get their shooting boots on again.

"Alan would normally have done better than he did last Saturday when he hit a good shot straight at Fabien Barthez.

"I've said to Craig that, since he returned from international duty, he hasn't played as well as at Charlton, when he virtually won us the match on his own.

"We saw how good Shola can play at Barcelona and West Ham, and other times when he's come in.

"He's improving and he did well against Manchester United. He also kept things going in the last 15 minutes against Blackburn, when we scored three goals.

"But who do we take out of the team: Craig Bellamy or Alan Shearer?"

Shearer will defy a damaged hand to lead Newcastle into the Loftus Road clash as the visitors aim to put their bid for a top-four place back on track.

Robson has told his players to show last Saturday's St James' Park horror show was an aberration when they meet a Fulham team in crisis since the departure of Jean Tigana.

The Newcastle manager said: "I can do my bit - I can pick the team and try to motivate them - but quite a bit of the confidence has to come from them.

"We've been quite hard about it but they have to do it now. Once they cross the white line, there's nothing I can do about it.

"It was only one match, but we've got to establish a good basic defensive platform.

"It wasn't just one player having a bad time. You can't just blame Titus Bramble; the full-backs played very poorly as well.

"Seeing is believing, and by showing them the video of the Manchester United game they've seen what went wrong.

"I've told them they have to have the tenacity and perseverance. They haven't let me down in the past and that's why I didn't criticise them last week.

"They've given us a fantastic season and I've now given them the chance to do it right on Saturday."

Nobby Solano will have the chance to get himself back in Robson's good books today as Newcastle try to cope with depleted midfield resources.

The Peru winger will start after the Magpies were robbed of the injured Laurent Robert, Gary Speed, Jermaine Jenas and Darren Ambrose.

But Robson is clearly displeased with the recent behaviour of Solano, who was ineffective in last week's game with United.

Robson said: "Nobby went to Peru, came back injured but was then presumably fit for the Everton game. Then, on the Friday, he said he wasn't fit.

"It's the fourth time that's happened and I'm not stupid. I said 'fine' and we left him out.

"We got him fit for the Manchester United game and we took him off.

"I then put him in the reserves for the game at Everton on Tuesday to top up his fitness."

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