SORRY to rain on Newcastle United's glorious Champions League parade, but the Toon Army weren't the only people to leave St James' Park with grins as wide as the Tyne last night.

Somewhere in the towering Milburn Stand, a Chelsea scout was compiling a report ahead of Saturday's Premiership game that would have read something like this:

"Don't give Shearer free headers from inside the six-yard box. But their defence is still as fragile as precious china."

Bayer Leverkusen were hopeless, yet they cut a swathe through Newcastle's paper-thin rearguard with worrying ease and regularity.

Titus Bramble and Steve Caldwell had never played together in a first-team game before yesterday - and how it showed.

The farcical breakdown in communications that resulted in Leverkusen's penalty underlined Newcastle's desperate need for a quality centre-back, even though they had conceded just two goals in six games going into this match.

Why Caldwell stepped up as Bramble held his line, only the two players will know.

Certainly, the Scot was at fault for inexplicably neglecting his marking duties on Franca as he permitted the striker a clear run on Shay Given's goal.

Shortly after that scare, Newcastle were grateful to an errant offside decision that was given against Neuville as he broke free in the penalty area.

Then, Bramble was left trailing in the Germany striker's wake, and the case for Jonathan Woodgate's inclusion in the starting line-up on Saturday became an even stronger one.

The former Ipswich Town defender has grown in stature in recent weeks, but he looked distinctly uncomfortable at times last night.

He somehow contrived to make a complete mess of a simple interception from Jan Simak's pass, and after the midfielder reclaimed possession Andy Griffin almost turned the ball into his own net.

It was unconvincing stuff, and had Leverkusen had the inclination to capitalise on their opponents' weaknesses then we might have had a game on our hands.

Whether Caldwell was culpable as the ball sailed over his head for Marko Babic's goal was questionable, but at the same time of little consequence.

He had already handed his critics more than enough evidence to convict him of being a defensive liability that a third-placed Premiership club can do without.

Another weak challenge on Yildiray Basturk that the Turk evaded with some ease hardly helped Caldwell's cause as Newcastle began to look vulnerable. To round off a pretty poor night for the Scotland international, he added to the tension at St James' Park when he offered a sorry excuse for a clearance at Babic's cross.

Bramble is likely to survive the axe for Saturday's game but with Woodgate in the wings, Caldwell may not enjoy a similar reprieve.