WITH perhaps a straying eye focused on this week's Champions League opener, Newcastle United suffered more early season jitters at Stamford Bridge.

Sir Bobby Robson's men, who take on Dynamo Kiev on Wednesday, have not returned with the points from Chelsea since 1986 - quite frankly, they never deserved to end that sequence on Saturday either and were beaten 3-0.

It's now just one win - the 4-0 drubbing of bottom club West Ham - from Newcastle's opening five top-flight fixtures and a relegation zone place is the perfect example of the side's poor form.

But if Newcastle are going to rekindle the magic of the previous campaign, Robson's big stars are going to have to turn up their performance levels.

And the boss is convinced, given time, the players he has returning from injuries will soon be firing on all cylinders to lift the St. James' Park outfit back into the top half of the table.

Craig Bellamy made his first start after his tendonitis nightmare and is still short of match fitness; £10m winger Laurent Robert and defenders Andy O'Brien and Nikos Dabizas have also just shaken off injuries.

And Robson admits he needs to get more from his squad, he said: "We have still got players who aren't anywhere near where they were last year.

"We need some players to recover and reach that form.

"I know Bellamy can get better, this was his first game and he lasted longer than I thought.

"Robert will also get better, he's been out for two months and O'Brien's been out for two weeks. But we need a show from everyone else as well."

After spending £5m on young centre-back Titus Bramble in the summer, Robson took the ex-Ipswich man out of the spotlight at the Bridge and opted for experience in the shape of replacement Nikos Dabizas.

But within 14 minutes the Greece defender was outjumped in the penalty area by Chelsea striker Eidur Gudjohsen. The Icelandic international, a target for Sunderland last month, leaped to head a pin-point Boudewijn Zenden cross past 'keeper Shay Given.

It was not the start Newcastle needed and 11 minutes later it was to take a turn for the worse still further.

This time the busy legs of Gianfranco Zola led to him claiming a free-kick after referee Barry Knight bizarrely judged Gary Speed had fouled.

The diminutive Italian quickly got to his feet to take the dead ball and his right-foot curler ricocheted off Speed's head and flew into the net.

There were cries from the travelling supporters of "Bobby please can we have a centre-back," and how Robson would have loved the Chelsea central pair at the back.

His opposite number, Claudio Ranieri, described French double act William Gallas and Marcel Desailly's performances as 'extra terrestrial'.

The duo were out of this world for the full 90 minutes and they never allowed Alan Shearer, making an unhappy 600th professional appearance, or Bellamy to trouble keeper Carlo Cudicini.

And Robson believes his strike pairing will not be the only players to find it difficult to breakdown the Chelsea defence.

He said: "Gallas I thought was magnificent and so was the other fella (Desailly). They were just mean, they have both got great aerial ability.

"I don't think there can be a better combination in the Premiership if they are playing like that. I thought they were both terrific and were like the Adams and Keown combination of old."

There were a lot of meaty challenges from both sets of players but Mr Knight surprisingly only booked one Chelsea man, Gallas, as oppose to Olivier Bernard, Nolberto Solano, Shearer and Speed cautioned for Newcastle.

Robson must have been relieved to hear the half-time whistle, and after the restart Newcastle looked to be playing with more purpose.

However, just as the visitors were gaining the upperhand, they conceded a horror goal - or in Robson's words 'a comic goal'.

Given, who had a nightmare at the Bridge last season when he helped a speculative Zenden effort into the net, took a touch too many on the edge of his area before passing to Aaron Hughes.

The right-back, on his touch-line, was harried by ex-Robson target Zenden, who the ball bounced off before landing at the feet of Zola.

The 36-year-old, with Given way out of his goal, then played the ball to Gudjohnsen, who tapped in his second of the season, on his first start, to complete the scoring with 32 minutes remaining.

Shortly after Frank Lampard had a shot well saved by Given and Robson said: "The third goal absolutely killed us. And 3-0 looks like a battering which we have had. We play so miserably in London and we have done it again."

Next stop Ukraine for Bobby's Boys.