THE Newcastle camp has got the party line down to a tee whenever the Premiership is mentioned.

After a weekend of results that have seen the battle to be the English game's top club thrown wide open, Newcastle find themselves in fourth spot - just five points adrift of the leaders.

With Kieron Dyer's return to first-team action imminent, and two league games coming up - away to Ipswich and home to Blackburn - that are infinitely winnable, Newcastle should go into their tough Christmas schedule still within touching distance of the top.

But, according to players and management, the ultimate prize of the Premiership title is still beyond Bobby Robson's men. "Any title ambitions are off the mark," was Robert Lee's firm assessment.

"I don't think we've got a chance of winning the Premiership.

"Our ambitions have to be to get into Europe. I've stated it before but a club the size of Newcastle should be in Europe every season.

"Our league position over the last couple of seasons has been nowhere near good enough.

"It's more even than it's ever been. Man Utd keep losing but sooner or later they are going to put a run together.

"Leeds, Arsenal and Chelsea are all up there with Liverpool, and we're just hanging on there.

"If we can stay near the top four or five until the end of the season we'll be very pleased." What impressed Lee - returning to his spiritual home at the Valley - about Saturday was the team's disappointment that they didn't return to the North-East with all three points.

"We should have been two up at half-time and it could have been three or four," he said.

"But last year we would have lost this game. To come away from Charlton with 1-1 shows how far we have come."

The return of Dyer will undoubtedly enhance those European prospects .

The £20m-rated midfielder is pencilled in for a return to action in a reserve game at Bolton on Wednesday and a return at Portman Road on Sunday cannot be ruled out.

"We'll be very pleased to have him back - he adds another string to our bow," said Lee.

"He has great pace and great power and we'd have him back sooner rather than later."

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