GLENN ROEDER frequently cited injuries as a reason for Newcastle United's poor performance this season and, before a new appointment has even been made, his successor will start with two star names on the treatment table.

The Magpies confirmed yesterday that both Damien Duff and Scott Parker will be missing at Watford tomorrow after having surgery on their respective problems.

Duff's foot injury is the worst and sources in Dublin, where he is recovering, suggest the Irishman will miss the start of the new campaign in August.

That has not been confirmed on Tyneside, although there was a clear drive yesterday to suggest Parker will be back on his feet in time to start pre-season training at the start of July.

The Newcastle captain was in Germany yesterday for a hernia operation and has been ruled out of England's B international with Albania on May 25. And caretaker manager Nigel Pearson said: "Scott has had a hernia operation. I'm not quite sure on the time-scale but he should be back for pre-season no problem. He has had it for a while.

"Unfortunately, it has had to be dealt with this week. It's going to have an effect. It's unfortunate for us but the circumstances have been difficult. Having said that you have to get on with it."

The pair's operations mean that should an agreement be reached within the next few days over the appointment of Sam Allardyce, one of the former Bolton boss' first tasks will be to check on the state of both.

But Allardyce will be hoping to avoid the problems on the sidelines which, ultimately, contributed to Roeder's downfall.

But Pearson, left holding the fort so to speak after being brought in as assistant manager by Roeder earlier in the season, does not feel it is time to assess the reasons why things went wrong under the former Newcastle captain.

"There's ifs and buts. It would be pretty fruitless to look over it now," he said. "Hindsight is a wonderful thing. But in professional sport, these things happen. I don't think there's any mileage in spending any time looking at the negatives. When the season is over, there will be time to reflect.

"Sometimes circumstances that are out of your control overtake you. That's football, I'm afraid. I know that Glenn can walk away with his head held high. He worked particularly hard to try to develop the club.

"It has been a difficult season. Circumstances have conspired against him and what he was trying to do. That was unfortunate. We all have to be realistic in this line of work. You are judged on results and results were deemed to be not good enough.

"That's unfortunate because I feel we were close to getting things right. Although it has been a disappointing season in some aspects, there are always positives. Difficult times but you have to get on with it."

If Newcastle fail to beat Watford tomorrow, the Magpies will have ended with their worst Premiership points total on record. They currently sit on 42 points, two points shy of the total achieved in 2005. They also sit just one place above their lowest finish, 14th, in the same year.

Nevertheless, despite the obvious failings, Pearson understandably feels sympathy for the man who took him to Tyneside.

"Of course I'm sad," he said. "Glenn brought me here. He's a friend, a close colleague. It's always disappointing when people you are close to lose their jobs. That's football, I'm afraid. It would be nice to get a win and I hope it will be for Glenn.

"It's always easier with hindsight. It came as a shock, of course it did. When you work for a club where expectations are exceptionally high, that goes with the territory. It's difficult when colleagues lose their jobs. We just have to concentrate on what we're doing."

Meanwhile, James Milner will play his 53rd game of the season tomorrow, equaling the previous record for a Newcastle player in a Premiership season set by Shay Given in 2003-04.