Boro win causes Newcastle ruptures

No sooner had the jeers and catcalls emanating from St James' Park after another abject Newcastle United performance subsided than deputy chairman Douglas Hall was boasting of a huge summer spending spree.

Seeing Rivaldo's name linked with their club was the perfect Sunday morning pick-me-up for disgruntled Newcastle fans fed up of watching a team of artisans rather than artists scratching for results. In a way, Hall's promises - which he made before Newcastle failed to win a point against a Middlesbrough side down to 10 men for the entire second half - could not have been publicised at a more opportune time.

With his club's fortunes on the pitch at their lowest ebb since the dark days of Ruud Gullit, claims that a sizeable transfer war chest will be available to Bobby Robson next season will have diverted supporters' attentions from what happened on Saturday. Indeed, even as the Tyneside rumour mill was cranking into motion last night, Newcastle were edging closer to making a signing.

No, not Rivaldo, nor Luis Figo. The player earmarked by the Newcastle manager is Bradford City defender Andy O'Brien. He might be an England Under 21 international, but signing him for about £1.5million ahead of Thursday's transfer deadline is hardly a move that will send the Toon Army into raptures. Who knows, though. Whatever his abilities as a player, maybe in O'Brien Newcastle have found a player who possesses enough backbone and character to meet his commitments. Robson, who has now presided over two derby defeats at St James' Park this season, was clearly displeased.

'That's rather disappointing and I should have a word with the players about that. I have to face my responsibilities and I want them to do that on and off the pitch,' he said.

'It's not easy to talk when you've lost but I don't think everybody in the team should flunk it.' For Boro, the future suddenly looks bright, with a win that hauls them four points above the relegation zone. Gianluca Festa and Steve Vickers won nigh-on every header there was to win; Paul Ince ran himself into the St James' Park mud and in Alen Boksic the visitors had a striker who showed more enterprise than all the others on the pitch put together. The victory was achieved without new signing Dean Windass, who hurt his back putting his kit bag into his car boot just before the game. Windass said: 'I tried to convince myself it was nothing, but the physio felt my back and I screamed.' Boksic scored twice in the first half, but the sending off of Phil Stamp on the cusp of half-time precipitated a Newcastle fightback. Carl Cort's volley was all they had to show for their endeavour, however, and when Nolberto Solano hit the bar with an 85th-minute penalty, it summed things up.