We arrived with half an hour to spare, for once, as we hadn't wanted to have to hurry in temperatures more reminiscent of equatorial climes. Hot and thirsty, we plunged into the darkness of the Shed Upper bar area for a beer. Listening to the conversations of the little knots of people stocking up on pies and beer, the general consensus seemed to be that Newcastle could not possibly have got themselves sorted out in the one week since Robson took over, and that we'd be at least a couple of goals up by half time. As it turned out, the heat played the major part in dictating the ebb and flow of a frustrating and sometimes interminably slow game.

The first thing we noticed when the team was read out was the strange starting lineup, with Goldbaek preferred to Petrescu, and Le Saux, back from injury, playing in front of Babayaro. No Gus Poyet or Didier Deschamps either, which didn't bode well. We were mystified until we realised that having had fourteen players on international duty a few days beforehand, Luca was trying to rest some of them, the darlings. Unfortunately it was obvious from the start that it was the wrong choice. The side looked badly out of balance, especially in relation to Le Saux playing in front of Baba, and having nobody exploiting the gaps down the right wing, normally a job SuperDan does especially well.

Graeme Le Saux was quite obviously lacking in fitness, culminating in his substitution by Poyet. He had been struggling to keep up, often stopping altogether to get his breath back, which resulted in certain elements of the Chelsea crowd screaming abuse at him. After all the publicity over the past months about the homophobic abuse that he gets from players and opposing crowds, some of these neanderthals were actually joining in. I won't repeat their filth here, but suffice it to say that it was crude and disgusting. At times like this I wonder what the hell I'm doing following a game that attracts such a moronic element.

I'm no angel, but I resent paying Ģ26 a time to listen to such appalling bigotry, and the worst part of it is that you daren't get involved, for fear of getting chucked out and banned, which makes it all the worse. The smug bigot in front of us thought he was the dog's bollocks, looking to his mates to encourage the filth he was spouting about Le Saux. Needless to say, they obliged, and this thug went on to even worse excesses. No doubt he went home pleased with himself. And they wonder why apparently "normal" people turn into beasts in situations like Yugoslavia and East Timor. It doesn't surprise me. It's there to see at every game.

Although Newcastle clearly haven't had the time to sort out the mess they're in as a team, their defence did seem more organised and determined than it has been up until now. Whether this is due to Robson is debatable, but it was there for all to see nevertheless. The inclusion of both Shearer and Ferguson in attack promised a bruising time of it for Chelsea's defence, and that proved to be the case. Unfortunately for Newcastle, that was about all you could say for them, as both Shearer and Ferguson looked bereft of imagination and application, except in the elbow department, and there were only two occasions where De Goey had to come in as the last line of defence, once making a truly miraculous fingertip save from a Ferguson header, and another when Shearer was put through on goal but was foiled by De Goey smothering the ball.

Both Chelsea and Newcastle were victims of dubious decisions from referee Graham Poll, with both linesmen failing completely to judge what was going on in the game. The fact that all three of them were wired up for sound seemed to bemuse them all the more, and they soon abandoned their earpieces along with their glasses. They might just as well not have bothered to turn up. Poll was particularly bad, coming out with some bizarre and obviously wrong decisions, like, for instance, booking Dennis Wise for kicking Alan Shearer - he should have given him a medal after Shearer's terrible performance against Poland..

To emphasize the poor quality of refereeing, over the course of the game Newcastle had what looked a good penalty turned down when De Goey appeared to upend Dyer, Chelsea had two appeals for blatant trips on Zola in the penalty area turned down, then we were awarded a penalty for an offence that didn't look anything like a penalty ! It reminded me of Alice Through the Looking Glass, where nothing is as it should be. It all made for confusion on a grand scale, which didn't help the mood of the crowd or the players.

The game ground on through a mostly uneventful first half, with a majority of the Chelsea crowd manifesting its irritation in the form of barracking the players, as usual, and we were a pretty depressed band at half time. The penalty came towards the end of the first half, but we were still pretty pissed off by half time. It's amazing what third degree burns to the legs from an upended coffee cup can do for the morale, though, (thanks, Nobby) and by the time the players came out for the second half all was well in Priestyworld. It didn't last long, though - the aforementioned barracking of Le Saux took care of that. Our optimism levels soared as Petrescu, Flo and Poyet came on for Goldbaek (quiet, obviously uncomfortable in the position he'd been asked to play in), Sutton (crap), and Le Saux (unfit) respectively.

Petrescu immediately started making inroads down the right wing, linking up well with Franco Zola, and it wasn't long before the whole complexion of the game changed. First Franco whistling past the last defender and having his shot saved by the keeper's outstretched leg, and then by Flo, who failed in exactly the same way. Any complaints from Newcastle about being denied a penalty should be seen in the light of these two misses, and at the end of it Chelsea deserved to win. Gus Poyet, instead of providing the solidity you might expect, looked unconvincing, by his standards. Maybe it was because he was asked to play out on the left wing in Le Saux's position, but he didn't look at all comfortable. Our midfield looked uninspired generally, but you have to remember that it must have been in the nineties on the pitch, with humidity to match - it was tiring just watching.

All in all, it was what the football journos describe as a "workmanlike performance" (meaning boring), and was only really enlivened by the Chelsea crowd getting on Shearer's back with chants of "where were you on Wednesday night ?", in reference to his useless performance for England against Poland in the Euro 2000 qualifier, and the continuing rise of Jody Morris, who gets better with each appearance. Baba also impressed, if a bit wasted playing as a full back. He's certainly not afraid to put his foot in, anyway. Sutton continues to frustrate, but he wasn't helped by the ref, who blew up against him time and again when he was challenging for the ball, even when he was repeatedly clattered from behind. Albert Ferrer was his usual self, continuing to remind us that he's the best right back in the country. Beefy and Desailly looked as solid as ever, without looking inspired. Dennis only really shone when kicking Shearer from behind, resulting in an unnecessary booking. He really is mental, isn't he ? I apologise if I've left anyone out who should be mentioned in dispatches.

We'll have to show more verve against Milan on Wednesday night, but if we can win even when having an off day, as on Saturday, it must bode well for the future. I'm looking forward to my first European Cup game with Chelsea after all these years. With players like Bierhoff, Shevchenko, Weah, Serginho, Leonardo, etc., Serie A champions Milan are as strong a side as ever. At any rate, it promises to be anything but boring..

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