Bellamy defends Robert after Frenchman loses temper in combating 'vendetta'
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Your support makes all the difference.Craig Bellamy, the Newcastle United striker, has launched a passionate defence of his controversial team-mate Laurent Robert. The Frenchman angrily confronted a local journalist in the press room at St James' Park after Sunday's 2-1 victory against Tottenham Hotspur over a story criticising his recent performances.
But while Newcastle's manager, Sir Bobby Robson, admits he is sometimes left tearing his hair out over the enigmatic midfielder, Bellamy insisted that the Frenchman's ability is not in question, nor his popularity in the dressing room.
"I wish people would stop having a go at Laurent Robert," Bellamy said. "He has had to cope with a disgraceful amount of flak this season and it seems there has been a a bit of a vendetta against him.
"What Laurent did after the Tottenham game was not nice and he regrets what happened in the heat of the moment, but it seems everyone concerned would like to close that chapter now.
"The fact is Laurent is a magnificent player who is popular in the dressing room as a person and, most importantly, as a footballer.
"There are few better left-sided midfielders in Europe, and let's not forget he had the most assists in the Premiership last season.
"He has not had the easiest of times this time around, but it hurts him. He does care about Newcastle United and he gets frustrated when things don't go his way.
"As a striker, I love playing with him because you know that no matter how quiet he is in a match, he is going to create at least two chances for you. It is the same for Alan Shearer.
"We cannot afford to carry anyone. If we thought we were carrying Laurent Robert, we wouldn't want him in the side and it would be impossible for the manager to pick him. At the moment, his confidence is not high, but give him time."
In Spain, Real Madrid go into today's rescheduled league clash with Sevilla at the Bernabeu convinced that a winning start to 2003 will inspire a swift return to normal service in La Liga.
Three successive league wins have taken Real up to third place in the table but the European champions are eight points behind the leaders Real Sociedad, who are unbeaten after 15 games.
Vicente del Bosque's side at last have the prospect of cutting that gap when they play host to Sevilla in a match postponed from December and taking place while the rest of the country's league clubs continue to enjoy their winter break. Normal service resumes at the weekend with a full league programme.
Victory would take the side up to second place ahead of Valencia, and the players are determined not to let their opportunity slip, especially when they play the defending champions at home on Sunday.
"The comeback begins on Thursday," Real's Argentinian midfielder, Esteban Cambiasso, said. "It's vital for us to get the three points from this match, with our rivals not playing. We then have a game against Valencia at the weekend and that could take us into a very good position in the table."
Cambiasso is hoping to recover from a knee injury in time while Fernando Hierro and Claude Makelele, who also finished 2002 with injury problems, have already been given the green light to play.
Sevilla have also been in excellent form of late, following up their extraordinary 3-0 win over Barcelona at the Nou Camp with a 1-0 success at Rayo Vallecano.
Those two victories have taken them up to 14th place in the table, although they are just two points clear of the relegation zone.
The Real Sociedad midfielder Xabi Alonso could miss one month and four league matches after injuring his ankle during a friendly representative match.
Xabi, who has been influential in the the Basque team's rise to the top of the Spanish first division, turned his ankle while he was playing for a Basque Country XI in a Christmas exhibition match against Macedonia.
Tests revealed that the 21-year-old had both sprained his ankle and damaged a bone. He will have to sit out the home games against Malaga and Celta Vigo and will also miss the trips to face Atletico Madrid and the defending champions, Valencia.
Xabi, a local who is a product of the club's own development programme, has really come into his own this season, providing impetus to his side's drive from midfield. It has beena remarkable season so far for Sociedad as they led the league by seven points from Valencia, when it went into its traditional Christmas and new year break last weekend.
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