Speed's need for silverware

By Julia Court

As they prepare for their third round second-leg tie against Norwegian minnows Vålerenga IF at St James' Park, Newcastle United FC's Gary Speed insists they will not let another trophy slip through their fingers this season.

Silver trail
"Silverware is crucial to this club," the 34-year-old told uefa.com. "And any opportunity that we have to get a trophy we must grab with both hands. We owe that to the fans who have stuck by us through thick and thin. We were gutted to be out of the League Cup so early in our campaign and losing to Liverpool in the FA Cup was another low moment. So while we're still in this competition we'd be crazy not to make the most of it."

Less than zero
Vålerenga held Newcastle to a 1-1 draw at the Ullevål stadium in the first leg, but Speed insists that the sub-zero temperatures were no excuse for a poor performance. "It wasn't that cold, it's been colder in Newcastle this week!" said Speed. "However, I would say that the pitch we played on at the Ullevål was one of the worst I've ever played on in my career. But that's not an excuse; we just didn't play well."

Shearer rested
Manager Sir Bobby Robson controversially chose to rest Alan Shearer and Kieron Dyer for the first leg - much to the former's annoyance. "It's only natural that Alan was upset at being left out," said Speed. "Every player wants to play, and especially the older players like myself and Alan. When you get to the stage in your career that we're at you want to play as much as possible."

Winning run
Having missed out on the UEFA Champions League following a penalty shoot-out defeat against FK Partizan, Newcastle overcame NAC Breda and FC Basel before facing Vålerenga. Indeed, they had won every game in this season's tournament until the draw in Oslo - something that piqued Speed.

Poor display
"We were disappointed to come away with a draw from Oslo," said the Welsh international. "We didn't deserve to win the tie, to be honest, because we were quite poor on the day, but that's taking nothing away from Vålerenga. They may not be one of the favourites for this competition, but they're still a tricky side to face.

Vital advantage
"But despite the fact we've suffered a lot of draws in recent domestic games, we haven't been beaten for a while and we have to take confidence in that," he added. "We've also got that all-important away goal and we have to work on that advantage. We've got a good record at home this season and we'll be hoping this will carry us through to the fourth round."

Serious opposition
Newcastle's heroic Champions League performances last year, beating the likes of eventual finalists Juventus FC in the first group phase, make them among the favourites for this season's UEFA Cup. But with esteemed European opposition also in contention for the trophy, Speed remains cautiously optimistic at this stage of the competition.

'A nice problem'
"There are some very big teams in this competition and if we can get past Vålerenga we've got the prospect of facing the likes of FC Barcelona, Valencia CF or AS Roma," he said. "But one step at time, let's win on Wednesday and then worry about the draw. That would be a nice problem to have."

Gary Speed's personal website is at www.icons.com