Mon 11 Nov 2007Newcastle draw on fear of failureSunderland 1 Newcastle Utd 1: Fear
of failure is frequently a bigger motivator than lust for
glory.It certainly seems to have been the driving force behind Sam
Allardyce's tactics on Wearside, where Alan Smith was deployed as
the deepest of holding midfielders and, with Newcastle United's
manager unwilling to risk fielding three strikers at once, a
taut-faced Michael Owen found himself replaced by Obafemi Martins
seven minutes from time.