I KNOW getting results despite playing badly is supposed to be the sign of really good team, but we looked anything but when we took on Newcastle on Saturday afternoon.

After our impressive performance against Manchester United the weekend before, we lacked ideas and invention going forward, although credit must be given to the Magpies' defence for closing our players down so quickly.

Fittingly, it was Aaron Lennon who snatched a draw in stoppage time with an incisive run down the left channel, before jinking inside to fire a low drive past Steven Harper and into the bottom corner of the net.

The winger had looked our best player and, after Gareth Bale's worryingly early departure due to a back injury, the one most likely to get us back on level terms.

New signing Steven Pienaar did little to impress his new supporters although I'm sure he'll settle in and justify his measly £2.5 million price tag.

I was encouraged by the way we threw everything forward to get a point and it was hardly surprising that Newcastle threatened to double their lead on a number of occasions, although it still gave me the jitters.

But our shaky defence and inconsistency continue to trouble me as we hunt after fourth spot for the second successive season.

Manchester City may have been sunk by Spurs old boy Darren Bent on his first game for Villa but it remains to be seen whether that wobble turns into a poor run for the oil cash-rich club.

In my view, we're out of the title race now, although it was questionable if we were ever in it to be begin with.

We can only hope Chelsea continue to be a bit rubbish this evening at Bolton and fail to capitalise on their game in hand but you can only rely on other teams slipping up for so long.