A few days ago, if someone had offered a couple of pennies, they would have been able to take him On Wednesday, he was barracked (ie. Patrick Kluivert, a dismissive toss of the tape torn from his socks. Craig Bellamy, eyes fixed forward, head shaking in disbelief, straggly blond ponytail swaying from side to side. Robson valiantly slapped their backs as they disappeared in a surly silence broken only by a lowing sound rolling off the emptying terraces. Two games in, one point won, and there's an air of crisis at St James' Park. Not a full-blown crisis, just an air, which is why the booing at the final whistle was quite gentle - a mark of displeasure, rather than a spiteful outburst of derision and venom."I have to think clearly and as positively as I can after a home defeat," Robson said At 71, he knows how quickly things can change Take the refusenik Dyer.

The faces that trudged past Bobby Robson on the final whistle said it all Kieron Dyer, head down, eyes to the floor Alan Shearer, a milk-curdling scowl. Substitutes not used: Ward (gk), Edworthy.Booked: Norwich: Helveg.Referee: N Barry (N Lincs).Man of the Match: SmithAttendance: 67, 812. The search for gold goes on.Goals: Bellion (33) 1-0; Smith (49) 2-0; McVeigh (74) 2-1.Manchester United (4-4-2): Howard; G Neville (P Neville, 72), Keane, Silvestre, O'Shea; Miller, Djemba-Djemba, Miller (Ronaldo, 85), Giggs; Scholes, Bellion (Richardson, 72), Smith. Substitutes not used: Carroll (gk), Eagles.Norwich City (4-4-2): Green; Helveg, Fleming, Charlton, Drury; Bentley (McKenzie, 76), Francis, Holt, Jonson (McVeigh, 45); Huckerby, Svensson (Doherty, 69).

But that's what we need to achieve and we will."With Newcastle United and Arsenal to play this week they will need to, and you fear the worst for a team who are attractive to watch and work hard, but rely too much on Darren Huckerby and Bentley.They could be bottom of the Premiership by Saturday night while United, for all their injuries, should be through to the Champions' League proper by then. Norwich hit the bar through David Bentley and had half-chances after Paul McVeigh had pulled a goal back, but you found yourself remembering this ground last August when Wolverhampton Wanderers were beginning their plummet back to the First Division, and the comparison seemed appropriate."We have to keep the ball, retain it for long periods, be ruthless in front of goal and keep clean sheets at the back," their manager, Nigel Worthington, said. "That's three big things and it's not always easy when you are playing the quality that's in the Premiership. Hughes was a scorer of great goals rather than a great scorer and Smith, hardly prolific at Leeds, had the mind wandering back to the 90s when he set up the ball with a thrust of his chest and then crashed it past Robert Green with a vicious volley over his shoulder.With Miller fitting quietly but efficiently into a midfield that comprehensively outplayed their opponents, it was a relatively easy introduction to Old Trafford for both debutants, after Bellion, no less, had opened the scoring. And then he made a near ultimate comparison for modern United supporters in mentioning Mark Hughes. Not quite the insuperable superlative that is "Eric Cantona", but a weighty compliment nonetheless.While one is always wary of contemporary views - the Leeds United programme once, laughably, held up Harry Kewell to George Best - you could see where he was coming from.