FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION

Still playing for a place in next season's Champions League, and still in this season's UEFA Cup, Shepherd warned: "Failure can destroy all the hopes and ambitions."

Newcastle United have not paid cash for a player since signing Jonathan Woodgate for £9 million roughly 14 months ago, and having missed out on this season's Champions League money, have not had much cash to splash. Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal however have all spent big - or we are led to believe!

Shepherd would like to see this season end with a run of victories to ensure that Newcastle reach Europe again, and go much further in the UEFA Cup.

Shepherd said: "We are going into a do-or-die stage of the season. Failure could destroy all the hopes and ambitions, but a good run of results can push you right up there.

"With only 10 games in the league to play, and just three more rounds of the UEFA Cup after this one, this is the time when you must be successful.

"Whatever happens with our UEFA Cup run our aim is to get into that fourth place in the Premiership that can give us another shot at the biggest European club tournament of all."

The Magpies' finished third in the Premiership last season and entered the Champions League qualifies, but blew the chance of a £15m cash injection when the lost in the qualifying round to Partizan Belgrade.

Nolberto Solano, Lomana LuaLua, Steve Caldwell, Carl Cort, Wayne Quinn and Nikos Dabizas have all been offloaded this season in an attempt to lower the club's wage bill.

The worst thing possible for Newcastle at the moment would be to miss out on Europe altogether.

Only the fifth-place club gets a UEFA Cup spot this season, and with rivals 'Boro already in the competition, and Sunderland still in the FA Cup looking for a place, Shepherd is detirmined that his side can too reach the competition.

He said: "Teams such as Barcelona, Valencia, Roma, Inter, PSV, and Celtic are the clear evidence of the quality in the last 16 of the UEFA Cup.

"There are eight teams left in the Champions League and 16 in the UEFA Cup, including ourselves. So by definition we are among the top 24 clubs in Europe. If we get to the UEFA Cup last eight we can say we are in the top 16 of Europe."

Skipper Alan Shearer added: "It would be crazy to throw this away now, we've done a lot of the hard work in the home leg." What Do You Think? Leave A Message On Our Forum! (HERE)