EVEN at his ripe old age in the game, Gary Speed can still live with the pace in football's fast lane.

But when the 34-year-old lines up for Newcastle United against Leicester City at St. James' Park this afternoon, the salute on all sides of the Geordie citadel will be to endurance - as well as Speed, of course!

The Magpies' midfield mainstay is primed to become the first player to make 400 Premiership appearances, but admits he sees it as much as a millstone as a milestone.

After almost six years on Tyneside - he was signed by Kenny Dalglish from boyhood heroes Everton for £5.5m - Speed refuses to entertain thoughts of retirement.

With his 35th birthday looming in September and 18 months left on his contract, he feels like he could "play for ever'' and is already eyeing a new deal.

Testimony to Speed's staying power was revealed when Newcastle once conducted a time and motion study on their players.

It showed that he covered a phenomenal 12 kilometres in a game, roughly a mile every ten minutes.

Not surprisingly, Speed's appetite and application have never been called into question.

But, on the eve of today's game, he was forthright in his view of the way some of his teammates have eased up in pursuit of honours this season.

Sir Bobby Robson's side have staged a recovery to climb to sixth in the Premiership, three points behind fourth-placed Charlton Athletic, after a miserable start.

They had to content themselves with the consolation of a UEFA Cup spot following their catastrophic failure to qualify for the Champions League proper, and exits from the Carling Cup and FA Cup have compounded the mood of disappointment.

Wales skipper Speed, who to prolong his career at the top has adopted a strict fitness regime involving yoga and healthy eating, reckons the young bucks at Newcastle need to buckle down if they are to aspire to the standards of Manchester United and Arsenal.

He admitted: "This season has been a bit frustrating. The last two seasons we've come fourth and third and kept progressing, but we haven't done that this year.

"We've stood still; we haven't got worse, but teams around us have progressed. We have to look at ourselves individually and as a team, and ask why we haven't progressed. I think we have to work harder on the training pitch.

"It's nothing to do with the coaching, it's about individuals applying themselves better. That's how you improve as an individual and as a team.

"You train every day and sometimes you get days when you feel like you can't be bothered - that's only natural.

"But, if you went along to Manchester United or Arsenal and looked at one of their training sessions and then looked at one of ours, I think you'd see a bit of a difference.

"That's why we haven't progressed this season. We've been drawing too many games and we need to pull our fingers out.

"It's important because we still have a chance of getting into the top four and back into the Champions League, and we have to grasp it with both hands.

"Aston Villa's 5-0 win at Leicester last week won't have done us any favours.

"I'm sure they'll have been working hard on the training ground this week and they'll make it difficult for us.''

A stupendous strike at Birmingham a week ago, which brought him his second goal in three games, was proof that Speed's shooting prowess hasn't suffered either after a 15-year career.

But he concedes that performing at the highest level is now far more demanding than it was when he became a League title-winner with first club Leeds in 1992.

The following season, the Premiership came into being, and Speed said of his landmark: "I'm pleased and proud, but I wouldn't be aware of it if it wasn't for people telling me.

"It's not that important to me. It sounds boring, but the three points against Leicester is a lot more important - it's not about records. Maybe when I finish my career, I will look back with a bit more pride.

"I'm asked the question a lot: How long are you going to carry on playing? But I don't look at it like that; I don't set a target. It will just depend how I feel.

"At the moment I feel really strong and fit. I've embraced a bit of yoga - at my age, you try anything.

"The Premieship has improved in every way. There are some fantastic players and the pace of the game has changed - it's so much quicker.

"Everyone in the Premiership is an athlete. If you're not an athlete, you can't play in the Premiership. You have to look after yourself, you have to be fit, and you have to do the right things. If you don't, that's when you get found out.

"I have 18 months left here, and I'd like to stay as long as possible, but I'm not thinking beyond the next game really.

"I've started doing my coaching badges, but that's just because I thought the time was right to start getting the qualifications - I probably should have done it sooner. I dreaded it a bit at first, but I'm enjoying it now.

"I can't envisage leaving Newcastle before my contract is up, but if there's a new manager here, you never know. I would like to see the 18 months out and then see what happens.

"It would be a massive regret if I left here without a winner's medal. I haven't won as much as I wanted in my career, but that's not been for a lack of effort.''

A bit more effort from others, perhaps, and the twilight of Speed's career may yet have a silver lining.

Read more about Newcastle United FC here.