SIR BOBBY ROBSON last night urged Craig Bellamy not to panic after the striker admitted his frustration at failing to hit the goal trail.

Bellamy, 23, was critical of his own finishing on Wednesday night after he did not convert any of his ten chances against Barcelona.

That performance came after the Wales striker had complained following the win at Charlton Athletic last Saturday that his role as a provider for Alan Shearer was blunting his cutting edge.

Bellamy has scored eight goals in 29 club appearances this season and has not hit the target for Newcastle since January 18.

But Magpies manager Robson pleaded with the £6m forward to be patient as he tries to end his two-month drought at home to Blackburn Rovers today.

Robson said: "Craig loves to score and I had to have a chat with him a few days ago because he did so well at Inter Milan and Charlton, and he didn't score.

"I said, 'Don't worry. You'll score because you get into too many good positions not to score. Keep doing what you're doing, which is playing people in.'

"If he's at a difficult angle and he sets it up for someone to have a tap-in, he's created a goal for us.

"We want him to be unselfish when he needs to be unselfish, and I told him the time to be selfish would come.

"It came on Wednesday, and he miscued. But he won't always miscue. He was through in the inside-right position three times and he went for the near post instead of putting it across the goalkeeper.

"He had ten efforts and he didn't score. The keeper only saved one, but he's normally quite a good finisher and the goals will come."

Robson added: "Craig's still only 23 and I think he can become a Newcastle United great.

"He didn't have a good year at Coventry, but he's since proved he's a truly outstanding Premiership player.

"Last season was a very good one for him and this one has been even better."

Robson has admonished Hugo Viana, who admitted this week that he wanted to leave the club on loan, and told the midfielder that he will be a Newcastle player for the next decade.

Viana is worried his St James' Park inactivity - he has started just six Premiership games - will count against him in the build-up to Euro 2004 in Portugal.

But Robson said: "I've been quite firm with Hugo and told him he won't get anything if he goes bleating to Portuguese journalists.

"We paid a lot of money for him and he's a wonderful player. He has to think about the long term.

"He never wasted a pass on Wednesday. He'll be so good, he won't leave this place for ten years.

"I understand next year is a vital one for him, and he's disappointed he's only been selected for the Portuguese Under-21s.

"But I told him I guarantee he will be in the Portugal team next year if he's patient."

Read more about Newcastle United FC here.