GIVEN that Chelsea have spent the last nine months creating all kinds of records, it was fitting that Newcastle used their final game of the season against the Londoners to set a few of their own.

But, while the Premiership champions have finished the campaign with a record number of points and wins and, thanks to yesterday's efforts, the lowest number of goals conceded, Newcastle have rather less reason to celebrate.

Yesterday's 1-1 draw at St James' Park means the Magpies have recorded their lowest number of Premiership wins (ten), equalled their lowest Premiership points haul (44) and finished lower down the Premiership table than ever before (14th).

It is hardly the history Graeme Souness talked of creating when he was appointed manager in September.

Last season, Sir Bobby Robson's position was called into question when Newcastle finished fifth and missed out on the Champions League. A return of 56 points was deemed insufficient when compared to the 71 accrued in 2001-02 and the 69 collected the following season.

Souness is lucky that the timing of his appointment has prevented him from shouldering the blame for this season's failings. If next season is similarly sub-standard, he will not be so fortunate.

Freddy Shepherd is no Roman Abramovich but, by promising his manager a summer spending kitty of £20m, the Newcastle chairman has shown a level of largesse that should be enough to ensure a far higher finish in 12 months time.

After all, Malcolm Glazer is not proposing giving Sir Alex Ferguson any more than that.

Money does not guarantee success of course but, as Chelsea's remarkable turnaround has proved, a string of astute signings is still the quickest way to right a sinking ship.

It is to be hoped that Souness spends his money wisely because, as a 14th-place finish proves, things have gone disastrously awry this term.

With the title in the bag, and the Champions League having fallen by the wayside, Chelsea's champions could afford to stroll in the sunshine. With season ticket renewal forms due to arrive on thousands of Tyneside doormats later this week, Newcastle could not.

There was no Petr Cech, John Terry, Damien Duff, Arjen Robben or Didier Drogba in the Chelsea ranks - five players who have contributed so much to the first title in 50 years at Stamford Bridge.

Newcastle had missing players of their own of course - as they have had for most of the season - but, while Chelsea's rested stars will be back next term, a number of the Magpies' absentees will find themselves on rather more extended leave.

United's season was already in trouble when Craig Bellamy talked his way out of St James' Park in August, but there is little doubt that Souness' side would have fared better in recent months had the Wales international been playing alongside Alan Shearer.

Similarly, Souness' decision to axe Laurent Robert in the wake of his ill-timed outburst before last month's defeat in Lisbon might have re-asserted his dominance in the dressing room.

But it also deprived his side of their main creative source and, without the Frenchman's flair, Newcastle have been woefully short of inspiration and Shearer, in particular, has been starved of service.

Given Robert's actions after the final whistle - he was left with only his briefs to cover his modesty after throwing just about everything to the crowd and mouthing "goodbye" - it is safe to assume he will not be in the squad for the first game of next season.

The effects of Robert's removal were all too evident during a soporific game in which Newcastle failed to rouse themselves out of their early stupor and Chelsea's players struggled to break into a trot, never mind a sprint into the box.

The sprightly Charles N'Zogbia sporadically sparked into life on the left flank but, apart from one dangerous centre after he had turned stand-in full-back Geremi inside out, the teenage Frenchman struggled to offer the kind of deft delivery expected of his fellow countryman from open play.

It was a different story from the corner flag though and, after an opening half-hour devoid of incident, N'Zogbia's precise cross helped Newcastle steal a surprise lead.

James Milner had already put Carlo Cudicini in trouble from the left flank - his inswinging corner forced the back-pedalling keeper to palm the ball over his own crossbar - and, from the opposite wing, the Magpies prospered.

Shearer stole to the front post to flick on N'Zogbia's centre and, while Titus Bramble came close to nudging home his first Premiership goal in the scramble that followed, it was a final touch from Geremi that took the ball over the line.

A lead has meant little to Newcastle this season and, with grim predictability, the Magpies duly ceded their advantage yet again. The fact that they held the lead for less than a minute merely underlined their fragility and repeated failure to defend what they have earned.

Celestine Babayaro found himself on the wrong side of Eidur Gudjohnsen as the Icelandic striker raced onto Jiri Jarosik's flick on, and the former Chelsea full-back's only option was to clumsily wrestle his opponent to the floor.

Referee Howard Webb had incurred Souness' wrath when he took control of November's 4-1 defeat to Fulham but, on this occasion, his decision was clear cut.

Frank Lampard duly confirmed his status as England's premier midfielder by converting his 13th Premiership goal of the season from the spot - the same return as Shearer and Kluivert combined.

Kluivert, almost certainly playing his final game in a Newcastle shirt, actually robbed his side of a goalscoring opportunity nine minutes after the break when his back-post push on Geremi meant Robert Huth's handball was rendered irrelevant.

Newcastle were more direct after the break - Babayaro flashing a 65th-minute strike narrowly wide of the target - but, with Webb sprinkling yellow cards around like confetti, the game remained a disappointingly disjointed affair.

Kluivert came closest to winning it for the Magpies 20 minutes from time but, after Glen Johnson had flicked substitute Steven Taylor's centre into his path, Cudicini clawed the Dutchman's diving header around the left-hand post.

That was a fine stop, but it was nothing compared to Given's efforts at the other end shortly after.

The Republic of Ireland international, who was deservedly named Newcastle's Player of the Year before kick-off, somehow kept out Jarosik's close-range pile-driver with six minutes to go.

Result: Newcastle United 1 Chelsea 1.

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