JOEY Barton's Twitter feed has been a source of considerable interest in recent weeks, but it's hard to imagine the self-professed philosopher having too much to say this morning. To the best of anyone's knowledge, Nietzsche didn't say anything about goalless draws.

The midfielder's dynamite debut turned out to be something of a damp squib last night as Newcastle soaked up everything QPR could throw at them to extend their unbeaten start to the season.

Penned into their own half for prolonged periods, the Magpies defended superbly to record their third clean sheet in four league matches and prevent Barton enjoying a winning start to life at Loftus Road.

Goalline clearances from Danny Simpson and Steven Taylor ensured Newcastle's goal would remain unbreached, and while the visitors offered precious little as an attacking force, their solidity should be commended.

Given a lack of options up front, it is important that United prove tough to break down, and their start to the season could hardly have been more defensively secure.

Barton's Loftus Road debut was always going to provide the evening's major sub-plot, and as if the situation was not explosive enough, Neil Warnock added extra spice by handing the maverick midfielder the captain's armband.

Greeted with a mixture of boos and cheers from the away end before kick-off, Barton relished the opportunity to make a point to his former employers. Ultimately, though, his night proved surprisingly nondescript.

His first touch went straight to a Newcastle player, the majority of his set-pieces came to nothing and he was quickly switched to the left to accommodate the wanderings of Shaun Wright-Phillips, who was easily the most impressive of QPR's debutants. Hardly the debut he would have dreamed of when he agreed to swap St James' for South Africa Road.

Warnock selected five players who signed in the final week of the August transfer window; Newcastle's starting line-up had none. Admittedly, Davide Santon and Rob Elliot were on the bench, but the contrast between the two clubs' deadline-day dealings could hardly have been starker.

Shola Ameobi returned from injury to partner Leon Best in attack, but save for the eagerly-anticipated return of Hatem Ben Arfa, last night's starting line-up was effectively as good as it is going to get for the Magpies between now and January. Even though they are still to lose this season, that has to be a concern.

Buoyed by the optimism that has accompanied Tony Fernandes' takeover at Loftus Road, QPR started at a frenetic pace that never really let up all night.

Wright-Phillips was at the heart of much of their best work, heading over Armand Traore's ninth-minute cross under pressure and setting up Jay Bothroyd for a volley that failed to find the target.

Loosely marked eight yards out, the once-capped England international should have at least forced Tim Krul into a save.

Paddy Kenny had already been involved at the opposite end at that stage, getting down to turn Best's low effort around the post after the Newcastle striker had wriggled adroitly past Danny Gabbidon, but that was to be the QPR goalkeeper's only involvement all evening.

With Yohan Cabaye spending much of the game alongside Cheik Tiote at the base of midfield, both Best and Ameobi were isolated for long periods.

At least Newcastle defended well though, something that has been true of all four of their league games this season, and both Simpson and Steven Taylor were required to make goalline clearances towards the end of a largely one-sided opening period.

Simpson's was reasonably routine, with the full-back blocking Bothroyd's header from his position at the back post as it threatened to bounce into the net.

Taylor's, however, was a superb piece of defending, with the centre-half tracking back to cover after the influential Wright-Phillips outpaced Fabricio Coloccini in the inside-right channel.

With Krul committed in the middle of the penalty area, the winger appeared to have floated a chip under the crossbar, but Taylor kept his composure to nod the ball away.

The intervention enabled Newcastle to reach the break on level terms, and while their opponents continued to dominate possession in the second half, the game gradually adopted a more even feel.

Part of that was down to an understandable lack of cohesion in some of QPR's attacking, but the hosts were also thwarted by the solidity of a defence whose only concession in the league this season was to Fulham striker Clint Dempsey.

For so long, Newcastle have lacked organisation and authority at the heart of the back four. Suddenly, they boast those qualities in abundance, with Coloccini's game having progressed to an even higher level since he was made skipper in the summer.

There were sporadic scares, most notably when an unmarked Shaun Derry twice failed to find the target from successive second-half corners from Barton, but on the whole, the Magpies successfully neutered a Rangers side that will surely attain a mid-table position once its various constituents bed in.

Their only second-half opportunity saw an ineffective Gabriel Obertan head Simpson's cross beyond the left-hand upright, but the lack of any late defensive scares made for a largely welcome end to proceedings.

MATCHFACTS

Bookings: Shola Ameobi (6, dissent); Derry (36, foul); Tiote (63, foul), S Taylor (87, ungentlemanly conduct)
Referee: Phil Dowd (Stoke-on-Trent) 6
Attendance: 16,211
Entertainment: **

QPR (4-2-3-1): Kenny 6; Young 7, Gabbidon 6, Ferdinand 7, Traore 6 (Connolly 51, 6); Derry 6, Faurlin 5; Barton 5, Taarabt 6, WRIGHTPHILLIPS 8 (Puncheon 88); Bothroyd 4 (Campbell 80). Subs (not used): Murphy (gk), Hall, Buzsaky, Smith

NEWCASTLE UNITED (4-4-2): Krul 6; Simpson 7, Coloccini 8, S TAYLOR 8, R Taylor 7; Obertan 4 (Sammy Ameobi 88), Tiote 6, Cabaye 5, Gutierrez 4; Shola Ameobi 5 (Ba 64, 4), Best 5 (Marveaux 82). Subs (not used): Elliot (gk), Santon, Guthrie, Lovenkrands

MAN OF THE MATCH
STEVEN Taylor – The Newcastle defender was rock solid throughout and made an excellent goalline clearance before the break