... last night the Toon boss revealed his concerns about Shola Ameobi's hip injury and admitted that the striker's specialists might not have got to the bottom of a long-standing hip problem.
The 24-year-old has fought through the pain barrier for Newcastle this season in European games, but he is a major doubt for the Premiership trip to Villa Park. So much so, it seems Obafemi Martins could be asked to make his Newcastle debut as his side's lone forward.
Roeder: "What is a concern more than anything is that it has flared up so early in the season. With any injury, whatever it is, you can never be absolutely certain that you have got to the bottom of it. But if you look at the incident, Shola took a real battering in the challenge and it could have happened to anyone.
"He won't want to miss this game. At the moment, I would say Shola has probably got a 60-40 chance of playing. But knowing him as I do now, he will do everything he can to be out there."