While Roeder has kept faith with the error-prone Bramble for tonight’s tie against FC Levadia Tallinn, the centre half will be scrutinised by more than an impatient Tyneside crowd. Courtesy of the Amisco Pro system, every pass, dribble and gaffe will be recorded.

A rival to ProZone, the alternative favoured by Steve McClaren, Sam Allardyce and Sir Alex Ferguson, among others, Amisco Pro can already be found at Chelsea, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and Portsmouth.

Both systems offer computerised data analysis that demonstrates, for example, how far a player has run during a match, his positioning and his movement. “There’s no hiding place for a player now,” Roeder said. “We’re happy with the majority, but there’s one or two who need to run a bit farther and quicker.”

Bramble’s failings have been only too apparent, but with Newcastle set to buy two centre halves during the transfer window in January and his own contract expiring this summer, the 25-year-old defender’s career is at a pivotal juncture. Sent off at home to Everton last weekend, he is suspended for Sunday’s league match against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

It was Bramble’s goal on the last day of last season which secured a 1-0 victory over Chelsea and a place in the Intertoto Cup that Newcastle subsequently transformed into a Uefa Cup place.

“He’s an experienced defender who has not had the best of runs in the last few weeks and the last thing he needs is a manager who abandons him,” Roeder said. “That will not happen. I’ll tell you now that Titus will play [tonight]. He’s had some difficulties, but I’ll keep working with him. It was him that helped us to get in this position.”

NEWCASTLE UNITED (possible; 4-4-2): S Harper — S Carr, C Moore, S Taylor, P Ramage — J Milner, N Butt, E Belozoglu, C N’Zogbia — A Sibierski, O Martins.

FC LEVADIA TALLINN (possible; 4-4-2): A Kotenko — T Sisov, M Lemsalu, V Cepauskas, A Kalimullin — K Nahk, A Dmitrijev, K Vassiljev, M Dovydenas — V Voskoboinikov, N Andreev.

Referee: K Jakobsson (Iceland).

7.30pm; TV: live on Five