Shearer to play the Oba

Newcastle chief Alan Shearer will ask Obafemi Martins to play through the pain barrier and to prove his commitment to the club.

Martins pulled out of last weekend's trip to Stoke at the last minute and it gave Shearer the totally wrong message as he looks for something from his players as he trys to save them from the drop.

Shearer and Martins met to have clear the air talks and he now accepts that the Nigerian is struggling with a hernia problem and with a trip to White Hart Lane on Sunday, he knows Martins is a long shot.

Shearer said: “We know what we want him to do, it’s just a case of how much pain that’ll cause him.

“An op would rule him out for the season. With rest we’d lose him for two or three weeks, the same for an injection.”