Alan Pardew; “”So we are missing four or five really big players, which we have done all year if I’m honest, with the injuries we have had one way or another. But I still think we have a good side to put on the pitch tomorrow.”

Both captain Fabricio Coloccini and Cheick Tiote start against Manchester United in tonight’s match, though Alan Pardew has resisted the temptation to play Papiss Cisse from the start and he’s on the bench.

The previous hours of frustration at getting no one over the line felt silly and I was ashamed for my greed, we’d kept the squad together.

When the press spun the wheel this weekend it landed on Arsenal supposedly after Tiote, or was it Cabaye, or hang on maybe both of them!

My ‘expectations’ for this season would probably be to finish in the top 10. My hopes however, would be to emulate last season and take the fight for the last Champions League spot down to the wire once again.

I watched that magical night at the Olympic stadium last weekend, to be in a stadium watching Newcastle win a trophy would be like taking that feeling and multiplying it by 100.

German third tier club Chemnitzer FC have today started selling tickets for their pre-season match with Newcastle United on Friday 13th July but there could be some disappointed fans, of both teams.

“…using such a creative player in a deep position is one of those concepts that could catch on — if you can find the right player… At Newcastle we sometimes use Yohan Cabaye there…”

In recent years Mike Ashley’s transfer strategy, in terms of finance and fees anyway, has been somewhat conservative – but are things now changing?

With one of the finest stadiums and fan bases in the country, a trophy drought of 43 years now is a major issue and one that ought to be addressed. So, what would it take for Newcastle to win a trophy?