While I’m happy that at last things have changed, it is laughable that Haidara’s career could have been ended and nothing is done, while Torres does some girly scratching and the FA get running for the rulebook.

Like me, I bet you have little doubt that now this change in stance is coming about, we all know which Premier League club will be the first to have a player brought to book thanks to the new ruling, instead of getting away with it like Wigan and McManaman.

It still sticks in the throat that Callum Mcmanaman got away with no punishment whatsoever for his assault on Massadio Haidara. Not only that, but I can still hear Dave Whelan’s voice in my head saying Mcmanaman hadn’t done anything wrong and was a great lad blah blah blah.

One thing I do hope is that Pardew really does go for it and ditches the timid approach that has led to one goal in the past three games. When Wigan scored their winning goal at WBA (McManaman again) they had five players in the opposition penalty area….we normally struggle to have one there!!!

Newcastle fan, David Walton, took it upon himself to write to the FA and here is his letter from back in March, followed by the FA’s response…

It will be over a month without a Premier League match and maybe the writing is on the wall for the end of the season and he will be permanently demoted/retired.

A big thumbs up to Newcastle United for the handling of the situation. You may say it is simply common sense but how often have they got it wrong in the past?

According to the club, Haidara did not suffer “any significant bone or ligament damage” after the horrific challenge at Wigan and that he could rejoin the club in April.

The latest list of referees for this weekend’s fixtures shows that Mark Halsey has been dropped into League One after his disaster at Wigan.

The donations to the club will hopefully help to show that the majority of Newcastle fans are decent people, who would travel across the world to follow our great club, but that unfortunately, a minority is spoiling our great reputation.