Kevin Bond's future Toon assistant manager was up in the air, after rumours of "dodgy dealings" that 007 would regard as an insult to the very name "Bond".
Glenn Roeder's assistant was implicated in a BBC Panorama investigation into the football bung culture at the weekend. And having been granted a period of leave by Newcastle officials, Bond did not travel to Estonia with United's first team squad yesterday afternoon.
NUFC statement: "Kevin Bond is on leave for a few days to resolve personal matters."
Bond arrived on Tyneside from Portsmouth this summer and we are glad to report that the allegations have nothing to do with Newcastle United. And the Magpies have left him at home to sort it out, keeping him at a distance.
The last thing Freddy Shepherd needs is another News Of The World investigation, as he (and Dastardly Doug) has "been there; done it; and got the oversized T-shirt".