He gets his place because Matheu Debuchy is ineligible for the Europa League, and if Newcastle could get to Amsterdam in May ... what a way to bow out.
He is on a quarter of the wage Mike Williamson is on, and I still cannot understand why the club won't offer him a better deal.
In MY opinion, he has done far more for this club than others who have played in the back-line in recent years - Edgar, Geremi, Cacapa, Faye, Carr, Ramage, Moore, Bramble, Babayaro, etc.
Danny Simpson: “This is a big deal for me, this tournament.
“I’m getting games. The manager’s giving me a chance. For me, it’s massive.
“If we can win, and get through to the quarter-finals, it would be great for the club and everyone involved.
“I’m pretty sure the stadium will be full.
“The pressure’s on them.
“You want to play the best players in the world – that’s what football’s about.
“There’s Eto’o and Willian, who’s a quality player.
“He got injured, but Eto’o has shown in glimpses he’s still a world-class player.
“They’ve got some good players. We’re going to take some positives from the game, and we’re pretty confident we can go back to St James’s Park and win.
“Everyone knows their jobs – one to 11 – whatever position they play in. They know the jobs they’ve got to do.
“The lads that have come in have done well, and that’s all you can ask.
“We adjusted well.
“It was a good result, really, and it was another clean sheet.
“(The pitch) was different to what I’ve played on before. We’re not used to playing on it.
“The ball moves differently. The weather was freezing, but it was the same for both teams.
“I’m sure if we can do what we did (in Moscow), with our fans behind us, we can go through.”