Alan Hansen: "Newcastle is a club reaping the rewards from the ultimate football reality check. Relegation from the Premier League three years ago may, in the long-term, have done them more good than harm.
"No one in the North East would have dared consider their painful drop into the Championship a blessing in disguise, but the upward momentum they’ve achieved since suggests it has had a galvanising, long-term effect and has allowed the club to emerge much stronger.
"The Newcastle United fans are among the most passionate in the world, but too often, probably since the first Kevin Keegan era, they have been in dreamland in terms of the football they expected.
"They had been served such a feast under Kevin due to the flamboyant style of play, every manager since found it hard to be accepted unless they could replicate what was an exciting, but defensively flawed team.
"Instead, each new manager tried to focus on tightening up at the back, only to find the supporters craving the same flowing, entertaining style and big-name signings to challenge for the Premier League again.
"This was simply impossible and chopping and changing every few years led to an inevitable downward spiral. It had to come to end for everyone connected to the club to see it was an unsustainable situation.
"What I see now, for the first time in a while at St James’ Park, is genuine team playing for each other, with the belief, support and confidence that fantastic home crowd gives them.
"Most importantly, the supporters are now willing to accept a team that plays to its strengths, both as a defensive and attacking unit, to get results. Combine all this and you have something no amount of money or chasing big names can buy and that is team spirit.
"To come back twice against a side of the claibre of Tottenham Hotspur as they did yesterday demonstrates exactly how far Newcastle have come in a short space of time.
"They weren’t necessarily the better team, but they have a grit and steel which used to be lacking, and also the supporters are as delighted seeing their side fight to claim a hard-earned point rather than unrealistically expect them to play in an exhilarating, gung-ho fashion.
"Alan Pardew deserves so much credit for turning what was potentially a hiding to nothing when he took the job into such a success story.
"When he was appointed to replace the popular Chris Hughton he was getting stick from all quarters; the fans, the players, the neutrals and the media seemed to be as one in their view it was a strange decision. Beyond his own family, he must have been struggling to find anyone to speak up on his behalf.
"You won’t find anyone doubting his credentials for the job now and I admire the clever way he has approached it, saying the right things, making astute signings and shifting out players he evidently thought were more trouble than they were worth. There is a visible unity on the pitch now.
"The turning point for him was probably the comeback against Arsenal last season.
"At 4-0 down, it wasn’t just that the natives were restless, they were likely to have been sharpening their arrows as an unpopular appointment looked to be overseeing a possible six or seven-nil defeat to a very good Arsenal team.
"The feelgod factor created by such an extraordinary comeback seems to have been retained and to be one of just three teams unbeaten in the Premier League speaks volumes for Pardew’s management skills.
"Whatever the controversial circumstances of his arrival in Newcastle, Pardew had already shown he has what it takes to manage at this level."
NEXT NEWCASTLE UTD MATCH:
TOON v WIGAN ATH.
Saturday October 22nd KO 3pm
Saturday 22nd October 2011
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Swansea City 12:45
Aston Villa v West Bromwich Albion 15:00
Bolton Wanderers v Sunderland 15:00
Newcastle United v Wigan Athletic 15:00
Liverpool v Norwich City 17:30
Sunday 23rd October 2011
Arsenal v Stoke City 13:30
Fulham v Everton 13:30
Manchester United v Manchester City 13:30
Blackburn Rovers v Tottenham Hotspur 15:00
Queens Park Rangers v Chelsea 16:00
MAGPIES IN EUROPE
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NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE
M&M News; 140 Northumberland St.
One Stop News; 44 Blackett St.
Blackwell Bookshop; 141 Percy St.
The Back Page; 56 St Andrews St.
CHESTER-LE-STREET
The Bookcase; 131 Front St
NEWCASTLE UNITED 20011/12
PREMIER LEAGUE
NEWCASTLE 2 SPURS 2 (Ba, Ameobi)
Krul, Simpson (Santon 77), Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Obertan, Cabaye, Tiote, Gutierrez, Best (Shola Ameobi 71), Ba (Ben Arfa 71).
Subs Not Used: Elliot, Lovenkrands, Gosling, Marveaux.
WOLVES 1 NEWCASTLE 2 (Ba, Gutierrez)
Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Obertan (Marveaux 90), Cabaye (Guthrie 89), Tiote, Gutierrez, Best, Ba (Lovenkrands 71).
Subs Not Used: Elliot, Santon, Ben Arfa, Sammy Ameobi.
NEWCASTLE 3 BLACKBURN 1 (Ba 3)
Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Obertan, Cabaye, Tiote, Gutierrez (Marveaux 84), Ba (Ben Arfa 74), Best.
Subs Not Used: Harper, Guthrie, Lovenkrands, Perch, Sammy Ameobi.
ASTON VILLA 1 NEWCASTLE 1 (Best)
Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Obertan, Cabaye, Tiote, Gutierrez (Sammy Ameobi 85), Best (Shola Ameobi 69), Ba (Marveaux 80).
Subs Not Used: Elliot, Guthrie, Lovenkrands, Perch.
QPR 0 NEWCASTLE 0
Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Obertan (Sammy Ameobi 88), Cabaye, Tiote, Gutierrez, Best (Marveaux 82), Shola Ameobi (Ba 64).
Subs Not Used: Elliot, Santon, Guthrie, Lovenkrands.
NEWCASTLE 2 FULHAM 1 (Best 2)
Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Lovenkrands (Ba 62), Cabaye, Tiote, Gutierrez, Obertan, Best (Vuckic 78), Vuckic (Smith 85).
Subs Not Used: Soderberg, Marveaux, Sammy Ameobi, Ferguson.
SUNDERLAND 0 NEWCASTLE UTD 1 (R Taylor)
Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Tiote, Cabaye (Williamson 85), Barton, Obertan (Gosling 85), Gutierrez, Shola Ameobi.
Subs Not Used: Harper, Lovenkrands, Ba, Best, Marveaux.
NEWCASTLE 0 ARSENAL 0
Krul, Coloccini, Steven Taylor, Ryan Taylor, Simpson, Barton, Cabaye (Lovenkrands 81), Tiote, Gutierrez, Shola Ameobi (Best 73), Ba (Obertan 46).
Subs Not Used: Forster, Williamson, Gosling, Sammy Ameobi.
CARLING CUP
NOTTINGHAM FOR. 3 NEWCASTLE 4 (AET) Lovenkrands 2, Simpson, Coloccini
Elliot, Simpson, Coloccini, Perch, Ferguson, Abeid, Guthrie, Gosling (Shola Ameobi 70), Marveaux, Ben Arfa (Sammy Ameobi 70), Lovenkrands (Obertan 80).
Subs Not Used: Krul, Best, Dummett, Henderson.
SCUNTHORPE 1 NEWCASTLE 2 AET (R Taylor, Sammy Ameobi)
Krul, Simpson, Coloccini, Williamson (Steven Taylor 45), Ryan Taylor, Marveaux, Gosling (Vuckic 70), Cabaye, Lovenkrands, Best, Ba (Sammy Ameobi 65).
Subs Not Used: Soderberg, Abeid, Smith, Ferguson.
PRE-SEASON FIXTURES
NEWCASTLE 0 FIORENTINA 0
(Ab 63 mins)
Krul (Forster 46), Simpson, S Taylor, Coloccini, Enrique, Gosling (Ba 46), Cabaye, Vuckic, Jonas (Marveaux 46) Lovenkrands (R Taylor 61), Best (Shola Ameobi 46).Subs: Sammy Ameobi, Ranger, Tavernier, Williamson.
LEEDS UTD 3 NEWCASTLE 2 (S.Taylor, Vuckic)
Forster, Cabaye, Williamson, Barton, Simpson, Gosling, Gutierrez, Ba, Shola Ameobi, Taylor, Tavernier. Subs: Krul, Taylor, Best, Vuckic, Sammy Ameobi, Dummett.
COLUMBUS CREW 0 NEWCASTLE 3 (Ameobi, Coloccini, Vuckic)
Harper; Tavernier, S Taylor, Coloccini (Dummett, 54), Enrique; Gutierrez (Abeid, 85), Tiote (Smith, 62), Gosling, Marveaux (Vuckic, 76); Ameobi (Best, 75), Ba. Subs not used: Forster, Krul.
ORLANDO CITY 1 NEWCASTLE 0
Forster; R Taylor (Enrique, 26), S Taylor, Coloccini, Tavernier; Gosling (Vuckic, 71), Smith (Abeid, 74), Tiote, Gutierrez; Best (Ba, 74), Lovenkrands (Ameobi, 74). Subs not used: Krul, Harper.
SPORTING KANSAS 0 NEWCASTLE 0
Krul, Gosling, Coloccini, S Taylor, R Taylor, Marveaux (Tavernier 46), Tiote (Abeid 46), Ben Arfa, Gutierrez, Ba (Best 72), Lovenkrands (Smith 46).
DARLINGTON 0 NEWCASTLE 2 (Barton, Sammy Ameobi)
Forster; Simpson (Dummett), S Taylor (Tavernier), Williamson (Henderson), Ferguson (R Taylor); Barton (Abeid), Guthrie (Cabaye, Donaldson), Smith (Gosling), Vuckic (Sammy Ameobi); Ben Arfa (Richardson), Best (Ranger). Subs not used: Soderberg, Newton.