Steve Harper: "It was obviously a difficult time at the club, but Chris just gave everybody a clean slate and basically set out what we needed to do.
"He and Colin gave us a strategy, broke down that Championship season into little segments, set us targets and we achieved virtually every one of them.
"It can be a long season in the Championship, but Colin had experience of it and the pair of them and Paul Barron worked well together, really gelled the team and forged a fantastic team spirit which got us through a very tough season.
"The manager [Pardew] has given credit to Chris in the past, and rightly so.
"But since the gaffer has come in he recognised the ethos and beliefs of everyone at Newcastle United, which was probably summed up on Monday night by making a very positive substitution at 1-0 down at Everton.
"That's what the fans want to see Newcastle United teams doing. The manager recognises that and that's why they really appreciate the fantastic job he is doing."