He came to play for us late in his career, but I wished he had arrived at St James' Park ten years earlier.
He has continued his links with the club, and today we read he has told England coach Fabio Capello take notice of Andy Carroll, who was in blistering form on Friday night.
Capello returned from Warsaw, where he was attending the Euro 2012 draw, to receive rave reviews of Carroll’s performance in the 5-1 demolition of Cardiff City.
Apparently, Capello has been impressed by what he has witnessed of Carroll in the Under-21 set-up and is keeping close tabs on his development.
Alan Shearer was the last Newcastle playeer to be capped, but that was over a decade ago.
Capello saw England’s senior side handed a draw that does not pose any major worries for the 2012 qualifiers, with Wales, Montenegro, Bulgaria and Switzerland all in the same group as the Three Lions.