And now Alan Pardew has urged his players to look to Perch as the perfect example of how to approach life at Newcastle.
The former Nottingham Forest skipper stepped in at the last minute for Fabricio Coloccini and performed well in the 2-1 win over Tottenham, with the Argentine missing with hamstring trouble.
Pardew: “Who would have predicted that Perchie would have started the game, but he was excellent.
“I’ve got great players, and they need to play.
“They all need to contribute.”