That's it! We are all done. In the Champions League race until the very last day of the season and an amazing 5th placed finish getting us back into European football, not to mention the gaffa collecting both the Barclays and LMA Manager of the Year awards.

I for one can not wait to visit some random towns around the Continent with NUFC next season.

Over the next few days I will be working on two new Blogs - one about the boss and the other being a full season review.

I'd really like you to leave comment on your moments of the season:

Your NUFC player of the year and why?

And what you expect next term.....

Leave your comments (as long or as short as you like) on here, or on my Twitter page @MarcSDuffy

No matter what happens from here on in, this has been an absolutely fantastic season.

I was confident that we would make progress in 2011/12. I optimistically forecast a 7th placed finish for this season and most of you agreed, yet here we are with only four games remaining in with a real chance of making the Champions League qualifiers. That would be beyond even our most optimistic supporters wildest dreams.

As close as we are, it will still be very difficult. We have the most difficult run in with 3 of the top 7 to play against (2 of them away from home) and tomorrows battle with relegation threatened Wigan who have gained some superb victories of late. Not to mention the fact that a 4th placed finish would not be enough if Chelsea beat Bayern in the Champions League final!

We can do it. We have the momentum and the lads are playing with a freedom that is surprising considering what is on the line for the football club.

How have we risen from relegation to top 4 candidates in only a few short years? I take a look at some of the factors behind our progress:

What a season we are having! Isn't it great? Some superb football and featuring in the top six pretty much throughout. We can thank a lot of people for this - not least the African contingent in our side. Tiote has been here the longest and battles through each and every game as if his life is at stake. Then in came Demba - now that lad can play and he even brings his friends with him. His Senegal team mate Papiss Cisse has been a tremendous addition to the squad, coming in at a vital time and (at time of writing) averaging a goal per game!

Where did it all start with African footballers coming in to play for NUFC? Not that long ago actually.

Here is a list of all African footballers who have played in the Newcastle United first team, in chronological order (and before you jump in, I have not included Shola who, despite being born in Nigeria has only ever represented England at international levels nor have I included Kaz LuaLua who has yet to commit his future to England or his place of birth, DR Congo)

And as ever - if I have missed someone please let me know!

LuaLua ©

Settling into the Premier League proves to be tough for many footballers when arriving from overseas. Sometimes they settle after a rough spell - Colo and Enrique are great examples of that, but other times they are gone before we really even noticed they were here.

Over the years we have endured more than our fair share of imported flops and here is a team that pound for pound are arguably the worst of them!:

Danny Guthrie's stock has been rising in the opinion of many Newcastle fans recently with some solid Premier League performances.

So how do his numbers stack up vs his two heart-of-the-midfield comrades?

I have taken a look at Danny's stats (individual, team and only looking at games started in the Premier League) this season and compared them to Cabaye and Tiote - there are some interesting learnings:

Below are some questions that I answered for the excellent Spurs supporters site 'What a Fantastic Run'

Check their site out at http://whatafantasticrun.com/

WAFR: Welcome back once more to What A Fantastic Run. After a little dip in form in December (4 points out of a possible 18) you managed to pick up another good run in January and find yourself back in the mix for a Top 4 finish. You must be pretty pleased?

Absolutely. I was expecting some improvement this season after some shrewd signings, but to be where we are right now exceeds the expectations of even the most hardcore optimists!

WAFR: In your last interview you felt that Newcastle would perhaps have an upper-mid table finish, are you stating to believe that Newcastle could maybe push themselves in to at least a Europa League spot now we have crossed the half way mark?

A lot depends on our injury situation. A starting XI of Krul, Simpson, Santon, Colo, S Taylor, Jonas, Marveaux, Cabaye, Tiote, Ba, Cisse would be a match for anyone, but beyond that we don’t have great depth. Taylor and Marveaux are now out for the rest of the season with Ryan Taylor and Leon Best picking up knocks last week we are very thin. To be fair to the lads who have stepped in (Guthrie and co) they have done very well hence our decent past month, but it will be tough to maintain our form. I think we will finish 7th with an outside chance of Europa – that would be improvement vs last year and we are moving in the right direction.

WAFR: It has been a remarkable season so far for Newcastle, with all the focus directed at Tottenham this past week and in light of recent events down at The FA; Pardew for England?

No. Pardew is doing a great job up here, but he has been in the role little over a year. He needs to achieve a lot more in his career than he has for him to hit those heights in my opinion! That’s also the reason I don’t think Harry should be given the job. Another foreign coach would be my preference – Hiddink.

WAFR: We talked a few times about Mike Ashley and the fans perception of him, his dealings with the club and so on, I am guess the way things are right now the heat is off him?

Yes, things are suspiciously quiet. Even quite positive with the arrival of Cisse and no major out-goings. People are starting to buy in to Ashley’s current policy of buying low priced/ high potential players (Tiote and Cabaye combined cost £12million less than Jordan Henderson) but it takes a long time to forgive and forget relegation. In previous quiet periods he has unleashed bombshells such as the Hughton sacking or the stadium renaming, so a lot of people sometimes worry about what might be around the corner. Hopefully nothing…….

WAFR: With Spurs certain to leave White Hart Lane in the next few years what was the Newcastle fans response to the recent name change at St James Park?

Mixed – the majority were angered by it as were a lot of supporters of other clubs and some of the media. The local council refuse to acknowledge the new name. My thoughts are that if they bring in money that is properly invested, then crack on! However at the moment it appears to be a free advertising vehicle for Ashley’s company, which I am not comfortable with. Besides, it will always be St James’ Park to most.

WAFR: Papiss Demba Cisse’s Newcastle career got of to a flyer against Villa last weekend which naturally has got a lot of pundits very excited. Goal aside, did his overall performance give the impression there is more to come or is he potentially going to be your version of Danny Rose?

Considering he had only been back from the ACoN for a couple of days and he came on earlier than expected, he looked very promising. His touch was decent and his movement very good. It would have been nice to ease him in, but we may not have that luxury now. In many ways he looked very Andy Cole-like.

WAFR: Typically Harry Redknapp couldn’t keep his mouth shut when asked about Djemba Ba with a lot of talk around this minimum release clause in his contract. Do you think Newcastle will move to make sure they do not lose him during the summer?

Having failed medicals within the past 18 months in both Germany and England, there is obviously a problem there. It is one thing taking Demba on a free as we did, quite another paying £10+m for him as someone else would have to, so for that reason he might well stay. Not to mention the fact that Cisse is a good friend of his. Having said that, who knows what is going to happen?! The bloke is a phenomenon.

WAFR: What has been the highlight of your season up to this point?

Probably the Man United game. Quite a few of us fancied a result, but to obliterate them in the way that we did was tremendous. Ba and Cabaye’s goals were incredible and the atmosphere was as good as it gets.

WAFR: Like Newcastle, Spurs fans are generally pretty surprised as to where we are right now – what is your assessment of our season?

Superb. After missing out on the Champions League last season, a few Spurs fans that I know feared that the club had missed the chance to progress and were questioning Redknapp. The Modric scenario then came in to play and to bounce back from those things and move on in the way that you have is quite exceptional – I was particularly impressed by your performance at home to Liverpool.

WAFR: And as always, let have a score prediction

As good a season as we are having, we go in to this game without Steve Taylor, Cabaye and Tiote –I fear the worst. 3 v 1 (my record of forecasting NUFC defeats this season is working brilliantly for us in the other direction!)

Follow @MarcSDuffy

Comments (3) January 21, 2012 Fulham vs Newcastle, the second half as it happened Posted by Marc Duffy on 01/21/2012 One change for Fulham at the half. Ruiz, who looked like a fish out of water in the centre of midfield, is replaced by Baird who will also be playing out of position but is much more defensively minded. I fully expect Fulham to show a lot more in the second half. 51 - Goal Fulham. 1 - 1. Yet again a Premier League referee and his assistant display total ineptitude. A foul on petulant Damien outside of the box is given as a penalty and Murphy scores it. Bloody terrible and these things happen EVERY SINGLE WEEK. Sian Massey made the call, but I'd better not say too much about her abilities or I may be deemed a sexist...... Why do they pay referee's? What a waste of money. You could pick any one of this 20,000 crowd out and they couldn't make decisions that were worse than that one. Fulham now on the front foot. 56 - their first corner of the match, Krul saves well from Zamora and a second shot goes wide for a corner off Colo. From the second corner Zamora takes a ridiculous dive in the area. He might as well with these people in charge. 58 - Goal Fulham. 2 - 1. Dempsey scores - Johnson slips in Zamora, Zamora takes the defence out, Dempsey bundles it in. You couldn't get a better example of how an incorrect referee decision can completely turn the tide of a football game. Not good enough. As you can probably tell, I am seething. Poor decisions aside, this also highlights the need to convert you're chances whilst you are hot. 60% possession is all well and good, but if you only score one then you are always in danger, 64 - Goal Fulham. 3 v 1 Dempsey again. Good goal. We have collapsed like a house of cards. Very, very worrying and pretty pathetic. 66 - Penalty Fulham. Williamson tried his best to wipe Johnson out, Krul succeeded in doing so. Clear penalty. Krul booked. Zamora scores it and it is 4 v 1. I thought this Newcastle side was a team built on heart and spirit? This is an embarrassment. Four goals in 16 minutes. Fulham in the first 45 were one of the poorest sides I have seen in years. In this half our players have let the first penalty decision get to them so much that we are now making them look like Real Madrid. This is not good enough. 72 - Ameobi goal quite rightly ruled out for off-side. We are also making Andy Johnson look like Diego freakin Maradona. ANDY JOHNSON. 75 - Guthrie off Perch on. The comeback is imminent. Strange sub that - Perch is an out-and-out defensive minded player so unless there is another change to follow soon, looks like we are going to play to keep it at 1 v 4? We have been a revelation this season and we have definitely over achieved, but there are some supporters out there who are absolutely convinced that we will finish above Arsenal and Liverpool whilst challenging Chelsea for a top 4 slot. The fact that we have shipped 8 goals away to Fulham and Norwich should put a swift end to that chat. 7th will be an achievement. It has proven to be very difficult for me to write this without multiple swear words. 83 - Cabaye off, Gosling on. At least the lads can save themselves for their nice break to the Canary Islands. 84 - GOAL, Ben Arfa, excellent consolation goal. 4 v 2. 84 - Best off, Ryan Taylor on. Didn't see a great deal from Leon today. Dempsey hat-trick, 5 v 2. WOEFUL defending. No point in finger pointing, but we definitely need someone to come in and challenge Williamson at CB. When the going has gotten tough today, far too many players have gone missing. FULL TIME: 5 v 2 Krul 5 A little harsh as he had little help, but his penalty concession was rash Simpson 5 Standard Simmo Santon 4 Excellent up until the point that he hauled Johnson back at the end of the first half Colo 4 All over in the second half. Missed a great chance in the first half too Williamson 4 Very poor Guthrie 6 Great goal, went missing when it mattered Cabaye 5 Less influential than normal Jonas 5 Excellent in the forst half, especially through th middle. Also disappeared Ben Arfa 6 Great goal and dangerous at times. Best 4 If he is not scoring from close range, he doesn't offer anything. Ameobi 5 Won a few flick ons. In summary: Very, very weird. We were outstanding in the first half - one of the best away 45's that I've seen from us, however as I noted in the 1st half summary, 60% possession is all well and good, but if you only score the one, you are never safe. If we had taken a two goal lead in to the break a poor Fulham team would never have recovered. Anyone who knows football knows that one incident can change the entire pattern and momentum of a match. Sadly that was the case today with Sian Massey awarding a penalty for a foul that was outside of the area. After that our collapse was absolutely pathetic. Yes, the decision instigated it, but a team with true ability and heart (and a Tiote) would not have succumbed so easily to such a poor side. Disappointing. And just when I thought I couldn't dislike Duff anymore than I already did. The true test of character will come next time out....... Follow @MarcSDuffy The Gaffa © Getty Images Comments (7) Fulham vs Newcastle - The first half as it happened Posted by Marc Duffy on 01/21/2012 A difficult game today - we have a very poor recent record down at the Cottage. A definite boost to our chances with Cabaye being declared fit shortly before kick off. Fulham have won three of their last four at home too, so I would be happy to take a point. Teams: FFC: Stockdale, Riise, Hangeland, Senderos, Kelly, Dempsey, Sidwell, Murphy, Petulant Damien, Zamora, Ruiz NUFC: Krul, Simpson, Williamson, Colo (C), Santon, Ben Arfa, Jonas, Cabaye, Guthrie, Shola Ameobi, Best 1 - Cabaye shoots from 25 yards, easily gathered by Stockdale, but a positive opening. 2 - Stockdale hoofed the ball down field and the wind carried it so far that it pretty much looked like a long range shot! Krul then kicks into the wind and it holds up, so we need to keep the ball on the floor today. 8 - Very quiet, not a great atmosphere and not a lot happening on the field of play! Apparently Capello is in the ground today to watch Stockdale and Zamora. And people think England stand a fighting chance in the Euro's?! 11 - A long ball forward glanced on by Shola. For a moment Senderos seemed uncertain which penalty area he was in and knocked it wide for a corner. The corner ends up with a shot from Shola again straight at Stockdale. 16 - This is a dog of a game so far. Not much to report. You would have expected Fulham to have more pressure than they have in front of their own fans early on, but we are containing them well. 17 - Jonas with a good break forward, beats two, lays off to Hatem who skins Senderos and shoots - Stockdale saves well. Good football. Senderos is terrible. He is pretty much a spare man because of our shape but on the odd ocassion that he brings the ball out, he seems to look to pass to row 2 of the stands. 20 - Jonas whips in a good cross, Shola heads over. Decent chance. We look the more likely at the moment. Zamora can only get better! So far if he hasn't been off-side he has displayed a touch Titus Bramble would be proud of. I haven't seen much of Fulham this season - do they always play this massive hoof to Zamora and hope for the best, or are they just trying to use the wind to their advantage? 24 - Fulham shoot, easily saved by Krul. Met by ironic cheers from the home fans! 26 - Demonstrating his absolutely basic natural ability, Sidwell flies in on Santon on the touchline. The ref has a word but no card is shown. 27 - Senderos again. Comedy. Is he going to head it? No? Yes - he does totally confusing his own keeper. Corner. Ends with a mis-struck shot from Ben Arfa. 29 - Another Cabaye shot. We are totally dominating now in terms or possession - it would be nice to capitalise on this. 34 - More pressure piling on and the best chance of the game falls to Colo who headers straight at Stockdale. That should have been the lead. We MUST make the most of this because there is no way Fulham at home will be this bad for 90 minutes. 37 - FULHAM SUB: Sidwell injured earlier by bumping into Shola the Beast. Andy Johnson comes on - he has done pretty well v us in the past. We are totally dominating through the midfield, and that area has been weakened for Fulham with them having to drop Ruiz back in there. I do worry about our lack of forward quality though. 41 - Good strike from Shola and another decent save by Stockdale. Ben Arfa to take the corner which I can only hope is better than his regular efforts. It isn't. GGGGGGGGGGGGOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL! 42 - Ruiz tries to run the ball out of midfield, he is robbed and Guthrie absolutely lashes one home. Guthrie likes a shot but thats his first league goal in ten months. Great strike. 45 - Johnson breaks, Santon fouls him on the half way line stopping him from breaking clear. Could have been a red, but the fact he still had 50 yards to travel obviously plays a part as Santon only sees yellow! HALF TIME and BBBOOOOOOs ring out at the cottage. 1 v 0 to NUFC! Follow @MarcSDuffy The Gaffa © Getty Images Comments (1) January 16, 2012 Close that window! Posted by Marc Duffy on 01/16/2012 I hate the January transfer window. Ridiculous rumours, mental transfers, Redknapp describing other teams players as 'triffic, massively inflated fees and clubs like QPR madly scrambling for any over-rated player who might fancy a move down to London for a final healthy pay day. Not to mention the fact that new arrivals can disrupt - not because of personality but just because their new team mates have gone a whole pre-season and 22 games or so without having played alongside them! The January transfer window in its present format was first introduced in January 2003 - we have been involved in some pretty amazing transfer dealings since then, not least last year when Andy Carroll left us to become the most expensive British footballer in history..... We have endured a few up's and a lot of downs over the past nine January windows with surprisingly few players coming in and out - I expect this year to be much the same despite the ludicrous number of players we have been linked with. I would be happy of we brought one or two in. I would be even happier if we let no one go. Let's take a look back at the January's in question (excluding players on loan who made their deals permanent, in or out): Continue reading "Close that window!" Comments (16) January 4, 2012 2011 - A Full Review Posted by Marc Duffy on 01/04/2012 2011 was a decent year for Newcastle United, especially when you consider the ups and downs of the previous few years. Below I take a look back at the results and some of the off-field happenings from the whole year. I would love it if you added your favourite moments and any memorable incidents that I have missed in the comments box! January As far as league results went, January was not a bad month at all. Unfortunately we suffered one of our all time poorest performances causing us to exit the FA Cup at the very first hurdle. There was more off field turmoil too as, despite several assurances from the manager and board, Andy Carroll was flogged! 2nd: Wigan (A) 1 - 0 W (Shola) A comfortable victory with a nice goal from Shola claiming the points. 5th: West Ham (H) 5 - 0 W (Best 3, Nolan, Lovenkrands) I remember walking up to the ground for this one and hearing that Best and Lovenkrands would be leading the line with Carroll ruled out injured. Despite West Ham playing poorly in the league I just couldn't see how we would score. I was very, very wrong - Best was phenomenal, especially in his positioning and he netted a treble. Shane Ferguson also made a memorable appearance regularly skinning Tal Ben Haim much to the delight of the Gallowgate. Haim tried bully-boy tactics to stop it - and failed! 8th: Stevenage (A) (FACR3) 1 - 3 L (Barton) One of the worst performances and results in the history of the football club. To make matters worse, Pardew bizarrely introduced Tiote when we were chasing the game. Mr T had his mad up and got himself sent off meaning that he would miss the following game - the derby on Wearside. 16th: sunderland (A) 1 - 1 (Nolan) We were excellent in this one and but for a late, late Gyan equaliser we would have claimed a derby double. Special Agent Bruce made big noises before the game about how he could not wait to win to play a song over the tannoy that he had chosen especially for the occasion - he never got to play his song, but he did celebrate their equaliser like he had won an all-you-can-eat meal at KFC. 22nd: Tottenham (H) 1 - 1 (Colo) Sadly the late goal conceded six days earlier did not teach us a lesson. We played very well and should have claimed a win but for another late equaliser. 31st: Andy Carroll sold to Liverpool (£35,000,000) There was outrage on Tyneside as Carroll was sold so late into the transfer window that we were unable to bring in a replacement. Despite all of the promises to the contrary, our talisman was sold. Most of us were outraged and a lot of supporters were very, very upset. 12 months later I look back on this as the most mental transfer fee in the history of football. Pardew swore blind that we would see every penny of the fee. I am still waiting..... We also agreed a deal to bring in Ireland on loan from Villa - what an absolute waste of space he was. Though some of Newcastle's bar owners wouldn't agree. Hatem Ben Arfa was signed permanently despite still being a long way from full fitness. A huge risk, but hopefully a risk that will pay off in the long run. P5 W2 D2 L1 F9 A5 Continue reading "2011 - A Full Review" Comments (14)