New Villain

Confirmation has emerged that Aaron Hughes has joined Aston Villa, although as yet no figures have been confirmed.

Whether David O'Leary was so impressed with the Hughes/Solano right sided attack we had a couple of years ago that he was desperate to recreate it, is unconfirmed. What is certain is that we've lost a hard-working, solid if unspectacular player, whose attitude was never in question, but whose ability sometimes was.

That said, we at B&W&RAO wish Aaron all the best for the future. He may not be that badly missed on the park (let's face it, he suffered from being jack-of-all and master of none), but I'm sure he'll be missed around the place.

Still, it's the start of what promises to be something of a summer where St James' Park will resemble a revolving door, and of course it’s some more money for Souness to attempt to strengthen the squad.