Quote of the day

"I was prepared to pay so much because those French jerseys from '98 are very hard to come across. There are only six in circulation: a Zidane, a Trezeguet, a Desailly, a Boghossian and two Guivarc'hs."

An interesting titbit courtesy of distraught French fan Olivier Demolis, whose David Trezeguet '98 World Cup final shirt was destroyed by customs officials convinced it was a fake. Who would have thought "sought-after" might be an adjective legitimately applied to "Guivarc'h"? The nominal striker's contribution to France's World Cup triumph (five games, no goals) was about as impressive as his contribution on Tyneside (four games, one goal - and that in a 4-1 thrashing at home to Liverpool). The worst striker ever to play in the Premier League, according to a 2009 feature in the Daily Heil - and for once we're actually inclined to agree with Dacre's rag.

On the subject of fleeting visitors to St James' Park, here's a half-decent guide to the stadium and its environs. And while I'm on the subject of links, Billy Furious' report on the Arsenal match captures the despondency, passion, madness and joy of the occasion far better than my own effort.