Quote of the day

"Our policy makes sound financial sense in a harsh economic ­climate and with Uefa financial fair play rules looming. Mike was determined that the club’s future would not be put at risk by ­spending money we could not afford. We have all seen what has happened at Portsmouth and Rangers.

Now I think a lot of Newcastle fans are starting to see the bigger picture and appreciate what we are doing makes sense. We set out to find value in the transfer market and I believe we have succeeded."

So it seems we don't just boast a Mr T. A cigar-chomping Silver Fox does his best Hannibal Smith impression, loving it when a plan comes together.

While such smugness potentially sets him and us up for a fall, you can't really blame him, given that Chelsea's FA Cup victory over Spurs on Sunday virtually guaranteed the return of European football to Tyneside. That prospect might hopefully be enough to convince the likes of Jan Vertonghen that their future might lie on the pitch at St James' Park rather than on the bench at any of our top six rivals...