Old Boys: Tees-Tyne torment Newcastle's Masters side were beaten 4-2 by their Middlesbrough counterparts in the Final of the over-35s event on Sunday. Crucially Newcastle were in final action straight after having beaten the mackems and came up against a rested smog squad, who included current football league players Peter Beagrie (Scunthorpe) and Dean Windass (28 goals for Bradford). The men from the Tees took a decisive 3-0 interval lead thanks to an opening goal that was only awarded after recourse to TV replays, followed by efforts from Windass and Stuart Ripley. United did hit back in the second half with goals from Beardsley and O'Brien but it was Middlesbrough who deservedly won the event, Peter Beagrie their other scorer. 2005 Northern Masters toon squad: Gary Kelly, Warren Barton, Kevin Scott, Rob Lee, Peter Beardsley, Ian Bogie, Brian Kicline, John Beresford, Liam O'Brien, Michael O'Neill. 2005 Northern Masters Results: mackems 3 smoggies 3 Newcastle 5 Leeds 1 mackems 2 Leeds 0 Newcastle 2 smoggies 3 smoggies 4 Leeds 3 Newcastle 4 mackems 2 Newcastle 2 smoggies 4 Newcastle got off to a great start in their opening game with a 5-1 success against Leeds. Perennial Masters star Peter Beardsley led the way with a hat trick, ably assisted by Warren Barton with two goals. Leeds did manage to beat Newcastle 'keeper Gary Kelly once, with former toon favourite Imre Varadi on target. However Newcastle then lost their next game 3-2 to Middlesbrough, goals from Lee and Barton again being answered by strikes from Hignett, Ripley and another former Magpie, John Hendrie. Next up was the Tyne-wear showdown that is the highlight of the Northern Masters and Newcastle raced into a 3-0 halftime lead, eventually winning 4-2. First half strikes from Rob Lee, Peter Beardsley and Liam O'Brien had black and whiters roaring their approval, while Beardsley grabbed his second of the game after the break. Mackem scorers were the well-upholstered Marco Gabbiadini and Brian Atkinson. Transfer talk: Wright club - wrong player Some interesting stuff involving Newcastle and Manchester City in the press, with a few papers lining us up with a Shaun Wright-Phillips bid - Robert, Bellamy and a bag of cash going to the City of Manchester Stadium in exchange. However the presence of Chelsea and Arsenal in stories mentioning Stuart Pearce's prize asset would appear to torpedo any hopes we had of doing a deal. Sunday's papers saw Newcastle Chairman Freddy Shepherd deny the tale, saying: "I don’t know how this story started or where it came from, but it is patently not true. "I suspect that one or more clubs are being mischievous in starting the speculation. "Although we’re on the look-out for players who can make us successful in the future, this young man is not part of our plans." However, the Manchester City link may not be a totally spurious one, with a lack of updates on the Van Buyten deal (himself an ex-City man) leading to renewed talk of a Sylvain Distin bid from Newcastle. One line that has come out though is that Wright-Phillips has been spotted on holiday with messrs Bramble and Dyer - but that shouldn't be held against him.... To that toon sightings list can we add Jermaine Jenas drinking in a Hertfordshire boozer last week with Harvey from So Solid Crew (a popular shouting combo so we believe). Lardarse link: United linked with the white Kluivert With a denial from Blackburn that they are looking to unload Brett Emerton, one theory advanced as to why Graeme Souness took in the midweek Australia v New Zealand friendly at Fulham is that he's interested in striker Marc Viduka. Currently with Middlesbrough, the 29 year-old native of Melbourne, Australia didn't feature for his country at Craven Cottage, but has been selected in the squad for upcoming Confederations Cup games in Germany later this month. Word of our interest in Viduka reaches us from a credible source, but the fact that the smoggies would be happy to led him go barely a year after he joined them from Leeds in a £4.5m deal tells its own story. There's been a certain feeling this season that Viduka hasn't overly exerted himself - both in terms of being fit enough to get on the field or shift himself when playing. Five goals in fifteen Premiership starts for McClaren's men compares well with both Ameobi and Kluivert, but like our erstwhile sulky Dutchman he seems to have been somewhat injury-prone. Indeed Viduka has managed only 12 minutes in Boro colours in 2005. The man dubbed "A fat Aussie B*st*rd" by toon fans in recent seasons is no stranger to us - our first sight of him coming way back in August 1997. Then known as Marco Viduka, he was part of the Croatia Zagreb side that we beat in order to qualify for the Champions League - he's pictured here along with future toon flop Silvio Maric, sandwiching Steve Howey. And of course Viduka is very well known to a certain current member of our squad - as this photo shows: Whether anything more will come of this remains to be seen, but it certainly isn't a signing that makes our heart skip a beat. The evidence of our own eyes confirms the lad can score goals and lead the line effectively - but there are massive question marks over his apparent attitude. Empire goalrush: Sir Les wins a title at last... A man who started off as a housepainter and came into professional football at the age of 21 has been decorated for his services to the game - although he was knighted some years ago by QPR and Newcastle fans.... It's now Les Ferdinand MBE after toon fan Tony Blair obviously doctored the usual list of rowers and real tennis players. The popular former toon man commented: "I'm very honoured but it hasn't really sunk in. I suppose it won't until it all happens and I collect my award." PS - we understand that Ferdinand was previously nominated for an award while at Newcastle, but that "services to Dani Behr" wasn't deemed a suitable reason....

Season ticket submitted. £449 poorer!

2005/06: Intertoto player eligibility According to the rules for this year's competition, Newcastle should have submitted a squad list via the FA to UEFA by last Thursday (June 9th), in respect of our Third Round tie. However, there is an added proviso that players can be added to that squad list up to 24 hours beforehand, provided they are registered with the respective domestic FA. This doesn't apply to the semi finals and finals, for which squad lists have to be submitted by Monday 25th July. No trainers, no sportswear: You're barred Confirmation in Tuesday's Chronicle that there will be no reunion at SJP between of former Rangers defender Craig Moore with Jean Alain Boumsong. It had been speculated that United were looking at bringing in the 29 year-old Australian captain, who is a free agent after his contract with German side Borussia Moenchengladbach was cancelled. However Freddy Shepherd is reported at having ruled against a move for Moore, who Souness had previously expressed an interest in signing when Blackburn boss. Moore is said to be taking legal action over from the early termination of his contract with Moenchengladbach, amid claims from other sources (or sauces) that he turned up inebriated for training - a charge he strenuously denies. Incoming: Get Parker Stay with us on this one.... Our alleged acquisition of Chelsea's 24 year -old midfielder Scott Parker continues to inch towards a conclusion - but we're not quite there yet. We understand that the player's agent is in the area for talks - but that his client is not, despite press claims to the contrary. Departure: Bowyer for Brum? - dunno There are claims from various sources that we have allowed Steve Bruce and the Porno kings to speak to Lee Bowyer. However we're yet to get this officially confirmed. Departure: Robert update Sam Allardyce quoted on Bolton's website, Tuesday: "Laurent Robert is considering our offer. There's a long way to go before anything can be agreed." Laurent Robert quoted on SkySports: "I am back to France to sign a new contract with another club. It will all be settled early this week. I will leave Newcastle. "But my new destination won't be in France. "Bolton is a possibility. But as I already told you, I have not signed anything yet. We will see in time. "I had a phone call with Alain Perrin. As all the French coaches in England, he has come to build something great. "He wants to work on the long term and that is why he has approached me. "I was attracted by Portsmouth. Since Perrin joined the club late last season, the players have had fun." Our own cynical translation of that is that Robert is holding out for a "bigger name" to show interest, or failing that try to play Bolton and Pompey off against each other for maximum profit. Further news reports on Tuesday suggested that Bolton had only offered a two year deal, while Pompey were prepared to fulfil his demand for a three year contract. Former player dies: Tommy Walker RIP The club have announced the death of former player Tommy Walker, at the age of 81. Cramlington-born Walker joined United in 1941 and represented the club in wartime and then when the league resumed in 1946. He left St.James' in 1954, playing for both Oldham and Chesterfield before settling in Middleton near Manchester.

Signing battle: Souness v Moyes, Round 2 Having delivered the knockout blow to Everton's hopes of landing Scott Parker, Newcastle are now attempting once again to leave Goodison boss David Moyes with nothing to show for his efforts in the transfer market. We understand that battle has now commenced between the clubs over the signature Inter Milan's Turkish international midfielder Emre Belozoglu. The 24 year-old was expected to feature for Inter Milan on Wednesday evening in the second leg of their Italian Cup final game, but didn't appear as Inter beat Roma 1-0 to complete a 3-0 aggregate victory and end their seven year trophy drought. Officially the player is now on holiday for a week and will make no immediate decision over his future. Behind the scenes though Newcastle are now involved in negotiations and looking at wrapping up their second deal of the week - trumping the Toffees once again. Bluenosegate I: Toys / pram again? sucking a lemon "I am disappointed to hear that a minority of our supporters have decided to raise a petition against the proposed signing of Lee Bowyer. "There is no doubt that Lee would have been an excellent acquisition for the team and I am sure that the vast majority of the fans would have welcomed a player with his ability to strengthen the squad. "Unfortunately it now appears that he has decided that his future lies elsewhere and I can only say how disgusted I am that my decision to sign a particular player has been questioned in this manner." How awful when uneducated people dare to question one's judgment - perhaps the honourable thing would be to resign Steve? Bluenosegate II: Low turnout in plebiscite A swing to the sh*te, says Peter Snow-Hill... In amongst all of this nonsense from Bowyer and Birmingham, it's easy to forget that this is all allegedly caused by an online petition set up by Blues fans. And at the time that the Birmingham owner and Manager were having their say, less than 300 people had signed up to a motion naming Bowyer "unworthy as a person to wear the club's colours and represent the name of the city via that affiliation." That's roughly the size of a Saturday night Broad Street taxi queue - and a figure now far exceeded by the pro-Bowyer poll, which stands at over 1,000 votes. Indeed, such has been the rush to lodge pro-Bowyer messages, the official Birmingham forum went off the air on Thursday due to being over-subscribed. Toonwise, the only thing we can remotely compare this to is the departure of Jack Charlton from the Newcastle manager's job after a few dafties chanted at him during a pre-season friendly. If Lee Bowyer is so worried about his public image and the reception from fans, how come he still came to Gallowgate despite thousands of toon fans having abused him from the away ends at both Elland Road and Upton Park following his high-profile courtcase? We'd probably have more respect for him if he just turned round and told the two-bit tinkers from Small Heath to sling their hooks.... David Sullivan quotes from Sky, Thursday, as he tried to revive the deal and persuade Bowyer to move to Brum: "Basically the situation is we've been negotiating with Lee (Bowyer) and his agent for three or four weeks. We had permission from Newcastle to approach the player. "We've agreed terms with Newcastle and a small minority of Birmingham fans got a petition together to say they don't want Lee at Birmingham. "Obviously the player doesn't want to go where he's not welcome and he's indicated to his agent that he thinks it would be inappropriate to come to Birmingham as a result of the actions of some of the Birmingham supporters which I think he feels is a lot of supporters. "But I believe in reality a lot of supporters would welcome the player with open arms. We have to do what is best for the club and we think the player coming to Birmingham is very good for the club. "They regard Lee as a racist which we think is not true. We feel the player deserves another chance and a fresh start at Birmingham would be very good for the player. "At this moment in time, unfortunately it looks like the player won't come to us but we hope we can persuade him to change his mind. "Last night it looked very gloomy but we would love the player to come to Birmingham. We are doing all we can and it's not helped by a minority of supporters. "There is only a 10 percent chance now that the player will come to us." Sullivan earlier said: ''It looks like we are now going to lose out on a terrific player due to a small minority of fans, and I am absolutely gutted. English midfielders with his ability are so hard to find. Lee Bowyer would be a fantastic addition to our side. "We are looking to build the best squad that this club has ever had and the signing of Lee would take us a long way down that road. But the player has now said that he doesn't want to go to a club where he's not wanted." Bluenosegate III: Plenty more in stock, Steve OK Brucie, so your fans don't want Bowyer (even though you have a current player wearing an electronic tag - and in previous years they've applauded the delicate skills of Julian Dicks, Mark Dennis, Robbie Savage etc.etc.) Assuming that you've never heard of Hugo Viana, then perhaps you'd care to take another one of our midfielders - one Nicholas Butt perhaps? We promise not to start a petition....but reserve the right to have a collection towards his train fare...

Yet another Birmingham story: Another rifleman recruitment bid? "We can't agree terms with Pandiani's club. There is a possibility he'll be at the club but only 10-20% I would think." An interesting comment from Birmingham City owner David Sullivan on Thursday, as he looks to be losing the battle to make the loan signing of Deportivo striker Walter Pandiani (aka The Rifle) a permanent one. That could have twin ramifications for Newcastle - pushing Birmingham into offering yet more money to Craig Bellamy to fill their striking vacancy, while also putting Pandiani back on our shopping list. Deportivo confirmed in December 2004 that Newcastle had made contact with them about signing the 29 year-old Uruguayan striker who subsequently turned up on loan at St.Andrews. Pandiana scored four goals in 13 starts and one sub appearance for Birmingham last season. 2005/06: Away fans to infiltrate Shed Chelsea have now confirmed that they have relocated their away section at Stamford Bridge for season 2005-6: A statement on their website says: "Away supporters will be moved to the south-east corner of the stadium. Therefore please be aware that the family centre is being moved to the East Lower." So it's goodbye to the awful East Stand lower seats that we've suffered since the ground started to be rebuilt in the 1990s and which either provided a worms eye view or alternatively something more akin to watching a dodgy foreign film in letterbox format. Instead we'll now be sited where the East Stand joins up with the Shed End Stand - beneath the scoreboard on the above photo. It's unclear though whether we'll be on two tiers or spread along the bottom - or precisely what ridiculous price these seats will be... PS - this move was first suggested to Peter Kenyon at a fan forum some time ago, as home supporters believed away fans were exerting an undue influence on match officials due to the proximity of their seats. And I thought we were paranoid.... Punishment: Twenty grand for one Knight of sin From the FA, Thursday: At a Independent Disciplinary Commission hearing on Tuesday, Newcastle United manager Graeme Souness was fined £20,000 and received a two-match touchline ban, suspended for 12 months. All or part of this suspension will be activated if he is found guilty of a similar charge. Souness was found to have breached FA Rule E3 for a failure to act in the best interests of the game and/or having brought the game into disrepute. He had denied the charge and did not request a personal hearing. The charge related to post-match media comments following Newcastle United's Premier League match against Everton on 07 May 2005. Souness criticised referee Barry Knight's performance at Goodison Park, saying: "The last time we had him against Aston Villa he got it wrong there. And the same thing happened this time. We keep picking the tab up. It hurts, it bloody hurts." Summons: Bowyer court latest From the Chronicle, Wednesday: A legal move over a decision to prosecute United midfielder Lee Bowyer for his on-pitch brawl is likely to be made at the High Court next week. Steven Barker, solicitor for the troubled Toon star, confirmed an application will be lodged in London's High Court administration division. Mr Barker wants a judicial review over Northumbria Police's decision to have Bowyer summonsed to appear before Newcastle magistrates under the Public Order Act following a fracas with team-mate Kieron Dyer. He said: "I'm drafting an application for a judicial review over the decision to prosecute Lee Bowyer, which should be lodged by next week. All parties involved - including the Northumbria Police chief constable and the Crown Prosecution Service - would be notified. It may well be that we also notify the FA's disciplinary committee." A single judge would assess the application and decide whether to reject the review call at that stage or allow a hearing to proceed. Mr Barker said 28-year-old Bowyer is on holiday, taking a break before the start of the new season. Bowyer has already been punished by his club and by the FA for the clash during Newcastle's match with Aston Villa on April 2. Mr Barker said after he was told of the Northumbria police decision: "We have very real concerns that the decision has been made for political rather than legal reasons. "I'm going to argue whether this is in the public interest. This is something of much wider interest to sportsmen throughout the country, sports fans and taxpayers." The on-pitch bust-up was seen by more than 52,000 fans at St James' Park, as well as being captured by TV cameras, as Newcastle went down 3-0. Northumbria Police investigated the incident, which was broken up by team-mate Stephen Carr and Villa player Gareth Barry. Both players were sent off by the referee. The FA suspended Bowyer for seven matches, while Dyer was out for three games. Former Leeds player Bowyer was given a record six-week fine by his club, believed to be around £200,000, and a final warning. Mr Barker said: "He hasn't been charged because it's not a chargeable offence. He'll be summonsed to answer information that he's committed an offence under section four of the Public Order Act. In simple terms it's called threatening behaviour. "He's apologised privately; he's apologised publicly. He's taken his fine, he's taken his suspension from both the club and the FA." Although an announcement on a date for the Newcastle Magistrates' Court hearing is expected shortly, it is unlikely to proceed until next month. Mr Barker has successfully represented Chelsea and England footballer, John Terry at the Crown Court in Middlesex and, with his partner John Perry, represented three of the Leeds United footballers at Hull Crown Court. Incoming: Burger boy signs I'm loving it Scott Parker is a Newcastle player. The 24 year-old midfielder joins from Chelsea for a fee said to be £6.5m and has signed a five year deal. He'll be paraded in front of the press later this afternoon. Parker made his first team debut for Charlton as a 16 year-old back in August 1997 and left the Valley for Stamford Bridge in a £10m deal in January 2004. He also had a 6-game loan stint with Norwich back in 2000. Having been selected up for the Australia friendly in February 2003 but not called off the bench, Parker made his full England debut as a sub against Denmark at Old Trafford in 2003 - a game Jenas and Butt also featured in. Parker's other England cap saw him replace Butt against Sweden in Gothenburg back in March 2004 - like the Denmark game, a friendly international. He also played alongside Jenas and Shola Ameobi during his 11 games at U21 level. Last season proved to be something of a nightmare for Parker, as a broken foot sustained against Norwich in December 2004 has seen him sidelined ever since - although he's now fully recovered. PS - our headline refers to Parker's 1994 World Cup promotional exploits, when the-then teenager was filmed playing keepy-up for a McDonalds TV commercial. Arrival quotes: You love-Lee boy One former England and Charlton midfielder has been complimenting another, Rob Lee praising Parker as follows: “It’s a fantastic signing. "If I could have picked one midfielder Newcastle should buy, it would have been Scott. "He’s got a great engine, he can tackle, pass, he’s got the right attitude and the fans will love him. He’s a complete midfielder.” Arrival quotes: Mourinho comment "I would like to thank Scott Parker for his fantastic efforts during my time at Chelsea and before I arrived. He is a great boy and I understand his situation very well that he wants to play all the time, that is natural in players like him. "I would like to wish him the best of luck at Newcastle." Arrival quotes: Souness hails Parker capture Parker press conference quotes from GS: "He is a good player who is extremely competitive and I think at times we were a wee bit short in that department. He is a proper character, and you can never have enough of them in your football club. "He is the correct age - you could argue for the next eight years, he could be a top player for this club. He plays in a very important position - I see him as a central midfield player, and that is obviously an area that we felt we could strengthen. "As an old player and a player who used to play in midfield, I look at players and think 'Would I have enjoyed playing against them?' As much as I would have enjoyed playing against Scott, I know it would have been extremely competitive at times and I think that was an area we were short in last year." "You can certainly build your midfield around him, and midfield is a very important part of your team. "We are blessed; we have got some excellent midfield players here, and Scott will complement the ones we have here." Non-league: Old boys team up at Brandon Ex toon duo Steve Howey and Alan Shoulder are the new joint managers of Northern League side Brandon United. For Howey it's a new career after failing to earn an extended contract at Hartlepool after joining them during last season, while Shoulder was most recently in charge at West Auckland.

With football now into the annual silly season when transfer speculation reaches fever pitch and with interest in Newcastle United as intense as almost any other club on the planet, our season ticket renewal date came and went with good ol' NUFC still to make an impact in the transfer market. The capture of Scott Parker from Chelsea and possible signing of Emre from Inter Milan means things are moving on. However, it must only be a start. It's all a matter for debate, but for me the rebuilding of Newcastle United has to start at the back. Like many thousands of supporters, I have aged prematurely at the cack-handed Keystone-Cop defending which has become as traditional at the club as our famous black-and-white shirts. We fail to win far too many games away from home and that has got to be because we cannot close down games and defend competently and frustrate the opposition. I'm sorry if that goes against the supposed traditions of Newcastle United's cavalier attacking football but teams incapable of defending competently don't win trophies. Case for the prosecution, exhibit one - Newcastle United. Souness has also been linked (rightly) to another central defender and it is to be hoped whoever comes in is top-drawer and we avoid the folly of last season when we played half a season with Bramble-O'Brien as our best available pairing at the back. O'Brien leaves the club with our best wishes as a hard-working, professional but not the class of player we deserve at the heart of our defence. If we can attract another top centre half, then with an improved Bramble, an impressive Boumsong and an emerging Taylor we look to have strength in depth in that position. Stephen Carr has shown enough of himself to indicate he is a quality right-back and with both Taylor and Ramage able to slot in there to cover any of Carr's absences we should be OK. It's less clear with the left-back position. I remain to be convinced as to the wisdom of Aaron Hughes' departure and the only conclusion to be drawn is that there are plans to bring in a new left-back because Babayaro, while impressing with his technique, appears to lack the heart to play for Newcastle United. An ageing and injury-ravaged Robbie Elliott cannot be appropriate cover. We are currently vulnerable at left-back. Hmm, I wonder what Ollie Bernard is doing these days? With huge question marks hanging over the future of Butt and Bowyer, and Viana surplus to requirements, our midfield may be the area of greatest turnover in the forthcoming weeks. We have all heard the rumours of a new and improved contract put in front of the fitfully performing Kieron Dyer but no news on whether he has deigned to sign it just yet. If there is any indication he doesn't fancy it, then the chances are the chairman will move him out of the club quickly rather than risk losing him on a Bosman next summer. Jermaine Jenas has been linked to a big-money move to Arsenal and, while Souness has made it plain he is a big part of his thinking, we have heard no statement of commitment from the player or his agent. A similar situation exists with Shay Given, and while Manchester United have filled their net-minding vacancy one remains at Arsenal. Howay, man Shay, stay put - you don't even speak French! Souness stated over the winter months he is committed to playing with width and not knowing much about Emre, I would hope he is the candidate to replace Robert down the left, which would mean we still need to replace the slot vacated 18 months ago by the departure of Nolberto Solano to Villa. Our attacking play has suffered badly as a result of having no top-class right-sided midfielder as well as Robert's indifference. Our potency down the flanks is critical. When we have two quality players on the flanks on top of their game, we have traditionally played our best football. We haven't for some time and our strikers have suffered as a result. It was great news when we learned that the Lion had decided to stay on for another season but age is unmistakably it taking its toll on the greatest living Geordie. The time for bringing in a new dimension to our attacking play has to be now. We have no alternative. Bellamy is unlikely to ever play for us again, which is sad, Kluivert looks to be swopping pasties for paella and Shola continues to drive us all mad. There are vacancies for two top strikers at the club. The club has a lot to do this summer if it is to even resemble a team that can recover from a woeful and dispiriting season. But this is the opportunity Souness and Shepherd have spoken of to turn the club round, rid us of the time-wasters and malingerers. They have to take it because their public is in unforgiving mood. They simply have to get it right.