Newcastle's capacity for inviting ridicule appears to have survived the summer break comfortably enough, judging by the roll call on and off the pitch at the beginning of pre-season training yesterday. On the sidelines, the days of 5,000 cramming in to Maiden Castle for a close-up of Kevin Keegan's cavaliers seemed a distant memory as five diehards peered over a perimeter fence for a glimpse of their underachieving modern-day counterparts. Admittedly, Keegan's sessions in the mid-1990s were at a public leisure centre, as opposed to the padlocked privacy afforded by their current set-up, but it still speaks volumes for Newcastle's recent demise that onlookers at their first day back could be counted, just, on one hand. Scroll down for more Waiting game: Alan Shearer's situation as boss at Newcastle is still be resolved Events... [read full story]
