If Alan Smith is feeling down in the dumps about pockets of Toon fans booing him then he should look no further than Nicky Butt if he wants evidence he can turn his career round at St James's Park.
Smith was booed on to the field in Saturday's friendly with Valencia and he isn't the first former Manchester United player to experience that in a Toon shirt against La Liga opposition in recent times.
Two years ago Butt endured exactly the same thing against Villareal but responded by sending two flying headers into the Gallowgate net to secure a 3-3 draw but more importantly his Newcastle future.
Butt has gone on to prove he is one of Newcastle's best players in the last couple of years and while many might think that's not hard given the huge slip in standards since Sir Bobby Robson left the club four years ago, the former England midfielder has shown it is possible to hit back at the boo boys.
Kevin Keegan refused to get involved in a player v fans debate on the Smith situation and says that the paying fan is more than entitled to their opinion, and if they want to boo they should.
He said: "He covers in a lot of positions, is a great lad around the place - and whole-hearted.
"He may not always be the best player on the pitch, but no one will try harder.
"I'm not going to try and tell this crowd what to do. It's a very knowledgeable crowd.
"They're the first to cheer if a player scores a goal and sometimes they show their feelings.
"They've got every right to do that, they pay their money."
In recent years at St James's Park, players such as Butt, Kieron Dyer, Lee Bowyer and Stephen Carr have all endured the boos for different reasons.
Yet the Smith situation is much more complex.
Here we have a player that has been pushed under the spotlight after just one season in a black and white short.
Keegan doesn't want to sell him.
Yet there are certain sections of fans who would "carry him" to Merseyside as one man once said about another Newcastle striker.
A combination of no Premier League goals and an assumption by many that Smith would jump ship to Everton given the chance are the main reasons for the player being booed.
Throw into that, the fact that he hasn't actually looked like scoring in pre-season or as far back as Keegan decided he was a striker and not a midfielder (the fact that he played several games in midfield last season makes his goalscoring record look uglier than it should).
Chants of "If Shola scores we're on the pitch" could easily have been "If Smudger shoots we're on the pitch" at one stage in the Mallorca Summer Cup.
But really what does booing achieve?
What example does it set to younger fans? And what impression does it leave with younger players?
There's been many times in the past when the team have been booed off at one, but Newcastle United should not be about attacking individuals.
Not only does it give our friends in the south even more ammo to lob our way but talk in football spreads fast and the most delicate little thing can sway the mind of a potential signings who don't really know what a great club Newcastle is until they get here.
Whatever the future is of Smith though, any type of Nicky Butt reaction would be welcomed by Newcastle fans.
And for Smith his future is in his own hands despite the boo boys on his back.
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