Not my words, the words of the great, late Sir Bobby Robson.

The former Newcastle United boss was talking about players leaving St James' Park for bigger and better things.

On Sunday we will see two players who are proof of this theory in Shay Given and Charles N'Zogbia.

Fast forward three years and Newcastle are closer to the Champions League than the Championship.

In fairness to Shay Given his 12 year stint on Tyneside will probably earn him respect from most Toon fans.

N'Zogbia has already experienced the wrath of the Toon Army in his Wigan days, responding with a two goal blast last season at SJP.

Sadly, he didn't show enough of that on a consistent basis in black and white.

But getting back to Robson's theory both left Newcastle for bigger things.

And unless Given counts his winners medal from last season's FA Cup for Man City, after picking it up when failing to break into a sweat as an unused sub, both he and N'Zogbia have hardly enjoyed the high life since quitting Tyneside.

They arrive on Sunday in a team that trails the Magpies by 11 points.

Newcastle should have beaten them at Villa Park earlier this season and while the 6-0 hammering against Villa last season didn't come much sweeter for United fans, another heavy scoreline could well hammer the point home even harder for the ex-Toon duo.

United go into the game knowing that apart from Tottenham (who NUFC have scored 58 times past in the PL), Villa are the side they enjoy playing most with 54 goals in Premier League history already flying past the Brummie side.

One thing is for sure, the return of Given and N'Zogbia certainly adds even more spice to this fixture.

Phil Thompson (from his comfy studio chair) couldn't believe that Newcastle United had won at Blackburn Rovers but for those who have followed the Magpies a little closer this season, the win at Ewood Park was typical of a bunch of players that keep bouncing back.

More than once this season they have been written off when they hit a rocky patch.

And going into the game against Rovers last night they needed a win to stay in touch with the European contenders.

They got it through a combination of luck, hard work, bravery and quality which they sprinkled during a tough night against the relegation threatened side.

Tim Krul's penalty save and all round top notch display put him at the top of the tree while Fabricio Coloccini also oozed class with some razor sharp interceptions.

But if Colo's return was significant, then what about Ryan Taylor?

Taylor made the all important first goal possible and put his body on the line for the black and white cause with another top notch display.

When it comes to talk of player of the season, he won't win it, but he'll be a candidate in my eyes.

Then there was James Perch.

This wasn't a night for the sparkling skills of Hatem Ben Arfa.

It need poise, calmness and the ability to find row Z when needed.

Perch provided all of that and was outstanding.

Then there were the super subs in Peter Lovenkrands and Gabriel Obertan.

Lovenrkands held the ball up when needed and then laid on Obertan's first goal.

Obertan summed up the term "fresh legs" with a blinding run and first class finish.

Afterwards, all he spoke about was the importance of the win for the team.

Perhaps that's why Newcastle are currently ahead of Thommo's beloved Liverpool as well as Arsenal and just three points behind Chelsea.

True enough, the addition of Papiss Cisse has to be a welcome one with few expecting - including Mike Ashley and the United top brass - the Senegal star to become available this month.

Don't forget, it was United that decided to sell their number 9 this time last year, sparking the unsettlement of Joey Barton and Jose Enrique.

We all know Mike Ashley likes to gamble and appears to get a buzz out of the excitement of the last say of the window.

As a businessman, he's obviously going to scent a good deal when it comes along, and if that means cashing in on other team's desperation - he seems prepared to go inch by inch.

This has been proved in the Carroll deal 12 months ago but while fans were furious with the deal, they can't be anything but happy with the way it turned out with Yohan Cabaye, Demba Ba and Davide Santon decent success stories in the market for the Mags.

Newcastle may have invited the tag of selling club, but the above deals mentioned, and of course the arrival of Cisse show they are prepared to spend money.

We have to wait and see just how healthy the figures are in the next few weeks but there's a chance that the Magpies will do more than break even.

Going into the last 24 hours, it's got to be a case of "never say never" when it comes to a player being sold, player movement elsewhere (like at Anfield with Torres last year) might spark a bid for a Toon player.

If Ashley gets the chance to play transfer brinkmanship and make another roaring profit, he's likely to push teams all the way to get it.

Tomorrow we'll see Sky's glossy and at times overcooked coverage of over-rated players being linked with Newcastle.

But the result most people are looking for is Demba Ba, Cheick Tiote, Tim Krul and Fabricio Coloccini all staying, and perhaps that defender through the door at the death.

Keep an eye on www.chroniclelive.co.uk and for roving reports on the latest follow me on Twitter @lee_ryder

Follow @lee_ryder

In unlikely circumstances, Equatorial Guinea's late, late winner on a waterlogged surface in Bata sealed a 2-1 win, sending Senegal out and sending Ba and Cisse back to Tyneside.

The duo could be back to face Blackburn but even after being assessed by Toon medics, many would have been delighted with even the prospect of the duo back for Aston Villa in the next home game would have been gladly accepted by most United followers.

Cisse and Ba is the partnership has all the potential to be as good as Alan Shearer/Les Ferdinand, and that's why many fans would be buzzing if they headed to Blackburn to see the duo make their first appearance together as a deadly duo.

Either way though, Senegal's loss, is without doubt Newcastle United's gain.

Follow @lee_ryder

The build-up to the game had resulted in interesting insights from former players Ian Bogie and Joe Allon as United once again locked horns with the Hertfordshire outfit in the competition they won back in 1985 for the last time.

But there is hope that the current Toon young guns can at least reach the latter stages after marching on during a chilly night on Tyneside.

Goals from Michael Hoganson and Dennis Knight inflicted the damage on Watford in a 2-1 win for the Toon.

Two minutes later and it was 2- 0 as Knight drove his way through and smashed it past Bonham with Watford still rocking - it was a fantastic solo goal after picking the ball up in his own half.

The Magpies were good value for their half-time lead.

Mid-way through the second half Knight received a pass from Campbell but his shot went straight at Bonham.

With 11 minutes left Sean Murray floated in a right wing corner and Michael Kalue rose high to crash a header past Alex Baird to pull one back.

But Newcastle deservedly held on to reach round five when they will face QPR back at SJP.

United:Baird,Nicholson,Riley,Sayer(Logan70),Streete,Storey,Maddison,Miele,Campbell,Knight,Hoganson (Toland 74)
Subs:Mitchell,Turton,Smith

Attendance: 889

Should Newcastle United still be the hunt for a European slot when it came to January, then invest in a player that could help achieve that in the second half of the season.

In Papiss Cisse's arrival from Freiburg, you have to say the elusive Toon tycoon has responded by delivering Newcastle's new number 9.

True, enough given past disappointments, many United followers will wait until the closure of the transfer window before making a full assessment of the situation by making a quick head count to see who, if anybody, has been sold.

Cisse's arrival is an exciting one and the prospect of linking up with Ba will have many United fans counting down the days until the African Cup of Nations is over.

Newcastle done their business swiftly to deny a few other clubs with the striker admitting that Sunderland had been desperate for his services, only for Cisse to opt for United at the first opportunity meaning chants of "Cisse turned you down" are a certainty in the next Tyne-Wear derby if he plays.

Ashley has been battered from pillar to post as owner since taking over at Newcastle five years ago.

And while sometimes he has invited stick, the healthy financial state of the club and the idea of signing fresh young talent from Europe is one to be applauded given the amount of Big Time Charlies, such as Michael Owen, Mark Viduka and Geremi to name but a few, who drained the resources out of the club and resulted in relegation.

Before anybody comes out with the urban myth that the Chronicle is in "Ashley's pocket" or "On the payroll", the thinking fan by now knows that the United owner does not talk to the Press unlike the previous owner and leads a very private lifestyle.

The urban myth I speak about is tired and misinformed, but I'm sure many fans and readers would welcome an interview with Ashley if it ever came about.

But on the basis of giving credit where it is due, Ashley it seems - has seen his interest re-ignited in the Magpies - and Cisse is a byproduct of that enthusiasm.

Of course, there is still time in typical fashion for it all to go Pete Tong in the window for the Magpies.

The sale of any of our top performing gems would not only cause unrest but also dent our hopes of qualifying for Europe.

For now though, let's celebrate the arrival of one of Europe's biggest goal machines.

He didn't say it himself, but Pardew has as much chance of signing Micky Hazard this January!

Mackem Micky wasn't a bad player in his day with Spurs, Swindon and Chelsea and while Thierry Henry and Paul Scholes have rolled back the years, it would seem he is the only Hazard in with a chance of coming to SJP under the current wage structure.

Of course, the Lille ace's incredible form in recent years has hardly gone unnoticed by United's scouting network.

However, his reaction was straight to the point, Pardew said: "The guy's worth about £36m - he ain't coming here."

Most Toon fans can quickly use a simple process of elimination when it comes to transfers, is he young? Is he cheap? Is he coming to the end of his contract?

If the answer is yes on one or two of those questions, he'll be in with a chance of coming here.

Unfortunately when Twitter was dreamed up, they didn't take the Tyneside rumour mill into consideration.

Yes, let's be honest, transfer rumours in these parts have been with us for years.

And the clowns/nutjobs who seem to get a thrill out of inventing purely fantasy stories on Twitter, are on par with the ones who used to get down their local pub (they probably still do) and say, "My mate Davey knows one of the backroom team who says that Roberto Baggio has just landed at the airport."

But these "reliable sources" can cause more harm than good.

Twitter has intensified this problem and stories like Eden Hazard more often than not come from the bedrooms of somebody who has been playing too much Football Manager.

Eden Hazard could sign for Newcastle of course, well only if Mike Ashley suddenly changes his transfer blueprint and decides to shell out over £30million for one player and goes back on the club's statement that they are no longer in the market for "trophy players."

So there you have it, when it comes to transfer rumours, apply common sense and logic.

*It does say could, but NUFC have more chance of landing the former Spurs man

Follow @lee_ryder

We're well into football's silly season now as far as the transfer window is concerned, and after waking up to a round of speculation that Carroll is to be offered the chance to head back to Newcastle, no sooner had many of us finished off our cereal, the claims had been denied by sources at both Liverpool and United.

It hasn't been a bed of roses for Carroll at Liverpool.

Liverpool fans - rightly or wrongly - expect the best at Anfield, and due to that Carroll has been targeted by the boo boys.

Those same boo boys have failed to appreciate that, like all big units up front, Carroll thrives on service from the flanks to provide a flurry of crosses that will leave defences in all sorts of trouble.

But, for some reason Liverpool have not played to his strengths with Carroll not teamed enough with Stewart Downing - one of the best crossers of the ball in my view - meaning he has often looked isolated and unloved.

Inevitably, this has led to talk that Carroll is unsettled in front of the Kop and talk being bandied around that an escape route is possible back to Tyneside.

Believe what you want, but whether it's this window the next window or during a different era all together, the sight of Carroll back in a black and white shirt is one that nobody should rule out.

Not for the first time, I found myself involved in a conversation of just who gets the priority of being called United when two Uniteds play each other in the same game.

And not for the first time, the recurring discussion erupted in the Press room during a game between Newcastle United and Manchester United.

Now call me cynical, but it doesn't seem so long ago that the Press room at Newcastle became deserted during our short but sweet stint in the Championship.

And the debate was hardly raging back then when the Uniteds of Scunthorpe, Peterborough and Sheffield visited Tyneside in the second tier.

Nevertheless, the unwritten rule for a lot of national newspaper counterparts, is that Man United are classed as United in copy, and the black and whites go as Newcastle.

Well not on my watch.

Just like St James' Park will always be St James' Park, there will only be one United.

And when the term United appears in the Chronicle, I'm pretty sure those who count most, know exactly who we're talking about!

Back then going digital was still regarded as a bold and brave step as quite simply no Chronicle NUFC reporter had ever done it - but six years on, we're all still here in a world that uses technology more and more to bring news to football fans even quicker.

I have to say those six years have flown by and through it all the popularity of this little blog has been nothing short of overwhelming.

From my own backyard on a summer's day talking about transfers, from airports in Kansas and beyond to filing copy from a freezing cold Press box at Barnsley - we've been there to provide as much up to date information as possible.

Newcastle fans have always had a thirst for information about their club.

And their passion for their team can't be rivalled...or at least in my humble opinion it can't.

I've experienced it from a young age, from a swarm of fans waiting outside my local newsagent on Tyneside waiting for the old Pink van to swing round the corner and through a bundle of the famous old papers out of it to the constant questioning of the club in the modern day via Twitter.

Quite simply, Newcastle fans just can't get enough -

In 2012, the aim is simple: To continue bringing the news to you as quickly as possible via Twitter, www.chroniclelive.co.uk and of course www.blogonthetyne.co.uk

The year ahead will be a challenging one for Newcastle in every sense of the word.

Holding on to star players such as Cheick Tiote, Tim Krul and Fabricio Coloccini is a daunting prospect.

Bringing in new blood to keep things ticking over is also a requirement.

And staying at the business end of the Premier League is the main challenge for Alan Pardew and his team.

I haven't even mentioned the FA Cup yet and with battling Blackburn up first in the third round, a cup run always goes down very well indeed on Tyneside.

But whether it's from a Press box in Swansea or we see Newcastle get back into continental competition and the need for blogging from Lech Poznan arises, United fans expect!

So here's to a successful 2012 and the sixth year of the Blog!

Happy new year to you all.

Follow @lee_ryder

Incredibly, many of the Geordie fans in attendance at the Reebok Stadium weren't even born when the Magpies beat Sheffield Wednesday in the dire relegation campaign if 88/89 in the old First Division.

Boxing Days have been pretty miserable since then for Newcastle when it comes to away games and with the fixture computer quite fond on trips to North-West on this particular day, there have been some despondent journeys back from the likes of Wigan, Bolton, Blackburn and Liverpool down the years.

This time it was different.

With 4,000 Toon fans making it seem like a home game for United, a goal-less first hour suggested that perhaps that poor run was to continue.

Bolton though look vulnerable on the counter and after the Toon Army had called for Hatem Ben Arfa and got their wish, it was the Frenchman who proved why he was regarded as Marseille's talisman in recent years.

Whatever you think of Ben Arfa, he is the player who can create that moment of magic and illuminate a dull game.

With the help of his team-mates, the festive spark exploded at the Reebok thanks to great work from Jonas and Ryan Taylor down the left.

With Bolton shaking, Cheick Tiote fed Gabriel Obertan who kept his composure to deliver a fine cross for Demba Ba to stab home.

Obertan has had his critics in recent times but here demonstrated what he can do when he puts his mind to it.

After the game, Alan Pardew pleaded for patience with the winger and feels he is still learning the game,

As for Bolton?

Well under fire Owen Coyle must be wondering just what's happened to his side.

Coyle was flavour of the month last season and after an appalling start to this season, it just shows how quickly football can change.

The Boxing Day hoodoo is over, but now comes the Anfield hoodoo.

No wins since 1994, no goals since 2004.

There would be no time like the present...

No wins in five attempts can be countered by the stat of three defeats in 16 games as the Premier League season reaches the halfway stage.

And should United avoid defeat against West Brom then only two teams can say they've left St James' Park having taken all three points during the year 2011.

In fact, Newcastle are actually eight points better off than this time last season and despite sliding to seventh spot in the Prem, the Magpies can consider themselves as at least Europa League contenders going into the festive games,

Chris Hughton and Colin Calderwood did a fantastic job against all the odds when leading the Magpies to the title in the Championship.

That was no easy achievement and you only have to look at teams recently relegated in years gone by like Middlesbrough and Birmingham who haven't found life easy in the second tier.

Hughton pulled off a superb job in charge and while the arrival of Pardew was an unpopular one, his stint in charge has coincided with Newcastle changing from a team that could get a result if they were up for it to a team that has became hard to beat.

The 0-0 draw with Swansea was frustrating but in the Premier League you do get days when things just don't go for you.

And the run of five games without a win includes games at Man City and Man United, and title contenders Chelsea.

Of course you'd like to think Newcastle should be beating the likes of Swansea and Norwich, and failure to beat West Brom will also unsettle a few natives further.

Pardew appears to be able to find a way of lifting things at the club's training camp, and while the remainder of the season could yet fizzle out, there's nothing to say that it can't go the other way either - especially with the team spirit within the group.

People close to the club can notice change,

Three years ago, United's training ground was an angry place, former players looked downbeat too much and there wasn't a feeling of optimism.

The last 12 months have resulted in a change in that.

Geordie boys Carver and Stone can see certain things coming where as in the past, there was a lack of local knowledge at the club and costly mistakes were made.

Of course the big test is the January transfer window.

Many feel Cheick Tiote will be sold next month and who is to say there won't be bids for other players.

History says that big bids will be accepted and moved on.

Then it will all be about bringing in new blood.

Whether that happens we'll have to wait and see but while it would be easy to get fizzed up about a 0-0 draw with Swansea, there have certainly been worse seasons.

I don't know about you but if Newcastle are still in the hunt for Europa League places this time next month, I'd say things are going pretty well, on the pitch at least.

Peeling back the layers of Alan Pardew's squad shows that beneath Mike Williamson, Fabricio Coloccini and injured Steven Taylor, there isn't a great deal when it comes to experience, as fielding Danny Simpson and James Perch at centre-back showed recently.

But if the club are going down the road of giving youngsters a chance on the big stage, then the prospect of Remie Streete will be one that will excite Newcastle fans if he maintains the progress he is making at second string level.

Premier League bosses are reluctant to build up praise to early when it comes to playing the young guns, usually in fear of scarring a player for life after throwing them in at the deep end.

The other side of the coin of course is, that you learn more from your mistakes then you do being carried by a good team.

Streete's tough tackling outlook on the game is impressive and observations so far suggest he plays with no fear.

Born in Aylesbury but raised in South Shields, Streete seems to have his head screwed on and doesn't talk above his station.

Toon fans love to see a home grown player come through the ranks and impress but Streete still has work to do.

At the end of last season, he said: "I just want to try and get a regular place in the reserve team, and hopefully next season I can be playing every game."

Streete is certainly one to watch out for in the next 12 months.

My most recent memory of being at the home of Norwich City and Delia Smith is not enjoying the great pies on offer by the TV superchef's catering team, more so the different look to Newcastle's team in the past 18 months.

It was only the pre-season before last, but there is a different and more determined look about Newcastle these days, even if on paper many thought Newcastle would be weaker without some big characters this season.

First up was our then new number 9 Andy Carroll who spoke positively about the future and how he was looking forward to his new shirt - seven months later he'd still be wearing number 9 but on a Liverpool shirt.

During the interview with Carroll, a certain Joey Barton joked that he should go back to his old number 24 shirt for not scoring straight away.

This was BT* for Barton and just a week earlier an interview at Carlisle had caused a bit of stir when he suggested he and his Newcastle team-mates would be overlooked for England duty!

Also in talkative mood was new captain Kevin Nolan who spoke of his desire to score again at Old Trafford ahead of the opening game of the season.

Finally, Xisco went on record to announce he wanted to give it another go at Newcastle and fresh from laying on a goal for Shola Ameobi that day, unfortunately the 50p he paid off his £5.7million transfer fee is yet to be built upon.

Back then there was caution in the air when talking about challenging too high up the table but now the Mags head to Norwich in the top six and can stay there with a good result.

On Saturday a different looking Toon team will take to the pitch against the Norwich, with Yohan Cabaye, Hatem Ben Arfa, Demba Ba and perhaps Mehdi Abeid all looking to make the headlines look positive over the weekend.

Hopefully, they will all be in good voice after the game and we'll be talking about Newcastle's first win at Carrow Road since 1994.

*Before Twitter

With Newcastle in defensive disarray, he goes into the squad for Norwich City away knowing that this could be his last chance to impress the the first team management at United.

The technically gifted Magyar has all of the attributes a young defender could wish for but in the eyes of the Toon coaching staff he has yet to bring that to the fore.

I first witnessed Kadar at Newcastle at a reserve game against Boro days after he signed for the club, and believed the Mags had landed a real gem.

The fact his squad number has tumbled from 28 to 40 in the last six months is an indication of that.

But as a full Hungarian international, Kadar - who has yet to taste defeat in 13 games in the league for Newcastle - has been making slow improvements of late and was handed the skipper's armband in the reserves.

After a summer in which he was overlooked for the first team trip to America and relegated to the reserves following injury problems last term, Kadar has found his chances limited in a black and white shirt in the last two seasons.

However, with Fabricio Coloccini likely to be out and Steven Taylor's season decimated, Kadar can prove his worth.

With his contract up in the summer, there is no time like the present for the 21-year-old to show just why he ended up on Tyneside to start with.

Now the player who could have made it as a professional handball player in his native Hungary has his future very much in his own grasp.