Club guide: Newcastle United

Title: 1,000-1 Relegation: 3-1 Sack Race: 5-1

Transfers

IN

J Perch (Nottingham Forest, £1.5m), S Campbell (Arsenal, free), D Gosling (Everton, free)

total spent: £1.5m

OUT

M Johnson (Inverness, free), N Butt, F Pancrate (both released)

total made: £0m

Player to watch

Kevin Nolan. A stalwart at Bolton, he weighed in with 17 league goals for the Toon last season.

Squad worries

Chris Hughton is an unassuming man who brought some sanity to the madhouse after the supposed saviour Alan Shearer departed.

Manager speak

Sir Alex Ferguson loves a challenge and will use all his wiles to wrest the Premier League title back from Chelsea as well as having an eye on the Wembley Champions League final.

Story of the summer

Sky cameras heartily cheered the Toon’s promotion, as it provided endless shots of topless Geordies bellowing from the stands. Hughton struggled to recruit this summer, failing to sign Jermaine Beckford, but Sol Campbell was an unlikely arrival.

Last season n/a

Championship winners, having been top since October.

This season 16th

Poorer teams will keep them in the top flight – just.