The new football season will see some big changes at Newcastle. Not only will they be playing in the Championship but they also have a new home strip. The new Newcastle home shirt is very much a traditional looking football kit with the vertical black and white stripes on it that we all associate with Newcastle United. The collar is a round neck and a v neck put together and there is a little blue piping going down the sides. The main kit sponsor stays the same in Northern Rock. The kit designer Adidas is also still there. I think it is a nice shirt, although personally I prefer shirts with a collar, this shirt still has quite a traditional look which I like. If I was a Newcastle fan I think overall I would be happy with the new strip.

In the season just gone Newcastle faced a lot of uncertainty with the ownership being put up for sale and at the same time the club finished in the bottom three which meant the team got relegated in to the Championship. However the club have many strong players like Martins, Owen, Taylor, Duff, Butt and others and I’m sure if the majority of these players are wearing the Newcastle shirt when the transfer window has closed then they should not have many problems in getting straight back up in to the Premier League.

Over the years Newcastle United have gradually worked their way up the leagues under the guidance of Kevin Keegan and then established themselves as a team at the top end of the league, playing an exciting brand of football, with great players like Ginola, Asprilla, Batty, Albert and Shearer. You could choose one of these names to put on the back of your Newcastle shirt, if I were to choose one it would probably be Albert, as he had a touch of class about him and I feel he was quite underrated during his time with the Magpies.

Steve Aitken