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"I think it’s along there." The taxi drive had taken 45 minutes, from the Gare de Charleroi-Sud station, through the city's unforgiving centre, to a landscape littered with reminders of its industrial past, until finally the satnav informed us we had arrived.
At the end of a short path that dissected the neighbouring two houses, a 6ft 4in man stood behind the gates with his hands tucked deep in his pockets. Behind him, a horse was running in the field.
“You all right?” he asked. “Good trip? Come in.”
Behind the door of the detached house was a framed 3ft-square picture. Inside it, the badge of Newcastle United Football Club. “I paid £200 for that at an auction,” says Philippe Albert.
Newcastle United - the latest match picturesShow all 125 1 /125Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 0 Manchester United 1 Johnny Evans and Papiss Cisse come together
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 0 Manchester United 1 De Gea makes a save
Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 0 Manchester United 1 Ashley Young scores the winner for Manchester United against Newcastle
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 0 Manchester United 1 Ashley Young celebrates the winner for Manchester United against Newcastle
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Manchester City 5 Newcastle 0 Wilfried Bony came on in the victory over Newcastle to make his Man City debut.
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Manchester City 5 Newcastle 0 A quick-fire David Silva double put City five goals to the good.
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Manchester City 5 Newcastle 0 Edin Dzeko tripled Newcastle's misery with a third goal before half-time.
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Manchester City 5 Newcastle 0 Samir Nasri doubled Manchester City's lead with an emphatic strike.
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Manchester City 5 Newcastle 0 Sergio Aguero put Manchester City ahead inside two minutes after Vernon Anita gave away an early penalty.
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 1 Stoke 1 Peter Crouch scores a late equaliser
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 1 Stoke 1 Jack Colback puts Newcastle ahead with 15 minutes remaining
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Hull 0 Newcastle 3 Yoan Gouffran scores Newcastle's third against Hull
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Hull 0 Newcastle 3 Newcastle players congratulate Sammy Ameobi after his goal against Hull
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Hull 0 Newcastle 3 Sammy Ameobi scores from 30-yards out
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Hull 0 Newcastle 3 Ahmed Elmohamady reacts after he realises his goal is ruled out for a clear handball
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Hull 0 Newcastle 3 Ahmed Elmohamady punches the ball into the back of the net during the 3-0 defeat to Newcastle
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Hull 0 Newcastle 3 Remy Cabella celebrates his goal against Hull
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Chelsea 2 Newcastle 0 Remy Cabella goes close as Newcastle dominated in the first half
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Chelsea 2 Newcastle 0 Petr Cech started in place of Thibaut Courtois and was fantastic for the Blues
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Chelsea 2 Newcastle 0 Jose Mourinho was furious with his team's performance in the opening stages
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Chelsea 2 Newcastle 0 Willian's quick thinking allowed Oscar to tap in the opener at the far post
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Chelsea 2 Newcastle 0 Oscar is mobbed by Chelsea players after scoring the opening goal
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Chelsea 2 Newcastle 0 Chelsea players surround the referee believing they should have had a penalty
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Leicester City 1 Newcastle 0 John Carver and Steve Stone watch the action unfold at the King Power Stadium
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Leicester City 1 Newcastle 0 Leonardo Ulloa heads in the winner - his eighth goal of the season
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Leicester City 1 Newcastle 0 Leicester players celebrate with the striker
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Leicester City 1 Newcastle 0 Jak Alnwick made a number of good saves for Newcastle
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Leicester City 1 Newcastle 0 Remy Cabella tries to get the visitors on the attack
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Leicester City 1 Newcastle 0 Cheick Tiote puts in a tackle on Leicester striker Jamie Vardy
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 3 Burnley 3 George Boyd celebrates his equaliser against Newcastle
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 3 Burnley 3 Danny Ings celebrates his goal for Burnley
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 3 Burnley 3 Newcastle caretaker manager John Carver (right) reacts
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 3 Everton 2 Everton's Ivorian striker Arouna Kone scores the opening goal against Newcastle
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 3 Everton 2 Cisse celebrates equalising against Everton, despite the fact he could have been sent off earlier in the match
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 3 Everton 2 Ayoze Perez shoots to score and put Newcastle ahead
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 3 Everton 2 Jack Colback scores Newcastle's third
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 3 Everton 2 Evertons Belgian striker Kevin Mirallas scored a late goal but the Toffees couldn't find another
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Manchester United 3 Newcastle 1 Papiss Cisse scores a consolation for Newcastle form the penalty spot
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Manchester United 3 Newcastle 1 Robin van Persie scores the third for Manchester United with a perfectly-guided header
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Manchester United 3 Newcastle 1 Wayne Rooney scores his and United's second of the game
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Manchester United 3 Newcastle 1 Rooney celebrates with striker-partner Radamel Falcao after the pair combine to put United ahead
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Manchester United 3 Newcastle 1 Wayne Rooney opens the scoring after turning in a Radamel Falcao cross
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 0 Sunderland 1 Sunderland manager Gus Poyet celebrates Adam Johnson's goal
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 0 Sunderland 1 Adam Johnson strikes his late winner at St James' Park
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 0 Sunderland 1 Adam Johnson evades the challenge of Ayoze Perez
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Tottenham 4 Newcastle 0 Spurs' striker Harry Kane scores their third goal
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Tottenham 4 Newcastle 0 Newcastle United's Jak Alnwick punches the ball clear
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Tottenham 4 Newcastle 0 Nabil Bentaleb (centre) celebrates putting Tottenham ahead
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 2 Chelsea 1 Didier Drigba scores a consolation goal to bring the score back to 2-1
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 2 Chelsea 1 John Terry looks up as Papiss Cisse's shot hits the back of the net
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 2 Chelsea 1 Newcastle players and fans swamp Papiss Cisee after he scored his second goal
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 2 Chelsea 1 Papiss Cisse celebraes after scoring Newcastle's second against Chelsea
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 2 Chelsea 1 Papiss Cisse scores the first goal for Newcastle against Chelsea
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Burnley 1 Newcastle 1 Mehdi Abeid leaves Stephen Ward chasing him down the right hand side
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Burnley 1 Newcastle 1 George Boyd fires the Clarets into a first-half lead
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Burnley 1 Newcastle 1 Boyd celebrates with the Burnley mascot Bertie Bee
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Burnley 1 Newcastle 1 Papiss Cisse turns in a cross to draw Newcastle level at Turf Moor
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Burnley 1 Newcastle 1 Newcastle players surround Cisse after his equaliser
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Burnley 1 Newcastle 1 Danny Ings attempts to get a shot on goal in the second-half
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures West Ham 1 Newcastle 0 Mauro Zarate holds off Sammy Ameobi
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures West Ham 1 Newcastle 0 Aaron Cresswell fires home the only goal of the game
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures West Ham 1 Newcastle 0 Mark Noble challenges Moussa Sissoko
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures West Ham 1 Newcastle 0 Sam Allardyce and Alan Pardew patrol the touchline
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures West Ham 1 Newcastle 0 Adrian clears his lines for West Ham
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures West Ham 1 Newcastle 0 West Ham players celebrate their victory
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures West Brom 0 Newcastle 2 Ayoze Perez flicks in a brilliant opener for Newcastle
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures West Brom 0 Newcastle 2 Ayoze Perez celebrates his goal against West Brom
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures West Brom 0 Newcastle 2 Fabricio Coloccini celebrates his goal that put Newcastle 2-0 up
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 1 Liverpool 0 Mario Balotelli is spoken to by Simon Mignolet
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 1 Liverpool 0 Mario Balotelli reacts to the defeat to Newcastle
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 1 Liverpool 0 Ayoze Perez celebrates his winning goal against Liverpool
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 1 Liverpool 0 Ayoze Perez celebrates his goal against Liverpool
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 1 Liverpool 0 Ayoze Perez scores for Newcastle against Liverpool
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Manchester City 0 Newcastle 2 Moussa Sissoko celebrates scoring Newcastle's second goal
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Manchester City 0 Newcastle 2 David Silva was substituted after suffering a knee injury
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Manchester City 0 Newcastle 2 Rolando Aarons watches as his effort finds the corner of the Manchester City goal to give Newcastle the lead
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Tottenham 1 Newcastle 2 Ayoze Perez and his teammates celebrate with the away fans
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Tottenham 1 Newcastle 2 Ayoze Perez scores for Newcastle to complete the turnaround
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Tottenham 1 Newcastle 2 Sammy Ameobi scores with his first touch to level for Newcastle
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Tottenham 1 Newcastle 2 Emmanuel Adebayor heads in the opening goal for Spurs
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 1 Leicester 0 Gabriel Obertan celebrates his goal with his team mates
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 1 Leicester 0 Gabriel Obertan fires in to give Newcastle the lead
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 1 Leicester 0 Papiss Cisse misses a good chance
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 1 Leicester 0 The match is delayed by an hour due to problems with a big screen coming dislodged by the wind
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Swansea 2 Newcastle 2 Courtesy of Papiss Cisse's second of the afternoon, Alan Pardew's men show they are no pushovers.
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Swansea 2 Newcastle 2 Papiss Cisse celebrates pulling Newcastle level at the Liberty Stadium
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Swansea 2 Newcastle 2 Swansea show solidarity with their opponents by supporting former Magpies star Jonas Gutierrez who is battling cancer.
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Swansea 2 Newcastle 2 Wilfried Bony puts the Swans ahead against lowly Newcastle.
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Swansea 2 Newcastle 2 Mike Ashley, usually an absent figure, was again in attendance for Newcastle's clash away at Swansea.
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Stoke 1 Newcastle 0 Peter Crouch heads home the only goal of the game between Stoke and Newcastle
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Stoke 1 Newcastle 0 Mike Ashley looks on during the game between Stoke City and Newcastle
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Stoke 1 Newcastle 0 Alan Pardew at the match between Newcastle and Stoke
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Stoke 1 Newcastle 0 Fans call for the head of Alan Pardew at the match between Newcastle and Stoke
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Crystal Palace 2 Newcastle 3 Emmanuel Riviere of Newcastle scores one of his two goals against Crystal Palace as the Magpies advanced in this Capital One Cup tie after extra-time
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Crystal Palace 2 Newcastle 3 Paul Dummett celebrates scoring the winner at Selhurst Park in extra-time
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 2 Hull 2 Papiss Cisse gets his second and equalises for Newcastle
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 2 Hull 2 Alan Pardew and Papiss Cisse celebrate the goal
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 2 Hull 2 Under-fire boss Alan Pardew looks away after his team go behind
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 2 Hull 2 Nikica Jelavic celebrates after opening the scoring
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 2 Hull 2 Newcastle fans hold up protest banners against their manager Alan Pardew
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 2 Hull 2 Stephen Quinn is tackled by Paul Dummett
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 2 Hull 2 Moussa Sissoko goes past the challenge from Jake Livermore
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 2 Hull 2 Nikica Jelavic holds off Paul Dummett
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Southampton 4 Newcastle 0 After Jack Cork had made it 3-0, Newcastle fans turned up the volume on their protests against Alan Pardew.
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Southampton 4 Newcastle 0 Jack Cork celebrates after scoring the Saints' third.
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Southampton 4 Newcastle 0 Alan Pardew's afternoon could only get worse after Graziano Pelle doubled his side's lead after just 19 minutes.
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Southampton 4 Newcastle 0 Graziano Pelle gave the Saints the best possible start, tucking his effort past Tim Krul in the first half.
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Southampton 4 Newcastle 0 Alan Pardew returned to his former club with his job looking increasingly under threat.
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 3 Crystal Palace 3 Neil Warnock celebrates after Wilfried Zaha's late goal
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 3 Crystal Palace 3 Wilfried Zaha celebrates his late equaliser
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 3 Crystal Palace 3 Mike Williamson celebrates his goal
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 3 Crystal Palace 3 Rolando Aarons celebrates his goal
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 3 Crystal Palace 3 Massadio Haidara and Jason Puncheon battle for the ball
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 3 Crystal Palace 3 Dwight Gayle scores the opening goal
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Aston Villa 0-0 Newcastle Daryl Janmaat prevails in a tussle with Aston Villa left-back Aly Cissokho. The summer signing from Feyenoord has impressed Newcastle United supporters so far.
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Aston Villa 0-0 Newcastle Paul Lambert and Aston Villa assistant manager Roy Keane look on during the match. Keane was characteristically active on the sidelines
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Aston Villa 0-0 Newcastle New Aston Villa signing Carlos Sanchez was named on the bench and replaced Charles N'Zogbia in the 62nd minute.
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Aston Villa 0-0 Newcastle The Villa Park faithful were enthusiastic about the first use of the 'vanishing spray' during the match with Newcastle United. It produced possibly the loudest cheer of the match.
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Aston Villa 0-0 Newcastle Roy Keane exchanges words with Daryl Janmaat during the goalless draw between Aston Villa and Newcastle United.
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Aston Villa 0-0 Newcastle Newcastle United defender Mike Williamson saw red in the second half in a fiery affair at Villa Park.
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Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 0 Manchester City 2 Sergio Aguero makes it 2-0 in stoppage time
Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 0 Manchester City 2 Edin Dzeko wins the ball back from Fabricio Coloccini
Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 0 Manchester City 2 David Silva celebrates his goal for Manchester City
Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 0 Manchester City 2 Joe Hart punches the ball away
Newcastle United - the latest match pictures Newcastle 0 Manchester City 2 A minute's silence is observed for the Newcastle fans who died on flight MH17
Later, in the front room, above the two golden boots he won for being the best player in Belgium, I spot another framed photograph, of St James’ Park, with the inscription “The home of Newcastle United”. It is 16 years since Albert played for Newcastle.
“You talk about Newcastle and Kevin Keegan and I get goosebumps, right here, all the way up my arm,” he says.
When Albert talks about Newcastle it is a team that had the city’s heartbeat inside the black-and-white stripes.
He moved to Tyneside from Anderlecht in 1994 for £2.65m. “We went to Leeds and had a meeting,” he adds. “Kevin was there. I was very impressed with him. I was a little bit nervous. We talked about football for an hour and then we talked about money for two minutes. Money wasn’t important to me.
“The fact was that Keegan, the manager of Newcastle United, who had finished third in the league the season before, wanted to sign me. When a club like this comes, if you say no, you are crazy.
“Yeah, I had watched them the season before. At that time finishing third in the Premiership was big news and people were talking about Keegan and Newcastle as well. I went to Leeds, I said, ‘OK.’”
The centre-half would be part of the Newcastle team in the 1995-96 season that came so close to being the champions of England for the first time since 1927. Like the players of that era, he is still revered on Tyneside. On 19 June, Albert will appear at the Lancastrian Suite in Dunston. There will still be adoration. “I’ve always considered myself as a working-class person,” he told me. “My father worked in a factory from when he was 14.
“When I went out in Newcastle and people didn’t recognise me, I didn’t say, ‘I’m Philippe Albert, I’m not queuing to get in here.’ I never did it and I will never do it because that is the way I was educated by my parents.
“The fact the fans were working very hard during the week and then coming to the game with season tickets is not cheap. You want to give something back to these people. That’s what we did. Even away from home, people used to like us. Even when we went to Liverpool, people liked the way Newcastle was playing.
“At home, people were very happy, very glad and after the game, they had seen goals and a good match. That is the most important for those people.”
My interview with Albert is one of many with the players and management staff of that time at Newcastle United, for a book, called Touching Distance, about the period when Keegan breathed life into a city and an ailing football club.
Newcastle were on their knees back then as well, in 1992, when he returned as manager, eight years after a successful spell as a player. Keegan reinvigorated a city. He made it believe in itself.
The team Keegan and the club’s chairman, Sir John Hall, assembled came from all quarters. Every player that represented Newcastle back then – Pavel Srnicek, Rob Lee, David Kelly, Darren Peacock, Warren Barton, Les Ferdinand, Keith Gillespie, Tino Asprilla and many more – spoke of their love for the city and the club. It was never, ever seen as a stepping stone.
“I go there for five days a year maybe,” Srnicek told me in the Prague restaurant he now dines in with the Sparta players he coaches. He will speak to Newcastle fans in Whitley Bay on 4 June. “It is not enough. The city is in my heart. You cannot put it anywhere else.”
Tomorrow, if Newcastle, who face West Ham at St James’, cannot match the result of Hull at home to Manchester United, they will be relegated for the second time in six years. The temporary head coach, John Carver, admitted before the derby with Sunderland last month that he could not tell the players how important the game was for fear of putting pressure on them. He has questioned the recruitment policy and whether more importance should be given to the character of those joining. No one has taken responsibility for the mess.
It has not always been like this. When Newcastle moved with the heartbeat of their support, anything seemed possible. Now there is only fear that their team do not have enough to beat a side who have scored one goal in their previous five away games.
Whether they cling to their Premier League status or not tomorrow, Newcastle are a lost football club.
‘Touching Distance’ by Martin Hardy, published by deCoubertin Books, priced £18.99, is out in July.
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