If Newcastle go down, where does the blame lie?

The list is endless but you would start with Mike Ashley and the Hall/Shepherd administration that preceded him.

Just how big a disappointment has Michael Owen been in a black and white shirt?

A massive disappointment in terms of his contribution, most of that beyond his control due to injuries. It was a typical stupid ‘sexy’ signing when we really needed several positions strengthened at the time. It’s a bit like buying a fancy car and then not being able to afford the petrol, we know he’s lethal if you get the ball to him in the box but depressingly we have nobody capable of doing that.

So far the Shearer-era has claimed two points out of a possible 12 – was it right to bring him in given his lack of managerial experience and will his reputation on Tyneside suffer?

The situation before Shearer came in was generally perceived as hopeless but his arrival at least gave us hope. If he’d came in five matches earlier I’m confident we’d have been okay as we had some winnable games and the fans all knew we had a hard run-in with the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Villa to play. I don’t think his reputation will suffer at all for two reasons, firstly because he had the same very average squad to work with and secondly because he’s came in for all the right reasons.

How are you viewing the trip to Anfield – with trepidation or as a chance to pull off a shock?

A draw would be a big plus and most fans realistically are thinking about damage limitation, one of our few positives is that we have a better goal difference than our relegation rivals.

Can Liverpool still win the title or have United got it in the bag?

I take it you are referring to Manchester United and not Newcastle United, who are the only ‘United’ referred to in these parts.

If it’s Newcastle then I would think Liverpool have a very decent chance but if it’s that other United then I’m afraid it’s a trophy-free season at Anfield.