Former Newcastle United star Nobby Solano can't believe his old club is facing relegation.

The Peru veteran told the People: "I cannot believe what is happening to Newcastle. Part of my heart will always be with Newcastle and that heart is breaking at the moment.

"My kids consider themselves Geordies and they are asking me what is happening."

Defeat by Arsenal means Newcastle have won just one of the last 19 League and Cup encounters between the two clubs - when Solano scored the only goal eight minutes from time on a cold Tyneside December night in 2005.

However, Solano insisted: "Everyone has got to stop being negative and get behind the team. I see the fans are talking about which games we can win against Middlesbrough, Portsmouth and Fulham at home.

"But what about Chelsea next Saturday? We always used to give them a good game and I remember the last match of that 2005-06 season when we beat them with a Titus Bramble goal which meant that we qualified for Europe in the InterToto Cup."