Newcastle United's players have branded the appointment of new manager Joe Kinnear as "bizarre".

One revealed to the People: "We were all looking forward to getting back into a good work-out on Friday morning to blow away the cobwebs after the Spurs defeat, but when we got to the training ground we were all herded on to a bus.

"We weren't told where we were going but we ended up having a walk along the beach and seafront at Tynemouth. Then we went into a local cafe and had some bacon sandwiches.

"The look on the faces of the people there told its own story. We then boarded the bus and told to go home.

"That was our preparations for the match with Blackburn. It was all a bit bizarre to tell the truth."