We all know the mid to long term future and what can happen is really exciting for Newcastle United supporters.

I think the feeling is slightly tempered at the moment with the team in the relegation zone, having not yet experienced a win this season, and definitely not playing with maximum confidence.

It has people worried about the short-term situation because obviously there's another ten games to go before the transfer window opens in January and the squad can get reinforced, so the team just needs to start picking up points from now until then.

In saying that, everyone in Newcastle is excited. It's been a horrific 14 years for supporters of the club. They've been the only thing that has made this club stay big. Everything else about the club was not. There was no ambition or foresight. The infrastructure has never kept up to date with the big clubs in England, so it's fantastic that we've got an ownership that has a relationship with the crowd, which has taken away the toxic atmosphere, and it helps that they have massive ambitions in line with the fans.

EDDIE CAN DO THE JOB

I'm not one of these supporters asking for a big name manager.

I think it's been proven in the past that it's about the quality of the manager and they don't always have to be the big name, they can come from afar.

Unai Emery has got a fantastic CV, especially from Sevilla, PSG and Villarreal. It was a tough period to follow Arsene Wenger at Arsenal and I think in hindsight people realised how hard it was to follow him after the job he had done.

It's a blow that he has rejected Newcastle's offer, but the club have a shortlist. It's just like you're identifying players. Sometimes you don't get your top target for a certain position so you have to go down that list and find that next available player that you think is ready to improve you.

Eddie Howe has got a great reputation of developing players. He took Bournemouth from the lower leagues and got them in the Premier League and they competed really well. Obviously towards the end they were relegated but you have to look at the overall picture.

He will know four or five of the players including Callum Wilson, Matt Ritchie and Ryan Fraser. So it would be a great appointment if he can come in and reproduce the type of football that his Bournemouth team played and also the development of players which was a big thing for him.

Obviously the pressures are different for him now that he is coming to a football club that has quadruple the amount of fans his previous club had, the demands are completely different.

I wouldn't be against Eddie Howe taking the job, but he will have a tough task on hands. Whoever takes over, whether it's a big name, first time as manager, the next few months are crucial for Newcastle. They've got to turn these next 1-0 games before the window opens, to get the players already at the club playing with confidence, change the mindset and start getting positive results.

So if it is Eddie, hopefully he can do that with the players and then if we can get the team out of the relegation zone, get some wins because come January it will be far easier to recruit reinforcements.

TRANSFER WARNING

I think when you're always wanting to build a team you look through the spine. Goalkeeper, central defenders, central midfielders and strikers.

It goes without saying that Newcastle need another striker because they are relying so heavily on Callum Wilson. He has been an outstanding signing for the club so far.

His goal record is fantastic, but he does unfortunately pick up injuries and so we need to take away the pressure of putting all the goals on him. There's been people mentioned in central defensive areas also, including Burnley defender James Tarkowski, as well as midfield players.So I think you're looking at the spine of the team.

January is an extremely difficult window to get these deals done, not many clubs want to get rid of their best players in any position. What Newcastle can't do is set a precedent that they are going to pay over the odds for transfer fees and salaries because that will affect them going forward.

In football it is a small world so people will get to know that Newcastle are paying over the odds and that could impact future business, so there are a lot of things to weigh up with these moves. There are no secrets in football.

But I don't think they will pay over the odds. I think there will be a structure and it will be a process where they want value for money, they want players to come in, who will get rewarded and rightly so - if they are successful. But we don't want players just coming because they think it is going to be a pay day. We need players who are going to deliver on the pitch, players who might come in for the short term to get the club out of the position they are in, then it's up to them to deliver performances that allows them to be involved in the potential success of the club.

NO PROBLEM WITH THE NORTH EAST

There is no reason to think that players will not want to move to Newcastle United from other parts of England or Europe.

It is true that the club will have to pay that little bit of a premium for them to come to the north east. That was the case in the mid 90s in the group of players we had. You do have to pay extra because you're challenging the London, Liverpool and Manchester clubs, the European powerhouses, to try and convince them to come to north-east England, there will be a little premium on that.

But all I will say is that many of the players who have had doubts quickly change their mind once they have witnessed the atmosphere at St. James' Park and viewed the club's situation. They've wanted to come and play for the football club because they have seen the passion of the fans and they've seen the potential of the club and where they can get too.