Footballers + Misbehaviour = ?

The opportunity to get-one-in on the Mackems could not be missed and who more reliable than Lee Cattermole to be the subject of a drunken misdemeanor.

S*nd*rl*nd midfielder Cattermole has, surprisingly, admitted a conditional caution for inflicting damage on not one, two, three or even four but five vehicles and wait for it - in Newcastle.

The Black Cats' inability to exceed or even dent Newcastle's success this term will have disappointed Mackem personnel.

However reprobate Cattermole decided to compensate for that failure by crossing the River Tyne and vandalising property with intent akin to his infamous two-footed tackles.

The 'best player in world' as once self-described, Nicklas Bendtner was also in on the act but later cleared of criminal damages after being arrested the morning after the 10pm street rage on Stockwell Street close to St. James' Park.

Witness reports of the incident which took place on 6 December 2012 stated that one man jumped on the bonnet of a Mini as well as several wing mirrors and door being defected.

It must be noted that 24 year-old Cattermole will reimburse all damage costs and so he should in the assurance of receiving a five-figure sum every week.

Clare Donaldson, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "By accepting the conditional caution at this stage, he has also accepted his guilt in relation to all five vehicles, something that may have taken significantly longer for us to prove in court."

So another Premier League footballer has built a villainous reputation via off-field antics but fortunately for Cattermole by accepting caution the Magistrates will not hear the case as initially scheduled.

This month also saw Ched Evans of Sheffield United be not so lucky after being convicted of rape and jailed to five years of imprisonment.

So it's the taste of two extremes this year for the ex-Manchester City starlet after bagging an impressive 34 goals for the promotion chasing Blades as well as being named in the nPower League One Team of the Year at The PFA Awards.

An event which took place at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London where I was in attendance to witness the mixed reaction as his name was announced.

More and more professional footballers will be made an example of and as Evans has found out, in such a case - phone calls, promises and favours don't stand up when facing the law of the land.

It's players like this who bring a bad name to football and it's union members whom I am included, who are affected as a by-product..

Footballers only have to do two things: play football and behave themselves.

The Magpies travel to the DW Stadium today in a bid to take home three points from Cattermole's former club and relegation dog-fighters Wigan Athletic.

European Eureka

The answer to my last blog has proved to be 'Second Wind' and I say that with as much pleasure as expectation.

Having done my utmost best to not raise expectations beyond those from the start of the season, Alan Pardew and his underrated squad have left myself and the rest of the Toon Army faithful with no option other than to expect a top 5 finish.

With ability sparsely present in the Newcastle United roster, I anticipated end-of-the-season injuries to be the downfall of the team's respectable league position.

However where there is ability, it is in abundance and where there isn't, there is determination and endeavor - a formula that Pardew has compounded to sustain the hope, dream and possibility of St. James' Park staging  European football next season in the Europa League or dare I say it, the Champions League.

A mention has to lend itself to Hatem Ben Arfa who has been the marquee player and difference maker in securing 3 points as opposed to just 1 or even 0 in the team's current five game win streak. It appears that the Frenchman's bit-part role has now retired whatever the reasons, be it a maturity boost from HBA's part or a man management masterstroke from the Gaffer.

There has been premature likenings to Leo Messi and these come at no surprise in the current climate which frequently sees the term 'Legend' labelled to anything positive that lasts for more than five minutes. HBA is however inundated with attributes of skill and has the 'get off your seat' factor when he receives the ball so as a supporter I'm pleased to see this development.

After digesting comments regarding the current Senegalese front pairing that spearheads the NUFC attack, I would like verify that Demba Ba is still every bit the same player he was before his fellow countryman arrived. I say this because there has been questions marks instigated over Ba's form because the goals have recently belonged to Papiss Cisse and not the club's pre-Christmas goal machine.

As a frontman myself, I can identify, analyse and appreciate the balance that Ba brings to the starting XI, his link-up play and on-the-ball contributions cannot be faltered and while his positional role has changed only slightly his peformances should not be overlooked, especially when a shortage of team goals could not be further away!

Looking ahead, this weekend will see no NUFC fixture take place giving the Magpies the opportunity to reenergise for the upcoming WWE match with Stoke City on 21 April. I will be there to witness the wrestling match between the two sides and I expect it won't be a pretty contest given the Potters' philosophy of how to play football.

That said, I'm confident that the long ball signature move of Tony Pulis' wrestlers will give the Toon Army no problems and that NUFC will move just one game away from equalling the club's current record of 7 consecutive Premier League wins which has stood since 1994.