Last Season: Finished 12th in the Premier League - 43pts
Manager - Kevin Keegan

INS:                     
MF Danny Guthrie - Undisclosed     
MF Jonas Gutierrez - Undisclosed     

OUTS:
DF Lamine Diatta
CB David Rozenhal
MF Emre Belozoglu
DF Peter Ramage
LW James Troisi
RB Stephen Carr

Possibles:
MF Gokhan Inler - Udinese
MF Andrei Arshavin - Zenit St.Petersburg
FW Bafetimbi Gomis - St.Etienne
FW Aiden McGeady - Celtic
MF Shaun Wright-Phillips - Chelsea
DF Carlos Cuellar - Rangers
MF Aaron Lennon - Tottenham
FW Eidur Gudjohnsen - Barcelona
FW Diego Forlan - Atletico Madrid

What`s Left in the Kitty - Unknown with current deals - started summer with 60m US

What Lies Ahead:
Aug 16 Manchester United (A)
Aug 23 Bolton (H)
Aug 30 Arsenal (A)
Sep 13 Hull City (H)
Sep 20 West Ham (A)
Sep 27 Blackburn (H)
Oct 4 Everton (A)

Possible Starting XI:
GK Shay Given
RB Habib Beye
CB Steven Taylor
CB Claudio Cacapa
LB Charles N'Zogbia
RMF Geremi/Jonas Gutierrez
CMF Nicky Butt/Danny Guthrie
CMF Alan Smith (Joey Barton??)
LMF Damien Duff
FW Michael Owen
FW Obafemi Martins

How They`ll Stack Up:
Manager Kevin Keegan gets his first full season with the side and he`ll start with a fresh slate and a team that is starting to take the shape he wants. Like Middlesbrough, Keegan dropped some of the dead weight - and owner Mike Ashley is keen to still keep cutting (and selling??). That`s why this season could be crucial for ST Michael Owen. He`s the highest earner on Tyneside and if he goes through another injury spell, that could be it come the end of his current contract. However, unless Keegan gets his hands on a top class ST, the club may have no choice but to keep Owen. He proved last term that he is still one of the purest goal-getters out there when healthy and he was a key part of Newcastle`s resurgence late in the campaign. Magpies have been linked to almost every available goal-scorer (I could only fit a fraction here) - let`s hope they can bring at least one of them aboard. They`ve got a tough start with away games to Man Utd and Arsenal by the end of August - but they should make hay after that. Whether or not Mike Ashley is looking to sell remains a hot rumor around the Premier League - lets hope it doesn`t affect the players once the season begins. I think they`ll find a decent body or two and that should help them climb into the top half this season.  Anything less could see the end of King Kev.

Coming Up Tuesday - Tottenham Hotspur