Newcastle stadium decision will help with transfer targets as Ashley looks even more foolish

It's the time of year where cup finals are taking place across Europe and you would have been forgiven for thinking St James' Park was hosting the Champions League final on Monday night. It felt like an occasion - and rightly so.

Newcastle may have been in 15th place going into Monday night's game against Arsenal, with mathematical safety already assured, but this was anything but meaningless end of season fare. You could sense that supporters and players alike realised this would be the last time they would be in the stadium for several months and it showed.

If anything, it was Newcastle, rather than Arsenal, who appeared to be playing for a spot at Europe's top table as Wor Flags unveiled their biggest display yet and the stadium came alive long before kick-off. Even Eddie Howe, who has managed 572 games to date, admitted the 'atmosphere was something I've not really experienced before' - and the measured Newcastle head coach is not one for exaggerating.

Nights like this remind you why the owners are desperate to exhaust every avenue to expand St James' rather than building a new stadium. They also serve as a fresh reminder of how foolish former owner Mike Ashley had been in not realising what a force a united and engaged fan base could be.

This win against Arsenal actually brought back memories of Newcastle's first game of the post-Ashley era, last October, against Spurs, which Howe watched on television. Spurs' players looked visibly shell-shocked in the opening stages that day, but the difference this time was that Newcastle not only fed off the energy of the fans but, crucially, maintained those levels over the course of 90 minutes. Also, unlike against Spurs, the Magpies had the game plan and quality to put