Which midfield duo has been the most important in Newcastle United's modern history?

Yes, football did exist before the dawn of the Premier League in 1992, but for the purpose of this piece we're focusing on the modern era at Newcastle United. Sincere apologies to Veitch and McWilliam, Robledo and Foulkes, Gascoigne and McCreery plus other Newcastle midfield pairs of note.

Football has of course evolved incredibly, but the centre of the pitch remains essential to a strong team and it's no coincidence that good eras at St. James' Park have coincided with a good midfield partnership at the heart of them. Is the Brazilian bromance that is currently bubbling between Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes a sign of a new golden era at St. James' Park?

Fans certainly hope so. As part of our weekly debate piece, we asked ChronicleLive's football desk to put forward a case for five of the key midfield partnerships in the Premier League era, read their cases below:

Rob Lee and David Batty - Lee Ryder, Chief Newcastle United writer

The duo were regulars in the England squad during the 1990s with Kevin Keegan coining them his "Dogs of War" at one stage. Lee arrived from Charlton Athletic for £700,000 and proved to be a real hit and lived up to what was deemed a big price tag at the time for a second flight club.

Batty was a premium signing at £3.5million and came in to bolster the midfield and protect a defence that was leaking goals in the 1995/96 season. You probably won't meet two different characters with Lee always happy to have his say in the media and enjoy the life of a personality mixing with supporters.

Batty now lives a quiet life and doesn't enjoy talking about his career in public. Perhaps the pair's contributions in midfield mirror that too. Batty was happy to absorb the pressure as anchor man while