Newcastle United. It's a Rollercoaster Ride.

So we appear to be on the verge of signing Damien Duff. I'm not sure he would've been my first signing this season - we so need another striker - but hopefully he'll provide some balls into the box that would allow whoever we are playing up front to get goals.

We are, as I write this, 2-0 up against Lillestrom in the InterToto Cup, Shola Ameobi having scored twice in the first half. I was watching the game in my local - The Inn on The Green in Palmers Green - but as the GAA was about to start, the game was turned off before the second half had begun. I'm now listening to it online on BBC Radio Newcastle's feed instead. It's not the same, but at least it's "live".

So here's my hopes for the season. I think we should be safe from relegation this season, and we may, with a bit of good fortune, get into the European places by the end of the coming season. With regard to our potential UEFA Cup campaign this season, well, I can't see that coming to much to be honest. We don't have a strong enough squad to be able to perform adequately in the league and do anything much in Europe.

That said, if we don't do something spectacularly bad today, we might be able to persuade other players to sign for us - thus strengthening our squad - which may lead to us being able to reach the knockout stage of the UEFA Cup. Which would be quite a reasonable result, given that at this point last season we were being managed by the idiot Graeme Souness.

C'mon the Toon!