After the inevitable events of Monday morning, we have a new coaching team, led by Budge Pountney (viva el Presidente!), and the new look Saints set up head north after a home defeat to play the cup holders. The 2001/02 team went into the match in eleventh place, with 12 points from 9 games. Their 2004/05 counterparts are tenth, with 14 from 10. Somehow that Smith squad qualified for Europe after a run of results which, had it been sustained throughout the season, would have won the championship. It will take a run like that to qualify for Europe through the league this season (53 points got the last Wildcard spot last season, so 12 games to get at least 39 points), but there’s nothing to say that the cups will be a disaster.

In reality, the battle for a Heineken Cup spot doesn't matter anymore; the key here is to ensure safety, and only once that is done to try and get as high as possible. Five home and seven away games remain, included in which are trips to five of the top six sides at present in the ZP. If sixth spot (my pre-season prediction) is attained, then it won't be the disaster that everyone thought, but a triumph on what's gone so far.

There are easier games than Falcons away to start with, but when you’ve just lost eight on the trot, nothing’s easy. Saints have won just twice in the ZP at KP, that 2001 win following the win in the last game of the season in 1999/2000, the 32-23 scoreline guaranteeing a Heineken Cup spot for the following season. One week later, that didn’t matter; Saints were champions of Europe.

You may have noticed something here. Whenever Saints win in Newcastle, we end up at Twickenham later that season. Incentive.

It really is a case of stepping into the unknown. We’d all rather Budge still be on the pitch inspiring things, but it’s not to be; the fact that we have true Saintsmen heading the group gives us supporters people to get behind, people we respect, people we have trusted with our club, which is a great improvement on the divided group that we were (let alone the players) in recent weeks.

His first starting XV features (mainly through injury) no Solly signings (Wylie Human was a Smudger signing), but is limited by only having 26 fit men to choose from. Robbie Morris starts his first game of the season; Ed O’Donoghue makes his first start full stop; and Budge must be hoping that Ben Cohen does not get called into action too early on Saturday. The team:-

15 Bruce Reihana
14 Wylie Human
13 Marc Stcherbina
12 Andy Vilk
11 John Clarke
10 Paul Grayson (captain)
9 Mark Robinson
1 Chris Budgen
2 Dan Richmond
3 Robbie Morris
4 Matt Lord
5 Ed O’Donoghue
6 Mark Soden
7 Andrew Blowers
8 Grant Seely

16 Johan van Wyk
17 Brett Sturgess
18 Damien Browne
19 Brett McNamee
20 Johnny Howard
21 Shane Drahm
22 Ben Cohen

If you thought Saints owned the rights to the great rugby rollercoaster, then think again. Falcons over the past fifteen months have flattered to deceive, reaching great highs whilst plummeting the depths. Their 2003/04 season will be remembered by those outside looking in for the Powergen Cup win, where after having disposed of Rotherham, London Irish and Pertemps Bees whilst conceding only one try along the way, they took part in the best knockout cup final ever, overcoming Sale 37-33 in a game where the lead changed hands seven times and it really was a case of "last to score wins". Phil Dowson's 76th minute try in the final was voted as the club's try of the season, and had the added importance of taking the club into only their second ever Heineken Cup campaign.

Both ventures into Europe have been on the back of cup wins; the 1998/99 Heineken Cup, the season after the star-studded Falcons side won the championship just a year after getting promoted to the elite, was the year that the English clubs boycotted the competition, and so they didn't have the chance to enter (and probably win, given their side) Europe's premier event. Another interesting factoid; either Falcons or Saints have been in each of the last six domestic cup finals - Falcons, have won it twice, and Saints...

Back to last season. The cup run covered up an awful lot of problems. Between 28th December and 8th May, the only games that Falcons won were in the cup - no league wins, and only two draws (at Leeds and at home to Leicester) to show for the effort. The win at Rotherham on the final day, although not meaning much, did at least mean that the season would end on a high. Not that Falcons were getting hammered each week either; they picked up the most number of losing bonus points in the league last season (9), and if those single points were turned into four point victories, then they, and not Saints, would have finished third.

This season started well. Pre-season brought a trip to Ireland, where whilst the media fuss was on some fly-half making a comeback, the rest of the team got on with the job of testing themselves out. A 32-9 victory over Connacht in Galway was followed by a 13-10 loss to Munster at Thomond Park, with the winning try being scored in the 83rd minute with Falcons having most of their academy tourists on the field at that point. A 46-17 win in the only home friendly over the Bees meant that confidence (if not expectation amongst the supporters) was high for the trip to Worcester on the first weekend; the banana skin was overcome, and three tries in a 30-9 televised win meant an all important first weekend win.

You could say that the win at Sixways was expected. What followed at The Rec six days later was most definitely not. A bonus point victory, with Tom May scoring two tries and Dowson getting sent off, was not on the script, as Falcons won at Bath for the first time since the opening game of the championship season seven years before. It was also the first time since 1997/98 that Falcons had won three away games on the bounce. A home win the following Sunday, 22-21 over Harlequins, and they were at the top of the Premiership after three matches. From then on though, the wheels came unscrewed.

One of the key players in the side, Kiwi centre Mark Mayerhofler, broke his leg in that Quins game, and after a reshuffle his inside centre replacement, Joe Shaw, badly injured his ankle in the 31-17 reverse at Gloucester a week later. Leicester (and Sky) came to town on the first weekend in October, and it is fair to say that the injury hit Falcons (a further four players dropping out on the morning of the match) were hammered by 44 points to 15. You may, at this point, have noticed a trend. Falcons, for the first half of this season, are playing the team Saints have played the week before, and it reverses in the second half of the season. Wasps, therefore, were next up, and in a nine try affair, Falcons picked up a try bonus in the 43-29 loss.

The game against Saracens on 17th October was, therefore, crucial for morale before the European break. An early Castaignede try was cancelled out quickly by an effort from Mathew Tait that won Sky's try of the month, and in the second half, Michael Stephenson's try created by Tait was followed just as quickly by Matt Cairns going over for the Fez Boys. As the game went into injury time, Mark Bartholomeusz dropped a goal that looked to have given Sarries their second successive win at Kingston Park, but Jonny Wilkinson's effort with the last kick of the match sealed a 20-all draw. On that showing, it would be difficult to see any joy from the European matches, especially as the first one meant a trip to Rodney Parade and the unbeaten Newport Gwent Dragons.

What followed though was what many supporters considered the most intelligent display by a Falcons team in many seasons. With Dave Walder pulling the strings at fly half, and kicking better than he probably ever has, a first half chargedown try by flanker Mike McCarthy meant a 10-6 interval lead that was held for the whole second half; a half which was not made any easier when Luke Gross was sent off for fighting (and attempting to knee an opponent) with 12 minutes of normal time to go. Nine minutes of injury time were added, most of which were spent on the Falcons line, before a final whistle and a first ever away win in Europe for the sodden, small, but happy band to enjoy. With Perpignan having beaten Edinburgh the previous evening, whoever won the clash of the match winners would find themselves in prime position in the pool.

Just as they had done eight days earlier, Falcons confounded the experts and pulled a 19-14 victory out of the bag, helped by another try from Tait and an amazing last gasp tackle by Matt Burke to deny the Catalans' captain Bernard Goutta a try that would have levelled the scores six minutes into injury time. With two games against Edinburgh to come in early December, Falcons now look a good bet for the quarter-finals, and a lot will depend on a monster match in the Stade Aime Giral on the first weekend of 2005.

The form couldn't continue though; a 39-25 loss at Sale after leading at half time was a disappointment, and it looked like that would carry through to the next match at home to Leeds, with the Tykes leading 16-12 with just six minutes to go. Enter Matt Burke, and the classy Aussie stepped up to score two tries in the closing stages to seal a 29-16 triumph and score a first hat-trick in English rugby. Last Sunday, an agonising last minute try conceded to London Irish meant a 21-15 defeat at the Madekski, having led for virtually the whole game. They’ll be looking to put that right on Sunday.

Newcastle will look to run the ball rather than grind it up the field in the forwards - Wayne Smith's excellent point last season is that the forwards are so big, they will eventually tire, and with Saints scoring three tries in the final quarter at FG, he certainly had a point. The game at Kingston Park was yet another that you can file in the annoying category, Saints being in control until they were undone by two tries in two minutes; the first when hooker Matt Thompson chipped through, Bruce Reihana either grounded the ball or slid over the top of it (depending on whether you were wearing the red Bertie Bassett top at the time or not) and Stephenson scored; the second, just four phases later, when Dave Walder intercepted Nick Beal's pass to the 4-on-2 overlap and ran the ball back ninety metres to score between the posts. 23-19 that time out, and a lot of frustration.

This season, Falcons have been shipping the ball out to Tait, Stephenson and May, and letting them run. We must remember though, that although Falcons play in all black, they are not the All Blacks. This is a side which can be more inconsistent than Saints playing inconsistently. This is a beatable side.

So what of the Falcons side that has got them to where they are now? Since the cup final, they've lost Mark Andrews, Garath Archer, and Andrew Mower to injury induced retirement, Warren Britz to Natal for personal reasons, and Hugh Vyvyan to Saracens. And that's just from the pack. Fortunately the back division, on their day the most exciting in the Premiership, have stayed in tact, with only short term signing Daryl Lilley leaving the north east in the summer. The signings have been interesting to say the least. Two international captains in Semo Sititi of Samoa, and Colin Charvis (as he was at the time of signing) of Wales, the most capped American in lock Luke Gross, and England international Andy Long from Rotherham, flankers Mike McCarthy from Connacht and Cory Harris from the now-defunct Celtic Warriors, and Australia's second highest points scorer of all time, Matt Burke, have all joined the party at KP.

It hasn't all been instant success; McCarthy was a hit straightaway, being industrious at blindside and showing that useful knack of scoring tries when needed; Burke, coming off a Super 12 and Tri-Nations summer, took a while to settle in but could eventually prove to become the best overseas signing that Falcons have ever made; Charvis has been producing mighty performances from wherever in the back row he's been deployed, none more so that against the Dragons at Rodney Parade; and Gross has been using his 6 feet 10 inch frame to good effect in the lineout. On the downside, Sititi has yet to show anywhere near the form of last year's World Cup, whilst Long has been battling against injury. Harris only joined the club earlier this month, so judgment on him is deferred until more has been seen of him; early reports suggest that being the only senior specialist openside at the club, he will be a very useful addition.

Rob Andrew has gone with the joint captains idea this season, which has been criticised in some quarters but is proving useful at the moment whilst one of those captains (the fly-half) is out injured. Prop Ian Peel is the other captain, and will lead the side on Sunday, having been at the club for the past seven seasons since joining from ? in 1997. Solid yet unspectacular seems to be the mantra for front row players at KP; Peelie will probably be one of those players always handy to have but never getting near international honours, therefore being (injury allowing), always available. On the other side of the scrum, Micky Ward was called into the England training squad at the beginning of the week, having gone on the ‘A’ tour in the summer, and like South African Marius Hurter, will stand there and scrum all day. As Matt Thompson is still injured, twice capped English international Andy Long will hook, with prop-cum-hooker James Isaacson covering on the bench. The policy employed by Rob Andrew last season of rotating the props by taking one off after 30 minutes then reintroducing him with 20 to go has lessened this season, but he has been replacing one of the props at the interval to ensure some freshness just after half time which, as we all know, has been a problem period for Saints and conceding points this season.

With Stuart Grimes unavailable due to Scotland duties, the all-international second row would have featured Scot Craig Hamilton and the aforementioned Gross, but Hamilton has been called up as cover for Scotland, so 20 year old Andy Buist takes his place for his second ZP start of the season. Add to this the abilities of number eight Phil Dowson, and the lineout will once again be an area that Saints have to get it right to provide the attacking platform required. The back row also features Mike McCarthy, left out of the last two starting lineups for reasons known only to Andrew as he’s been the best Falcons forward all season, and Cory Harris, beginning to find his feet in the Premiership.

Outside the scrum is pace, and lots of it. Hall Charlton, at scrum-half, was on the bench for England’s game against Canada, and his growing reputation will mean that he is very much in the shout for finally getting capped in the near future. In the absence of he who shall remain nameless, his seemingly perennial replacement Dave Walder is in the 10 shirt, and seems to be more relaxed this season now that the majority of the kicking duties have been lifted from his shoulders. It’s been at centre where Falcons have had most injury problems this season, with Mark Mayerhofler and Joe Shaw having suffered serious injuries in consecutive weekends, Jamie Noon missing his first game in four seasons (only one, mind), and the gaps having been filled by a variety of players. Noon is, as ever, there; still the form English-qualified outside centre, still criminally being ignored by England. Andy Robinson’s loss is Newcastle’s gain. The immaculate Mayerhofler played his first twenty minutes since that Quins game last weekend, replacing Epi Taione who, as is his wont, has been frustratingly in and out of form whilst being the battering ram at inside centre.

On the wings, Michael Stephenson missed out on starting last weekend’s game due to a dead leg, but is joint top try scorer in the ZP after a run which saw his score in five consecutive games, creating a club record in the process. Tom May started well, but only seems to score tries in pairs - two at Bath, and two at Sale. That said, he’s still a huge danger, even if he does seem some weeks to have forgotten how to pass the ball when he goes into contact every time! Mathew Tait is also there to fill in on either wing at in the centre, and has had a bit of a flyer after scoring with his first touch in the ZP against Irish last season, when he skinned Justin Bishop and took the ball in from 40 yards out. It’s hard to believe that he’s still only 18 - he is THAT good, and in my opinion is a certainty for the touring squad in the summer. Three tries in successive home games (Leicester, Saracens and Perpignan) have shown the potential to come.

As long as Tait is playing in the same team as the current full back, he’s going to be brought on in leaps and bounds. Anyone who knows me knows what I think about Matthew Burke, but for those who don’t, Matt Burke is God. Burkey, having been abandoned by his beloved Waratahs at the end of the Super 12 season, decided to end his international career after 81 caps and 878 points that put him a close second to Michael Lynagh in the all time Aussie records, and came north. It took him a few weeks to settle, but watching him now, talking constantly to the back line in front of him, organising the defence and encouraging the youngsters around him to trust themselves, is like watching a master at work. Typically, the only Falcons home match in the last four that I’ve missed was the one where he got a broken nose, scored a hat-trick of tries, and scooped up the man of the match award. Fingers crossed he won’t repeat that on Sunday.

It’s complicated! Jamie Noon is covering illness in the England squad, so if he doesn’t play on Saturday, he’ll start on Sunday and Joe Shaw will be on the bench as cover for the backs. If England commitments prevail, then Mathew Tait will come into the team and Shaw will be on the bench.

In the pack replacements, either Craig Hamilton or Colin Charvis will be on the bench, dependent on Scottish and Welsh commitments.

15 Matthew Burke

14 Tom May

13 Jamie Noon

12 Epi Taione

11 Michael Stephenson

10 Dave Walder

9 James Grindal

1 Ian Peel (captain)

2 Andy Long

3 Micky Ward

4 Luke Gross

5 Andy Buist

6 Mike McCarthy

7 Cory Harris

8 Phil Dowson

Replacements:-

James Isaacson

Marius Hurter

Semo Sititi

Craig Hamilton/Colin Charvis

Hall Charlton

Mark Mayerhofler

Joe Shaw/Mathew Tait

If you’re going to Kingston Park on Sunday and not going with the SSC, without wishing usurp Ms Blaby’s job, here’s your travel advice. Getting to KP by Metro is, as it’s Sunday, cheaper. Get a SunDay Saver ticket, priced at £3.20 (that’s the Day Saver button on the ticket machines). One ticket covers a group of up to four people travelling together including one or two adults (don’t try three or four adults, you will get found out…). Change at Kingston Park, come out of the Metro station onto the main road (i.e. away from Tesco) and head diagonally across the grassed area towards Kingston Park housing estate. Go down the alley, head left and down the road, then turn left again and follow the road round the corner, passing the postbox, to come out on Brunton Road.

If the ground is not now on your left, you’re lost…

Pre-ordered tickets can be collected from the ticket office windows at the end of the clubhouse (thanks Mally!). Tickets for purchase on the day can be bought from the ticket office at the back of the East Stand, situated next to the club shop which the badge collectors among you will be pleased to note that the range of items available has increased greatly this season.

Advance ticket prices this season are:-

North Stand Terrace - £15 adult, £12 concession, £8 junior
South Stand Terrace - £18, £15 and £10
West Stand Category A - £40 (no concessions or juniors)
West Stand Category B1 - £30 (no concessions or juniors)
West Stand Category B2 - £30, £24 and £18
West Stand Category C - £25, £21 and £14
Car parking - £8

Note that the match ticket prices rise by £2 if bought on the day. If you know you’re going, ring up beforehand on 0871 226 6060 and save yourself nearly the cost of a pint.

Make sure you go into the ground via the correct turnstiles, as movement around the ground is now restricted - if you’re on the North (uncovered) Terrace and your mates are on the South (covered) Terrace, you won’t be allowed to meet up (under health and safety regulations) until after the match. The South and West Stands have bars underneath, and this season offer two-pint glasses for those who want to actually stay and watch the match rather than keep going to the bar. Those on the North Terrace are allowed to use the West Stand bar. In all areas of the ground, keep your ticket with you, as you will be asked to produce it whenever you go to your chosen position.

After the game, there’s usually a disco in the South Stand bar, whilst the Clubhouse (above the East Stand) and West Stand bars are open with TVs usually showing the football. The West bar also has burgers, hot dogs and chips available after the game if you want to get fed before the trip home.

We've been promised pride and passion in the shirt. We've been promised that the best man each week will wear the shirt. The only thing we haven't been promise, naturally, is results. Silly though it may sound, Budge and Grays can only get benefit from the next four weeks; we tend not to win at Newcastle, whoever we play in the Powergen Cup should be beaten at home, and Toulouse are an entirely different kettle of fish to anything you're likely to see in the ZP. Three wins from those four matches, and Keith Barwell will have found his men. Three defeats, and that's what everyone will have been expecting anyway and, like it or not, much of the blame will be placed on the head of the departing Solomons.

I have my ideas on the result, but as it’s the club whose unoffy I help edit versus the club whose unoffy I help edit, I’m keeping them to myself. The only sure thing on Sunday is that I will end up drinking Baileys again to sober up.

The revolution has started. Are you in or out?