There’s nothing quite like the anticipation of seeing a new signing in action, or seeing a promising academy graduate given an opportunity in the first-team.
However, sometimes this anticipation can fall flat with players simply unable to live up to the hype surrounding them.
From big money moves, to World Cup winners and academy shining lights – Newcastle have had their fair share of players that, for one reason or another, flopped when in the first-team.
Here, we have listed 12 players who promised much at Newcastle, but ended up being a ‘flop’.
Have we missed anyone out? What do you think of our picks?
Let us know on Twitter @MouthofTynePod and have a look at some of our other picks for our ‘NUFC Cult-Hero XI’ or a look at ‘where the players to depart Newcastle this summer are now’.
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9. Elias Sorensen
The Danish teenager lit-up the youth teams when he burst onto the scene at Newcastle, however, after unsuccessful loan moves to Blackpool and Carlisle, Sorensen departed Tyneside earlier this summer without featuring for the first-team. (Photo by Charlotte Tattersall/Getty Images) Photo: Charlotte Tattersall
10. Emmanuel Riviere
During the 2013/14 season, Riviere had to fill an injured Radamel Falcao’s boots at AS Monaco, and he did a fair job scoring ten times. However, at Newcastle he scored just once in the Premier League - and even then that was a rather scruffy effort against QPR. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) Photo: Shaun Botterill
11. Carl Cort
Newcastle paid £7m to bring Cort to St James’s Park. Cort was one of the brightest talents in the country at the time and started his career at Newcastle well, scoring on his home debut against Derby County. However, injuries blighted his career and he left to join Wolves in January 2004 having played less than 30 games for the Toon. (Mandatory Credit: Stu Forster /Allsport) Photo: Stu Forster
12. Adam Campbell
Campbell was on the periphery of the Newcastle team for a fair while. He was a ‘wonderkid’ on Football Manager and even featured in that game against Anzhi Makhachkala. However, Campbell failed to break into the first-team and now plays at Gateshead, having impressed last season at Darlington.(Photo by Paul Thomas/Getty Images) Photo: Paul Thomas