When the former Man Utd player was signed by Sir Bobby Robson, he was seen as the ideal solution to replacing Gary Speed, who had just moved on to Bolton. His experience looked like a massive boost to a relatively young squad, and he had enjoyed a pick up in form towards the end of his Man Utd career, before handing in a transfer request. Unfortunately for Butt, his first season at Newcastle was pretty abysmal as a severe drop in form and injuries saw him replaced in January 2005 by Amdy Faye (smart move, Mr Souness). From there, Butt was deemed surplus to requirements by Souness, who moved him out on loan to Birmingham, months after fans had turned on him for his performance in the 2005 FA Cup semi-final against his former team. A year later though Birmingham were relegated and Butt returned, defying expectations that he would be sold to become a more key member of Newcastle's squad under Glenn Roeder and beyond. And while he didn't play a major part in the Championship season, as club captain his experience was vital to building morale and unity.
