Season with NUFC: 1997/98 Appearances: 39, Goals: 7 Undoubtedly the cream of the 'Dad's Army' crop brought to the Club by Kenny Dalglish prior to the 1997/98 season as he sought to compensate for the loss of Alan Shearer to a long-term injury and Les Ferdinand following a £6 million move to Tottenham. Barnes arrived at St James' Park on a free transfer from Liverpool after 10 years at Anfield and immediately assumed the central striking duties in Shearer's absence and became a key figure in attack when Faustino Asprilla returned to Parma in January. Ultimately the 35-year-old turned out to be an important signing by Dalglish and if it wasn't for the six Premier League goals he scored we would have suffered the ignominy of relegation. Without the six points Barnes single-handedly posted to the board - scoring the only goal in a 1-0 victory at West Ham and bagging a brace in a 2-1 home win over Southampton - Newcastle would have dropped into Division One instead of Bolton.
