5. The Crowd
They say there are few sights in world football like the Kop in full animation, and there is no doubt that Anfield is a massive venue in terms of heritage and atmosphere, but there are even fewer experiences in the game like a full, braying St. James' Park. The weekend's victory over Chelsea was a case in point - fed so far on scraps of the entertainment that characterised last season and brought some pride back to Tyneside, the Newcastle fans to date this term have been a bad tempered and volatile lot. They will boo their own team or manager, which is of course counter-productive, but logic doesn't come into it - they feel football, and express their emotions accordingly. So when the third goal went in against Chelsea, and Moussa Sissoko took off in jubilation, the roof lifted off as the fans began to hope for something better, and they stayed after the final whistle to show their appreciation. You won't find the kind of outright love Newcastle fans have for their players many places, especially considering the cynical way footballers are viewed these days, and Hatem Ben Arfa knows full well how adored he is at the club. He is a talisman, the kind of creative spark that turns good teams great, and though he is often a luxury, he's the kind of eye-catching talent that sells shirts, seats and hearts in Newcastle, and his profile among fans reflects that. Does he really want to trade that, and have to face a return to St. James? It's a notoriously volatile place to come back to - just ask Demba Ba, or Andy Carroll, or David Ginola - as much as they love their players is how much they tend to hate their former ones who move on to "bigger things."