The Toon are perhaps as famous for their honorary Geordies as they are for notoriously leaky defences and passionate fans. And what better way to celebrate the league of nations that have graced the hallowed St. James Park turf than with a greatest foreign XI list? Silky skills, curling free kicks, horrendous fashion sense, not understanding the Geordie accent and being forced to say something in the local dialect awkwardly for TV cameras: all are part and parcel of these players time on Tyneside. But each of them contributed to the history of this turbulent club, and each has earned a free pint or two in any black and white bar. Now, as with all such lists theres bound to be some controversy, so here are a couple of ground rules to explain the selection process. Of course talent alone is not enough to get on the team - thats not the Newcastle way. Pride, nostalgia, daft as a brush antics, magic moments and fan favouritism all play a part here, as much as whether they could kick a ball, and no apology can be made for that. Also, though the team comes from all over the world, this Newcastle XI will be sticking with the conventional 4-4-2 formation. This might be a team of Geordie Galacticos, but therell be no tiki taka nonsense here; besides, the Magpies have been burnt by sexy football before...
