Since Mike Ashley's arrival on Tyneside, there has been a very obvious shift in policy at the club, from big name, big money signings like Michael Owen to more well-thought out, better scouted transfers like Cheick Tiote, Yohan Cabaye, Demba Ba and Davide Santon - players who are essentially investments for the club.

It's clear that, despite a few controversial moves along the way, Ashley's approach is paying dividends, with United's younger squad performing well on the pitch so far.

This 'younger, cheaper, better' mantra has not only served Newcastle well on the pitch, but also at a financial level. Relegation to the Championship struck a blow to the club's bank books, and Ashley has since attempted redress the balance by bumping high-paid, elder stars like Kevin Nolan and Joey Barton off the wage bill.

Ironically this, only serves to further re-enforce the value of Fabricio Coloccini to United as a player, with news that the Argentine international could sign a five year deal in the coming weeks, keeping him at the club until he is 35.

However, criticisms levied at the club in some quarters stem from the fact that while this approach is working in the short term on the pitch, Ashley is merely turning Newcastle United into a business vehicle – a club that is simply there to turn a profit through the sale of players.

Now tell me the BBC isn’t biased! I want you guys and gals to help us conduct a little unscientific survey over the next few days.

I want to find out if the London-centric football press and the smug, self-satisfied, BBC  pundits and commentators are actually portraying facts or just their cosy version of the facts.

To take part, all you have to do is Tweet or comment every time you read in a national newspaper or hear on the BBC that Newcastle are potential top four material this season.

In other words, will ANY Fleet Street hack mention NUFC in the same breath as Champions League.

If THAT possibility is unlikely (I fear it is) then it is even less likely on the BCC, either Five Live or MoTD and Football Focus.

Now I want to be very clear. I don’t think we’ll qualify for the Champions League. I think we’ll struggle to qualify for Europe at all, though each passing victory says we might have a shout!

What irks is the perpetual (I’ve seen it for 53 years) media bias.

Just take THIS week.  First, the facts.

Liverpool WON, yet they stay below Newcastle. Arsenal lose and fall to SEVENTH place.

YET, match reports by the Press Association, the BBC and The Daily Telegraph ALL mention the Champions League chances for Arsenal and Liverpool. But NOT for Newcastle.

Don’t HATE ‘em. Love ‘em. HATE has no place in football. At St James’ Park, I scream at the referee: I invoke doubt about his parentage, question his eyesight and join in  communal condemnation with the choral words: “You’re not fit to be a referee.”

But HATE mail. Vicious tweeting. Come on.

I hear Danny Simpson’s been getting a barrage of nasty stuff through Twitter.  ANYONE guilty of that SHOULD STOP!!

Lets be clear: I’m not Danny’s biggest fan.

I dislike his attitude to money and the way he told a court he couldn’t afford to lose his driving license. He seems to me to have forgotten (or never known) what poverty, or minimum wage feel like.

So I think Danny Simpson is, morally - maybe intellectually - a bit of a prat. As a footballer, I think he does better than that. In fact, he’s been consistently “ok” all season. No better than that, but all right.

Get the picture: I’m NOT one of Danny’s biggest fans. But HATE tweets? NO WAY.

Newcastle reach FA Cup Final. PLEASE, God ... NO!  Don’t let THAT happen, no matter what. Because the headlines that follow our defeat at Wembley (and lose, we would), would be cataclysmic.

First. There’d be the question.

“Did FA Cup run cost Newcastle a European place?”

Because a cup run will do that. We may NOT manage a European place anyway, but the cup will make damned certain we fail.

Then would come the first cracks.

“Coloccini refuses to sign new contract. Skipper will leave Magpies as free agent.”

But, stoically, the club will soldier on.  Pardew would say: “These things happen,” as he signs Fred Smithers from Southern Scunthorpe Wheeltappers Social Club AFC. “He’s a rough diamond but he’s the next John Terry.” (I know, but Pardew thinks like that!)

As next season starts, the 10 games unbeaten would become ten games without a win as the Cup run hangover sets in.  By October, Ashbert and Llambley would have had enough.