THE Newcastle United fan who refused to get too carried away with the Toon’s incredible start to the season on BBC Radio5 Live’s Six-O-Six phone-in the other week must have known there was a banana skin waiting round the corner.

Delighted to be unbeaten and in the Premier League’s top four, the wary Magpie added the rider: “Don’t forget, this is Newcastle United we are talking about. It probably won’t last.”

And sure enough the feelgood factor on Tyneside has been destroyed by the club’s announcement last week that they are planning to sell the naming rights to St James’ Park – the holiest of holies as far as the Black and Whites are concerned – and that, in the meantime, it will be known as the Sports Direct Arena, after the company of the club’s owner Mike Ashley.

Predictably, Newcastle supporters have gone berserk – and understandably so.

They’ve never liked Ashley and this is seen by many as the last straw, despite the argument put forward by managing director Derek Llambias that the naming rights could generate between £8million and £10m a year, which – in his words – would make the club selfsufficient.

I would have thought average home gates upwards of 50,000 would be enough to save any club from having to sell its soul in such a manner.

Considering Newcastle’s penchant for shooting themselves in the foot, and Ashley’s ability to antagonise the very people who are the lifeblood of that North East institution, I wonder just how long he will be able to bank on their loyalty and their cash.

Interestingly, Manchester United and Liverpool let it be known at the weekend that they would not even contemplate renaming Old Trafford and Anfield – statements that can only have fanned the flames of discontent on Tyneside.

No self-respecting Geordie would consider St James’ Park any less a place of worship than Old Trafford and no less worthy of keeping its name and its heritage as Anfield.