by Harry De Cosemo at St James’ Park

NEWCASTLE UNITED suffered defeat in the first match under their new Saudi Arabian-backed consortium on Sunday, but the 3-2 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur was overshadowed by a fan collapsing in the first half.

Play was suspended just before half time while he was treated by paramedics and medical staff from both clubs before being stabilised and taken to hospital.

It may have been a new era, but the pressure could now tell on manager Steve Bruce, who took charge of his 1,000th game amid a barrage of jibes over his future from both sets of fans.