Micky Quinn has hailed the "phenomenal" success of Newcastle United's new owners and believes that last weekend's Wembley showpiece is merely the start of something special at St James' Park.
Quinn is back in Newcastle this week and will spearhead a show at Gosforth Park Hotel on Friday night to raise funds for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation with punters set to be treated to one of the former number 9's classic talk-ins. But Quinn, who will be joined by ex-team-mates Rob Lee and Steve Watson, is especially looking forward to being back in Toon on the back of what has been an impressive season for Eddie Howe's side.
Quinn told Chronicle Live: "The final at Wembley against Man United didn't go the way we wanted but look at the progress in the last 14 months or so. "It's been phenomenal really.
"Under Mike Ashley, the fans had long faces but there was a dark cloud hanging over the city. That's gone now.
"When I was up there two days after the takeover for the first game against Spurs, you could see smiling faces again, you could see the fans believe the new owners when they were saying they wanted to win a trophy, Sunday in the Carabao Cup wasn't a win but this season shows how serious they are.
"Whereas the last regime just wanted to stay in the Premier League. There are lots of positives and you can see that the fans are enjoying going to matches again.
"Since the first win over Nottingham Forest, the season has been a big success. The improvement is there and the quality has just increased over and over again."
Speaking about his charity work for Sir Bobby, Quinn said: "Look it's always great when you are raising money for a fantastic cause like this. Newcastle United and The Bobby Robson foundation go hand in hand.
"Bobby had the vision to create the charity and for the last 18 months of his life he dedicated his life to raising money for the hospitals, for equipment and for the NHS, and we all know how many heroes work for the NHS.
"I'm proud to be part of it and hopefully we will raise a few quid on the night.
"It’ll be nice to raise some much-needed funds for such a fantastic cause."
Fans can still be there at Quinn's big bash but need to be quick to snap up the last few remaining tickets. They are priced at £45 and can be purchased from Les Hancock on 07779841293 or Terry Sweeney on 07968 126622.
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