Midfield Maestro Back for Blackburn.

Stuart Holden and Ashley Peacock. Well, have you ever seen them in the same room?

Sweet. It looks like it will be a quick one tonight, which is just as well as I can’t get over the fact that Ashley’s dead. I said I can’t get over the fact that Ashley’s dead.

One for our American cousins there. Newcastle fans are probably reading this and hoping it’s the wrong Ashley.

First of all is the news that Stuart Holden is looking good for a return in Sunday’s game. Big huzzahs all round, as Hugh Laurie used to say in British comedies set in World War 1.

This is nothing against Mark Davies. He has done exceptionally well in his absence, as his late equaliser against Blackpool attests to, but Holden keeps the game together far better. And, before you start, there is no way that Holden and Davies can play in the same midfield. Two players who are too alike, I’m afraid. Then again, it’s only the Dingles. Most of their balls will be bypassing our midfield anyway.

News out of the Blackburn camp suggests that David Dunn may be fit. I. Am. Literally. Quaking. Already.

Secondly, we have the bad news that we’ve been expecting, South Korea’s selection of Lee Chung-Yong in their squad for the Asian Cup. I suppose we’ve got off pretty lightly in the past with the African Cup of Nations and the Asian Cup. The last time the African Cup was played for, we lost Danny Shittu, which is never a bad thing. And before that we lost Jay-Jay Okocha, which didn’t do us any favours, but he did score that goal in his last game for us before he went.

Which goal? This goal.

Naturally, the main worry is that this is another tournament for a player who has already been on a two year continuous diet of spanking left backs. However, the more he plays, the less worried I get. It hasn’t seemed to have done him any harm, so, until it does, long may it continue. And, of course, in reserve we have Rodrigo Moreno.

Some wag, somewhere, has suggested that Inter have asked how much we want for Elmander. I know it’s on Sky Italia, but I was laughing too hard to find my phrasebook and look up the Italian word for ‘bollocks’, never mind find the story on the site. The translation is Il bollocko, maybe?

I’m not suggesting that the Spanish Waiter wouldn’t go for the Swede. It’s just that there is a limit to how well he has been playing, and even Moratti isn’t mad enough to slap £8million in Benitez’s chubby hand and say ‘OK’.

Or maybe he is.

See, told you it’d be quick. And it turned out the butcher was for the chop. Sensational.

Oh, wait. Don’t forget footy and non footy tweets on Twitter. Follow at @QuentinX.