Vive la Revolu-TOON! Newcastle fans celebrate the new boys with French flags, berets and even a few onions



It's not the most likely of places for a modern-day French Revolution - but the locals seem to be willing to give it a chance.

Newcastle United fans who have made the journey to Aston Villa for tonight's crucial Barclays Premier League match have certainly embraced the influx of FIVE French or French-speaking players in the January transfer window.

They've turned up at Villa Park armed with their Gallic Tricolores, berets, moustaches and onions to herald the new arrivals.



French fancy: These travelling Newcastle United fans heralded the arrival of their five new French signings in the away end at Villa Park tonight

Enough to make you weep: This fan wore a string of onions while waving a French Tricolore

Gallic flair: These lads certainly looked the part in their berets and cravates It started on January 4, when Mathieu Debuchy arrived in a £5m move from Lille, but Alan Pardew's French resistance against the threat of relegation has continued. In the space of four days from January 22, four more cross-channel imports joined The Toon. They were Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa from Montpellier, Yoan Gouffran from Bordeaux, Massadio Haidara from Nancy and Moussa Sissoko from Toulouse. Pardew will hope they will prove the difference between Premier League survival and a drop into the Championship.

Flag day: This fan holds up a French flag before kick-off at Villa Park ‘When you’re looking for players and you’re trying to find the secret ingredient for your team, it’s not always easy for them to come and fit as well as they did in the first half,’ he said.

‘I was a little bit surprised if I’m honest. Sissoko really grabbed the game by the horns and that’s what we needed because with Demba Ba’s departure from a team that hasn’t been winning, we really needed him for this game.

‘We worked really hard this week on integrating the players. They’re not here to save us, they’re here to help us.’

'Allez': These supporters had a message for the boys as they chased three crucial points

New colours: Many French flags were in evidence in the Newcastle end

He continued: ‘In the second half we got nervous and the French lads ran out of legs and steam but we hung on and showed the other side.



‘We know what we’ve been missing. Sissoko was magnificent in the first half and I have to pay tribute to the captain and the other established players for giving the new boys the welcome they got.



‘They (Gouffran and Sissoko) are both in wheelchairs at the minute – they’ve got cramp!



‘We lost such an important game against Reading, we couldn’t really afford to lose tonight; we couldn’t afford to draw, once we’d gone 2-0 up.’





