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All we’ve asked of Mike Ashley in the last two years is to give Newcastle United a chance by allowing the club to invest in players.

With Jonjo Shelvey having arrived, a £50million spend in the summer and potentially more to come, we can’t complain about a lack of investment from the club any more.

It’s been a long time coming, to be honest, and I think the club had been left behind by some of its rivals in the meantime. But let’s be positive: Newcastle have hopefully learned some lessons and the club should be praised for being proactive and trying to solve some of the problems of the first half of the season.

Andros Townsend and Saido Berahino would cost the best part of £30million – which would be a huge investment since the summer. With that kind of money being spent, Newcastle have to be safe. If they’re not, Steve McClaren won’t last long.

Forget the thing about Newcastle being a poisoned chalice or a tough job for anyone. McClaren’s got a good squad to play with now – and they’re better, man-for-man, than their opponents on Saturday, Watford.

The new arrivals have made a difference. I thought Shelvey was outstanding against West Ham. His cross-field ball for the second goal was like something you’d see Steven Gerrard play and he added energy and real attacking impetus to Newcastle, who were better than I’ve seen them for a long time.

Georginio Wijnaldum’s a lovely player to watch and if they add a striker and a winger, they’re going to create plenty of problems for teams in the second half of the season.

I would have taken a long look at Charlie Austin, as I’ve said before, and I’m not convinced about Saido Berahino to be honest.

I know a couple of West Brom fans and they take issue with me on that. They think he just needs to play regularly and he’ll come good. Well if he comes to Newcastle he’ll get that opportunity – but he’d have to get his head right.

Andros Townsend would be a decent addition as well, even if I’m not entirely sure about his attitude. He would arrive with a lot to prove but again, he just wants to play regularly. He’d get that chance at Newcastle and I’m always in favour of bringing in young players who have something to prove.

I’m not someone who thinks Premier League players are always better value or better than bringing in foreign players from different leagues but there’s clear logic in what Newcastle are trying to do. They can’t wait three or four months for someone to hit their best – they need an instant impact, which is what Shelvey gave them.