Steve Bruce? Seriously? Once again it appears to highlight the lack of ambition of the owners at St.James Park with avoiding relegation and bringing in the big bucks, clearly their main priority.

Bruce has only been there a few weeks and already there are hints of unrest over the potential return of Andy “sicknote” Carroll. Creative attacking midfielder Ayoze Perez has made a big money move south to Leicester to team up with Brendan Rodgers.

Diame has left on a free, Kenedy and Rondon have both seen their loan deals expire and Joselu who to be fair was only a bit part player has also departed the club.

With no major signings made the Newcastle fans must already be worrying about their plight ahead of the new season. Benitez did a great job at getting the best out of a limited squad but it was rare they played open attacking football. The prospect of them sitting deep and trying to frustrate better opponents was always off putting for me as a neutral. But I doubt much will change under the guidance of Bruce.

The bookmakers have Newcastle as the 6th favourites for relegation this season with a best price of 9/4 currently available. The newly promoted trio of Sheffield United (⅘), Norwich (5/4) and Aston Villa (2/1) are all shorter in the betting.

Burnley (2/1) and Brighton (2/1) are also expected to struggle in the top flight this season. As always our football tipsters will be on hand throughout the Premier League campaign to provide you with free football betting tips.

Football can be a very difficult sport to beat the bookmakers on as they focus a lot of their attention on the Premier League and will have a big team of traders to try and ensure their prices are correct. But that is not to say you can’t make a profit. Find the right market for you, study the form, follow the advice of tipster and perhaps back Newcastle to be relegated and who knows you could end the season with a nice bit of profit to spend.