According to Ronnie:

Newcastle United will stage the World Cup qualifier between England and Albania at St James's Park early next season.

The Football Association are not quite ready to make the news official - but I understand the United are all but past the post to stage a full England international for the first time in their history.

And it's tremendous news for Kieron Dyer as it will give the United midfielder the chance to play for his country on his home club ground

It's a game which could be crucial to England's hopes of qualifying for the 2002 Finals being held in Japan and South Korea.

And the fact that it is a World Cup qualifier, albeit against unattractive opposition, will ensure that United have a 52,000-plus full house for the game on Wednesday, September 5.

England have four World Cup qualifiers before then - in Albania, Greece and Germany and firstly the return with Finland at Anfield on Saturday, March 24.

After the Albania tie at

St James's Park, England complete their World Cup qualifying matches with a home game with Greece on Saturday, October 6.

And the Chronicle can reveal that particular game will be held at Old Trafford, giving United defender Nicos Dabizas the chance to represent his country at the ground where he was sent off last season in the 5-1 defeat by Manchester United.

England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson actually travelled to St James's Park at the weekend to take in United's match with Southampton only to find the game was a victim of the weather.

Obviously it would have been better if Eriksson had experienced a full house at St James's Park and the atmosphere this generates but at the same time it is unlikely that he saw anything which would make the Football Association do an about-turn.

As it happens Eriksson was assured by both chairman Freddie Shepherd and manager Bobby Robson that they would do everything to help him and England.

United have staged Under-21 games before but they have never hosted a full international involving England.

United missed out on the World Cup in 1966 because St James's Park was not considered up to scratch, as both Sunderland and Middlesbrough took the North East spotlight.

But United did stage two Euro 96 games when France, Bulgaria and Romania played in front of the Geordie public.

n The 2001-2002 Premiership season will start on August 18.

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2001

Answers

Aboot bliddy time. I hope Freddie was right aboot the new training facilities. Better get them badgers moved along, pretty sharpish.

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2001

Since it's midweek, we may get more tickets than we would normally would for an England game. Also, I think the EMC are doing away with loyalty points (which makes me slightly sick after watching England play Luxembourg etc purely to get SJP England tickets).

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2001

Obviously it would have been better if Eriksson had experienced a full house at St James's Park and the atmosphere this generates but at the same time it is unlikely that he saw anything which would make the Football Association do an about-turn.

Just aswell he didn't witness the atmosphere then.

-- Anonymous, February 09, 2001

United have staged Under-21 games before but they have never hosted a full international involving England.

They have, there was at least three pre-war full internationals played there. Not the special Wartime internationals that were arranged, but proper ones....I think the last one was in 1936, Jonno would be able to tell us!

Joking Jonno, honest! 80)

-- Anonymous, February 09, 2001

Niall and Biffa published the international list on their site yesterday.

-- Anonymous, February 09, 2001

Lorn Yersell Albanian selling well

St James' park is top of the list of venues for the lucrative England versus Albania world cup qualifying game next Autumn. It's believed that Sven adultbooks Eriksson was at Chester Le street yesterday to see Alan Shearer train and discuss the likelihood of him making a final appearance for his country at St James' park . Only problem is Alan Shearer wasn't there , so Sven took the opportunity to see likely England players Dyer , Griffin, Harper, Ameobi and Warren Barton train instead. The crucial game between these two world famous footballing nations will be screened around the world and will surely put Newcastle well and truly on the footballing world map. "Lorn Yersell Albanian" is selling well in city centre bookstores today, but not as well as "Geordie for Albanians" is selling in Tirana. According to our friend Dmitri who lives in the Balkans, Albanian fans and players alike are keen to learn how to say such popular phrases as "I want political asylum" in Geordie.

-- Anonymous, February 09, 2001

Ahhh how much time did we all perv in Sven's bookshop for ;)

-- Anonymous, February 09, 2001

Is there Sven's shops in other parts of the country? I always wanted to go in when I was a teenager, I worked in Blenhiem street for a few years but never had the balls to go in. They've moved to Scotswood road now, just opposite the centre for life, so i've been told.

-- Anonymous, February 09, 2001