Former Newcastle defender names former Magpies in his career XI

Former Newcastle defender Mike Williamson has named his team-mates XI, which includes several former Magpies.

The former Gateshead head coach was quizzed on the best teammates he played by AllThingsBusiness.

The 40-year-old, now in charge of League Two club MK Dons named players from Newcastle, Portsmouth, Whickham and Torquay.

Image: Sky Sports

Newcastle was a heavy feature in his team

In goal, Williamson went for former Portsmouth keeper David James and decided to choose himself at centre-back.

Alongside him was his long time defensive partner Fabricio Colloccini. "I'm a big fan as a human being. Williamson said. "When I was playing next to him, I constantly told him to calm down because when he was doing what he was doing, I was dropping bricks!"

At left-back, he went for Newcastle cult hero Jose Enrique but gave a nod to former mag Jonas Gutierrez.

A bit of a surprise choice as Williamson chose Nicky Butt in midfield, the Class of '92 member was part of the 2009/10 Championship winning side.

The second midfielder was Cheick Tiote, "What a guy," said Williamson. "You were desperate to have him on your team in training because he would just eat you! His warm-ups were more intense than most people's training sessions. He was a machine."

He also named Yohan Cabaye in his midfield. "His passing range, and he had an edge about him too. He's a simple one. He kept everything ticking, and made everything look easy."

Image: Sky Sports

A formidable front three

The first forward Williamson named was Georginio Wijnaldum, who was at the club during the 2015/16 relegation season and also gave a nod to the likes of Kevin Nolan and Alan Smith.

His second forward named was Hatem Ben Arfa, who Williamson played with nearly 60 times during his spell at Newcastle.

Finally, Williamson picked Newcastle legend Shola Ameobi. "In training, he was a joke.

"He's a unit, powerful, but he loved to chop onto either foot and put it in the top corner. When he got going, you couldn't stop him. He'd be the focal point."

How would that side fair in the Premier League today?