One of the reasons Manchester City's Premier League title charge collapsed so horribly this season was down the the prolonged absences of captain and defensive leader Vincent Kompany.
With the Belgian at the heart of the defence, City have had to put up with shaky (to be kind) partnerships of two from Nicolas Otamendi, Eliaquim Mangala and Martin Demichelis.
But at least they have had Kompany for much of their Abu Dhabi cash-infused era of success.
That's more than can be said for Newcastle whose few high points from the last two decades have missed the crucial defensive leader element.
From the Kevin Keegan's Entertainers to the current contingent, can you remember Newcastle ever having a solid back-four or real defensive leader to hang your hat on?
Indeed, the Entertainers team was nicknamed in such a way due to the fact that they were stereotyped as the sort of team happy to conceded three goals if they could stick four into the other net.
The 1995-96 vintage actually conceded 37 goals, just two more than Manchester United, although they had marginally the worst defensive record in that season's Top 5.
The Bobby Robson side also enjoyed relative success in the early 2000s by reaching the Champions League. But although that team included real class across midfield and attack, the defence lacked truly standout players to lead by example.
Jonathan Woodgate might have been the type of defender to build around, given his talent. But unfortunately injuries prevented him from truly shining after his 2002 arrival, never making more than 18 appearances in either of his two seasons at St James' Park.
Meanwhile former France international Jean-Alain Boumsong proved to be a poor return for £8 million after his signing from Rangers in January 2005.
Without big name players, the Newcastle defence was most impressive during Chris Hughton's tenure as manager as they were promoted from the Championship and re-established themselves in the Premier League between 2009 and 2011, but that was not down to outstanding individuals.
Instead, Hughton, whose teams tend to put solidity above flair, was able to build a more organised side before being unceremoniously sacked to allow for Alan Pardew to come in.
But in both of Pardew and Hughton's sides was ex-Argentina international Fabricio Coloccini, whose form has fluctuated in his eight years in the North East.
Impressive during the 2011-12 season under Pardew as Newcastle finished fifth, he made the PFA Team of the Year. But since then, he has failed to impress as either a captain or defender and in February had the armband taken off him by Steve McClaren, which is a message that tells its own story.
Should Newcastle successfully stave off relegation this season, building a sounder defensive platform should be one of the key tasks for Rafa Benitez or whoever else takes on the manager's job, finding a Newcastle version of an Ashley Williams (Swansea) or Ryan Shawcross (Stoke) who can be the true anchor at the back that they have so sorely lacked for over 20 years. Easier said than done of course!
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
