Where are Newcastle United’s XI who were relegated in 2009?

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Villa Park is not a happy hunting ground for Newcastle United, who have experienced painful memories of relegation there.

This weekend’s trip to Villa Park provides Newcastle United with painful memories. Not only did a goalless draw in May prove fatal to their survival hopes, but a 1-0 defeat in May 2009 ended their 16-year stay in the top flight.

That afternoon seven years ago was a dark day for Magpies supporters, as it represented everything they had feared ever since Kevin Keegan had walked out nine months earlier amid chaos in the boardroom.

A string of managers had been shuffled in and out over the course of the season but none were able to to stem the rot and prevent the club from sinking into the abyss. Whereas Newcastle bowed out in style this season, triumphing 5-1 in their final game of the season against Spurs, this was a meek showing which lacked fight, heart or passion and left the Tyneside faithful on the brink of despair.

Take a look at the starting XI from the 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa in May 2009 which sent Newcastle hurtling into the Championship.

Steve Harper

Harper was handed the reins of responsibility during the second half of the 2008-09 season following the departure of Shay Given in January. Having spent the majority of his 16 years on the bench, the Geordie local was understandably rusty.

He played all but one of the club’s Championship fixtures the following season before losing his starting berth to Tim Krul. A loan stint at Brighton awaited before an emotional goodbye in 2013, signalling an end to 20 years at the club.

Two years at Hull City followed before he bowed out on enemy turf as Sunderland’s third-choice goalkeeper last season. He is now back at St. James’ Park, employed as the Academy Goalkeeping coach.

David Edgar

David Edgar may have begun his Tyneside career with a bang, scoring against Manchester United, but he certainly ended it with a whimper, receiving a red card as the club slid into the second tier.

It was only his 23rd appearance for the club and the Canadian defender subsequently rejected a contract offer from Newcastle to join Burnley on a four-year deal.

He has since worn the colours of Swansea, Birmingham, Huddersfield and Sheffield United before relocating to his homeland with Vancouver Whitecaps FC. At 29, he is currently on loan with Whitecaps FC 2, an affiliate of the main team.

Fabricio Coloccini

After enduring a torrid first season on Tyneside, where his mistakes led to him being branded with the unwanted nickname ‘Colo the Clown’, the Argentine international slowly adapted to the English game and saw an upturn in his performances.

He ended up spending seven more seasons with the club, and despite his time coming full circle – guiding the Magpies back into the second tier – his 275 appearances shouldn’t be clouded by his recent poor form.

During his time on Tyneside, he was named in the PFA Team of the Year and he wore the captain’s armband for five years. He left this summer and is now playing for San Lorenzo in his native Argentina.

Steven Taylor

After spending his entire career at Newcastle United, 30-year-old Steven Taylor has finally sought pastures new. While admittedly he was pushed out the door, released by the club after an error-strewn season, he is now at Portland Timbers.

Taylor was an up-and-coming centre-half when the club were relegated, with Everton tipped to win the race for his signature. However, injuries have curtailed his progress ever since, with the Geordie making just 83 top-flight appearances since that ignominious defeat at Villa Park.

Damien Duff

Damien Duff was never a wholly popular figure on Tyneside due to his string of injuries and his never being able to replicate his Chelsea form at St. James’ Park. The fact that he was the man to consign the club to relegation via an unfortunate own goal proved to be the straw that broke the camel’s back for his Magpies career, the Irishman escaping his three-year misery with a move to Fulham later in the summer.

He enjoyed a far more successful five years in London, reaching a Europa League final under Roy Hodgson before he ended his career with first Melbourne City and then Shamrock Rovers. He is now a part-time analyst on Irish TV.

Danny Guthrie

Danny Guthrie had not made much of an impact on Tyneside since his arrival from Liverpool in 2008. He made 38 appearances in the Championship the following season and proved a decent squad option for the following two years. He was released at the end of the 2011-12 season, and endured three uncomfortable seasons with Reading before tying up a move to Blackburn Rovers.

Kevin Nolan

Fans might have been questioning why the club had bought Kevin Nolan when the club were relegated such was his lack of impact but they were soon forgotten when he plundered 17 goals in the Championship. A return of 12 goals, including a hat-trick against Sunderland, in the club’s first season back in the top flight then earned him hero status and fans were in uproar when he was allowed to leave for Championship outfit West Ham.

Earlier this year, he signed for Leyton Orient at the age of 33, before taking up the role of player-manager. It did not go well, and he left the club at the end of the season.

Nicky Butt

Nicky Butt was 33 when Newcastle slipped out of the top flight and had been at the club for five years. He left in 2010, signing for South China Athletic Association where he spent a season.

In October 2012 he returned to Manchester United to take up the role of a coach for the reserve team. Two years later, he was one of the ‘Class of 92’ alumni alongside Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Phil Neville who agreed a deal to buy Salford City ahead of the 2014-15 season.

He is now Manchester United’s head of youth academy.

Peter Lovenkrands

Peter Lovenkrands may have seemed a strange signing for Newcastle but he proved a popular figure with the fans. With injuries to Shola Ameobi and Andy Carroll, he managed 13 goals in the Championship before notching six in the club’s first season back in the Premier League. He left the club in 2012, before ending his career with two seasons at Birmingham City.

Mark Viduka

Mark Viduka may have had a sparkling career with Champions League nights and wonderful goals but it ended with a whimper, barely touching the ball as Newcastle ended their 16-year stay in the Premier League. At 33, the former Leeds centre-forward chose to step back and evaluate his options and after turning down offers from Australia, chose to officially announce his retirement in 2010.

Obafemi Martins

It’s hard to believe that Obafemi Martins is only 31 years old. Some people simply refuse to. Since leaving Newcastle following relegation to the Championship seven years ago, he has pulled on the strip of six different clubs, becoming something of a journeyman.

His spells at Wolfsburg and Rubin Kazan were failures, and while he contributed a League Cup winner during his loan spell at Birmingham City he couldn’t prevent another relegation on his CV. A season at Levante followed before he found form at Seattle Sounders, bagging 40 in 72 games.

He has recently joined the Chinese revolution, signing for Shanghai Greenland Shenhua.