Newcastle United have confirmed that four senior players will be seeking new clubs. The players are Titus Bramble, Craig Moore, Olivier Bernard and Pavel Srnicek. Meanwhile, Oguchi Onyewu will return to Standard Liege having failed to impress while on loan. Such departures would appear to signal that new manager Sam Allardyce intends to strenghten areas of the defence over the summer.

Player Factfile:

Titus Bramble:
Signed from Ipswich Town for £4.5 million by Sir Bobby Robson in 2002, Bramble went on to play over 100 times for Newcastle, scoring six goals. His Newcastle career was typified by inconsistency. Despite numerous man of the match performances against the likes of then-Champions Chelsea, he often became the scapegoat for the club’s defensive problems as a consequence of several high-profile errors. Controversy also seemed to follow Titus, be it unwittingly get embroiled in high-profile rape allegations, or crashing his car into a house.

Olivier Bernard:
Free-agent Olivier Bernard signed for us on September 1st 2006, yet failed to appear for the club having demonstrated poor fitness levels. This second stint at the club was a shadow of his previous spell, during which he made 145 appearances and scored six goals before being released by Graeme Souness after he demanded an excessive wage. Players such as N’Zogbia need to look at how far Bernard’s star has fallen when they consider their own futures this summer.

Craig Moore:
Australian captain Craig Moore signed for Newcastle United on a free transfer by Graeme Souness after he was sacked by Borussia Moenchengladbach for beind drunk at a training session. His first season was blighted by injury, and he didn’t feature in a single game for the manager who signed him, although he went on to make eight appearances for Glenn Roeder, before playing in another 21 games this season, with injury again preventing him from playing in many matches. Moore had often spoke of his intentions to return to Australia once his contract had expired, and it can be safely assumed that he will now do just that.

Pavel Srnicek:
Czech keeper Srnicek was brought back to the club as additional cover after Shay Given was hospitalised by Marlon Harewood. Further injuries allowed Srnicek to feature, starting against a Bolton side managed by Sam Allardyce. Srnicek will best be remembered for featuring regularly for Newcastle during the Keegan era. The chant, ‘Pavel is a Geordie’ has been long cemented in St. James’ Park folklore.

Oguchi Onyewu:
‘Gooch’ was brought to the club on a loan deal by Glenn Roeder such that he didn’t have to constantly play inexperienced youngsters at centre back. It quickly became apparent however that the American was not suited to the hustle and bustle of the Premiership despite his huge frame, and he soon found his way down the pecking order. At times, he was seen on the sidelines chatting to John Barnes with his ineligibility during UEFA Cup games preventing him from playing games in which he was really needed.

Other contract news:
It would be safe to assume that Nobby Solano and Antoine Sibierski - both of whom also had contracts expiring this summer are safe for now, although it is unclear whether they have been offered contracts, or whether their future remains under consideration. Meanwhile, the other potential expiree, David Edgar recently signed up to a new two year contract.

Are you happy or sad to see the back of these five players? Who do you want to see following them out of the door? Do you have any defining memories of these players that you’d like to share? Have your say.