While it has been a long time since Newcastle United sat at the top table of the Premier League, the recent controversy surrounding the grotesque idea of a closed European Super League lends itself to looking back on the history of the English top flight. 

Indeed, part of what makes football - and sport in general - such an appealing spectacle is the stories it gives us. Though the established elite tried to safeguard their position recently, to completely remove themselves from competition and forget the challenges their domestic rivals used to offer them would be to deny the proud histories of footballing institutions all across the continent. 

One of them, of course, is Newcastle United. 

Traditionally one of England's biggest clubs, GIVEMESPORT recently sat down with former St. James' Park hero Rob Lee to stroll up memory lane and remember better times on Tyneside, as well as try to translate those heady days of the 1990s into today's game. 

What did he say? 

When asked whether he'd preferred to have played alongside Liverpool star Mo Salah - one of Europe's leading players over the last few years - or a certain David Ginola, Lee was bullish in his conviction, as you can see in the video above. 

"Oh, Ginola. All day long," he said. 

"Easy. I think Salah is a fantastic player but I used to love watching David play football. 

"Sometimes we'd be playing a game and we'd just be watching him. You'd give him the ball and, if he was on fire, you just use to do that. 

"The game would be going on and we'd just be laughing and thinking 'I'd hate to be him' [Ginola's direct opponent]. 

"If David was on fire, I would hate to be the right-back against him because he was big, he was strong, he was quick and he could go either way." 

What has David Ginola said about Newcastle? 

Newcastle supporters will need little reminding of the Frenchman's sublime quality. 

A hero on Tyneside after a glittering spell between 1995 and 1997 which almost lead Kevin Keegan's side to the Premier League title, he helped turn the club into a major force not long after they were promoted from the old Second Division. 

Speaking to FourFourTwo earlier this year, Ginola talked about how the club's fans deserved better than the Mike Ashley ownership. 

“Geordies deserve to have one of the biggest clubs in the country, in Europe, in the world," he said. 

"They’ve got the potential, but for many years things have been done in very weird ways, not making the club better.

"I want to see the club being successful and not only in terms of results – in terms of stability and how they work with the academy too."