Newcastle United striker Alan Smith has no regrets swapping Manchester United for the crisis club.
"It would have been easier to stay there as I had two-and-a-half years left on my contract and I was getting good money. But this career doesn't last forever. I don't know how much satisfaction I would have got from that.
"The challenge of playing week in, week out and testing yourself is what this life's all about.
"When I broke my leg I thought to myself that, if I ever did get back fit, I wanted to be playing regularly. I missed 13 months and when you're not playing you realise what you're missing. As soon as I did it, deep down, I knew I needed to be playing."
