TEAMtalk guest Adam Bate has issued a word of caution to Newcastle supporters as the sharks begin to circle around some of their star names.

I'll be honest with you. I'm a natural born pessimist. Every time my team scores a goal, my first reaction is not to jump for joy but instead to look immediately to the linesman then wait in hope for the referee to signal a goal.

When a penalty is awarded for my side, you won't find me punching the air in delight - merely anticipating the inevitable scuffed effort into the keeper's arms.

I mention this because I'm not a Newcastle fan. But maybe I should be. After all, the Toon Army must be wondering when exactly Mike Ashley next intends to pull the rug from under their feet.

Alan Pardew's men have lit up this Premier League season, holding their own against the top six and threatening to last the pace until May. Whether Ashley is capable of holding his nerve until then could be a very different matter.

It doesn't require the longest of memories to recall that this Newcastle team has been broken up before. Last January saw local hero Andy Carroll leave for the admittedly vast sum of £35million. In the summer, top scorer Kevin Nolan preferred to drop down to the Championship with West Ham and star left-back Jose Enrique was allowed to make a bargain move to Liverpool for just £5million.

When Joey Barton left on a free transfer in August it seemed all the stars of Newcastle's comeback season in the Premier League had been shifted on in a matter of months.

But that was different. Those players represented the most-high profile names among a disparate bunch. This is an exciting young team that has only just begun to discover what they can achieve together.

Tim Krul in goal has been a revelation - arguably the stand-out goalkeeper in the Premier League this season. Fabricio Coloccini has been immense - looking every inch the top-class defender his talent always suggested possible. And with Cheick Tiote and Yohan Cabaye developing a formidable partnership in the centre of midfield, it is tempting to believe the sky is the limit for this team.

Pardew surely deserves the backing of his chairman so that he may add to this squad rather than lose any of their number. Instead there are whispers that the jewel in the Newcastle crown - the remarkable 15-goal striker Demba Ba - could soon be exiting the club.

Ba has spoken openly of a willingness to join French club Paris Saint-Germain, saying: "Join PSG? Yes, why not? It's possible. I've always supported PSG. It's a club that's enticing. But it will be difficult to do that in January."

The move may not happen this month due to the player's commitments with the African Cup of Nations. But with a reported £10million release clause in Ba's contract it would seem likely that the player's days on Tyneside are numbered.

With bids for Tiote and Cabaye also expected in the summer, the problem facing Pardew is that continuing to move a team forward by replacing the club's stars with cheaper alternatives is a trick that can - with a bit of luck and skill - be pulled once. But eventually it will find you out.

These are exciting times to be a Newcastle fan. But for a natural born pessimist like me, it's easy to feel like disappointment could be just around the corner.