Newcastle have always had someone to bang in the goals... this time it's Remy

PUBLISHED: 17:30 EST, 29 November 2013 | UPDATED: 17:30 EST, 29 November 2013

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Everybody wants to talk about who is the best strike partnership in the Premier League at the moment but almost every team now has at least one quality striker in their squad.

As a defender you would sometimes look ahead to see which teams lacked a bit of quality up front and see which games might offer you some respite.

But now the quality in the league is so deep, there’s no let-up.

Banging them in: Remy has scored eight goals in 10 games for Newcastle in the Premier League this season

Newcastle are at home to West Brom on Saturday, with two of the division’s least talked about but in-form strikers on show. Loic Remy and Shane Long are in the goals and now crucial members of their sides.

Newcastle fans have always loved having a goal-scoring idol at St James’ Park.

From Jackie Milburn to Alan Shearer, there has always been a hero in black and white to bang in the goals.

Recently, it was Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse but since the first one left and the other lost his form, Remy has taken over. He might only be on loan but the Frenchman has eight goals in 10 games this season — and an assist too.

He’s been involved in 53 per cent of Newcastle’s Premier League goals, which shows you just how important he is to the team at present.

Short-term to long-term? Remy is currently on loan from QPR having nearly moved to Newcastle last January

Since losing the derby at Sunderland, Newcastle have won three out of three, are two points off the Champions League places and Remy has scored in every game. His pace causes opposition defences real problems and his finishing is excellent.

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Only Romelu Lukaku is better at converting chances (38.9 per cent) than Remy (34.8 per cent) this season.

If you’re playing in a team with one really potent player it gives you that extra belief that you can get results.

Alan Pardew’s side now look more like the team that finished fifth two seasons ago than the one that only just missed the drop last season.

In the other dressing-room today is Long, a striker who grew up playing hurling in Ireland. Despite his qualities, he was minutes away from signing for Hull in the summer. West Brom had invested in strikers back then but Long is now proving his worth.

He’s only 5ft 8in but he is good in the air. He’s got an unexpected spring so, when his timing is right, he can take the ball right off the head of the centre halves.

Loanees: Only Lukaku has a better rate of converting chances than Remy

He’s proved now that his team-mates need to trust him more and he deserves more than just crosses into the box. His goals against Aston Villa on Monday show he’s a real player, too.

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For his first, he plucked the ball out of the sky, putting backspin on it to bring it under control. It was great skill, something that Dennis Bergkamp would have been proud of.

He then finished well and his second — a delicate, chipped finish — was not bad either.

Long is a real confidence player and is keeping Victor Anichebe and Nicolas Anelka out of the side. He’s caught the eye but he’s got to keep hitting the goals in order to stay in the team.

Find the net: The Toon faithful have always watched goalscorers, from Jackie Milburn to Alan Shearer (above)

PS... Aaron Ramsey is heading back to Cardiff on Saturday as Arsenal take on his old club. I chatted with him recently and it was great to see what a fiercely competitive young man he is.

While at Cardiff, he was told that he had made the bench for the first time by his headmaster in the playground. Not bad news to get on a Friday afternoon! Sometimes football really can be like a fairy-tale.

Tune into Football Focus, BBC 1, Saturday at 12pm for the full interview.

Prospect turned player: Ramsey returns to his old club Cardiff on Saturday after joining Arsenal in 2008

What's the score? Dai Greene has a go at predicting this weekend's scores

Spotlight on... Frazier Campbell. Age 26, Cardiff City

Loic Remy and Shane Long aren’t the only strikers impressing in the Premier League at present. When he came through at Manchester United, Fraizer Campbell was a real live wire, but he’s struggled to make a club his home.

Spells at Hull and Spurs didn’t quite work out while his time at Sunderland was interrupted by a serious cruciate ligament injury.