Affectionately nicknamed 'The Bald Eagle', Smith was in charge of the Magpies between December 1988 and March 1991 and worked with the likes of Paul Gascoigne, Mick Quinn and Mirandinha.

His playing career saw him play more than 300 times in the lower leagues, including passing the 100 appearances mark for Halifax Town. As a manager, he achieved promotions with Colchester, Birmingham and Oxford before enhancing his reputation further by taking QPR to the League Cup final in 1986.

He then replaced Willie McFaul at St. James' Park, and just missed out on promotion back to the top flight in his first full season in charge.

Smith later led Derby County to the Premier League and reached the milestone of 1,000 games in total as a manager.

The thoughts of everybody at Newcastle United are with Jim's family and friends.