Ex-Newcastle and Liverpool man Guthrie on his new Indonesian adventure

His alarm will go off and, like millions of football fans around the world, he'll tune in to watch. The 30-year-old played seven times for the Reds and made 104 appearances for the Magpies, but this month the midfielder started a new adventure in East Kalimantan with Mitra Kukar, having left Blackburn Rovers in the summer.

Only a handful of British players have played in Indonesia's Liga 1 before but Guthrie has already experienced plenty in a varied career, from the highs of winning the Championship with Newcastle and playing in Europe for Liverpool and Bolton to the lows of relegation in his first season on Tyneside, being frozen out at Reading and dropping into League One with Blackburn.

So starting a new life in South East Asia holds no fears for the Shrewsbury-born schemer, who played under Kevin Keegan, Joe Kinnear, Alan Shearer, Chris Hughton and Alan Pardew during four years at St. James' Park.

"It's something that's been in the works for a while," he told nufc.co.uk this week. "I knew I wanted to move abroad last Christmas - I just felt like I had achieved everything I could in England.

"My whole career had been in the Premier League and Championship and there was nothing else for me, so I needed a new challenge, something to excite me.

"I was talking to clubs from all over the world - the MLS, Thailand and all over Europe, but Mitra Kukar really made a massive effort to get me here."

Michael Essien, Peter Odemwingie, Didier Zokora and Mohamed Sissoko have all plied their trade in Indonesia in recent times - Sissoko, who played for Liverpool under Rafa Benítez, left Guthrie's new side last year - and the latest big name arrival was given a suitably enthusiastic welcome, with fans greeting him at the airport as he touched down.

"It was a very humbling experience," admitted Guthrie, who has made nearly 250 appearances in England's top two divisions. "They have had some very good players here, like Essien and Sissoko - and now I have to show why I played at the top level and that the reaction I received is justified."

But while the capture of a former Premier League star was always likely to excite the country's football fans, it was particularly thrilling for those who support Newcastle.

And last week, Guthrie met up with a group of local supporters, posing for photographs, signing shirts and flags and having a singalong in a bar in Indonesia's capital city.

Guthrie revealed: "They contacted my agent when they saw I was in Jakarta to see if I was willing to meet up.

"The Indo Toon Army is a real passionate Newcastle fan base out here. It really shocked me, the level of passion and knowledge, so I went and had a beer and a game of pool. It was great.

"They knew all the songs, players past and present, and I'm going to watch a game with them next time I'm in Jakarta."

Guthrie joined Newcastle from Liverpool, where he'd progressed through the ranks to play in the Premier League and Champions League, in 2008. His first campaign ended in relegation but he was a virtual ever-present as United stormed to promotion the following year, creating goals for the likes of Peter Lovenkrands and Andy Carroll and chipping in with four himself.

Then, after helping the Magpies to establish themselves back in the top flight, he was part of the team which secured a Europa League finish in 2010/11.

And he said: "I have some great memories; it's just an overall brilliant club with fantastic people, both in the city and in the club. I had four great years there and I wish I could do it all over again.

"I think the Championship year was brilliant because it felt like a huge relief to be back in the Premier League where the club belong, but the year we finished fifth was a great year. The bounce in the ground was unbelievable and we had a really good squad of players full of confidence.

"The game that stands out is Liverpool at home, winning 2-0 in the sun and St. James' was rocking.

"Carroll and (José) Enrique were back at St. James' but we battered them and I remember a stoppage in play, looking around and just thinking 'wow, what a place.'"

That match, in April 2012, actually turned out to be his final game for Newcastle but on Saturday - or the early hours of Sunday morning in Indonesia - the two sides meet again, this time on Merseyside. And although it was on Tyneside where he really made his name, he still has plenty of affection for the Reds.

"Liverpool is my club - I learnt how to become a footballer there and made my professional debut," he said. "They’re a top side in great form, so it's a difficult game."

But while he'll undoubtedly allow himself to reminisce at the weekend, Guthrie is focused on the future.

His current team, nicknamed Si Naga Mekes (The Fierce Dragon), play at the 35,000-capacity Aji Imbut Stadium and finished tenth last term. The new season starts next month and Guthrie has spent the last few weeks training and acclimatising to his new surroundings. 

"I'm loving it," he said. "It's something challenging and a lot different. Religion plays a big part in people's lives here, and the weather and the language are other big differences, but nothing you can't adapt to.

"My wife and two kids have come with me and they are enjoying it too.

"The level is not as strong as the Premier League, of course, and most of the Championship sides would be stronger as well, but they love football and work hard to improve."

Former Chelsea and England striker Carlton Cole joined West Java-based Persib Bandung last year but endured a difficult spell there, so Guthrie knows that he's something of a trailblazer among English players.

"I feel privileged to be honest," he said. "I just want to make sure I give a good account of myself and represent England well."

The members of the Indo Toon Army who he shared a drink and sang along with last week will testify that, so far, he's doing just that.