...Of "that" opening run in. The numbers in each section correspond with one another. Feel free to add your own. Pros 1.Liverpool are potentially a very tough team with the investment they are putting in, good to get them out of the way. Also, with the transfer window not being closed potentially means Liverpool will be short of one or 2 big signings so could be in their "weakest" state all season. 2.If Gyan does go, I feel it will be an out of the blue deadline-day-or-thereabouts signing. So hopefully, we should have him for the Newcastle game. 3. Early derby win could set the tone for our season, instilling confidence in the players. 4. If we win this derby, it could help swing the opinion of transfer targets both teams are chasing. 5. Disregarding the derby, the Swansea game offers us an easier (relatively) game compared to the surrounding fixtures. 6. The early derby could speed up our transfer activity at management level, Quinn said not to expect much movement before late July/August at the earliest. This new found urgency could speed things up. 7.Newcastle could have more key players out of the door and lacking replacements in time, but.... Cons 1. Current trends indicate Liverpool aim to get signings under their belt as early as possible. As stated in the Pros column, they -will- be extremely tough to beat whatever. A loss on the first day can drop heads. 2. Gyans head could be turned and therefore not playing up to the standards required. 3. Early derby win could also risk breeding complacency, a-la the 2-1 win where we went on a horrendous run followed by managers resignation. 4.Likewise if we lose it will paint us as the lesser team to join. 5. We could underestimate Swansea Blackpool style and capitulate. If this happens and we have failed to perform the first couple of games too, alarm bells will most definitely be ringing. 6. Risk panic buying/over paying. Also newer signings (especially foreign ones) may not realise the importance of the derby and under-perform. Having a squad of players who have experienced last years hurt should fire the team up better than expensive newbies who dont grasp the full importance of the situation. 7...The exact same could happen to us
Personally i feel the first couple of games of next season are more important than ever. Although we won 3 0 against west ham on the last day of last season, unless we get a few wins in early, the diabolical run in we had could be carried over from last season setting us up to loose players, such as gyan, before the end of the transfer window and possibly setting us in the direction of a relegation battle. The liverpool game will be very tough and the derby will be unpredictable as ever, followed by a fired up swansea and classy chelsea, this definatley could be the recipe for a winnless streak and the continuation of last seasons run-in form. Has the potential to be bad.
What worries me, is that Newcastle's key players linked with moving away (Enrique, Barton eg) could still move away, but on seeing the fixture list today, ask for their move to be delayed until after the derby, giving one last final hurrah for the club.
What makes you think players who are to move on have that kind of feeling for a deby game? Would either Barton or Enrique really risk injury a week before a big money move? Personally I hope they DO play and with a move the following week in their minds. Agree about the good start though and a bad one will have Bruce under severe pressure, from many who dont think he can turn things round - me included.
Barton thrives on high pressure, high intensity occasions. Like him or not, he handles pressure extremely well and uses it to his advantage. A fiery derby is exactly the kind of game Barton would perform well in. He has also endeared himself to Newcastle fans with his performances, particularly against us, as has Enrique, so you would think they would feel obligated to do one last favour for the fans.
He also endeared himself to many Sunderland fans last year when his constant 2nd half time-wasting bought us enough injury time for Gyan to belt in that 25 yard screamer!! Your right though, he does thrive on the intensity of such matches and hopefully Bruce understands that we need at least a couple of experienced, similar players to drive the rest of the team on.
