It is the opening day of the season and today up to 3pm will possibly be the happiest we will feel for another 8 months, but it is better to get a trip to Newcastle done early, rather than face a six pointed against a fellow relegation battler.

Perhaps i have started this preview on a pessimistic note, but I am a realist and I am not so naive to believe that we are going to jump right back into the Premier League and start challenging for the top 10.

Our task is a simple one, finish the season outside of the 3, that is the first step in rebuilding the club back in the top flight, if we can do that, then we can take the next step and that is building a strong squad again.

We start as one of the favourites for relegation, although that is mostly based on the fact that we are newly promoted and those who like a bet probably see us as a good option for the drop, so money has gone on.

But we may just surprise a few people, especially as we have signed two new players on the eve of the season, Cameron Archer & Lesley Ugochukwu, the striker and central midfielder we needed, however we go into this game without a new goalkeeper and that is something we have had to address and do so fast.

But the fact that we will probably have Alex McCarthy in goal today might actually help us achieve something at St James Park, even if it is only a narrow defeat.

Russell Martin is going to have to modify his possession football game, McCarthy cannot play with his feet, so we surely cannot play across our goal as we did for much of last season, we will have to go long when under pressure as we did in the final games of last season.

It is anyone’s guess what team that the manager will put out, pre season was mainly one of 22 man squads all getting game times and even in the final two home friendlies we did not seem to put out what looked like a starting XI.

The cynic in me says that the only real question is where Captain Jack plays, will it be the centre of defence, full back or central midfield, I am guessing that as Lesley Ugochukwu was probability not signed in time that it will be as the holding midfield player.

Elsewhere I hope that Kyle Walker Peters plays, perhaps at left back with Yuri Sugawara on the right, or possibly we could play a back three with these two used as wing backs, a central midfield trio with two upfront.

So although it is hard to see anything but a defeat in this game, it is about keeping it tight and showing that we can compete and achieve our goals this season.

The fans seem to be behind the team, over 3,000 making the journey up to Newcastle to watch a game from the same height as the planes on their approach to nearby Newcastle airport.

Anyway lets end on a good note, the final hours before the season are ones to be enjoyed, we still have hope and optimism, well at least most of us do, we rarely start a season well so those hopes and dreams are usually dashed within 90 minutes, but we also usually recover well as the season goes on and so I am not that bothered about the result in this game, St James Park has not been a happy hunting ground in recent years, it is all about putting in a good performance and then we get down to business next Saturday against Nottingham Forest, now that is a must win game.

Photo: Action Images

bartley41 added 11:32 - Aug 17 A very realistic summary. Thank you Nick, you are doing a very good job . In Match reports in future please just mention Yellow cards as when they mount up they are as important as injuries.
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WestSussexSaint added 12:26 - Aug 17 I suspect that the starting XI will be the same as if not close to that which started against Getafe. Hopefully the new signings are on the bench.
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saintmark1976 added 12:30 - Aug 17 Good summary Nick. Surely today’s result can’t be worse than when under Ralph we managed to lose 2-1 with Newcastle reduced to nine men at the final whistle ? Even to this day I can’t comprehend why we allowed Ralph to continue for so long. Home and Away 9-0 defeats, a cup semi final where we didn’t manage one attempt on goal and the longest run of consecutive defeats in the Club’s whole history. Yet we gave him another season which ended in relegation. Total ineptitude by those in charge at board level in my opinion.

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EvertonSaint added 12:37 - Aug 17 I don’t see how Jack Stephens can be considered with better players available. It really is time he was loaned out or sold. We cannot afford to put up with his mistakes, poor passing and at times reckless tackles in silly areas of the pitch. He has served us well, but RM must recognise he is at times a liability.
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RedandWight added 14:17 - Aug 17 I hope we don't put out the same team as we did against Getafe. There was absolutely no creativity from midfield. I like the look of Ugochukwu, who is not playing today, but I see him as more of a defensive than creative midfielder. This still leaves us short of creativity in the midfield leading to fewer chances for our strikers. I think McCarthy kicking long might not be such a bad idea.

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codge added 14:17 - Aug 17 Stephens playing hope he doesn’t get us into too much trouble.
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DoctorSleep added 15:00 - Aug 17 Excellent - haven't laughed so much at a blog in ages. Especially the Fans and plane comment - classic
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Lazz added 23:54 - Aug 17 Goalkeeper needed
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