This weekend will see the start of pre-season and it will be good to see the Lads play again. We kick things off against South Shields, then Gateshead - with a different squad set to face each team.
Pre-season is all about fitness and getting players match sharp, but it’s also a good way to see the new signings. It's looking like Luis Semedo will be in the squad that plays South Shields and I’m hoping that he can score a few goals and show us what he’s all about.
South Shields are currently being managed by former Sunderland player Julio Arca, so I’m sure he will receive a warm reception. It would be nice to see South Shields rise up the ranks, so I wish them all the best for the upcoming season.
New signings Jenson Seelt and Jobe Bellingham could feature against Gateshead (the Shields squad was leaked and neither of these players are in that squad), meanwhile Nectarios Triantis is unlikely to make an appearance this weekend. Perhaps he's injured, or maybe he's still getting over the Aussie jet-lag. It’s been a while since we’ve had this many new signings in early July, it really shows how far we’ve come. I’d like to see us bring in another striker, left back and a creative midfielder before the end of the window to really bolster the ranks.
To be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised to see some Mags crash these games, especially since a lot of Gateshead fans also follow Newcastle. I just hope there isn’t much trouble, it would take a special type of person to try and cause bother at a pre-season friendly. I think these games will be a nice occasion for the fans to experience something a little bit different.
We've just dropped both new kits, so we can see how everyone looks in the 'new threads'. It could change some people's opinions on the kits as often they look better when the players actually wear them on the pitch.
