It's... Fixtures Day!
Scott picks through the highlights, lowlights, and everything in between
Unless you are a devotee of this World Club jamboree (who isn't?) wasn't it a breath of fresh air this morning to see the fixtures land at nine o'clock? The new season is coming kicking and screaming in the distance.
I'm sick of football and have been for a few months now. I find these games added on at the end of a season, which seemed to go on forever anyway, as appealing as a pint of milk that's on the turn.
However, come August, I will be refreshed, fit and raring to go again. Those hairs which will have regenerated themselves like a Mexican Salamander over the summer are destined to go as grey as a North East sky again and fall out all together as the Newcastle circus gets the big top raised once more and we strap ourselves in again for season 2025-2026.
This will be my 38th season of caring by the way. Maybe 36.5 if the dark days of Ashley and Bruce come counting.
So, you've all seen the fixtures by now. I personally let Radio Newcastle break the news to me. They ditched the latest news from Tehran to tell us when the first derby was going to be. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would have thoroughly agreed with this. Loyalty points might be a problem though.
Apart from listening to the match when either the stick is buffering more than a french polisher or when I just fancy listening on the radio, it's very rare Radio Newcastle gets my attention, but it did at 9am on a bland Wednesday. Now I know what the moon landings must have felt like.
Am I overplaying this? I'm all for this sort of hyperbole.
I know some of us pretend it's not a big deal, but I really think it is and so it's a December 13th or 14th trip over to Sunderland pre-Christmas. Probably the night after your work party. It's the weekend after the 6th Champions League game so it won't be Friday.
Plus Northumbria Police would have kittens the size of Tigers if a Friday night was suggested. A 12:45 on Sunday is my bet. ‘The polis’ would prefer Saturday, but Sky won't let TNT take that. Unless Liverpool are available.
Either way you are getting on to those double decker buses borrowed from Beamish way before dawn. Dawn being before sunrise, not the woman who doles out the tickets, which you paid for three weeks ago but have not seen before you get on. The derby experience is beautiful isn't it?
The plan is to ruin their Christmas and relegate then them at home. That's supposed to be March 21st, but I'm planning on being at Wembley for the League Cup final again the day after, so God knows. We might end up playing them in June.
Us being us, we could easily have our own Christmas ruined as well. I remember one being ruined in 2014. Luckily within two years, the scorer was in jail and Sunderland were in Division Three.
I mean it's a tough start. We play four out of last season's top seven before the second Champions League group game in late September. This can be described as a good thing if they are not fully functioning, but there is also a chance we won't be.
It looks like a bit of a thread within the league this season. A lot of big games are very early on.
Throw Leeds away into the mix and it's a tough but highly enjoyable start. Checking your loyalty points are you? Like Sunderland, Leeds is always a very emotive, tough fixture. Newly promoted or not.
I noticed TNT has picked us for the first day. It seems they can all do a TV pick two months in advance now, but can't do that when the season starts. We all know Sky will rip the fixtures to shreds.
The Premier League have already warned of changes “because of the clubs’ involvement in Europe”. No it's not, it's because you and Sky couldn't give a toss about the football supporter and are dicks. Not necessarily in that order.
Sky’s power grab of the Amazon games this season will start the slow painful death of any sort of Saturday afternoon programme. You thought the blackout would stop all games being televised? No chance. Sky will move all games to a Sunday instead when they can show EVERY game being played.
Looking at our fixtures, I see Wolves at home being moved to a Friday night and the rest up until October being on a Sunday (Bournemouth will be Saturday 12.45, obviously). Nottingham Forest almost certainly will be moved if they win a qualifier in the Conference League. Newsflash: they will.
The low point of the Premier League's “don’t give a fuck” stakes appears in the shape of the two Tottenham games being midweek. I'm sorry but that is just hopeless if you want to get a train.
I don't think anyone is pretending to care anymore are they?
No boxing day game yet, but Manchester United away probably will get moved. If it does, expect the day after Santy comes down the chimney, as it can’t go the other way because it interferes with Burnley on the 30th. Got that?
Our much awaited first visit to the Hill Dickinson Stadium is on November 29th. It's scheduled for a rare weekend game, which is at least a start, as are the two Liverpool games. The Premier League lifting our ban on going past Warrington in the daylight is welcome news.
It's not a cartel, after all!
The “stop the boats” brigade will be out in force for the last day at Fulham. As in “Stop the boats I need a piss”. That will be some day down there if we have a good season.
Nothing against Fulham but I didn't put Radio Newcastle on when I was supposed to be working to see when we played them at home - it's October 25th for your information. So, three days after we lose to Union St Gilloise in the Champions League and fans are being airlifted home after too much Leffe. I'm not wrong am I?
Anything else? Manchester United at home is on a midweek in early March and book a late Valentines trip away on February 21st. We play Manchester City away then and we already know the script. Save yourself some heartache. Even if you are single, go to the zoo or something.
If you want to know anything else, you know where to go: NUFC.com. It's the best and always will be.
See you at Villa Park via Celtic Park. I predict we will have as many points as we have goalkeepers by the first international break.
Early leaders then.
Scott Robson
Whatever happened to government task forces at least paying lip service to the notion of manageable kick-off times for matchgoing fans. They’ve given up the ghost altogether now. At least tell us a few lies!
Might see you at SJP Scott for our now-annual 3 o’clock kick off:)
Many years ago, I went to the derby at Joker Park with two off duty coppers. Both were mackems so I ended up standing with the scruffs. The game was dire and ended 0 : 0. I was kind of relieved in a way (so were the coppers) since it meant I couldn’t give the game away when we scored. 😂