This will be a rushed blog, the Premier League season is less than 24 hours away and there is a lot to fit in, but we'll start with the most recent development to have taken place at Newcastle United, the departure of left back Jose Enrique to Liverpool.
Enrique swapping the North-East for the North-West should hardly come as a shock, the Spaniard has been making disapproving noises about the club's transfer policy for a while and has seemed a distracted player ever since Andy Carroll left for Anfield back in January. The former Villareal man also stayed quiet throughout the second half of last season and has done so for the majority of the pre-season period.
In the end it was something of a no-brainer for the club as they elected to accept a bid reported to be around £6m from Liverpool, rather than lose him for nothing at the end of this season.
Two questions spring to mind following Enrique's move:
1) Why did Newcastle accept an offer so small for a player that has improved considerably during his time at the club?
2) What now for Newcastle at the left back position?
No one aside from messrs Pardew, Ashley and Llambias knows the answer to the first question, but one thing is for sure, a figure of £6m is a considerably low one for a player that has been talked about as one of the best at his position in the country.
Newcastle fans will naturally be disappointed to lose a player of Enrique's calibre, the Spaniard is excellent in one-on-one situations and also possesses an impressive delivery and bags of pace. The supporters will demand a replacement as quickly as possible and the noises coming from Holland suggest that they may get one in the shape of PSV's Dutch international Erik Pieters.
I confess to knowing little about the 23 year old Pieters, but after a reported fall-out with PSV coach Fred Rutten, Pieters has apparently expressed his desire to leave the Eindhoven club and negotiations between the two clubs have reportedly now opened.
In the short term Newcastle have to come up with a solution for how to replace Enrique for Saturday evening's opening encounter against Arsenal.
Another area where Alan Pardew has a selection dilemma is in the midfield, though this is for entirely different reasons. Newcastle have a wealth of options in the middle of the park with Hatem Ben Arfa the only confirmed absentee. Among the decisions that Alan Pardew has to make is whether to include Joey Barton in his matchday squad.
Yes, Barton, despite his twitter rants criticising the club's board, still remains a Newcastle player and Pardew has refused to close the door on Barton's career at St.James Park and the former Manchester City player has resumed training with the first team squad in the past week.
In spite of the club stating that Barton is free to leave the club for nothing, offers for the midfielder appear to be few with Stoke City and Zenit St-Petersburg the only reported suitors. Neither of these clubs would represent a significant step up from Newcastle and it may be the case that Barton decides to stay in the North-East for the immediate future.
Barton re-invented himself playing on the right hand side of midfield for Newcastle last season as his delivery into the box and range of passing was a major factor in a large number of goals scored by the team in 10/11 campaign.
There is no doubt that it would be fantastic news for the club if Barton does decide to try and repair his relationship with Pardew and the rest of the management at Newcastle, but that reparation process may take a while and two things will have to happen for it to be a successful one.
Firstly, Barton must let his play on the field do the talking, the Huyton-born player is without doubt one of the most entertaining personalities on twitter, but if the player-management is to be a harmonious one then it may be best for Barton to delete the twitter app from his phone.
Finally, and this is key for Newcastle's season in general, the club must replace Enrique and must sign another striker. Investment in the squad will keep Barton and the rest of the squad happy and a new striker is absolutely vital if the club is to make inroads into the top half of the Premier League table. If this happens then Newcastle can look forward to finishing in a strong league position, if not, questions will surely be asked about the atmosphere within the dressing room.
Whatever happens, it is sure to be another exciting season at St. James Park, I have listed my predictions for the season below.
Newcastle:
Key Player: Cheik Tiote - An effective barrier in front of the back four, the holding midfielder is key to Newcastle's success in the middle of the park. They have struggled to retain possession in games when the Ivorian has been absent, whereas they have been able to dictate play more often when he is on the pitch. Go figure.
Most important signing: Demba Ba - Unless Newcastle sign another striker, then there will be a lot of pressure of Ba's shoulders. If he can stay fit and replicate his form of 7 goals in 12 games for West Ham throughout the season, then Newcastle will be sitting pretty in mid-table security.
One to watch: Yohan Cabaye - Pardew has raved about Cabaye's ability to control games, Newcastle will win many battles in midfield if the Frenchman can do so on a regular basis.
Young gun: Haris VuckicVuckic was highly impressive during pre-season scoring in games against Columbus and Leeds and having one disallowed against Orlando. Vuckic is best suited to playing in the hole behind the striker, with Hatem Ben Arfa injured, expect Vuckic to see more action than anticipated this season.
Premier League: 9th - Being forever the optimist, I expect Newcastle will sign another striker, with all players fit Newcastle are comfortably a top ten side and a top half finish will represent further progress, albeit at a slower rate than some fans may desire.
FA Cup: 3rd Round - I'd love us to win the cup, but two things always seem to happen with Newcastle in the FA Cup. They either draw a Premier League team and get knocked out, or draw a lower league side away from home and suffer a giant-killing.
Carling Cup: Semi Final - Seen as a somewhat 'second-rate' competition with the top sides often resting players, I feel this is the competition Newcastle have the best chance to win. I think they will get far in the competition, but run into a Man Utd or Chelsea in the Semis.
General Predictions:
Premier League: Man City - If Man Utd sign Sneijder, then this prediction may change, but as it stands, with City due to sign Samir Nasri, the Eastlands club has the better midfield, and is at least on equal footing with Utd in other areas of the field. If City can get over the mental hurdles presented by Utd and their other challengers, then they will win the title.
2nd Man Utd
3rd Chelsea
4th Spurs
5th Liverpool
6th Arsenal
Relegated: QPR, Norwich, Swansea - Sorry I can't see any other outcome. One may do a Hull/Blackpool strong early start, but none of the squads capable of staying in the division.
FA Cup: Man Utd
Carling Cup: Liverpool
Champions League: Barcelona - Explanation? Still the best team in the World and they will show it, again.
Europa League: Paris Saint-Germain - The French Man City, bags of money and they know how to use it. Once the team gels they will be a force to be reckoned with.
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