Welcome back to the Amex Stadium for this afternoon’s visit of Newcastle United
We go into today’s game buoyed by last Sunday’s opening-day victory at Manchester United. We deserved our win, and I was particularly pleased with the way the players took the game to the opposition in the first half. In the second half we showed a different side to our game, as we defended so resolutely.
We knew we would have to ‘suffer’ for spells, certainly once United got back into the game with their goal, but the players stood up to the challenge, in a testing environment. We are proud to record our first-ever win at Old Trafford – but once we were back on the training ground the next morning our focus was very much on Newcastle and the tough challenge that we face today. Eddie Howe and his coaching staff have done a tremendous job since their appointment last year. They are a club where the momentum is very much with them and we will need to show the same levels that we reached last weekend if we are to pick up a similar result.
It’s still early days in the season and while a 2-1 victory at Manchester United is an excellent start, we must not get ahead of ourselves. I have said several times ahead of the new season that for us the Premier League is a twofold challenge. We know there is tremendous quality in every team at this level and to pick up any win in this division is difficult, so our first and most important target is to ensure our status. The sooner we hit that target the further we can stretch our ambitions. It’s a well-worn cliché of mine, I know, but it really is a case of taking each game at a time. Even the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool will take the same approach, and we know that on any given week the challenge will be a difficult one.
We have, of course, lost Yves Bissouma and Marc Cucurella this summer – two excellent players who I’m sure will continue to blossom at their new clubs, and I wish them well. Their departures, however, open the door for other players at the club and I’m very pleased with the squad we have right now and the competition for places. We have that important mix of experience and youth, and there’s a real togetherness, a unity, amongst the group. We are always looking to see if we can improve the squad further while the window is open, but my immediate focus is to work with the players who are already here and help them to get the very best out of their undoubted talents.
Finally, I’d like to thank those fans who made the long journey up to Manchester last weekend. The noise you created was fantastic, albeit not unexpected. Let’s have more of the same today as we saw at the end of last season just how the crowd here at the Amex can really help the team in terms of performance and results.
Enjoy the game and the season ahead.
Graham