10 Things We Learned From Sheffield United 2-2 Newcastle

7. Quick-Fire Tours To America Are Not Good Pre-Season Preparation... Who'd Have Thought It?

When your head coach is even criticising your club's pre-season scheduling and preparations, you know that bad decisions have been made. Everyone knows Newcastle went to the USA on a quick-fire 11-day tour for commercial reasons - all Premier League and European sides do this sort of thing nowadays - and not for the perfect pre-season preparation. Steve McClaren has hinted many times that, had he been in charge when the pre-season schedule had been drawn up, the Magpies would not have flown the length and breadth of the US inside nine days before returning for a game in south Yorkshire just a few days later. Reiterating those comments, McClaren told NUFCTV that Newcastle "got through" the game - with most of the players still shattered from the tour of the States. He said (NUFCTV, paywall):

"Unfortunately, this is the schedule we had put before us and we have had to deal with it. "I think we got through it (without injuries), that was the main thing. This was always going to be a difficult game, two or three days after 11 days in America. "I think we started well and as the game went on, the legs just weren€™t willing to move. I thought they (Sheffield United) were a very good team."

Money dominates football nowadays, and that's why Newcastle headed for the States. Let's hope it doesn't affect them too adversely come the start of the 2015-16 Premier League season though...