11 Things Newcastle Fans Want To See From Magpies During Gateshead Friendly

8. See The Impact Cathro's "High Press And Defensive Shape" Has Had Already

Much fanfare has surrounded Newcastle's addition of former Valencia coach Ian Cathro on to Steve McClaren's backroom staff. He is seen as one of the most-exciting coaches in Europe and it is expected that he will revolutionise the way a Newcastle side who looked short of ideas and lacking in energy last season will play going forward. The Magpies threw open their Benton training base to the media on Thursday and Cathro was displayed overseeing a coaching drill in a game-style environment in which he wanted the players to show a "high press and a defensive shape". It's fair to say such a system has not been employed at Newcastle in recent memory, so it will be intriguing to see whether or not that has already translated into the players' psyche by kick-off at the International Stadium. Cathro also believes in the power of technical ability, so let's hope we see Newcastle attempting to play the ball along the ground and move forward with it. Ideas were in short supply on the pitch for Newcastle last season, so let's hope they arrive at the International Stadium. That could also mean Mike Williamson is quickly jettisoned from the starting line-up too...