Premier League release may offer clues on what's to come at Newcastle as Ashley ghost banished

This felt like a different sort of fixture release day. For the first time in a long while, Newcastle United supporters can look ahead to a new season with justified optimism. In fact, it said it all that bookmakers are not even listing Newcastle among the candidates for relegation as they so often did during the Ashley era. The Magpies are no longer even in the conversation.

On the surface, it looks one of the most balanced set of fixtures Newcastle have been handed in years, but a challenging opening month will tell us a lot about this side and offer some clues on what is to come. Newcastle start the season at home against a newly-promoted outfit, Nottingham Forest, which is never straightforward, and then travel to Brighton, who finished ninth last season, before welcoming champions Man City to St James' Park. Newcastle face Wolves on the road a week later before meeting Liverpool at Anfield on August 31.

It serves as a contrast to last season when Newcastle were handed a reasonable enough start against West Ham, Aston Villa, Southampton, Manchester United and Leeds. However, the Magpies failed to race out of the blocks and only took two points from those games and quickly dropped into the relegation zone under Steve Bruce.

Eddie Howe ultimately succeeded Bruce in November, a few weeks after the takeover was completed, but Newcastle had already played 11 league games by then. The Magpies' head coach inherited a group who were low on confidence, who had forgotten how to win and how to see games out, and it took time for results to improve. Indeed, it is easy to forget that Howe won just one of his opening nine Premier League fixtures.

It goes without saying that Newcastle simply cannot afford a similar start this