ROLANDO Aarons can do little wrong at the moment. The 18-year-old – who impressed throughout pre-season for Newcastle United – provided the most memorable moment of yesterday’s open training session at St James’s Park. A stunning left-foot volley which went in off the underside of the bar during an 8-a-side game led to gasps from the several thousand supporters in attendance. It was just a small glimpse into the talent of Aarons, who looked lively throughout the 90-minute session. Of course, little could be learned from the day – after all, even Mike Williamson netted with a left-foot volley of his own. However, the likes of Aarons – who is pushing for a role in Sunday’s Premier League opener with Manchester City – and the club’s summer signings helped to make it an enjoyable morning on Tyneside. Fans – particularly of the younger generation – were afforded the rare opportunity to see what normally goes on behind closed doors on the training ground. There was a chance to see the club’s summer signings up close, while about 100 young fans gained entry to a signing session with the players after training. It is all a world away from the mood which surrounded Newcastle at the tail-end of last season, when Alan Pardew was barracked and optimism in the stands was at an all-time low after an abysmal end to the campaign. Pardew was afforded a positive reception from the fans at St James’s Park yesterday, and he and the players appear to be back in the good books of many supporters – for now. The positivity garnered from the club’s decision to bring in nine new signings will only last for so long, and early-season wins will be crucial. However, Pardew and his players have a stay of execution, and now need to take advantage of that. Yesterday’s training session started when United’s summer signings were introduced one by one, and they were then joined by the rest of their team-mates in front of a close to capacity East Stand. They lined up in their new home shirts, while the club announced it had signed a long-term extension with kit supplier Puma. Twenty-seven players were in attendance, although Siem De Jong and Cheik Tiote – both extremely doubtful for the Manchester City match – trained alone. There was also the welcome sight of Ryan Taylor kicking a ball at St James’s Park for the first time in almost two years, although he did not take a full part in the session. Hatem Ben Arfa was nowhere to be seen – he also cancelled a planned meet and greet with fans on the same day – while goalkeeper Rob Elliot missed training. Two-touch and one-touch passing drills, as well as a possession-based game, demonstrated the new style Pardew is hoping to implement this season, while John Carver and Steve Stone took charge for most of the session. Training continued with an 8-a-side game, which featured Aarons’ stunning strike, and finished with crossing and finishing drills. Speaking to the fans afterwards, Pardew said: “We’ve got some fantastic new players this year. “We hope this will be a season that will be remembered for a long time. “We’ve certainly got more options, and if a game is not going well, we will be able to change things with offensive players from the bench. “The atmosphere here has been fantastic, and hopefully we can replicate that against Man City.” There was warm applause for Pardew, while marquee summer signing Remy Cabella showed off his skills by hitting the crossbar in a challenge after training with competition winners. He also dispatched a penalty past Tim Krul in a penalty shoot-out involving fans, and showed a mischievous and light-hearted side to his character when interacting with supporters. It was a day for, in particular, the younger Newcastle fans to enjoy, and optimism appears to be flowing on Tyneside. Now it’s time for this new-look United team to deliver on its potential, with just four days left until the opener against the Premier League champions. It’s down to business. Shields Gazette.
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 09:39:31 +0000
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015