“The aftermath of a summer, which as Mike Ashley promised, was not devoid of activity at Newcastle United, began on Sunday with a credible two all draw against last season’s surprise package, Southampton. Any residual sympathy for the memory of John Carver and Steve Stone had vanished quickly with an encouraging first half display. New signing Georginio Wijnaldum quickly endeared himself to the fans soon after half time with a quite sensational header. Despite this, new manager, sorry head coach, Steve McClaren seemed to be frantically reaching for the phone at every break in play. Rumours his Geordie accent is already almost as broad of Paul Gascoigne’s have yet to be confirmed.” backpagefootball

“Newcastle United and Southampton entered the 2015-16 season on the back of contrasting campaigns the last time around. The Magpies endured a tumultuous campaign with relegation a real possibility towards the latter stages. Southampton on the other hand were a revelation as they put behind a mass exodus to thrive in what was Ronald Koeman’s first season in charge.” Outside of the Boot

“Over the past few seasons, there has been much to admire about the way Southampton football club go about their business. From the development of young players and establishment of a state of the art training complex, to the ‘easy on the eye’ style of their play, it’s easy to see why clubs from across the continent have been casting a jealous eye over proceedings on the south coast on England. While I as Outside of the Boot’s resident Southampton fan could wax lyrical over any aspect of my club, today I intend to look at the one angle that neutrals have only just begun to appreciate – our transfer policy.” Outside of the Boot

“Not all leagues are the same. We know this from looking at different shot profiles between leagues, different levels of parity between leagues, and of course just from watching different leagues ourselves. This creates a problem when we want to compare different players who play in different leagues. Is a goal in La Liga worth the same as a goal in the Premier League? It’s hard to know and we usually base our opinions on these issues by anecdotally comparing the performances of players who have played in multiple leagues. There are better ways however to do these comparisons using data.” StatsBomb

“Nuno Espirito Santo seems to be getting his wheels in motion to upset the apple cart in the UEFA Champions League, with a two-legged play-off match on the horizon. A 4-1 drubbing to Bayern Munich excluded, Valencia have been producing solid displays in their pre-season and will look to take the next step this season – to return to the competition that broke their hearts at the turn of the century: the Champions League.” Outside of the Boot

“As a player, Phillip Cocu was a midfield general who also had an eye for a goal or two. During his professional career he was famously known for his spell with Barcelona which saw him become the most capped foreign player in the club’s history until Lionel Messi came along. Over the 6 years he featured 291 times scoring 31 times in all competitions. Towards the end of his Barcelona spell he couldn’t agree contract terms with them and decided to return to his beloved PSV Eindhoven who he has now come to manage.” Outside of the Boot

Tactical Philosophy: Ronny Deila
“Coming from a less attractive footballing country in Norway, Ronny Deila was a surprise to many Celtic fans across the world. However, he did have success to back up his managerial ability. Starting off in management at Stromsgodset during the 2007/2008 season, his team struggled against relegation. This was later overshadowed by winning the Norwegian Cup in 2010 and later becoming champions of Norway in 2013. Gaining attraction from European clubs, Deila was eventually appointed as manager of Celtic in June 2014.” Outside of the Boot

Tactical Philosophy: Nuno Espirito Santo
“The whistle is blown. The stadium erupts. The gentleman jumps into the air, fist pumping, before passionately embracing his assistant. The bald, bronze-skinned tactician pointed at the fans with his utmost passion. His actions resembled a thanking feeling, appreciation for the moments of success, a token of unity and respect between himself and the Valencianistes. The feeling is grasped – the glory days are slowly returning to the fierce and vociferous Mestalla, an arena now overwhelmed by the overzealous enthusiasm generated through the voices of more than 50,000 fiery supporters.” Outside of the Boot

“The posters are everywhere around AFC Bournemouth’s newly christened Vitality Stadium. In the reception area, down the corridors, in the gents, they all eagerly speak of the future. … With time rapidly diminishing, Bournemouth’s neat, confined little stadium was frantic during the week with last-minute upgrades. There was work being done on the pitch, on the surrounds, on the media section in the main stand: all are being improved ahead of the new competition. The huge photographs that decorate the ends of the stands to celebrate the club’s march up the divisions are being updated to include the jubilant scenes of last season’s Championship victory.” Telegraph

“Thomas Tuchel is one of these new up and coming coaches who never played at the highest level. He grew up in a tiny Bavarian town named Krumbach near Augsburg. At the age of 15, he joined FC Augsburg where he won the German youth cup twice in 1991 and 1992. Finishing his youth career, Tuchel signed for the second-tier side Stuttgarter Kickers. However, having made 8 appearances during his first professional season, the second season at Stuttgart was a disappointment, as he was dropped from the first team. Afterwards, he joined the Ralf Rangnick-coached SSV Ulm in the third division where he played in 69 matches for the Swabians in 4 years before ending his active career due to a chronic cartilage injury in 1998.” Outside of the Boot

Tactical Philosophy: Unai Emery
“Unai Emery’s father, grandfather and uncle were professional football players and it was in Emery’s genes to follow their footsteps. But the journey was not an easy one for the Basque. After representing Real Sociedad five times at the senior level, Emery was booted out. He spent most of his time playing for lower division clubs until an injury put an end to his playing career during his time at Lorca Deportiva.” Outside of the Boot