This time next week...

...we'll be top of the league...ish.

Just 6 days to go until the start of a promising-looking season. Our opponents have successfully arrived into their second ever top-flight season having impressed in their first. Having beaten us twice in the Souness era at the JJB, we made easy work of the Latics upon their first visit to SJP during the Roeder revival, despite going behind early to a spectacular Jimmy Bullard freekick. Man of the match that day was a certain double-scorer Mr Shearer and Mr Owen had just resumed proper training. No such striking luxury this Saturday, as of yet anyway, but Shola will be hoping for better luck this time after being forced off the pitch with broken teeth not long into a first half that brought an incredible five forced substitutions due to injury.

The key this Saturday is to start fast, and in an ideal world, which being a Toon fan doesn't generally allow, we'll be 2-0 up by half time and we'll finish it off sometime during the second. I am aware that it is very dangerous to be optimistic for the first game of the season, although bar last season's Souness-hindered opening day at Highbury (where we were actually robbed by a 32nd minute sending off and a penalty that shouldn't have been in the 80th minute) our record on opening day isn't so terrible.

I had an enjoyable Saturday, not only watching ex-Mag James Coppinger's Doncaster Rovers at the Earth Stadium that hosted and saw off Premiership opposition last season, but coming home to see news of S*nderland's third straight lower league defeat and extend their point-less home league non-winning record to a somewhat unbelievable tally, even for them.

Season Rescue: 5 days