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Newcastle rival asks for special treatment and home game in first Premier League fixtures

7 years ago
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The 2017/18 Premier League fixtures will be released at 9am on Wednesday morning.

The next year of your life mapped out…

However, it has been revealed that one club has asked for special treatment when it comes to their opening game.

In the past you have seen examples which are fair enough, such as when stadiums are being redeveloped and clubs ask for the first match or two to be away games, allowing them extra time to make sure work is completed.

On this occasion though it is a bit different, with Brighton having asked the Premier League if they can have the first game at home because…it will be their first ever match in the Premier League!

The Argus reporting:

‘The Seagulls have made a special request for their opening game on August 12, 13 or 14 to be at the Amex in recognition of their first appearance in the Premier League and the launch of their first campaign in the top flight since 1983.’

Quite amusing really, especially if they are given a home match and end up getting hammered in front of their own expectant fans.

Maybe Newcastle could have asked for the first half dozen games to be at home against the weaker teams, just you know, in honour of the fact that they have bounced back as champions at the first attempt.

As usual, there have been alleged leaked fixtures floating around – this happens pretty much every season and I have never seen any of them proved to have been correct.

Just out of interest though, the one doing the rounds this morning claims that Newcastle will be at home to Manchester United in the opening Premier League fixtures – but the game moved for TV (first lot of live TV fixtures won’t be released until early July) to a 4pm kick-off on the Sunday (13 August). Also, on this list it is claimed that Brighton will be away at Tottenham and supposedly that game to be moved to a lunchtime kick-off on the Sunday (13 August).

I have no doubt that this ‘leak’ will have as many holes in it as the ones in previous years but interesting to see if Brighton have been given a home match or not (***Fixtures now released and Brighton start with game v Manchester City at home….).

Ahead of the fixture release former NUFC boss Chris Hughton had this to say to The Argus as he and Brighton return to the top tier along with Rafa and Newcastle:

Hughton told The Argus: “It’s a big day for any club, but it will be a bigger day for us, a realisation of Premier League football.

“You would like a home fixture (for first match) but you probably want a fixture list that comes out as a decent spread.

“It can go either way. You can end up having a really difficult start, but as long as there’s an even spread I think we’ll be happy.

“The last thing you want is, on paper, a really difficult start.

“Results breed confidence. For us in the Premier League a decent start will be different to a decent start in the Championship.

“We have to make sure that we are all realistic about the levels we are up against and determining what are good results and what are not good results.”

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