New signing Georginio Wijnaldum has said ‘Next stop America’ as he belatedly flies off to join up with his new teammates.

Paul Simpson has been talking about how important pre season is, in terms of preparation for the season and especially players/staff bonding.

How will the Newcastle squad flying to America shape up compared to these players who travelled to New Zealand last summer?

Promoters of Newcastle’s New Zealand tour insist Tim Krul will be on the plane even if Holland make the World Cup final.

Like I tell my kids when they’ve got whatever going on at school, ‘just do your best, that is all that counts’.

If only Mike Ashley would take notice.

Newcastle United’s pre-season was thrown into chaos last summer, when the club’s proposed tour to South Africa was abruptly halted with the cancellation of the ‘Vodacom Challenge’. It is now reported that last summer’s failure hasn’t put Newcastle United off and that they will be travelling to South Africa in July.

Following this Summer’s chaotic pre-season, Derek Llambias has been talking up a possible jaunt to Brazil in 2013. Having seen the Summer 2012 tour to South Africa cancelled, Dekka had…