After an unbeaten pre-season and having bolstered the squad with further expensive recruits, optimism was high ahead of an opening day fixture away at Newcastle United.

Our hosts, having qualified for the Champions League and after careful recruitment in the close season, presented a more than reasonable test from which to gauge our aspirations for 2023/24.

What transpired over 90 minutes was the stuff of footballing nightmares. It was an experience which we must learn from quickly, however much we might simply want to forget.

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Newcastle 5-1 Aston Villa

It’s not a scoreline one wishes to say too loudly, type, or hastily paint onto a bedsheet to adorn The Holte End any time soon.

It is just one game ahead of a long season. There were some contentious moments. But, this was not a display that can merely be brushed off with a simple cliche such as a ‘bad day at the office’.
Let’s address the bad fortune first.

The loss of Emi Buendia to a horror knee injury (sustained in training) just days before the new campaign cannot be understated. The Argentine had found his verve under Emery and was central to his plans. The 26-year-old is anticipated unlikely to appear until next term in what can only be considered a major blow.

The other bad fortune came during the game itself. Mings, chasing down what turned out to be a dead ball before the referee’s assistant flagged, fell awkwardly after an innocu...