Pre-season Plans Over the weekend of July 31st & Aug 1st Tyneside is scheduled to host Rangers, Feyenoord and Sporting Lisbon and their followers -a combination which, if nothing else, should ensure the local constabulary get a strenuous pre-season workout.... All three sides tried without success to stop our run to Fairs Cup glory in 1969 and our paths have crossed on numerous occasions since then, most notably the Rotterdamers last season in the Champions League. Sir Bobby gets the opportunity of facing another of his former clubs, the Portuguese having visited us in a similar event back in 1992 when Robson was Sporting boss. And it hardly needs to be written that the recently-appointed head coach of Feyenoord is quite well known round these parts - no doubt Alan Shearer will be at the airport to welcome him back.....
