Hello and welcome to the Newcastle United live blog for Friday June 1. There some positive news for Newcastle United with Rafa Benitez set to continue at the club next season as Lee Charnley says he will backed in the summer market. The Spaniard has a contract which runs until the summer of 2019, but is focused on the job of strengthening the Magpies squad. Benitez is keen for United to kick on from their top-10 finish last season and build a side which can challenge for cups and push for European places. Meanwhile it looks as though Mike Ashley will continue his ownership of the club in the near future, with a reported asking price around the £400m. We will have all the latest inside the Magpies camp - including transfer and takeover news surrounding United. Join the Chronicle NUFC team for all the latest from St James' Park .<doc-sep>Get the latest Hull City news straight to your inbox with our daily Tigers newsletter Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Hull City have announced plans to host Newcastle United in a pre-season friendly next month. The Tigers will play Rafa Benitez’s side at the KCOM Stadium on Tuesday 24 July at 7.45pm, with the Magpies set to provide a stern test a week-and-a-half before the new Championship season is due to begin. The visit of Newcastle is the fourth pre-season friendly to be revealed by the club, with games against Portuguese sides Maritimo and Braga planned during the club’s pre-season trip to Portugal, before City travel to the Crown Oil Arena to face League One side Rochdale on 21 July. More pre-season fixtures are expected to be announced in due course before the season gets underway the weekend of Saturday August 4. Get the Hull Live app It's completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and what’s on information. You can download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple's App Store , or get the Android version from Google Play<doc-sep>The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel Get the latest NUFC updates, transfer and takeover news straight to your inbox for FREE by signing up to our newsletter Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Newcastle United have confirmed their pre-season schedule ahead of the 2018/19 campaign. The Magpies will again head to Ireland for a summer boot camp but this year their trip to Emerald Isle will include a friendly game against St. Patrick’s Athletic. Rafa Benitez’s side have jetted to Ireland for the last two summers to help prepare for their Championship title win in 2017 and last term’s 10th place finish. A standout fixture away to FC Porto later in the month will then give Newcastle a quality test against the former Champions League winners meaning a sunshine trip to Portugal lies in store for the Toon Army this summer. The Magpies will also take on Hull City away and there will be a home fixture against FC Augsburg at St James’ Park in August. Newcastle have also confirmed there will be a further friendly game, to take place on August 1, announced in due course. How United’s summer fixture list is shaping up<doc-sep>The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel Get the latest NUFC updates, transfer and takeover news straight to your inbox for FREE by signing up to our newsletter Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Newcastle United have confirmed their pre-season plans ahead of the 2018-19 season as Rafa Benitez sets about getting his squad ready for another challenging campaign. The Spaniard takes his side back to Co. Kildare in Ireland as they return to Carton House, where they were last pre-season. The Magpies will have a week-long training camp before taking on St. Patrick’s Athletic, Hull City, F.C Porto and F.C Augsburg with one more home fixture still to be announced. Benitez was keen not to take his team too far and this schedule will allow fans to travel to watch United. Here’s everything you need to know about United’s opponents. St Patrick’s Athletic - July 17, 2018 History The club were founded in 1929 and are known as the Saints. They play in the Airtricity Premier League division. They last won the league back in 2013 for the first time since the 2001-02 season. Their most recent success was in 2016, when they won the league Cup. Who is their current manager? It’s Liam Buckley who is now in his seventh season as manager. He was also in charge between 1998-1999, having also played for the Saints between 1992-1997. Buckley represented the Republic of Ireland twice. At Athletic he’s won the league title twice, FAI Cup, the League Cup and presidents’ Cup. The 2017-18 season - how did they do? As Ireland is a summer league, it’s still ongoing. They’re currently 5th with 20 games to go. In the Premier Division there are 10 sides who play each other four times and the season runs from February to October. St Patrick’s Athletic, along with Bohemians, are the only sides not to be relegated from the Irish top flight (Image: Newcastle Chronicle) The stadium - Richmond Park, Dublin Based in Inchicore it has a capacity of just over 5,300 of which 2,800 is seated. Athletic are planning to move from Richmond Park to a brand new facility with a 12,000 capacity. Who do we need to watch out for? Chris Fagan is the man up top for goals. He only has 1 in the first 9 games this season but with 93 goals since 2012 for the Saints, he’ll be looking to cause some issues for Newcastle’s defence. Hull City - July 24, 2018 History Founded in 1904, they reached the top flight of English football for the first time in 2007-08. They were relegated in 2014-15 partly thanks to Newcastle securing a last day win against West Ham. Who is their current manager? It’s Nigel Adkins who has been in charge since December 2017, replacing Leonid Slutsky as the Tigers faced a relegation battle in the Championship. The 2017-18 season - How did they do? Not good. They finished 18th and were embroiled in a fight for survival for large parts of it. They’ll be hoping for the play-offs next season. The Stadium - The KCOM Seats 25,500 and is also home to Hull’s rugby league side. Who do we need to watch out for? Jarrod Bowen. The 20-year-old striker has been linked with a move to Newcastle United after scoring 14 goals this season. (Image: Getty Images Europe) F.C Porto - July 28, 2018 History This game will make up part of Porto’s 125th anniversary celebrations. They are one of Portugal’s most successful teams with 75 trophies to their name including the Champions League under Jose Mourinho back in 2003-04. Porto were also managed by Sir Bobby Robson who won two league titles and a cup. Who is their current manager? It’s Sergio Conceicao, a winger who played for some of Europe’s biggest clubs including Inter Milan and Lazio. He had two spells at Porto as a player before joining as manager in June 2017. The 2017-18 season - how did they do? Conceicao led Porto their first league title in five years by seven points to Benefica who finished second. They got to the last 16 in the Champions League and the semi-finals in the domestic Portuguese cups. The Stadium - Estadio do Dragao (Image: Getty Images Europe) It has a capacity of 50,300 and is one of the biggest in Portugal. Who do we need to watch out for? There’s quite a few. Strikers Vincent Aboubakar and Moussa Marega hit 47 goals between them in all competitions while Danilo Pereira has been linked to Arsenal and Manchester United. F.C Augsburg - August, 4 2018 History Founded in 1907 the Fuggerstädter haven’t had it easy. They have been a bit of a yo-yo team in recent decades and they fell as far as the fourth division back in 2000-01. But after financial issues the club returned to the Bundesliga – gaining promotion in the 2010-11 season. Who is there current manager? It’s Manuel Baum who had been the side’s youth coach. He was promoted to head coach in December 2016. The 2017-18 season - how did they do? They finished 12th - eight points above the drop zone. Who do we have to watch out for? Left-back Philipp Max who has created 13 goals this season playing at left-back. He’s a target for Everton.<doc-sep>
Rafa Benitez has now got his preferred destination fully booked up when it comes to pre-season for Newcastle United. The Magpies will return to the plush surroundings of Carton House in Ireland as they look to build on their top 10 finish in the Premier League last season. And Benitez can rest easy knowing that he can get the required work-loads he needs to be completed without the distraction of long-haul travel or exhausting fixture schedules which have badly affected the Magpies’ fortunes in recent times. Indeed, before Benitez arrived as the boss, United were suffering from a tough pre-season in the United States under Steve McClaren which included a two-week stay in Milwaukee, Sacramento, and Portland. That year it took McClaren’s side eight games to record a win and by the time Benitez arrived the team were staring relegation in the face. The States experience was brilliant for the supporters who were able to make the hop over the pond, and of course the masses of Toon fans based in the US. Boosting the club’s name in North America is still important to the club, but it’s about getting that schedule exactly right. An awkward flight schedule around the States contributed to a bad start to the season in the eyes of McClaren. That non-stop tour of 2015 in America was replaced by relative tranquillity in Ireland a year later when Benitez used a week-long stay in Maynooth to lay the foundations for the club’s Championship title-winning season. During that week two years ago the decision was made to hand Jamaal Lascelles the captaincy while a new philosophy of sticking together when the chips are down was put in place by the United manager. (Image: Newcastle United) The trip was so much of a success that Benitez opted to do a similar week in Ireland last year before United’s successful campaign in the Premier League. Benitez knows that eventually, Newcastle will end up back on a promotional tour in either the States again, China, or Australia. The revenue to be made on long-haul tours is too good and United are hardly going to turn it down. However, for now, Newcastle could not be spending pre-season in a better place in the eyes of Benitez. Carton House has been used by Real Madrid, the British Lions and Irish Lions and AC Milan in recent years. Speaking about the venue last year Benitez said: “It’s a nice place and the weather is sunny and when you have the right conditions for training as a manager everything is OK. “We have the gym and pitches. “We have plenty of time here so everything is good. They can play games and watch TV together. They can use the PlayStation after training and they have some activities like last year. “I think it’s important for them to spend more time together. The facilities are very good.” There was still room for some promotional activity last year in Dublin too as United’s star players and Benitez made their way to Sports Direct in the city centre to meet fans, sign shirts, and promote the club’s new kit. Benitez’s side will also play a game against St Patrick’s Athletic FC at Richmond Park meaning the short hop to Ireland will this year provide the season’s first away trip. It promises to be a positive start to the 2018/19 campaign for Benitez and his players. The pre-season schedule so far: Tue 17.07.2018 St. Patrick’s Athletic (Ireland) (a) 7.45pm Tue 24.07.2018 Hull City (England) (a) 7.45pm Sat 28.07.2018 FC Porto (Portugal) (a) KO tbc Wed 01.08.2018 opposition tbc (a) Sat 04.08.2018 FC Augsburg (Germany) (h) 3pm