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Simpson Setting The Standards Stateside
Written by Newcastle Utd
Assistant coach Paul Simpson believes Newcastle's trip to the USA will be an invaluable experience for the players and staff
By Dan King - Newcastle United Digital Editor
Paul Simpson believes that Newcastle's pre-season trip to the United States of America is the perfect opportunity for the Magpies' new coaching staff to learn more about the players.
United touched down in Chicago on Sunday and are now based in Milwaukee for the next few days as they prepare to take on Mexican side Club Atlas at Miller Park on Tuesday (kick-off 8pm local time).
And while head coach Steve McClaren will be looking to ensure that the team gels on the pitch, Simpson knows that it's vital that they click off it too.
The squad awoke to a thunder storm on Monday morning but the weather looks to be improving ahead of an open training session at Marquette University's Valley Fields facility, where the players will meet supporters as well as going through their paces before Tuesday's match.
Newcastle will also play against Sacramento Republic on Saturday, 18th July (kick-off 8pm local time) and Portland Timbers on Tuesday, 21st July (kick-off 7.30pm local time) and will have covered about 11,000 miles by the time they land back on Tyneside later this month.
But assistant coach Simpson told nufc.co.uk: "I think it's always important to get everybody together so we can learn to live with each other, because during a football season the players probably spend more time with the rest of the group than they do with their own family.
"You don't have to be best friends with each other but you've got to respect each other and you've got to have an understanding of what ticks the boxes for each other.
"That'll be really important through the season so on this trip away, 11 days or whatever it might be, being in hotels together, a lot of travelling together, being involved in games, being involved in training situations in a different environment; it's how they all deal with it.
"We'll learn things about the players and I'm quite sure they'll learn stuff about the staff as well - what we like and what we don't like.
"The whole process is evolving at the moment. We're learning lots about each other and hopefully it'll lead to us having an enjoyable season."