Newcastle United have had to change their plans ahead of the Aston Villa tie
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe
Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe (Image: PA)
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It feels like it's been raining for about three months solid. The wet weather has put a serious dampener on the start of 2026 and the football season is being heavily impacted.
At professional level, the disruption is minimal with Premier League clubs like Newcastle United having state of the art training facilities, indoors and out, and superb playing conditions like St James' Park.
Gone are the days of players dragging themselves through muddy surfaces that closer resemble a farmer's field than a football pitch. Those old clips of 1970s games are a sight to behold.
However, the bad weather is starting to have an impact a bit further than the grassroots game. While non-league games are being called off right, left and centre - and several top-flight games in Scotland have also bitten the dust in recent weeks - Newcastle have survived the conditions.
Their pre-match preparations for Saturday evening's FA Cup tie against Aston Villa, however, have had to be changed because of the persistent downpours this week.
The Magpies were due to train at St James' Park on Friday as part of their preparation for the trip to Villa. It's not uncommon for the club to hold a session there, although the majority of their work is done at Benton.
However, the rain and conditions have left the pitch saturated and in need of protection, even though it will be 11 days before they are due to play there again, against Qarabag in the second leg of their Champions League tie.
Eddie Howe had planned on holding his pre-match Press conference at the stadium, rather than the usual venue of the media centre at the training ground, before holding a tactics session out on the pitch.
Those plans have had to be shelved though, with the poor weather and potential impact on the stadium pitch meaning the players will now put the finishing touches to their preparations at the training ground.
Howe, who is meticulous in his approach to preparation, has bemoaned the fact that he has had little time on the training ground over the last few months due to Newcastle's hectic schedule. The Magpies have not had a free midweek since the November international break.
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