Brilliant from Dan Burn - Watch first press conference as Newcastle United captain
Dan Burn, the new captain of Newcastle United, was on post-match presser duty after Sunday's pre-season clash with Strasbourg.
Possibly sick of journalists asking the same questions, Jaissle sent his new skipper to face the media. This was a good chance for Burn to chat to the media and get his message out, having just landed the armband and returned from his post-World Cup break.
Burn was asked about being the captain, the turmoil of the manager change, and what he wants the club to aim for in the season ahead.
Pride, patience and European football
The first question was the most potent; Burn had just captained his boyhood club at St James’ Park and spoke with pride about another dream moment in his career.
“Yeah, very proud to be named club captain. Something you can't really dream of when you are a kid.
"But that was a dream for me very early on to be a captain of Newcastle. Really looking forward to leading the lads in the season ahead.”
It was also Burn’s first game under Jaissle, and he noted that time is required for the squad as we build up to Sunday's season opener against Liverpool.
“When we played well with structure, when we scored the goal, we played well. I felt like we did well; there’s still going to be things we need to learn, and learn quickly going into the new season.
"We feel very ready; we’re not going to peak against Liverpool; it’s going to take time for us to embed his ideas. We’ve got a good week this week, and I’m sure we’ll learn a lot.”
Burn was asked what he expects from this season, and with Jaissle less keen to nail down a target, Burn was certainly ready to set his stall out, naming Europe as the team's key ambition.
“We want to be pushing for European places again.
"We didn’t get that last season, and we wanted to get back-to-back European seasons, but we didn’t. So for me, I still want us to be up there fighting.”
Patience is key
If there’s one thing football fans famously don’t have, it’s patience. But that’s what both Burn and Jaissle want from the fans.
The pressure will be off Jaissle at the start; he clearly needs more time with the team, and he himself suggested there have been too many games since he arrived.
The team has a big week of training before Liverpool on Sunday, and Ross Wilson faces the vital task of adding new recruits, beyond new right back Amar Dedić.
A huge few days ahead. Let's hope minds are focused and some good will come after a rough end to pre-season for a squad in dire need of a boost.
