Newcastle United's 2015-16 fixtures announced

Steve McClaren's Newcastle United tenure will start with a home fixture against Southampton, after the official Premier League fixtures for the 2015-16 season were released today.

McClaren will be under immense pressure from the fans to deliver a good start to life as St James' Park, and will have to get the ball rolling quickly as the Magpies meet two of last season's top four clubs - Arsenal and Manchester United before the opening month draws to an end.

Sunderland home and away are always fixtures that Newcaste fans look out for, as they look to win their only derby games of the season. They've had a dreadful record against the Black Cats recently, but will get the chance to end their bad run on October 24 as they visit the Stadium of Light. The return fixture has been scheduled for March 19.

Newcastle were the first team to defeat eventual champions Chelsea last season, winning 2-1 at home. They'll be looking to repeat that feat fairly early on in the season, as the Blues come up north on September 26.

The festive period presents some tough games for Newcastle, as they host Everton on boxing day before travelling to West Bromwich Albion and Arsenal in the six day period after that.

Mid-table was where Newcastle lay for the majority of last season, and it looked like they would finish there before John Carver took the reigns from Alan Pardew in January. Carver led the team to a disastarous run, losing nine games straight, and it took a 2-0 victory over West Ham on the final day to prevent relegation.

If they were to be dragged into a 'basement battle' this time around, fans can be more confident in their survival, as they only face two of last season's top six sides in their final 11 games.

Newcastle's season concludes on August 15th, with a home game against Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham Hotspur.