IT always felt as though Steve McClaren’s honeymoon as Newcastle United head coach was likely to be a short one, and Wednesday’s release of the fixtures for the new season has piled even more pressure onto the new boss’ shoulders.

You have to play everyone at some point, so to a certain degree, the vagaries of the fixture list should count for little once the story of an entire season is penned. In reality, however, the order in which you have to play certain teams matters, and on that score, McClaren can count himself somewhat unfortunate as he looks to start his Newcastle career on the front foot.

While their opening fixture – a home game against Southampton – looks fairly inviting despite their opponents’ fine performance last season, the Magpies will surely have to win either that game or their following match at Swansea City if they are not to be in for a fraught few weeks.

After travelling to the Liberty Stadium, four of Newcastle’s next six games pit them against Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City – the teams that made up the top four last season and who are expected to be competing at the top end of the table again this term.

Such a daunting early run would be a tough challenge for any team, but for a side that is boasting a new head coach, not to mention an anticipated clutch of signings and a remodelled playing style, it has the potential to derail the whole of the first half of the season.

Throw in an October derby with Sunderland – a match that has huge significance as Newcastle look to avoid what would be an unprecedented sixth derby defeat in a row – and there is every chance that judgement will have been passed on McClaren within the opening ten weeks of his St James’ Park reign.

Unfair? Probably. But having walked into one of the most politically-sensitive roles in English club football, McClaren will have to accept that he is there to be shot at from the word go. Get things right early on, and he can begin to quell the fury that exploded into a series of fans’ protests towards the end of last season. Falter, and like many of those before him, he will find himself taking the flak for the Ashley regime.

With that in mind, it is no wonder that McClaren is so keen to get some signings on board quickly. This summer’s pre-season will be more crucial than ever, but while Newcastle are determined to do all they can to land Charlie Austin, the huge amount of interest in the QPR striker means a swift deal is unlikely.

Ashley’s pledge to make a meaningful investment this summer appears to be genuine, but his steadfast refusal to pay over the odds means McClaren could be frustrated if he is banking on some of Newcastle’s current targets arriving before the opening pre-season fixture at Gateshead on July 10. That would be a worry given what now lies in store in the first quarter of the season.

Sunderland’s start looks much more inviting, and after successive campaigns in which the Black Cats have found themselves struggling for momentum in the early stages of the season, Dick Advocaat will be hoping things are different this time around.

The Wearsiders’ opening six fixtures see them entertain Norwich, Swansea and Tottenham, and travel to Leicester, Aston Villa and Bournemouth. Not completely straightforward by any means, but certainly a run of games that offers plenty of potential for early points.

December looks like a difficult month for the Black Cats, with games against Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool dominating the end of the year, but by that stage Advocaat’s side could find themselves in the comfort of mid-table and the challenge would be slightly less daunting as a result.

Unlike the last two seasons, when Sunderland’s home and away schedules were completely unbalanced, the campaign has a much more consistent look to it this time around.

Will that matter? Almost certainly not if Advocaat is unable to maintain the improvement he oversaw at the end of last term, but having received assurances about the level of investment he can expect this summer, the Dutchman can feel relatively optimistic in the wake of Wednesday’s fixture confirmation. If nothing else, with the opening derby coming in October, it will be a major surprise if he is to become the third Sunderland manager in a row to be sacked a matter of days before Newcastle provide the opposition.

Middlesbrough’s early-season challenge will be to avoid a hangover from last month’s Wembley defeat to Norwich City, and to that end, an opening-day trip to Preston is hardly the ideal way to shake off any post-play-off blues.

Deepdale does not have the same appeal as Old Trafford or Stamford Bridge, but the hectic nature of the Championship programme should at least ensure Boro have little opportunity to lick their wounds.

The Teessiders play five matches before the opening international break, with trips to Derby and Sheffield Wednesday also accompanying home matches with Bolton and Bristol City.

Last season, Boro lost three of their opening five games as Aitor Karanka was unable to get his squad assembled before the end of August. Those nine points proved crucial in the final reckoning, and Karanka has already outlined his determination to avoid a repeat this summer.

That could mean eschewing loan deals that cannot be completed until the closure of the transfer window, and it is surely telling that agreements for Chelsea duo Tomas Kalas and Nathan Ake are already well on the way to being finalised.

Having admitted that he got it wrong in the early stages of his first full season as Middlesbrough head coach, Karanka is much too astute to be caught cold again.