The senior squad was being put through their paces, their movements sharp, their passing crisp. They were preparing for the start of the 2016/17 Premier League season, a campaign that would run in parallel with our own, a synchronized launch of the club's ambitions. On the surface, it was an impressive sight.
The players were athletes in their prime, their every touch assured, their every movement economical. The manager, Alan Pardew, a familiar, weathered face from years of Premier League management, orchestrated the session with an air of relaxed authority.
To the untrained eye, it was a picture of professional competence, a well-oiled machine gearing up for the rigours of a top-flight season. But my eye wasn't untrained. I had the system. And the system saw the cracks beneath the polished surface.
