Welcome to this post fellow redditors! With the Euro 2016 less than 6 months away, it is time to introduce the stadiums that will host the fixtures of this tournament. For each city, you will find an in-depth description of the stadium, a photo album and a link to the city guide made by UEFA. Let me know if I made some mistakes or oversights. I hope you enjoy the reading!
Nota Bene:

• All kick-off times of the fixtures are CET.
  
• The names of the stadiums have been standardized for the Euro 2016 if their name is from a naming deal (this is the case for Bordeaux and Nice stadiums). The current names of the stadium can be found in brackets.
  
• All inauguration dates of the renovated stadiums are for the renovation for the Euro 2016 except for the Parc des Princes where the renovations were too minor to consider an inauguration date.
  

BORDEAUX

City guide
Photo album
Name: Stade de Bordeaux (Matmut-Atlantique)
Location: Cours Jules-Ladoumègue, 33300 Bordeaux, France
Coordinates: 44° 53′ 49″ N 0° 33′ 48″ W
Status: New stadium
Start of construction: 11/04/12
End of construction: 04/30/15
Cost: € 184m
Architect: Herzog & de Meuron
Owner: City of Bordeaux
Tenants: FC Girondins de Bordeaux
Inauguration: 05/23/15 (Bordeaux - Montpellier, 2-1)
UEFA Capacity (normal capacity): 42,000 (42,115)
Attendance record: 42,115 (ASM Clermont Auvergne - Stade toulousain, 18-14, 06/06/15)
Pitch: Hybrid grass AirFibr
Major international football events: France – Serbia (2-1), 09/07/15
Other major sporting events: 2015 French Rugby Championship (Top 14) Semi-finals
Major concerts: -
Fixtures:
Group stage

• 06/11/16, 18.00: Wales v Slovakia
  
• 06/14/16, 18.00: Austria v Hungary
  
• 06/18/16, 15.00: Belgium v Ireland
  
• 06/21/16, 21.00: Croatia v Spain
  

Quarter-finals

• 07/02/16, 21.00: W41 v W43

Trivia: The Stade de Bordeaux is a new stadium build for the Euro 2016 and the replacement of the old stadium of Girondins of Bordeaux, Stade Chaban-Delmas, that hosted the 1938 and 1998 World Cup. This stadium is the cheapest of the 4 new stadiums. It has been designed by Herzog & de Meuron, architects of the famous Allianz Arena, and features a "floating" roof supported by 900 stranchions. In september 2015, the stadium has been named "Matmut-Atlantique" for 10 years and a price of € 2m per year.

LENS

City guide
Photo album
Name: Stade Bollaert-Delelis
Location: Avenue Alfred-Maës, 62300 Lens, France
Coordinates: 50° 25′ 58″ N 2° 48′ 54″ E
Status: Renovated
Start of renovation: January 2014
End of renovation: July 2015
Cost: € 70m
Architect: Cardete et Huet
Owner: City of Lens
Tenants: Racing Club de Lens
Inauguration: 08/08/15 (Lens – Red Star, 1-1)
UEFA Capacity (normal capacity): 35,000 (33,443)
Attendance record: 48,912 (Lens - Marseille, 2-1, 02/15/92)
Pitch: Natural grass
Major international football events: Euro 1984; 1998 World Cup (Laurent Blanc golden goal leads France to the Quarter-Finals)
Other major sporting events: 1999 Rugby World Cup; 2007 Rugby World Cup
Major concerts: Matt Pokora and Magic System free concert for the RC Lens centenary (07/14/06); Johnny Hallyday (06/06/09)
Fixtures:
Group stage

• 06/11/16, 15.00: Albania v Switzeland
  
• 06/16/16, 15.00: England v Wales
  
• 06/21/16, 21.00: Czech Republic v Turkey
  

Round of 16

• 06/25/16, 21.00: WD v 3B/E/F

Trivia: The stadium was build back in 1932 by unemployed workers that found explosives shells and grenades during the construction. The stadium can accommodate the whole population of Lens and will still have more than 2,000 empty seats. It has the particularity to be the only stadium in France that has its supporters kop in the side stand and not in the curve as usual. It has been the location of a scene in the movie "Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis", leader of the all-time French box-office, where you can hear "Les Corons", famous song sung by Lens fans.

LILLE

City guide
Photo album
Name: Stade Pierre-Mauroy
Location: 261 Boulevard de Tournai, 59650 Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France
Coordinates: 50° 36′ 43″ N 3° 07′ 50″ E
Status: New stadium
Start of construction: 03/29/10
End of construction: 07/15/12
Cost: € 282m
Architect: Valode & Pistre and Pierre Ferret
Owner: Eiffage Lille Stadium Arena
Tenants: LOSC Lille
Inauguration: 08/17/12 (Lille – Nancy, 1-1)
UEFA Capacity (normal capacity): 50,000 (50,157)
Attendance record: 49,626 (France – Jamaica, 8-0, 06/08/14)
Pitch: Natural grass
Major international football events: France – Jamaica (8-0), 06/08/14
Other major sporting events: 2014 French Rugby Championship (Top 14) Semi-finals; 2014 Davis Cup Final (France – Switzerland, 1-3); EuroBasket 2015 knockout stage; 2017 World Men’s Handball Championship
Major concerts: Rihanna concert (07/20/13); Patrick Bruel concert (09/06/14); Johnny Hallyday concert (10/09/15)
Fixtures:
Group stage

• 06/12/16, 21.00: Germany v Ukraine
  
• 06/15/16, 15.00: Russia v Slovakia
  
• 06/19/16, 21.00: Switzerland v France
  
• 06/22/16, 21.00: Italy v Ireland
  

Round of 16

• 06/26/16, 18.00: WC v 3A/B/F

Quarter-finals

• 07/01/16, 21.00: W38 v W42

Trivia: The Stade Pierrre-Mauroy is a new stadium build for the Euro 2016. It is the only stadium in France to have a retractable roof that can be closed or opened in half an hour. It also has a retractable pitch and can be used as a sporting arena. This stadium holds the attendance record for an European basketball game (26,922, Spain - France, 09/17/15) and for a Davis cup game (27,432, France - Switzerland, 11/21/14). The owner of the stadium also own the Millau Viaduct (world's tallest bridge structure and highest bridge in Europe) and the Channel Tunnel.

LYON

City guide
Photo album
Name: Stade de Lyon (Parc OL)
Location: Chemin du Montout, 69150 Décines-Charpieu, France
Coordinates: 45° 46′ 01″ N 4° 58′ 52″ E
Status: New stadium
Start of construction: 10/22/12
End of construction: 01/06/16
Cost: € 405m
Architect: Populus
Owner: OL Groupe
Tenants: Olympique Lyonnais
Inauguration: 01/09/16 (Lyon – Troyes, 4-1)
UEFA Capacity (normal capacity): 59,000 (59,500)
Attendance record: 55,169 (Lyon – Troyes, 4-1, 01/09/16)
Pitch: Hybrid grass AirFibr
Major international football events: 2019 Women’s World Cup
Other major sporting events: 2016 Challenge Cup and Champions Cup finals (Rugby)
Major concerts: -
Fixtures:
Group stage

• 06/13/16, 21.00: Belgium v Italy
  
• 06/16/16, 18.00: Ukraine v Northern Ireland
  
• 06/19/16, 21.00: Romania v Albania
  
• 06/22/16, 18.00: Hungary v Portugal
  

Round of 16

• 06/26/16, 15.00: WA v 3C/D/E

Semi-finals

• 07/06/16, 21.00: W45 v W46

Trivia: The Stade de Lyon is a new stadium build for the Euro 2016 and the replacement of the old stadium of Olympique Lyonnais, Stade de Gerland, that hosted the Euro 1984 and the 1998 World Cup. It is owned by Lyon and the only one of the 10 Euro 2016 stadiums to be owned by the football club that play in it. The stadium will be candidate to host the Europa League final in 2018.

MARSEILLE

City guide
Photo album
Name: Stade Vélodrome
Location: 3, boulevard Michelet, 13008 Marseille, France
Coordinates: 43° 16′ 11″ N 5° 23′ 45″ E
Status: Renovated
Start of renovation: March 2011
End of renovation: June 2014
Cost: € 267m
Architect: SCAU
Owner: City of Marseille
Tenants: Olympique de Marseille
Inauguration: 10/19/14 (Marseille – Toulouse, 2-0)
UEFA Capacity (normal capacity): 67,000 (67,394)
Attendance record: 65,148 (Marseille – PSG, 2-3, 04/05/15)
Pitch: Hybrid grass AirFibr
Major international football events: 1938 World Cup; 1998 World Cup (Dennis Bergkamp famous last minute goal against Argentina); Euro 1960; Euro 1984 (France vs Portugal epic semi-final)
Other major sporting events: 2007 Rugby World Cup; 2010 Rugby Challenge Cup final; 2011 French Rugby Championship (Top 14) Semi-finals
Major concerts: Johnny Hallyday (4 times); Pink Floyd (07/12/89); U2 (07/14/93); The Rolling Stones (06/20/90 & 07/05/03); The Police (06/03/08); AC/DC (06/09/09); Paul McCartney (06/05/15)
Fixtures:
Group stage

• 06/11/16, 21.00: England v Russia
  
• 06/15/16, 21.00: France v Albania
  
• 06/18/16, 18.00: Iceland v Hungary
  
• 06/21/16, 18.00: Ukraine v Poland
  

Quarter-finals

• 06/30/16, 21.00: W37 v W39

Semi-finals

• 07/07/16, 21.00: W47 v W48

Trivia: The Stade Vélodrome is named after the cycling track surrounding the pitch when it first opened in 1937. The stadium has hosted many sporting events during its history such as tennis, field hockey, boxing, motorsports, handball, boules, greyhound tracks, baseball, US football and cycling. It is the only stadium, beside the Parc des Princes, to have hosted the 5 international football tourmanents in France (1938 and 1998 World Cup, Euro 1960, 1984, 2016). Before the renovation, the stadium was roofless and opened to the elements and to the "Mistral", a famous wind blowing in the southeastern France.

NICE

City guide
Photo album
Name: Stade de Nice (Allianz Riviera)
Location: Boulevard des Jardiniers, 06200 Nice, France
Coordinates: 43° 42′ 18″ N 7° 11′ 33″ E
Status: New stadium
Start of construction: 08/06/11
End of construction: September 2013
Cost: € 245m
Architect: Jean-Michel Wilmotte
Owner: City of Nice
Tenants: OGC Nice
Inauguration: 09/22/13 (Nice – Valenciennes, 4-0)
UEFA Capacity (normal capacity): 35,000 (35,624)
Attendance record: 35,200 (France – Paraguay, 1-1, 06/01/14)
Pitch: Natural grass
Major international football events: France – Paraguay (1-1), 06/01/14; France – Armenia (4-0), 10/08/15
Other major sporting events: RC Toulon rugby matches (6 in total)
Major concerts: -
Fixtures:
Group stage

• 06/12/16, 18.00: Poland v Northern Ireland
  
• 06/17/16, 21.00: Spain v Turkey
  
• 06/22/16, 21.00: Sweden v Belgium
  

Round of 16

• 06/27/16, 21.00: RB v RF

Trivia: The Stade de Nice is a new stadium build for the Euro 2016 and the replacement of the old stadium of OGC Nice, Stade du Ray. The National Sports Museum is located in the stadium and was opened in 2014 after being moved out from Paris. The stadium has been named "Allianz Riviera" for 9 years and a price of € 1.8m per year. It is environmentally friendly with more than 4,000 solar panels and its own geothermal installation for heating drawing over three times its own energy requirements. The stadium also uses rain water channelled from the stadium roof into four collection reservoirs for pitch watering.

PARIS

City guide
Photo album
Name: Parc des Princes
Location: 24, rue du Commandant-Guilbaud, 75016 Paris, France
Coordinates: 48° 50′ 29″ N 2° 15′ 11″ E
Status: Renovated
Start of renovation: May 2013
End of renovation: 2015
Cost: € 75m
Architect: Tom Sheehan
Owner: City of Paris
Tenants: Paris Saint-Germain
Inauguration: 05/25/72 (France – USSR, 1-3)
UEFA Capacity (normal capacity): 45,000 (48,527)
Attendance record: 50,370 (France – Wales, 31-12, 02/18/89)
Pitch: Hybrid grass DESSO GrassMaster
Major international football events: 1938 World Cup; 1998 World Cup; Euro 1960; Euro 1984 (Luis Arconada famous mistake in the final against France); 3 European Cup finals (Real Madrid – Reims, 4-3, 06/13/1953; Bayern Munich – Leeds United, 2-0, 05/28/1975; Liverpool – Real Madrid, 1-0, 05/27/1981; 2 Cup Winners’ Cup finals (Anderlecht – Austria Vienna, 4-0, 05/03/1978; Arsenal – Real Zaragoza, 1-2, 05/10/1995); 1 UEFA Cup final (Lazio – Internazionale, 0-3, 05/06/1998)
Other major sporting events: 1991 Rugby World Cup; 2007 Rugby World Cup
Major concerts: Johnny Hallyday (7 times); Michael Jackson (4 times); The Rolling Stones (3 times); Red Hot Chili Peppers (06/15/04 & 07/06/07); U2 (09/06/97); David Bowie (06/14/97); Metallica (06/23/04); Iron Maiden (06/25/05); Robbie Williams (06/27/06); Muse (06/23/07); Genesis (06/30/07); Bruce Springsteen (06/27/08); Mika (07/04/08); Coldplay (09/07/09); Green Day (06/26/10)
Fixtures:
Group stage

• 06/12/16, 15.00: Turkey v Croatia
  
• 06/15/16, 18.00: Romania v Switzeland
  
• 06/18/16, 21.00: Portugal v Austria
  
• 06/21/16, 18.00: Northern Ireland v Germany
  

Round of 16

• 06/25/16, 18.00: WB v 3A/C/D

Trivia: The Parc des Princes used to host the national cup finals and be the national team stadium before the construction of the Stade de France. It also hosted 54 Tour de France finish. The stadium of the Stade Français (Parisian rugby team), Stade Jean Bouin, is right next to the Parc des Princes less than 100 meters away. The Paris ring road goes under the Parc des Princes and the Stade Jean Bouin through the Parc des Princes tunnel. The Parc des Princes pitch has been awarded "Best Ligue 1 Natural Pitch" the last 2 years thanks to Jonathan Calderwood, former Aston Villa's groundsmanager. After the Euro 2016, the Parc des Princes will be extented to a 60,000 capacity.

SAINT-DENIS

City guide
Photo album
Name: Stade de France
Location: ZAC du Cornillon Nord, 93200 Saint-Denis, France
Coordinates: 48° 55′ 28″ N 2° 21′ 36″ E
Status: Already build
Start of construction: 05/02/95
End of construction: 11/30/97
Cost: € 364m
Architect: Michel Macary, Aymeric Zublena, Michel Regembal, Claude Costantini
Owner: French State
Tenants: The France national football team, The France national rugby team
Inauguration: 01/28/98 (France – Spain, 1-0)
UEFA Capacity (normal capacity): 80,000 (81,338)
Attendance record: 80,430 (South Africa – England, 15-6, 10/20/07)
Pitch: Natural grass
Major international football events: 1998 World Cup (Lilian Thuram 2 only goals in NT career qualify France for the final; Zinedine Zidane brace leads France to their first World Cup trophy); 2003 Confederations Cup; 2 UEFA Champion’s League finals (Real Madrid – Valencia, 3-0, 05/24/00; Barcelona – Arsenal, 2-1, 05/17/06); 2 World Cup qualifiers playoffs (France – Ireland, 1-1, 11/18/09; France – Ukraine, 3-0, 11/19/13)
Other major sporting events: 1999 Rugby World Cup; 2007 Rugby World Cup; 2010 H-Cup final; 2003 World Championships in Athletics
Major concerts: Johnny Hallyday (9 times); The Rolling Stones (5 times); AC/DC (5 times); U2 (5 times); Muse (4 times); Black Eyed Peas (3 times); Madonna (3 times); Beyoncé & Jay-Z (twice); Bruce Springsteen (twice); Paul McCartney (twice); David Guetta (twice); Depeche Mode (twice); The Police (twice); Prince (06/30/11); Céline Dion (twice); Metallica (05/12/12); Red Hot Chili Peppers (06/30/12); Coldplay (09/02/12); Lady Gaga (09/22/12); Rihanna (06/08/13); Eminem (08/22/13); Roger Waters (09/21/13)
Fixtures:
Group stage

• 06/10/16, 21.00: France v Romania
  
• 06/13/16, 18.00: Ireland v Sweden
  
• 06/16/16, 21.00: Germany v Poland
  
• 06/22/16, 18.00: Iceland v Austria
  

Round of 16

• 06/27/16, 18.00: WE v RD

Quarter-finals

• 07/03/16, 21.00: W40 v W44

Final

• 07/10/16, 21.00: W49 v W50

Trivia: The Stadium was build for the 1998 World Cup and is the biggest stadium in France by capacity. It is the only stadium in the world to have ever hosted a World Cup football and a World Cup rugby final. It has movable seating that can be retracted to uncover part of the athletics track. The locker rooms were designed with the help of Michel Platini. The stadium has been used by Lille and Lens to host Ligue 1 games while their stadiums were being renovated or build. The Stade de France can resist winds up to 145 kph and a software simulating crowd dynamics was used during its conception.

SAINT-ETIENNE

City guide
Photo album
Name: Stade Geoffroy-Guichard
Location: 14, rue Paul et Pierre Guichard, 42028 Saint-Étienne, France
Coordinates: 45° 27′ 39″ N 4° 23′ 25″ E
Status: Renovated
Start of renovation: May 2011
End of renovation: December 2014
Cost: € 58m
Architect: Chaix & Morel et Associés
Owner: City of Saint-Etienne
Tenants: AS Saint-Etienne
Inauguration: 03/08/15 (Saint-Etienne – Lorient, 2-0)
UEFA Capacity (normal capacity): 42,000 (42,000)
Attendance record: 47,747 (Saint-Etienne – Lille, 1-0, 05/11/85)
Pitch: Hybrid grass AirFibr
Major international football events: Euro 1984 (Michel Platini perfect hat-trick against Yugoslavia); 1998 World Cup (Michael Owen famous goal against Argentina); 2003 Confederations Cup
Other major sporting events: 2007 Rugby World Cup; 2010 French Rugby Championship (Top 14) Semi-finals
Major concerts: Bruce Springsteen (06/25/85); Johnny Hallyday (07/22/03); The Police (06/10/08)
Fixtures:
Group stage

• 06/14/16, 21.00: Portugal v Iceland
  
• 06/17/16, 18.00: Czech Republic v Croatia
  
• 06/20/16, 21.00: Slovakia v England
  

Round of 16

• 06/25/16, 15.00: RA v RC

Trivia: The Stade Geoffroy-Guichard is named after the founder of the Casino retail chain. The nickname of the stadium is "Le Chaudron" (the Cauldron) due its reputation for the atmosphere. The stadium was build on old mine tunnels next to a steel factory and in the early days of the stadium, fumes from the factory's chimneys were known to drif across the pitch. The "Musée des Verts" located in one of the stadium's stand and showing the history of the Saint-Etienne club is the first museum in France dedicated to a football club. The museum exhibits the famous square posts that deny Saint-Etienne 2 goals (Dominique Bathenay long shot; Jacques Santini header) in the 1976 European Cup final against Bayern München in Glasgow.

TOULOUSE

City guide
Photo album
Name: Stadium de Toulouse
Location: Île du Ramier, 1, bis allées Gabriel Biénès, 31028 Toulouse, France
Coordinates: 43° 35′ 00″ N 1° 26′ 03″ E
Status: Renovated
Start of renovation: April 2013
End of renovation: December 2015
Cost: € 46m
Architect: Cardete et Huet
Owner: City of Toulouse
Tenants: Toulouse FC
Inauguration: 01/16/16 (Toulouse – PSG)
UEFA Capacity (normal capacity): 33,000 (33,300)
Attendance record: 40,000 (Toulouse – Sete, 0-0, 05/20/51)
Pitch: Hybrid grass AirFibr
Major international football events: 1938 World Cup; 1998 World Cup (Romania beat England 2-1 in the group stage); BONUS: Diego Maradona hits the post in the penalty shootout and qualifies Toulouse for the Second Round of the 1986-1987 UEFA Cup
Other major sporting events: 2007 Rugby World Cup
Major concerts: Michael Jackson (09/16/92)
Fixtures:
Group stage

• 06/13/16, 15.00: Spain v Czech Republic
  
• 06/17/16, 15.00: Italy v Sweden
  
• 06/20/16, 21.00: Russia v Wales
  

Round of 16

• 06/26/16, 21.00: WF v RE

Trivia: The Stadium de Toulouse in located on an island in the center of City on the Garonne river. Since november 2009, the East stand is named "Brice Taton", a Toulouse fan that died in Belgrade in september 2009 from his injuries caused by Partizan hooligans. The stadium is only one kilometer away to the AZF factory, ac hemical plant, that suffered a major explosion in september 2001 damaging the stadium. 6 months of repairs costing nearly € 600K were needed to fix the stadium.

Soooooo, apologies to all and especially to u/Sandi_flick. I must have overlooked the write-up for AS Monaco and put together a crappy wikipedia preview when there was one already made. I will admit that we used the same Stade Louis II picture, but u/sandi_flick has outdone me with the photo of the ridiculous training facility. And of course, more knowledge than i can get from francefootball and wiki.
So, with full apologies but without further ado .....

AS Monaco

History
AS Monaco was founded in 1919 when local clubs from France and Monaco combined to make a team in the French amateur division. In 1933 they were promoted to a professional league by the FFF, but they were relegated after the first season. In 1948 they made it back to the professional divisions, and in 1953 made it up to Ligue 1.
The first trophy was the Coupe de France, won in 1960 and the next season, 1961, Monaco won their first Ligue 1 championship. In the next season they also won the championship and the Coupe de France. All these trophies were won by manager Lucien Leduc who won again in 1978 and then left the club in 1979. There was a lot of domestic wins in this time period, but there was not much success in Europe and Monaco never made it into the knockout round of any European competitions. In 1985 Ștefan Kovács became manager in hopes he could find European success by using the tactics he used at Ajax in the 70's for a lot of success, but they didn't work and then Arsène Wegner was appointed manager from AS Nancy. He brought in and developed many great players such as Klinsmann, Weah, Henry, and Petit. He won the championship in his debut season. He was released after he negotiated to become the manager of Bayern, but he did not get the job and was then hired by a J-league team. Monaco won Ligue 1 in 1997 and 2000 and was then relegated due to a financial debt, even though they were runner up in the league. After promoted back to Ligue 1, Didier Deschamps was appointed manager but left after more financial issues. The mid-2000's was a dark time with the team being an average Ligue 1 team. In 2008 Jérôme de Bontin became head of the club and bought in young players such as /soccer favorite Freddy Adu but there was no success in these years. The club was relegated in 2011 after an 18th place finish.
In 2012 the team was bought by Dmitry Rybovlev who is a Russian billionaire from chemical companies. He invested a lot of money into the team after Claudio Ranieri led the team to a Ligue 2 championship and promotion in 2013. After the promotion, Rybovlev spend a lot of money to buy Falcao, James Rodriguez, and Joao Moutinho and to push for a league title in the first season back in Ligue 1, however the team finished second to PSG by 9 points.
Today the investment in big name players has dropped and the club focuses on developing young players and selling them at a profit. Rybovlev likes the club to be like a business and self-sustaining in finances. The big rivaly match is "Le Derby de la Côte d'Azur" against Nice, who are just a 20km drive away.
The City
Monaco is located in the south of France on the Côte d'Azur along the Mediterranean and close the the Italian border. It is its own country (technically a principality led by Prince Albert II who is a fan of the club and is frequently at matches) famous for the Grand Prix of Monaco where the drivers race on the city streets and near the yacht harbor. It is also famous for the casino and the tax haven status of the country.
Stadium
Monaco plays their matches in the Stade Louis II located in the Fontvielle district and was renovated in 1985. It also hosts track and field events. It is named for Louis II who was the prince when the stadium was built in 1939. The pitch is not a good quality pitch, as it is built over an underground car park. The stade is usually very empty for Ligue 1 matches, as there isn't a large following from people in the principality and the travel to the city is hard. Champions league matches and important matches such as against PSG, Lyon, and Marseille will fill the stadium.
As a bonus, Monaco also has a spectacular training facility located in La Turbie, in France, north of Monaco.
Last Few Seasons
Since ASM rejoined Ligue 1, the aspiration is to be the champion, but with PSG's current policy, it will take a miracle to win.
After the amazing Champions League run in 2014 and 2015 making it to the quarterfinals beating Arsenal (Video of the goals and commentary, I have never been this happy before I saw this live) in the first knockout round and then losing to Juventus 1-0 on aggregate from a penalty kick. This made a lot of our star players known to the big teams in Europe and the summer afterwards players like Anthony Martial, Yannick Carrasco, Geoffrey Kondogbia, and Aymen Abdennour were bought by big teams for big money. The money was then re-invested in young players, such as Ivan Cavaliero, Bernardo Silva, and Thomas Lemar.
2015-2016 season was marked by a slow start and failure to make it through the CL qualifying rounds and a slow start to the Ligue 1 campaign which ended in a 3rd place finish behind Lyon and the champions, PSG. This summer we have bought Djibril Sidibé (Lille), Benjamin Mendy (Marseille), and Glik (Torino), and De Sanctis (Roma), as well as Falcao and Germain back from loans. We have released Carvalho, Coentrao (loan), Traoré (on loan to CSKA), and Toulalan (to Bordeaux). They are the big signings and losses.
Fully it starting XI

 Subasic Sidibé Glik Jemerson Mendy Bernardo Moutinho Fabinho Lemar Falcao Germain 

Subs: Dirar, Bakayoko, Cavaliero, Echijile, Carillo, Vagner Love, Raggi, Mbappé
Player to watch
Keep an eye on Bernardo Silva this season. He can play many positions (as a winger or as a 10) and is very creative and can make a play out of nothing. He came from Benfica B and has stunned everyone. He connects well with his compatriot Moutinho. He will be a future star and I expect him to leave in the winter or next summer. Here's a video with some highlights (beware of the typical electronic music).
Why should you follow the club?
If you want to see the future stars of European football develop and put on a good show this team is for you. The youth development is a big part of the team and youngsters like Kylian Mbappé, Thomas Lemar, and Loïc Badiashile could become important players in the future.
Why should Messi come here?
He will not have to avoid taxes in the principality and we might need him because maybe he can provide his compatriot Guido Carillo with some service for goals because he really needs it. We did "reportedly" have an interest in Ronaldo a few years ago (but it was a Daily Mail source so it probably was not true).
Why would we be relegated to Ligue 2?
If we lose Falcao and Germain to injury, we only have youth players and Carillo left at strikers and Carillo is about as effective as a one of these at striker. The defense also is having some problems now as they are all new players playing together. I think this season we will fight for 3rd place.

A snippet of a conversation from the start of the season with a man who has been firmly entrenched at St James’ Park for more years than he would care to admit and whose senses are attuned to approaching turbulence. “You know what this club’s like. You’ve seen the summer we’ve had. Lose a game and we’re under pressure. Lose the next and it’s backs to the wall. Lose a third and it’s a full-blown crisis. This is Newcastle.”
Alan Pardew was not happy. He was not incandescent, but he was not happy. The summer transfer window had just closed and his firm belief was that Newcastle United’s first-team squad had not been strengthened sufficiently, particularly in attack, that forward propulsion had been placed in jeopardy and that the club was storing up trouble. There might be a reckoning.
Clarification: numbers one and two were in reference to last season, not this, which just goes to show how football can change, how momentum – for good or ill – can influence a club’s fortunes. Let us transport ourselves back to August 2011; Kevin Nolan had left, Jose Enrique and Joey Barton would do so, legal letters about the use of Twitter were sent to players, who were still in dispute with Newcastle over bonus payments.
With his resources looking light, Pardew was asked in a press conference whether this was the old, drama-addled Newcastle reaffirming itself and while he answered in the negative, it felt like yet another precipice was being approached. Then the football started. And a decent draw with Arsenal was followed by a 1-0 victory at Sunderland and suddenly Pardew, to use Kevin Keegan’s parlance, was riding the black and white tiger.
A slight interlude. For a little while on Saturday, I frothed with rage. Brighton and Hove Albion! Again! Twice in two years, Newcastle have gone out of the FA Cup to the npower Championship team and the year before they lost to Stevenage and while these things can happen, to me – and this may be a personal thing, I accept – it feels like a betrayal of history, never mind those supporters who traveled to the south coat
I’m 42. I was born in 1970, which was only 15 years after Newcastle won their last FA Cup final and the exploits of Jackie Milburn, Bobby Mitchell and Bob Stokoe were part of the heritage I grew up with. I’m too young to remember Sunderland lifting it in 1973, managed by the very same Stokoe, but the same applies; at the start of each season the FA Cup was as much as a priority as the league.
That concept is gone now, I realise, but I hate that slow death. I know that staying in the Barclays Premier League has, with the money it entails, with the media-driven bombast which accompanies it, taken overarching importance for clubs (and some fans). And I come from the North East, so I have absolutely no expectation of trophies, but I do expect teams to give it a bloody good go. Newcastle’s performance was unworthy. Grrr.
There is a difference between Newcastle’s transfer policy and the implementation of that policy. Buying young, ambitious players for a decent price on manageable wages and with a likely sell-on value represents good sense, particularly at a club which has a lamentable record of paying too much for vanity signings at the expense of genuine team-building and with Financial Fair Play coming to the fore.
If Mike Ashley, the owner, is reluctant to spend/waste any more of his personal fortune bankrolling Newcastle, then there is little alternative, in any case; the club must become self-sufficient. Under the influence of Graham Carr, bargains have been unearthed in the likes of Yohan Cabaye, Cheik Tiote and Hatem Ben Arfa, while Mathieu Debuchy, last week’s £5.5m arrival from Lille, is a quality right back.
The system is fine and Carr’s reputation is merited, but Newcastle are hugely reluctant to compromise in a business where compromise is rife. They have their structure, they have their policy and they stick to it. Having targeted Debuchy, Douglas, the Twente centre-half, and strikers including Luuk de Jong and Andy Carroll, they either walked away from complex deals or were outbid by other clubs.
Five months after refusing to pay £7m for Debuchy, they have got him for less, but at what cost to results? The lack of cover in defence has been critical. Newcastle argue that Debuchy (he is 27), just as with Papiss Cisse’s fee and age 12 months earlier, represent flexibility in their policy, but not much. After all, with the £35m they originally received from Liverpool for Carroll, they benefited from the biggest compromise ever.
And is there now a glass ceiling at St James’? The uncertainty caused by the £7.5m release clause in Demba Ba’s contract is now over, thankfully, but another element to Newcastle’s policy is their stance on salary. Again, this is sensible. But there may come a time when Ben Arfa, Cabaye and others will wish to have their deals renegotiated. What happens then? Can Newcastle grow with their players?
Roll the dice. Ashley and Derek Llambias, his managing director (and former casino man, which is not a coincidence) are inveterate gamblers. The decision to sell Carroll with no replacement was a risk, as was sacking Chris Hughton, selling Nolan and the others – putting Newcastle’s team spirit in jeopardy – but, at least until recently, they could argue that all of them were successful. Now, though? It is funny how time alters perspectives.
The dice were tossed again in the summer, but their luck ran out. The previous year, Pardew expressed concern when Ba was the only addition to his strikeforce, but Ba scored plenty, there were few medical problems and, the following January, Cisse arrived when Newcastle were in a position of strength. The goals flowed immediately, even as they dried up from Ba (who was stationed on the wing).
This time, Newcastle’s squad has been left exposed and it makes their planning look suicidal, particularly with the extra complication of the Europe to consider. There has been a general dip in form which has come in tandem with more matches, less confidence, the feeling that other teams have worked them out, injuries have derailed them and the young players that Pardew wanted to emerge have not done so, albeit in difficult circumstances.
The Europa League came a year too soon. This is easy to say, but it is a widely-held belief within the club’s hierarchy, some of whom were not overjoyed when Pardew’s players finished fifth last season. Fourth could have meant the riches of the Champions League (although it didn’t, thanks to Chelsea), and sixth would have meant progress without the added burden of a tournament which brings games but little financial reward.
The vision of Llambias and Ashley, somewhere down the line, is that when Newcastle need new players, if they get hit by injury or suspension, they do not reach first for the company credit card but scan the reserve and development squads for replacements. It is why attainting the top grading for their Academy is viewed as so important and why they continue to pay for young players who promptly sink into the structure.
It is what Llambias and Carr were doing in Paris last weekend; not just seeking a ready-made replacement for Ba and, possibly, another defender, but tying up deals for more youngsters. They will tell you that this is not cheap and although the record is mixed on this front – players like Mehdi Abeid have not kicked on as they were expected to – investment now is intended to save money later.
The first-team is what people care most about, of course, and these are precarious moments. The eight-year contract which Pardew signed earlier this season has allowed him to work without the usual backdrop of chatter and gossip which has afflicted his predecessors – usually due to the itchy trigger-fingers of those above them – but that positivity and opportunity has to be translated into points.
Sussed out by opponents, hampered by selection issues and fleeting time on the training pitch, Newcastle’s fluency has deserted them, morphing into a lumpen, uneasy style. With the get-out of Ba’s goals gone, that must change, while the manager needs to use his authority to win an argument or two about the depth of his squad because, even when everyone is fit, there is a lack of competition.
Newcastle is a very different club to the one which was relegated in 2009. They are slimmed down and, in relative terms, financially secure. The dressing-room is solid. The way they do business can be meticulous and single-minded – see the way they rode roughshod over popular feeling with naming rights and Wonga’s sponsorship – yet they believe that everything is done in the cause of self-sufficiency.
Meticulous dice-throwers, jaw-dropping decisions but a stringent, transfer policy; it is the contradiction at the heart of the modern Newcastle. The one area where they have shown a reluctance to gamble is over that old, footballing cliché, where you speculate to accumulate. They should not be risking the club’s future by paying over the odds, yet by paying under them they have done precisely that.