Newcastle United gave their bank balance a little boost immediately after the Premier League season, as Eddie Howe and his players jetted off to Australia.

The trip was extremely controversial, and ended in rather humiliating circumstances. Eddie Howe put out the Newcastle United youngsters against the A-League All Stars, and they were beaten 8-0.

It was a comical end to a polarising journey to the other side of the world, with the club using the trip to raise cash and their profile in another market. The post-season excursion to Melbourne resulted in Newcastle earning PS3million, giving them a revenue boost to go with a penalty shootout win over Tottenham Hotspur.

Now the club is preparing for its next trip, with Eddie Howe's squad once again bracing themselves for a very long journey during pre-season.

It was a great trip for commercial reasons, but it was also physically taxing.

Despite that, it did look like Newcastle would be going to America again in pre-season. However, plans have changed, with Japan now on the agenda.

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The Magpies are going to compete in two friendlies as they head to Asia in July, and the Chronicle have provided details on how much the club will earn.

According to the Chronicle, the pre-season trip to Japan will hand Newcastle a revenue boost of PS7million, with Japanese mobile phone company Docomo set to fund the two-game tour.

Two friendlies to hand Newcastle a PSR boost That additional revenue will boost Newcastle's PSR position, albeit not to the extent that selling a major first-team player would.

But every little helps, as the club does everything in its power to make itself more commercially successful.

They will compete in the J.League International Series, taking on Urawa Red Diamonds and Yokohama F Marinos. Both games will take place in Tokyo. The latter are partially owned by the City Football Group, and are managed by former Liverpool winger Harry Kewell.

Unlike the Australian friendlies, these games will be taken a bit more seriously. They will come at a time when Eddie Howe is readying his players for the new Premier League season, rather than reflecting on the end of a campaign.