Newcastle are reportedly on the brink of sacking sacking boss Steve McClaren
Newcastle are struggling at the bottom of the Premier League table. A major shock, no not really considering the club seems to have been a mess for a long time.
The Magpies board reportedly held a meeting to discuss the future of boss Steve McClaren.
Again not really a shock considering what has gone on at St James Park this season. McClaren’s performance as boss has been less than impressive. No shock there.
According to the Guardian, the former-England boss is on the brink of being sacked by the Magpies and replaced with an available alternative.
Basically this season has been business as usual at a club that has the potential to be a major force in English football, yet keeps shooting itself in the foot.
McClaren was a poor appointment
I have to say the appointment of Steve McClaren as Newcastle boss completely mystified many including myself if I am honest. The Magpies then took the bizarre step of putting the former-Middlesbrough boss on the board, which was another crazy move in the world of Newcastle Football Club.
McClaren’s managerial record is questionable to say the least. However when he arrived he replaced John Carver, who looked completely out of his depth as a top-flight football boss. The clubs fans must have had mixed feelings about McClaren’s arrival.
At least the Toon Army did not have the useless Carver still in their club’s dugout. I bet the sense of relief did not last long though . Newcastle under McClaren have been simply awful this season and are currently 19th in the Premier League.
McClaren has made poor signings and his tactics, if you can call them tactics, have just resulted in Newcastle being an easy team to play against this season. The north east club have had a lot of injuries, but that cannot be blamed for his inept tactics.
Poor decisions all round
The Newcastle hierarchy headed by much-maligned owner Mike Ashley have made some terrible decisions in recent years. The decision to allow John Carver to stay in charge nearly cost the club their Premier League status. Appointing McClaren was yet another poor decision.
Owner Mike Ashley has been true to his word in making funds available to the clubs boss this summer and in the January transfer window as well. None of McClaren’s signings have been shining successes, apart from maybe Dutch midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, and even the former-PSV stars form has dipped in recent weeks.
The Newcastle fans can no longer blame Ashley for not investing funds in the team. The club has spent money on players and they are in the same position at the bottom of the table, odds of 4/7 to be relegated this season.
There seems to be something majorly wrong with the north east club and maybe it goes beyond the clubs choice of boss, but let’s face it McClaren was never the right man for the hot seat at St James Park.
Available options for the Magpies
There are a number of available bosses with Premier League experience out there, but whether they would want to work with the clubs current structure remains to be seen. A new manager has to work with the likes of chief scout Graham Carr and managing director Lee Charnley when it comes to transfers.
The likes of Rafa Benitez, David Moyes, Brendan Rodgers and Nigel Pearson are all being linked with the position. Any of those four bosses would be decent replacements for McClaren. It is a matter of who actually wants the job.
The Newcastle manager’s job has become something of a poisoned chalice in recent years, mainly due to Ashley’s lack of financial support to strengthen the team.
Steve McClaren’s position at Newcastle at the moment seems untenable, as the recent results and performances have been poor. His inept managerial performance has certainly not helped the team or clubs position.
However, there seems to be underlying problems at the club that a simple change of manager may not solve. The Magpies are in desperate need of a lift to stay in the Premier League this season and most clubs experience a lift with a change of boss.
Hopefully for the sake of the long suffering Newcastle fans the next boss can manage what McClaren and Carver could not, and create a team capable of more than just fighting a relegation battle.
Who would be a good choice for the next Newcastle boss?
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