Despite holding down several managerial posts across Europe during his time in the dug-out, Steve McClaren will arguably always be remembered for his failure to secure England’s seemingly inevitable qualification for Euro 2008.
Whether it be through his questionable selections as Three Lions boss, apparent inability to establish a satisfactory starting XI for England – or just because the former Middlesbrough coach will forever be known as the ‘wally with the brolly’ – the 54-year-old English manager has simply never truly restored his reputation in this country for his past shortcomings.
It therefore comes as somewhat of a shock that Steve McClaren has seemingly become the main man in the frame for the Newcastle manager’s job in the run up to the 2015/16 campaign. It was a potential appointment that no one really saw coming, as although the man in question was once considered good enough for England, very few were expecting him to re-emerge in the Premier League any time soon.
So then, have the Tynesiders made the right choice in selecting their new head coach, or is the increasingly likely appointment of Steve McClaren at St. James’ only further indication of Newcastle United’s recent demise?
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Well, to say that this potential development would go down as a rather unpopular choice for the Magpies, would certainly be something of an understatement amongst the St. James’ faithful. Yes, the former Uefa Cup finalist with Boro and one-time Eredivisie winner with FC Twente has of course had some decent experiences to look back on throughout his managerial career – but do those past achievements mean Steve McClaren deserves another shot in the Premier League? – The likely answer is, no.
Since completely failing to deliver the results for England on the international scene, the ex-Riverside regular has also had some pretty forgetful stints at a succession of different European clubs. For VfL Wolfsburg, Nottingham Forrest and on a return to FC Twente, McClaren once again fell short of his managerial requirements.
His unfortunate decision to take on a Dutch accent during his time in the Eredivisie may have made for excellent viewing for fans back home, but it was ultimately something born out of much more than mere hilarity. Steve McClaren was trying to improve his image during that time, but in launching such ill-fated behaviour during that interview, the reported new Magpies boss certainly didn’t win back a great deal of respect to say the very least.
The 54-year-old’s recent failure to see his Derby County side even reach the play-offs this term only acted as further indication that he is not yet ready to manage in the Premier League once again. Any top-flight English side would be simply mad to hire someone like McClaren at this stage in the proceedings…
That is seemingly where Newcastle United enter however. Whilst the majority of the St. James’ faithful would much likely prefer the more exciting likes of Frank de Boer or even Remi Garde to take on managerial responsibilities on Tyneside next season, it seems the Magpies ultimately have no choice but to fall upon the unfortunately labelled ‘wally with the brolly’ instead.
Because Mike Ashley’s ownership of the well supported Premier League club has seemingly made it impossible for Newcastle managers to have the final say down at St. James’, no respectable European coach is ever going to see fit to join up with the Magpies unless a significant amount of head-turning money has been placed on the table. With Newcastle remaining particularly stringent in the financial department however, such an outcome seems unlikely even at the best of times.
The St. James’ faithful will therefore be left with no choice but to accept a clear ‘yes man’ when it comes to finally replacing Alan Pardew in the dug-out, and although his name often sparks disappointment since England’s failure to qualify for Euro 2008 – in Steve McClaren, the Newcastle fans have exactly that.
The former Derby boss will be desperate for a chance to re-establish himself back in the Premier League, and good luck to him. As that means Mike Ashley will still act as the main decision maker behind the scenes on Tyneside however – with his notorious reputation of caring very little about the club or it’s fans – Newcastle United in general will likely suffer as a result of this potential appointment.
With last season’s rather embarrassing eight game losing streak remaining pretty hard to beat in terms of disappointment though, surely Steve McClaren can’t present anything worse than what the Magpies’ supporters have already witnessed in recent months?
For the fans’ sake, let’s hope not…
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