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Steve McClaren says he does not regret taking the Newcastle job, and his comments will certainly surprise a few Magpies fans.
Rafael Benitez has reinvigorated the city of Newcastle’s love for football. That is not to say the Toon Army had fallen out of love with their side before, but the years of Alan Pardew, John Carver and McClaren were certainly tough.
The latter managed a win percentage of just 22.6 per cent in nearly a year in charge on Tyneside, and has now spoken out about his time with the club.
What has he said?
“It wasn’t a failure because of any one person, it was a combination of which I was also a part of,” McClaren said, as reported by The Evening Chronicle.
McClaren’s switch from Derby County to Newcastle was quite controversial as the 57 year-old was sacked by the Rams in the midst of links with a move to Tyneside, and he has admitted it was handled poorly.
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“Yeah, I don’t think that was handled very well in between Derby and Newcastle. I, myself, was also at fault for that. It wasn’t handled well; it wasn’t done in what I would call a ‘class way’.
“I’ve always tried to do that, whether I’ve been sacked or whatever, I like to do it with ‘class’. But that didn’t feel right – and so it proved and, if it doesn’t feel right, then it’s not going to work out.
“I knew if anyone got it right, as Sir Bobby always told me, you’ll be the king. That’s what I wanted.
“It was a gamble, it was a big risk – but high risk, high reward. I suppose that’s been me (throughout) my career; but not just high risk, high reward, also hard fought. And that’s what happened.
“I thought it was a great experience. What a club. We had some great days, and some bad ones, but we had some great days, and I got a taste of what it was like to manage Newcastle United Football Club.”
Surprising but refreshing
McClaren’s acceptance that both he and the clubs involved were at fault for the mismanagement of his move is refreshing.
The now-QPR boss is not looking to dump blame elsewhere, and is clearly immensely proud to have managed the Magpies, even for such a short, unsuccessful tenure.
That is of course the other thing that jumps out reading the comments – McClaren truly adores Newcastle United football club.
While that may surprise a few Magpies fans, it speaks to the sheer respect that such a giant, historic club commands, and it should also instil hope that even if Rafael Benitez leaves, there will be a queue of top managers lining up to replace him.
