McLaren New Manager?

  • Please bear with us on the new site integration and fixing any known bugs over the coming days. If you can not log in please try resetting your password and check your spam box. If you have tried these steps and are still struggling email [email protected] with your username/registered email address
  • Log in now to remove adverts - no adverts at all to registered members!
Possibly the biggest thing to come out of today was the public target of 8th or above. Why? Because it absolutely means we've have a more than healthy transfer budget and are for once intent on spending it.

After finishing 15th, McClaren is highly unlikely to have taken the post and accepted that 8th is achievable without concrete assurances regarding squad strengthening. I mean you don't jump seven league places without a serious outlay on new recruits.

As happy as I am with McClaren, it could be argued he's drinking in last chance saloon. Regardless of circumstances his CV reads failed at Forest, Wolfsburg, England and Derby (in some people's opinion). I personally don't think he can be judged on his time at Forest and Wolfsburg because he was in each post for less than 6 months, he also improved Derby tenfold from where they were under Clough. Still, the fact remains if he fails this time around he'll struggle to get a job at another Premier League club.

Based on the above he'll know he needs to get it right this time and to do this he'll know he needs a much stronger squad. He simply wouldn't have taken the job if he wasn't getting 50m plus to spend.

I'm fairly confident we'll sign at least two, possibly three 10m pound plus players and the target of 8th is evidence of this.
 
Graham Carr's Binoculars said:
Possibly the biggest thing to come out of today was the public target of 8th or above. Why? Because it absolutely means we've have a more than healthy transfer budget and are for once intent on spending it.

After finishing 15th, McClaren is highly unlikely to have taken the post and accepted that 8th is achievable without concrete assurances regarding squad strengthening. I mean you don't jump seven league places without a serious outlay on new recruits.

As happy as I am with McClaren, it could be argued he's drinking in last chance saloon. Regardless of circumstances his CV reads failed at Forest, Wolfsburg, England and Derby (in some people's opinion). I personally don't think he can be judged on his time at Forest and Wolfsburg because he was in each post for less than 6 months, he also improved Derby tenfold from where they were under Clough. Still, the fact remains if he fails this time around he'll struggle to get a job at another premier Leage club.

Based on the above he'll know he needs to get it right this time and to do this he'll know he needs a much stronger squad. He simply wouldn't have taken the job if he wasn't getting 50m plus to spend.

I'm fairly confident we'll sign at least two, possibly three 10m pound plus players and the target of 8th is evidence of this.
Click to expand...

The problem for me is that outside of the current top 6/8 and the promoted teams I have a feeling that most teams are going to be spending £50M!
 
TheJudeanPeoplesFront said:
At the end of the day, we will see. Gut feeling is we're no better than we were five days ago, the ultimate root cause being poor playing staff and a lack of investment. Steve has shown no stones giving us a go, he just got sacked from Derby, we're a desperate man's lucky(ish) break. He'll know the tight restrictions and he'll know the fans will turn on him as soon as look at him, but when you get sacked from a championship club, your career is hardly taking off and this opportunity is marginally better than being a dole skivvy til a semi-ambitious championship club offers you another chance.

I agree with most, he's a decent coach, carries an ok rep etc. However, let's not hyperbolise winning the Dutch league, especially given his subsequent ****ness with Wolfsburg, his absolutely abysmal reign at Nottingham Forest, and subsequent failure at Twente when he went back. The most prominent achievement of his career was winning a cup with Boro, which happened early on, and wherever he has gone he seems to have signed loads of players, most of whom turned out to be ****.
Click to expand...

Yep, time will tell. All I'll say is here he can't just sign who he wants. His strength is training and yoof. Derby have a good, young side. I think the youth partly led to the collapse, not enough senior players especially in the 2nd half when so many key players picked up injuries.

Wolfsburg - an odd one. Difficult to succeed over there, I would imagine, and they reckon they're top 4 so did he have enough time? No idea. Forest was in huge transition - I can see the appeal, looked like an easy gig to get back up the PL, but....erm.....they're still not here, nor do they look close!

For what was out there, in our model, he seems an ok appointment. As I say, not overwhelming but I am personally not expecting anywhere near as bad a season as we've had. There's still a lot to do, but with a pre-season program actually lined up (even if I take issue with the US part, it does make some sense even for NUFC, rather than SD) and funds allegedly there, it's encouraging that everyone is in place weeks before the transfer window even opens. And this new model makes more sense, even if it's not terrible clear. I believe we still need a Financial Director for the actual board, but the "football board" is settled and makes a heap of sense. I think what we have to do is trust to McClaren to make decisions now and see where it leads. Not with huge amounts of misplaced optimism, but with cautious enthusiasm that at the very least it's more of a change than many of us anticipated.
 
Graham Carr's Binoculars said:
Possibly the biggest thing to come out of today was the public target of 8th or above. Why? Because it absolutely means we've have a more than healthy transfer budget and are for once intent on spending it.

After finishing 15th, McClaren is highly unlikely to have taken the post and accepted that 8th is achievable without concrete assurances regarding squad strengthening. I mean you don't jump seven league places without a serious outlay on new recruits.

As happy as I am with McClaren, it could be argued he's drinking in last chance saloon. Regardless of circumstances his CV reads failed at Forest, Wolfsburg, England and Derby (in some people's opinion). I personally don't think he can be judged on his time at Forest and Wolfsburg because he was in each post for less than 6 months, he also improved Derby tenfold from where they were under Clough. Still, the fact remains if he fails this time around he'll struggle to get a job at another Premier League club.

Based on the above he'll know he needs to get it right this time and to do this he'll know he needs a much stronger squad. He simply wouldn't have taken the job if he wasn't getting 50m plus to spend.

I'm fairly confident we'll sign at least two, possibly three 10m pound plus players and the target of 8th is evidence of this.
Click to expand...

Although I agree, I don't want to dwell on your comments as I am just coming to optimistic terms with McClaren. I always had this niggle that he would crawl over broken glass from Derby to get this job, much like Pardew did crawl over broken glass from that London, so thinking of him in last chance saloon, a desperate man, doesn't help - I want to believe he is better than that.

I think the board wanted English, wanted safety but McClaren has demonstrated other facets like youth development and attacking football which make him, it would appear, the safest yet also most relevant choice. Putting him on this football board is a great idea in principal because he could essentially be around, if successful, for a long time and a successor could be plucked from within the club. However, this time, we won't ever be left short staffed as both he and Moncur should be able to say "we need fitness coaches" or "we need cheerleaders who offer back rubs and champagne finishes" if the players need it.
 
Good luck with this guy - think you will need it. Delighted when he went to Forest and then Direby. Wouldnt have wished him on you though - you are too big a club for him.
 
Now that Newcastle have a new manager and a new start, I would like to see the agreement scrapped whereby Sunderland give Newcastle one of their best players in exchange for six points every season
 
fredor said:
Now that Newcastle have a new manager and a new start, I would like to see the agreement scrapped whereby Sunderland give Newcastle one of their best players in exchange for six points every season
Click to expand...
You have none left so the deals off anyway. We will just have the six points from now on.
 
@Rolando Transfer window is already open, it's only free agents that have to wait until 1st July to make the transition between clubs. My feelings have slightly changed about McClaren as he is now in the board which will mean he has somewhat of a say on transfers, youth etc.

I think most clubs will be spending in the £70m-£100m range this season, not necessarily on transfer fees but agent fees, signing on fees, wages etc. I mean Andre Ayew joined Swansea yesterday, you really think he's only on £20k a week to be there?
 
Donut said:
@Rolando Transfer window is already open, it's only free agents that have to wait until 1st July to make the transition between clubs. My feelings have slightly changed about McClaren as he is now in the board which will mean he has somewhat of a say on transfers, youth etc.

I think most clubs will be spending in the £70m-£100m range this season, not necessarily on transfer fees but agent fees, signing on fees, wages etc. I mean Andre Ayew joined Swansea yesterday, you really think he's only on £20k a week to be there?
Click to expand...

Near £10million signing fee and £95k p/w wages apparently.
 
This is what I was getting at, just didn't have the figures to hand to quote them
 
McClarens interview today sounded very positive, saying all the right things,however, saying we could be among the top 10 European clubs looks a bit pie in the sky.
He will be given a chance but the proof of the pudding is in the eating. For me the next 4/5 weeks should show our ambition when we see the caliber of the incoming players and also those going the other way as not good enough for next season.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Salomon #9
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back