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Opinion

Tuesday morning: Steve McClaren stars in ‘Carry On Training Ground’

8 years ago
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The latest farce in Mike Ashley’s ‘running’ of Newcastle United will have undoubtedly provided much entertainment for many people, mackems in particular – but most definitely many more of the wider ‘football family’.

I don’t blame them personally, I am (manically) laughing myself at the shambles unfolding with Steve McClaren and his position at the club.

Excitement mounted on Monday evening when it was reported that a Newcastle board meeting had taken place in York with Ashley PR/spin guru Keith Bishop also in attendance, with all present apart from Steve McClaren.

The outcome of this meeting of great minds was…well, depends who you read/believe.

Amongst the inside story reports/guesses were Steve McClaren…:

Is packing his bags after being sacked.

Has another two matches (Leicester and Sunderland) to ‘prove’ himself.

Will carry on as normal.

Will carry on as normal whilst they look for somebody else willing to take the job.

So that was that sorted…

Matters reached a whole new low on Tuesday morning.

Sky Sports claimed McClaren arrived at training through a ‘back door’, which to me would suggest he had to clamber over the railway lines at the rear of the training ground, as I’m pretty sure you only enter from the front of the complex.

The Telegraph and Chronicle then reported that McClaren had left less than an hour after arriving, the implication being he wouldn’t be taking training and must be on his way out.

Only for…Sky Sports and others to then tell us that yes, Steve McClaren’s CAR had left the premises but it was his chauffeur doing the driving and our leader was still on the premises.

In this fast(???) moving story, the latest I have seen in that the BBC are reporting that the Press Association are reporting that there (might/possibly/certainly/definitely) will be a decision by the club in the next 48 hours.

Phew.

I have no sympathy at all for Steve McClaren, his coaches and almost all of the players, who have all been stealing a living this season BUT how on earth does this particular farce improve our chances of getting anything at Leicester, Sunderland and beyond?

You have a board (less one member) meeting allegedly to discuss the Head Coach’s future, the Head Coach still claiming we are in the middle of some blip and he’s still the best person for the job, a public statement from the players backing McClaren that none of them reportedly knew anything about, the official fans forum writing an open letter to the club slaughtering the shambles that it is under Mike Ashley…

Either Steve McClaren is staying or going and that should have been decided and happened by Sunday at the very latest, with ideally Mike Ashley or failing that, Lee Charnley, making a public statement to this effect and a (proper) call for everybody to come together to avoid relegation.

Instead, you can hear each nail being hammered into the relegation coffin as we speak.

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