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Newcastle at college instead of training ground – Steve Bruce can’t believe how good the facilities are

4 years ago
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Steve Bruce is astonished at how good the college facilities are at the squad’s training base near York.

The Magpies having travelled to Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate campus on Wednesday to start a week of pre-season preparation.

Speaking from the pre-season training base, Steve Bruce declaring: ‘It certainly opens your eyes to these schools – the swimming pools, the pitches, the gym and all the rest of it.’

Many Newcastle fans have been quick to compare Bruce’s comments on the club’s training base with what is the reality at Newcastle United.

Mike Ashley promised in 2013 a new state of the art training complex was going to be built ASAP, saying it was essential if Newcastle were going to be able to compete.

Instead, seven years later not a single brick has been laid.

Rafa Benitez revealed after he left Newcastle United that back in 2016 Mike Ashley arranged a meeting between Rafa and the architect that was to build the new state of the art training complex. The then manager told by Ashley to tell the architect what changes he wanted to be made to the plans.

However, absolutely nothing came of the Mike Ashley promises and instead Benitez says all that happened was that they painted the walls of the existing substandard training facility instead. Whilst fans regularly post images of the infamous players in kids paddling pools and NUFC stars taking ice baths in wheelie bins.

Pretty much every Premier League club have made a major investment in their training facilities and infrastructure in general, in contrast, Mike Ashley refusing to spend a penny on capital expenditure that he hasn’t been forced to do.

Looking around at the temporary training base, Steve Bruce adding: ‘The facilities are why we are here, the facilities are second to none, they are certainly not like the facilities I had at school.’

Steve Bruce talking to NUFC TV:

“We have only been off 23 days but at least given the chance to the players to have a break. Even though, I think everybody would have liked a bit longer.

“As I have said many times it will be the effect later on [of not having a longer rest] in the season and how we cope with that.

“The facilities are why we are here, the facilities are second to none, they are certainly not like the facilities I had at school [Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate is an independent boarding and day school for girls and boys from 3 months to 19 years old].

“It certainly opens your eyes to these schools – the swimming pools, the pitches, the gym and all the rest of it.

“This is an important week for us because lets be honest. When we go into the next week we are playing three [friendly] games and then the season is upon us.”

“We tossed and turned with do we play 11 v 11 at the training ground.

“But then we decided to play and give every player at least 50 to 55 minutes [in next Tuesday’s friendly against Crewe].

“I’m just going to phone the Crewe manager in the next couple of days to see if he is alright with it, I’m sure he will be.

“So we will play 11 for the best part of an hour and then another 11 for another hour, so a good start.

“It is never easy managing this great club of ours, as I have said many times.

“I have enjoyed the last year and lets hope we can have some good fortune along the way in the next season as well.”

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