10 Things We Learned From Newcastle's Open Training Session

5. McClaren Is Very Much A Perfectionist... And He Does Not Hide His Emotions Very Well

He doesn't lambast the players by any means, but Steve McClaren likes things to go right - and he is not someone who keeps his emotions close to his chest when they don't. McClaren is a perfectionist and therefore he likes things done right. A couple of examples from Tuesday's training session include just moments into the first drill after the warm-up, when Mike Williamson attempted to pass the ball when he was closed down at close proximity, only for the centre-back to fall flat on his backside. McClaren picked up his stopwatch and slammed it on to the floor, not so much frustrated at Williamson but that the drill had not gone according to plan. Similarly, during one of the micro-managed game situations, McClaren and Ian Cathro would pass extra balls to the midfield of each side once the original one had gone out of play in order to keep the intensity high. However, when the moves broke down before a side even managed to reach the box and get a cross in, then McClaren would throw his whole body around in frustration. McClaren wants his Newcastle side to be the best they possibly can be, and he will continue to strive for perfection until he is no longer at St James' Park - however long into the future that may be.
Contributor
Contributor

NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.