10 Key Reasons Why Newcastle Have Chosen Steve McClaren
The Magpies have their new head coach, why did they choose to appoint the ex-England manager?
"I have always wanted to have this job" are the words used by Steve McClaren after being officially unveiled as the new Head Coach at Newcastle.
The former Middlesbrough boss signed a three-year deal, which could be extended to eight years, to succeed Alan Pardew in the St James’ Park hot seat.
It was all a case of timing for McClaren, who admitted to turning Newcastle down four times in the past - most recently in May - but believes now to be the right time for him to take a job he has coveted for the best part of a decade.
The ex-England and Twente manager arrives on Tyneside with considerable pedigree, but also with his reputation under the microscope, and not for the first time in his career.
Nevertheless, McClaren's appointment puts to and end six months of uncertainty surrounding the Head Coach role following the end of Pardew's toxic four-year reign and the unmitigated disaster that was the tenure of John Carver.
The 54-year-old will join the club ahead of a yet another pivotal, future-defining summer and with a clean slate to mould the backroom in his own image after the long-serving Carver and fellow first team coach Steve Stone were sacked.
And despite supporters feeling slightly underwhelmed by Lee Charnley's selection - considering Remi Garde and Patrick Vieira were reportedly interviewed, while Frank de Boer was the fans' favourite - the club's Managing Director was undoubted in his reasoning for handing the reins to McClaren.
Here's 10 reasons why Newcastle have chosen Steve McClaren...
10. He Is Prepared To Work In The New Boardroom Structure
In the space of one afternoon, Newcastle dramatically terraformed its old boardroom landscape into a new, streamlined four-man 'football board' with club owner Mike Ashley relinquishing his seat at the table, along with outgoing finance director John Irving.
What came as an even bigger surprise was the announcement that McClaren would be joining the board of directors alongside Lee Charnley, the managing director, chief scout Graham Carr, with whom he shares a strong relationship, and club ambassador Bobby Moncur, with the reshuffle designed to inject more football knowledge and experience into the club's overall decision making process.
It's an irrefutable, and dare we say it, welcome sign that Ashley is conscious of the need to adjust the old, outdated model and breathe new life into the continental-style structure in an effort to push Newcastle in a different direction - something which McClaren is willing to accept as the club's new Head Coach having worked in a similar structure during his time managing in Holland and Germany.
Abiding by the set parameters of the post was always going to be a determining factor in McClaren's candidacy, although how much he is willing to acquiesce to the much-discussed restrictions that will be inevitably placed upon him is a pertinent cause for concern, though he did challenge Ashley to follow through on his promise to invest in the squad this summer. A positive start.
Alan Pardew alluded to the limited input he had into the recruitment process as being one of his main grievances about the Newcastle job, although he never sought to publicly air his disgruntlement, instead allowing his unwavering complicity and reluctance to challenge the status quo to taint his relationship with the Magpies' fans.
It would be a shame if McClaren followed Pardew's lead. He needs be his own man.