19 Things We Learned From Steve McClaren's BBC Radio Newcastle Interview
He cannot give you a straight answer...
Steve McClaren already has a better relationship with the Newcastle United fans than Alan Pardew ever did. The new head coach has said all the right things and showed on the pitch that he wants to do things more like "the Newcastle way" after a number of bewildering years for Magpies' fans. Pardew, a man that was vilified for his gutless style of play and perceived lies during his four years as United's boss, was put in a no-win situation from the get-go by Mike Ashley as he was "hand-picked" as the man to replace Chris Hughton, who didn't deserve to be sacked as The Toon's manager. A 'jobs for the boys' mentality then swept through St James' Park during the current Crystal Palace boss' reign, as iron-clad eight-year contracts were handed to a number of staff members who were clearly weren't fit for purpose, but very cheap all the same. McClaren however, in his two months as the boss at St James' Park, has overseen a new air of optimism in the support as he put himself across as a bonafide top -lass head coach worthy of a job the size Newcastle has proved to be. This abundance of professionalism and new policy of more transparency between the club and its supporters continued on Tuesday evening as Steve took to the airwaves and sat down to tackle questions from fans on BBC Radio Newcastle's Total Sport. Here's 19 things we learned from the interview, which is available in full here.