10 Key Reasons Why Newcastle Have Chosen Steve McClaren

After a season in which Newcastle dared to dice with the prospect of renewing their acquaintance with the Championship, most supporters have come to resign themselves to the fact they now follow a mediocre, mid-table Premier League club. So, in McClaren they have a head coach who specialises in galvanising clubs of Newcastle’s ilk to punch above their weight. 

At Middlesbrough he anchored the club in mid-table, even achieving an unprecedented seventh-placed finish in 2004/05, and remained competitive in cup competitions, winning the League Cup in 2004 and leading Boro to the UEFA Cup final a year later, ending his reign with an admirable win ratio of 38% from 250 games.

Twente was a similar story, winning the Eredivisie in his second season and recording a 63% win rate from 101 matches in charge during his first spell. Even at Derby his ratio from 94 games stood at 54%.

His brief at Newcastle is to inject new energy and purpose into a hitherto talented squad that spectacularly failed to achieve a minimum of 10th last season, with eighth the target for the upcoming campaign alongside a concerted attack at the cups - a dramatic change in tact by Mike Ashley, whose aversion to domestic cup competitions is well documented.

With the right tools at his disposal and minor interference from above, it's difficult to see McClaren being unsuccessful in emulating his achievements with Middlesbrough and piloting Newcastle back into the calm waters of mid-table.