Newcastle Coach Demands The Magpies "Play Football With The Ball"

Newcastle United assistant head coach Ian Cathro has revealed he has sent a "clear message" to the Magpies squad - that the Magpies must strive to play "football with the ball". The 28-year-old accepted a position as McClaren€™s assistant head coach at St James€™ Park last month and he began his work in earnest at Newcastle's Benton training base last week. A technical coach by nature, Cathro has made it clear once again that he intends to instil his footballing philosophy into the Magpies squad - something that comes as bad news for the likes of Mike Williamson.

Speaking to Newcastle's official website, Cathro smiled when asked about his philosophy and revealed:

"It's very difficult to play football without the ball - it's an important component of the game, so I think that's a very clear message that that's how you improve things and that's our way of working. "We have a trip to America and by the time we return, we're going to be in a good position to know what needs to be done in the build up to the new season."

The former Brechin City and Forfar Athletic player has seen a rapid rise in his coaching career, despite still being two years shy of his 30th birthday. After being made Dundee United youth academy director by the age of 2012, Cathro was then appointed assistant boss at Rio Ave - before moving to Valencia, where he left this summer after guiding the Spanish club to an impressive fourth-placed finish in La Liga. When asked about how things have gone under McClaren so far, Cathro explained:

"We're in pre-season and there's a lot of work that needs to be done. "There are not many parts of this industry that are Monday to Friday, nine to five. "This is all the time or none of the time. You're either in or you're out - and in order for us to achieve the things that we need to achieve, everyone needs to be in."

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