Uncertainty surrounds the future of Derby County boss Steve McClaren following crunch talks with the club’s chief executive Sam Rush yesterday. The former England boss is expected to depart the iPro Stadium in the coming days, having failed to meet the board’s minimum expectation of finishing in the play-off places.
Newcastle are the favourites to sign McClaren should he depart Derby, but many have questioned whether appointing him as head coach is a wise move. So, we put the question to a few of our writers. Here’s how they responded:
Thomas Bore
With potential candidates, such as Remi Garde and Rene Girard, reportedly available this summer, I cannot fathom Lee Charnley making a move for McClaren – especially after he rejected us in our time of need. Why would we recruit a manager who failed to make the play-offs with a Derby side that many tipped to gain automatic promotion? It just doesn’t seem plausible.
If there choice were between him and Carver, obviously my choice would be McClaren, but that doesn’t have to be Newcastle’s choice. There are plenty of credible candidates available this summer that would jump at the chance of becoming our head coach – even with Mike Ashley’s strict, profit-orientated regime.
Marcus Shearer
It’s a difficult one, as unfortunately you have to weigh up so many factors as a fan, such as being overly ambitious (De Boer, Klopp, Ancelotti) being slightly ambitious whilst realistic (Benitez, Garde, Laudrup, Moyes) or facing up to reality (McClaren, Carver).
The reality is this isn’t our Newcastle United, this is Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct FC, and Mike will only hire who he knows and trusts to work under his strict conditions whilst not kicking up much of a fuss.
If the choice was strictly between McClaren and John Carver, of course I’d back the former. That said, picking a manager who drastically collapsed in the Championship this season and missed out on the play-offs seems ludicrous. It’s all about lowering fan expectation and Ashley is nailing it to a tee.
Lee Wilson
Steve McClaren was not my first choice to replace Alan Pardew. I believed this was a time where Newcastle United could change direction and employ a modern, innovative coach. Having said that I still believe he could be a very good fit for Newcastle and would receive my support. It’s my worry that fans negatively judge McClaren because of his stint with England. Many bigger managers have tried and failed as I believe it’s a poisoned chalice. McClaren has a wealth of experience and delivered silverware, which fans yearn for.
Robert Sharpe
Perhaps best known for being the shortest serving manager in England history, Steve McClaren has been heavily linked with the manager position at Newcastle recently. He is also said to be close to dismissal at current club Derby County. I, however, believe that McClaren would be a poor appointment for Newcastle, for two major reasons.
Firstly, beyond a good spell at Middlesbrough from 2001 to 2006 and a Eredivisie title at FC Twente in 2010, McClaren has failed at his other stops, which include England, Wolfsburg, Nottingham Forest, a return to Twente, and Derby. His term at Derby has seen the club have its ups and downs, with a 3rd place finish last season, but then a regression to the point of missing out on a playoff spot this year.
Secondly, I believe that Newcastle requires a young fresh manager to reinvigorate the squad, and an English re-tread like McClaren will yield similar results as current caretaker John Carver, especially if the squad is not improved significantly. I believe an appointment such as Real Madrid assistant Paul Clement, who is young, has served at many different top clubs as an assistant and has yet to get a chance as a manager, as ideal, although it is much more likely that Carver or McClaren get the job.
Michael Oliver – West Ham United
It remains to be seen whether he would be or not, but if we just look back at his recent managerial jobs, it’s hard to see it being a good move. His time as England manager is most commonly remembered for the brolly incident, but he proved to be a tactically inept manager, who was unable to get the best out of his side. His time this season with Derby only furthered that notion, with the Rams totally capitulating down the stretch, as they didn’t have the bottle to see out the task at hand. Newcastle need a strong, vocal leader in the dugout, which is everything Steve McClaren isn’t.
Alan Cole – Norwich City
Steve McClaren at Newcastle is a terrible idea to me. It shows a knee jerk desperation move before a defining moment for the club on Sunday. John Carver is an awful fit and never should have gotten the job to begin with, but the time to sack him was after that disgraceful loss to Leicester. If an eight game losing streak in which they were outscored 18-4 and lost their fifth straight derby isn’t enough to sack a manager, then a big game coming up shouldn’t be either. In addition, it also shows a lack of ambition from the club that just eleven years ago they sacked Sir Bobby Robson in hopes to take the next step, and now they are looking at the manager who finished eighth in the Championship just to stay up.
James Spiking – Chelsea
In my personal opinion, I think Newcastle United should be looking elsewhere, rather than letting Steve McClaren sign on the dotted line. Someone such as Remi Garde would be fresher than McClaren. Although Garde hasn’t got the Premier League experience, he knows how to battle in a top league. He brings through his own footballing system and would lighten up St James’.
However, If Newcastle get relegated, the chances of Garde signing are next to none. So if the Magpies are playing Championship football next season, McClaren is the man and I’m pretty confident he would help them get back into the Premier League, as soon as possible.
