Steve McClaren is close to appointing the first handpicked members of his new backroom staff.
Paul Simpson, first team coach under McClaren at Derby, is expected to join his former boss as Newcastle look to replace the recently-departed John Carver and Steve Stone. With strong rumours that Bolo Zenden will also link-up with McClaren, the coaching staff at Newcastle could soon be finalised and ready to work with the players when they return for pre-season. Fitness coach Alessandro Schoenmaker and Newcastle-born sports psychologist Steve Black could also be making their way to Tyneside to give the backroom staff a much-needed makeover.
Simpson has been told he is free to leave his post at Derby, with the club prepared to waive the compensation packet that had previously been a sticking point. Simpson has had success in the past as a manager in his own right, winning the 2005 LMA League 2 Manager of the Year award after guiding Carlisle United to the league title. He has experience developing young talent and could be a valuable asset as Newcastle look to improve their youth set-up as well as the first team. In contrast to John Carver, Simpson is a much more measured presence on the touchline, introducing a swearing ban whilst at Derby, and would look to improve the club’s recent poor disciplinary record.
If Simpson will provide a clear and calm head, Dutchman Bolo Zenden could add the flair and innovation required to turn the club around. Zenden, currently working for PSV Eindhoven’s youth side, is well known to English football fans having played for Chelsea, Liverpool and (though we wont hold it against him for too long) both Middlesbrough and Sunderland. Zenden is widely regarded as a very promising coach and served as Rafa Benitez’s number two during his ill-fated time at Chelsea. Zenden however, is in high demand and has been linked with a job at former-side Liverpool after he hinted at a return to England saying “I always enjoyed my time in the Premier League”.
There are two more men who could also join McClaren’s new look staff. Alessandro Schoenmaker is another new face who is likely to make the move from Derby to the North-East. Schoenmaker is a strength and conditioning coach who has followed McClaren to his last four posts – at Twente (twice), Wolfsburg and Nottingham Forest before joining the Rams. The Brazilian has formed a strong working relationship with McClaren and would look to improve the injury situation at Newcastle, which left the club without some of its crucial players during the relegation run-in last season.
Finally, Steve Black could make a return to St James’ Park and rejoin the club he worked for under Kevin Keegan – during the latter’s successful reign in the early 1990s. Black is well-respected sports psychologist and has worked men like Jonny Wilkinson and the Welsh Rugby team under, the now All Blacks Head Coach, Graham Henry. Black also works as a motivational speaker and specialises in developing leadership, top-level performance and teamwork. We can all agree that these three things have been missing at the club for quite a while and any man capable of bringing these qualities to St James’ would be a welcome addition.
The first team will head off to the US in mid-July and the backroom staff is expected to be settled before they depart. McClaren’s new-look coaching team have a lot of work ahead of them and the sooner they get to it the better.
