Chris Hughton starts his third time as interim manager this Wednesday, with all the Newcastle players returning for pre-season training at the Benton training headquarters.
Chris Hughton – takes pre-season training on Wednesday
With Mike Ashley so far refusing to appoint Alan Shearer as the manager, for whatever reasons, Chris Hughton confirmed today to the Evening Chronicle he has indeed been appointed caretaker manager, with Colin Calderwood coming in as his assistant on a weekly contract.
Chris still has two years left on his contract, and we should just point out that it’s not Chris’s fault the club is in such a mess, but he gets the unenviable job (again) to try to put some order into the pre-season training. And of course this comes just days after fitness coaches Hulse and Elliott surprisingly resigned their coaching positions at the club.
Why Mike Ashley couldn’t have put Alan Shearer on a weekly contract four weeks ago we have no idea, but that would have ensured the club was in much better shape than it is right now. The club would have been better off, which is what it’s all about – isn’t it?
So Mike’s appointment of Colin on a week by week basis, rather undermines his reasons why he couldn’t appoint Alan, so there’s some other reason for him keeping Alan firmly on the sidelines over the last several weeks.
And Chris is saying all the right things, as the current uncertainty (which is hardly new to our players after last season) cannot be allowed to get in the way of the training that starts on Wednesday
Chris told the Evening Chronicle today:
“Everything will be done properly with the group of players that is there.” “Everything going on outside of that has to stay outside of it.”
“Whatever the situation will be, when it comes to the first day of pre-season training, the players will go through a good and correct programme for however long it is until someone takes over.”
“The most important thing is that the players get a pre-season under their belts.” “Everything has to be done properly by the staff and players.”
“Colin’s here in the short term until we know what’s going to happen.”
All of Newcastle’s internationals have been given an extra week off after being involved with their respective countries during the domestic summer break, and those players include Sebastien Bassong and Geremi (Cameroon), Jonas Gutierrez (Argentina), Damien Duff (Ireland) and Xisco (Spain U21), who will not be around until a week come Wednesday.
Newcastle are a little short of coaches with Hulse and Elliott having gone to Liverpool, but Richard Money, Paul Barron and Alan Thompson are available. Of course so is Alan Shearer, but it looks like he’s not wanted – at least not yet.
It’s also looking like any deal to buy Newcastle may go on for another couple of weeks, and that will not be good news to Newcastle fans, who wants the new owner and manager in as soon as possible.
Time is not our side, that’s for sure.
Comments welcome.
55 comments so far
iamlegend
Jun 29, 2009 at 4:10 PM
Comment #41Okay, i know this will be met with a lot of negativity and harsh comments, but this is my first and only post until thursday….so judge me on thursday at 8pm. Basically I have it on very good authority that there will be an announcement about the sale of the club on thursday (i say 8pm as these things can happen at anytime). Basically the workers at Newcastle have been told there jobs are safe and that he club has been bought, there is an announcment expected on Thursday. Give me till thursday if i am wrong then fair enough i am an idiot, if i am not then IAMLEGEND! Remember thursday 8pm!
workyticket
Jun 29, 2009 at 4:32 PM
Comment #42Macas35 // Jun 29, 2009 at 3:50 PM
“The only reason there was a backlash over the Keegan fiasco was because of the way he was treat and the lies coming out of the club.”
Macas, with all due respect, how on earth can you know what happened there? You’re just presuming something that fits in with your own particular prejudices there.
punk skunk...
Jun 29, 2009 at 4:34 PM
Comment #43Subjectivity is a wonderful thing!..
🙂
Macas35
Jun 29, 2009 at 4:57 PM
Comment #44Workyticket – Totally disagree. Keegan left because of interference behind his back, something we know to be a fact. And the club issued the infamous statements on the website which totally contradicted comments they had previously made about signing players, and about Keegan having final approval. I dont think there is any doubt as to what happened. The only argument and issue fans had was whether Keegan should have left because of this or put on a brave face and rode the storm. The point I was initially making is that this had nothing to do with Keegan being sacked, as he wasn’t. The club looked to be doing well and it was the clubs treatment of the manager that caused the unrest. Like I said before, there is no reason to believe there would be any problems if Shearer was sacked because of poor results. The Keegan situation was something totally different.
lesh
Jun 29, 2009 at 5:11 PM
Comment #45Punk…..…”Ashley is gutted about what’s happened & is tryin’ to do the right thing by NUFC…”
Really?
lesh
Jun 29, 2009 at 5:13 PM
Comment #46And if Ashley was truely gutted, it’d be nice ot hearwords to the effect that he is trying to do what’s best for the club……
Or does that not even occur to him?
Beastie
Jun 29, 2009 at 5:21 PM
Comment #47WHAT A JOKE !!! COMPLETE AND UTTER S**T
ginkoh
Jun 29, 2009 at 5:56 PM
Comment #48If you are not Geordies, you never know how we feel and don’t why we need Shearer to be our boss so much.
Waste time to explain to some stupid sXXX.
nimo
Jun 29, 2009 at 5:59 PM
Comment #49id rather have money in charge rather that hughton hes proved twice hes not good enough and there is only money done a decent job there since kk left
punk skunk...
Jun 29, 2009 at 8:07 PM
Comment #50Lesh,
Aye mate, that’s right, you read correctly man…
…& that’s from a very good ‘source’!..
…I have no reason to disbelieve this person!..
…Just tellin’ you what i was told!..
Stuart79
Jun 29, 2009 at 8:22 PM
Comment #51punk skunk… // Jun 29, 2009 at 8:07 PM
Lesh,
Aye mate, that’s right, you read correctly man…
…& that’s from a very good ’source’!..
…I have no reason to disbelieve this person!..
…Just tellin’ you what i was told!..
More sources on this blog than in bloody Tesco’s!
It’s obvious nobody knows anything. The papers are evidence of that!
punk skunk...
Jun 29, 2009 at 8:45 PM
Comment #52Well,
my ‘source’ has 2 Toon players & a legend on his books, plus various players from other clubs!..
punk skunk...
Jun 29, 2009 at 8:50 PM
Comment #53I reckon it’s sauce you’re on about stuart!?!..
punk skunk...
Jun 29, 2009 at 8:58 PM
Comment #54The rags defo know nowt, but agents, handlers, managers do!..
workyticket
Jun 29, 2009 at 8:59 PM
Comment #55ginkoh // Jun 29, 2009 at 5:56 PM
“If you are not Geordies, you never know how we feel and don’t why we need Shearer to be our boss so much.
Waste time to explain to some stupid sXXX.”
Ginkoh, I am a Geordie, and I don’t really know what your going on about there TBH.