New Newcastle United manager Steve McClaren says that he is joining the club with the hope of ending the long-standing trophy drought at Tyneside.
The club has not won a major trophy since the 1955 FA Cup title. During the early part of the 21st-century, they were considered as one of the potential challengers to the supremacy of Arsenal and Manchester United. For a few years under the regime of Kevin Keegan, Newcastle were able to come close to winning the league title. Since then, the club has dropped down several notches and they were even relegated for one season during this period.
McLaren is the latest managed to come to St James’s Park, but he has tried to get the fans for his side straightaway by claiming that the club will be aiming for a title under his leadership. Former Newcastle managers like Alan Pardew and John Carver have been heavily criticised for the lack of ambition, although it has largely come from the board and owner Mike Ashley. Keen to avoid this syndrome once again, McLaren has gone on the charm offensive. The former Derby County manager has promised new contract signings for the club. This has put futures of players like Gabriel Obertan under doubt.
“There’s a lot of work to do, but the club has made it clear about wanting success and I would not have come here if I didn’t believe they were serious.A club the size of Newcastle United should be winning cups and finishing in the top eight in the Premier League,” said the new manager. This would be a considerable achievement from McLaren if he was to achieve his ambitions in the next couple of years since Newcastle only managed to avoid relegation on the final day of the 2014-15 season.
