With the massive financial muscle behind the Newcastle takeover, we ask Soccer Saturday's Phil Thompson and Charlie Nicholas if they can follow in Manchester City's footsteps.
Charlie Nicholas
Can Newcastle become the next Man City?
In my opinion, no. I am trying to think about what that would mean and how it would it come about. People would say it just takes money, but you also have to have a formula. How did Manchester City get there and sign Vincent Kompany and Sergio Aguero? City had a formula.
How were they going to create this formula? They had Sven-Goran Eriksson as manager for a while and then they wanted to introduce these star footballers. Slowly but surely they could attract these footballers. They have spent a fortune, but the introduction of getting it right takes time. Newcastle could well be like that, but the current football financial market will be crashing and that could be a problem.
It could take two or three years to get that stabilised. They are talking about Mauricio Pochettino coming in and Steve Bruce going. I think Bruce has surpassed what Rafa Benitez did and nobody gives him the credit he deserves. They need to survive first and foremost. When Mike Ashley walks, the first thing they will do is start squabbling about how quickly they should be getting there and hitting the heights. It does not happen like that. Wait, get the right build-up, and buy the right players. It took Kevin Keegan years to get the top players in, and this will be similar.
Money will have an influence, but there are a lot of bad buys out there, there has been and will be in the future. How can they do it that way? Look at what City have at board room level, committee level, in terms of transfer recruitment and their academy. They have spent millions and millions and are there many top class players coming through? There does not seem to be a lot. Phil Foden is but not much more. There are a lot of positives, but the negatives come with it too.
Newcastle fans have to be patient with it. If I was a Newcastle fan, and in five years they have won a cup and are challenging for the Premier League, you would take that. In five years’ time it might be different, and I do not see this being significant for another five or 10 years, especially paying the likes of £60m with £250,000 wages. They will buy shirts and all of this but they need to rebuild that reputation. Give it five years and expect a trophy within that if it happens.
Newcastle's next manager odds
How much money would they need to spend?
It would be billions, and it is rising. Prices could drop, wages could drop but demands will be higher. People like Kompany were there for the project, and helped to bring in Aguero and David Silva down the line.
If I am being brutally honest about their current team, it probably needs 15 players. Lots of young players are coming through, but they are fine young players in a poor team. What else have they been bringing in? Why spend that money on Joelinton? You are starting to purchase players in the hope they deliver.
I do not know the budget but it will take billions. You probably need 15 players and to add them to the current batch, and that is where I was coming from. Three players in every summer would take around five years, and it is going to take you that amount of time. They have so much money but they have to play the financial budget and game, so they cannot shred or rip that up. It is 15 players and that is being brutally harsh. Get 15 in to go and compete - they need six to get into mid-table and start to adjust from there
Would Rafa be the ideal manager and would he want to return?
I would say Rafa would be the wrong person to return. They have an opportunity to give this club a big leap forward. It will not be a club focused on survival. Ashley upset a lot of Newcastle fans and it did not fit the Newcastle ideal, but you have to go to proper Newcastle fans and bring these ex Newcastle types in to understand it. You do need an intake that this is what the publics demands will be.
Rafa likes to be about security rather than expressiveness. They do not like the defence but Bruce has been trying to tidy up Rafa’s mentality. The fans like a number nine but like one with a partner. Bruce should be given time, he knows the club and knows what it is like. If they want to move it on quicker, would Pochettino take it? Possibly. He likes to control it.
Who would the right manager be? Keep Steve Bruce, gain an understanding of the club and hope it can move on. He will try his best, even if he does not get it right. He will try to make it better so if he leaves the club, they will be in a better position than what it was in when he came in. That is important to Newcastle. They don’t want to step back, as that will be a waste of money. Keep Bruce for at least another year, see how it goes and then you can have your opinion about who to have next.
What would big investment mean to Newcastle fans?
I think it gives them the heart and soul back. I am a strong believer in how I do not agree with what clubs do and how they treat people. I still feel like that, and Newcastle is a one city club. The ground is full the majority of the time, but that is the thing that’s been missing. The fans have every right to moan and groan, and they have not been wrong.
It is the younger ones that have been missing out. They are not getting the real version of the football club. That, all of a sudden, can kick on. Get the Newcastle kit, go to the home and away matches and give them something back that they can feel. They will give you time and patience and their full wholehearted support. You will have your complaints and awkward days but the young group of supporters will be a massive boost. It does happen like that.
When Arsenal brought Dennis Bergkamp, Arsenal fans would love him and buy their shirt. He paid his price back in one year, and the rest was history. Newcastle have that ability, get this star name on the back of your shirt and get the belief back.
They want to come back and watch these players. Kompany may not have been the big star, but he was a leader. You would pay and want to go and see Aguero and Silva, now you have that with Raheem Sterling and Kevin de Bruyne. You cannot guarantee success but they certainly guarantee excitement, and that is what most of them are waiting for. They have got an enormous affection towards the game and their club, and this will be gigantic for them.
Newcastle odds specials
- 2/7 - Steve Bruce NOT to be Newcastle manager on the opening day of the 2020/21 PL season
- 5/2 - Steve Bruce to STILL be Newcastle manager on the opening day of the 2020/21 PL season
- 200/1 - Newcastle to win the 2020/21 Premier League
- 16/1 - Newcastle to finish in the Top 4 in the 2020/21 Premier League season
- 9/2 - Newcastle to finish in the Top 6 in the 2020/21 Premier League season
- 20/1 - Newcastle to win either the PL, FA Cup or EFL Cup in the 2020/21 season
Phil Thompson
Can Newcastle become the next man city?
If the owners felt like they wanted to get really involved and push boundaries like City have, it could be a big worry for the rest of us. Everything is being looked at. Are they fit and proper? I am quite sure that the Newcastle fans will be hoping everything sales through and is given the green light. I have lots of time for Newcastle fans and what they have been through with Mike Ashley. They have been loyal and it will be great if it comes off. They will be hoping they can spend big time on team improvements.
How much money would they need to spend?
It is one thing spending - lots of clubs can spend money. It is how you spend it, and having the right recruitment to do so, rather than flashing clash at everything that has a pair of legs. They have to do it wisely, do it slowly, as Manchester City did. Hopefully they will improve the training facilities and everything else that comes with it. All round the Etihad and the complex, it is wonderful, not just for football, but the whole community. They have played their part in the rejuvenation of that side of Manchester.
How many players would they need?
They would need a full revamp but would want to do it slowly. Realistically, they would have to go through the side, look at what you actually need, and invest in six or seven quality players to enhance their squad and give it what it needs. Newcastle currently have some players who are Premier League players, they have some who are Championship players, but they also need some who are Champions League quality.
People will say it’s only Newcastle, but when City had the takeover, there was not a hefty amount of difference. Their marquee signing was Robinho for around £32m and then they went about it slowly. Who will go for the project? Who will come just for the money? Man City did that very well. He came in and changed it - he was the Brazilian but they had to have more than that. It could be happy days for Newcastle, but the biggest thing for them is seeing the back of Mike Ashley. Getting him out would be Christmas and birthday’s coming together at once!
Would Rafa be the ideal manager and would he want to return?
Rafa would be on the agenda of many fans. We were not witnessing what went on behind the scenes. You ‘should never go back’ is the cliché that is often muttered, but I certainly hope they give Steve Bruce a chance. It is quite easy to go and get these mega managers who have managed in Italy, Spain and Germany, but Bruce is a decent manager and I would like to think he would be given a chance to prove himself.
What would big investment mean to Newcastle fans?
I just think they will be delighted. They will want to see and hope to see those quality of players coming in. If this sort of money comes in, they should use it wisely and similarly to Man Cit. It is not just what is on the football pitch, but what they put into the club in order to drive it forwards and become one of the biggest in the Premier League, as City have done. Newcastle had a lot going for it, and the fans will be wanting to see the club being driven in the best way it can be. It is not just about those players are on the pitch, there is so much more than that. You just do not know, you would like to think the City owners are there for the duration. You want them to be there forever but you also want them to leave something sustainable.
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