• Steve McClaren was appointed at the new Newcastle manager on Wednesday
• The press were locked out of unveiling and only one fan came to greet him
• McClaren must try to bridge the canyon of mistrust between club and its fans
• Former England boss McClaren has found himself a new impossible job
• His first challenge will be to find significant funds to spend on transfers
• Fans said an opportunity to show the club had changed was missed
• McClaren is aiming for top eight finishes and triumph in cup competitions 

By

Craig Hope for the Daily Mail

Published:
21:31 GMT, 10 June 2015

|
Updated:
22:07 GMT, 10 June 2015

The last former England manager to be appointed Newcastle boss was smuggled in via a back entrance to avoid being mobbed by thousands of delirious supporters outside St James’ Park.

That was Kevin Keegan in 2008. On Wednesday, Steve McClaren arrived via the same secluded gateway beneath the stadium in his chauffeur-driven Audi. This time, though, just one fan waited for a glimpse of the new manager.

But that is exactly how a club so dispiritingly divorced from its fanbase wants it to be. When McClaren left some four hours later, having conducted cosy interviews with preferred media partners only, he confirmed to Sportsmail that he was not allowed to speak to the independent press.

Steve McClaren, sacked by Derby County, has been appointed as the new Newcastle United manager

McClaren has signed a three-year deal with Newcastle but that could be extended by five further years

The 54-year-old posed for photos around St James’ Park but there was no fanfare around his welcome

WHERE WAS THE BLACK AND WHITE FANFARE? 

The Geordie faithful turned out in their thousands when Sir Bobby Robson took the helm at St James’ Park and there was even mass hysteria when Ruud Gullit took the reins. But it was the proverbial one man (and not even a dog) to welcome former England manager Steve McClaren… 

Sir Bobby Robson and Ruud Gullit were met by huge crowds that were not present for McClaren

The lone supporter, meanwhile, had long since disappeared. It was somewhat ironic that he wore the black-and-white shirt made famous by Keegan’s ‘Entertainers’ of the mid-Nineties, for there was no show to see here.

It was as if the Magpies were embarrassed by the appointment of a man who has turned them down twice in the past six months and, as he later revealed, twice more in 2004 and 2009.

That rejection, of course, matters not, now he has been installed on a three-year contract – potentially rising to eight – and has been given an unprecedented place on the board of directors, giving him more say in the running of the club.

It’s a shame he doesn’t have an input on PR strategy, for an already unenviable task has been made all the tougher by the negative publicity in the wake of the free-press shutout. Keegan’s old club was open and engaging, Mike Ashley’s is closed and cold.

McClaren must now attempt to bridge the canyon of mistrust which exists between the club and its disillusioned supporters, who, on the whole, are underwhelmed by his arrival, pointing to the fact his previous four management roles have ended in dismissal or resignation amid terrace criticism, not to mention his failure with England.

And McClaren thought that was the impossible job. Welcome to Tyneside.

McClaren spoke about how he will target winning trophies but only selected media partners were present

The former Derby County and England manager sits in the St James’ Park dressing room after taking the job

Still, though, he made all of the right noises when speaking to in-house media and partners.

His contract is heavily incentivised towards winning the club’s first piece of silverware in 47 years – under Ashley they have ducked out of the cups for fear of fatigue killing the Premier League cash cow – and he will land another bonus for a top-eight finish.

McClaren had previously shunned Newcastle’s advances, first in January when he stayed loyal to Derby and then again towards the end of the season when he preferred not to risk his reputation aboard a sinking ship.

But the 54-year-old says he was convinced of a change in direction when he heard Ashley speak prior to the final-day victory over West Ham which preserved their top-flight status.

‘When he (Ashley) came out with drive and determination and focus and talked about the objectives he wanted to achieve, he said it with such verve and vigour, I think everybody was convinced, everybody was rejuvenated by that,’ said McClaren.

McClaren said Mike Ashley’s words at the end of the season had rejuvenated the club’s future hopes 

McClaren twice turned down Newcastle this season to stick with his job at Derby but is now free to move

‘The objective is top eight, to win a trophy. That’s something that has been transmitted to me through meetings with Lee Charnley (managing director) and the rest of the board.

‘That’s what we want to achieve together. When you look at the West Ham game, I watched and thought this is a football club that sticks together. If we can add to that, if we can plan and come up with the right recruitment and get the right resources as well, this club can take off.’

And McClaren is right. Newcastle United is a club which should have more ambition and meaning than a mere source of income for their billionaire owner and a vehicle of publicity for his retail stores.

But as it stands, Ashley’s public promise for investment and change which so motivated McClaren is still treated with scepticism by fans – and rightly so.

McClaren’s experience includes managing England but he may find the Newcastle job even toughet

The former Middlesbrough boss led Twente in Holland to the Eredivisie title in 2010 after leaving England

McClaren is inheriting a squad low on quality, quantity and character. They deserved to be relegated last season and were only saved by the shortcomings of others.

The first challenge for the new boss it to negotiate the release of significant funds from what are sizeable coffers. To that end, at least Ashley’s interview gives McClaren something to which he can be held, for previous manager Alan Pardew was forever frustrated by a policy of prudence and his marginal role in transfer dealings.

‘The objectives are to get into the top eight and to win something,’ said McClaren.

‘To achieve that you have to have a good attacking team, a good attitude and we are hoping to build that.

‘We need to put a smile on the fans’ faces and make them proud.

Newcastle fans protested against the ownership last season but McClaren will hope to unite the club

A supporter holds up a sign protesting against Ashley’s ownership during Newcastle’s defeat by Leicester

‘This club is unique in that every week is like a religion. They are faithful fans who turn up every week expecting.’

For now, they expect change. Sadly, Wednesday’s farce felt like much of the same, as True Faith fanzine editor Michael Martin said: ‘They have had yet another opportunity to change, another opportunity to clean up the mess they have got into and they have failed to take it.

‘To not have the local media (at the new manager unveiling) makes them look like a club that does not even know where their supporters are from. It just seems unnecessarily antagonistic.

‘It looks like a club that has no idea what it is doing. We were told things were going to change, that there would be better communication and more transparency, but this suggests nothing has changed at all.’

Welcome to Newcastle United, Steve. Good luck, you’re probably going to need it.

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