Opinion: Steve McClaren appointment brings hope to Newcastle United but club have to reconnect with fans
By Simon O'Rourke
Misery, mutiny and McClaren. This has been the story of 2015 at Newcastle United. But now welcome to the brave new world - Steve McClaren's appointment is a line drawn in the sand at St James' Park - a recognition that what worked before is broken.
McClaren's history makes him an interesting choice. But Newcastle's recent history is his biggest problem. He'll know his appointment won't set pulses racing on Tyneside, but pulses haven't raced on Tyneside for a while.
The owner, Mike Ashley, has made his profits, but there's been no joy in his methods and an awful, unseen price has being paid; the unconditional love for which Newcastle fans are famous has being eroded. This is a time of boycotts, revolutions and uncomfortable questions. Ashley's business model was brazenly black and white - stay in the Premier League, nothing else matters. Just do enough, just spend enough and always sell if the price is right.
But the business model was broken. Alan Pardew knew it, so he left. The club's response was to do nothing, to sign no one, to put off until tomorrow what needed to be done today.
The result was nearly disastrous; John Carver tried to be the top man - oh how he tried - but his dream job became his living nightmare. Every move he made, every decision, every soundbite only made things worse. Newcastle stayed in the Premier League, but only just. The Magpies got away with murder.
So in these dark times, enter McClaren. The curious traveller. A man, and a manager, who's difficult to classify. His CV contains stories of genuine achievement, tales of complete failure and snapshots in time he will never outrun.
He was the sorcerer's apprentice at Manchester United and the breakout star at Middlesbrough. Then he was the wally with the brolly - and failure with England follows a man forever.
Then redemption. Steve became an Englishman abroad. "Schteve" McClaren - title-winning, accent-hopping coach of Twente in the Eredivisie. The first Englishman since Sir Bobby to top a decent league on the continent.
But Germany and Wolfsburg went badly. Nottingham Forest was a disaster and his return to Twente was a classic example of why in life, love and football, you should never go back.
A coaching spell at QPR was followed by a curious chapter at Derby County. The Rams often looked the Championship's best team on McClaren's watch, but twice they failed with the finish line in sight. The uncomfortable truth is his final months in the East Midlands were as much about Newcastle as they were about Derby. Twice the Magpies came calling, twice he said no. Or at least "not yet".
But now the time is right. Derby have chosen another direction. Newcastle have cleared away yesterday's men. It may not be a marriage made in heaven but you can see the attraction for both parties. McClaren may even be allowed a honeymoon, because there's a hint of change in the air on Tyneside. Ashley's not going anywhere, but he's off the board and he's talking about winning trophies. The new board of directors now contains actual football people as opposed to obedient business types. There's talk of heavy investment in the summer transfer market, with the likes of Charlie Austin being linked with the club.
And yet.....
When the day came to sell all this as good news, Newcastle United chose hardly to sell it all. Only 'preferred partners' were given access to the new head coach. The majority of the media had to copy and paste the club statement.
You may think that serves the precious media right or you may think it further undermines the reputation of a club who've either ruined or ignored important relationships for years. Never mind the media - we have thick skins - the club has become estranged from its supporters and communication has been a major reason for the breakdown of the relationship.
For now though, there's hope again. McClaren has some big hits on his CV as well as the misses. He brought a little magic to Middlesbrough and a title to Twente. But uniting Newcastle could be his biggest achievement.