Everyone is surprised at how well Newcastle United are doing, and Gary Neville has admitted he’s shocked at how the new owners have conducted business.
It’s been just over a year since PIF bought the club from Mike Ashley, and turned Newcastle’s world upside down. The Magpies suddenly got the tag ‘the richest club in the world’, and were linked with superstar signings every hour of every day.
It could have gone very wrong, but it actually couldn’t have gone better. The owners were told they didn’t know what they were doing very early in their tenure, but they have proven that isn’t the case.
In 12 months, Newcastle have gone from relegation certainties to Champions League contenders. The big decisions made by Amanda Staveley and co have been the right decisions, and it is gearing the club up for a potential period of sustained success.
Newcastle haven’t operated as people thought they would when PIF bought the club, and Neville has admitted he’s been surprised by how things have gone at St James’ Park.
How Newcastle have surprised Gary Neville
On the latest episode of The Overlap on YouTube, Neville discussed Newcastle’s owners and how they haven’t done what he anticipated.
“I didn’t think the ownership at Newcastle would be as wise and as mature and as patient as they have been in the first six to 12 months,” Neville said.
“When you think of other ownerships that have come in, whether it be Abu Dhabi with Manchester City, they usually come in and want a star signing. They want a star manager, a fashionable manager. They want a name.
“They’ve actually come in and done the very opposite, which has surprised me a little bit. They’ve actually been a bit more mature, a bit more patient, a little bit understated – the very opposite of the Chelsea situation.”
Sensible decisions the foundation for success at Newcastle
Staveley and co easily could have done what Neville expected. When January arrived, they could have bought big reputation players who inevitably weren’t up for the fight, and only arrived for a big payday. They could have appointed a big time manager who didn’t know how to prepare a team that is battling relegation.
In a way, the predicament at Newcastle when the owners arrived has possibly helped them. It forced them to be savvy in the transfer window, signing solid players like Dan Burn and Matt Targett.
Would they have gone for a sexier manager than Eddie Howe had it not been midway through the season with Newcastle struggling? Quite possibly.
There has been big investment at St James’ Park, but it has been sensible. The three major signings – Bruno Guimaraes, Sven Botman and Alexander Isak – should be at the club for a very long time.
And hopefully they will be at the club for a very long time under the watchful eye of Howe. He has worked wonders on Tyneside, and has massively enhanced his reputation. He is proving he is here for the long haul, rather than just being a fire fighter to avoid relegation.
Everyone thought Newcastle’s owners would splash the cash and inevitably make fools of themselves. But that hasn’t happened at all. And that’s why the club is doing so well.