Sportski direktor Newcastle Uniteda Dan Ashworth sastao se novinarima iz Newcastlea gde je rekao nekoliko važnih stvari za bidićnost kluba.

"I think everybody would admit there are certain areas of the club that have been run on more of a skeleton framework and a survival basis. It was like, ‘If we can stay in the Premier League, that’s fine or enough’.

"That’s not enough anymore.

"So, consequently, we have to upscale the majority of departments and facilities in order to try to achieve our goals, which are to finish higher up the league and compete for trophies.

"They are our aspirational targets, and that’s the trajectory the club is going towards over the next few years. So, consequently, there is a building out of structures and capacity needed, in order to be able to achieve that.

"Some things are probably stocked and fit for purpose, but there are other areas that needed improvement. In some, that was an issue of head count, in others it might have been a facilities issue.

"So, the training ground is going through a period of improving our capacity. That’s not only to fit more people in there, it’s also to improve it for players on recovery, on diet and nutrition, a lot of money has gone into new training pitches for example.

"There are some short-term fixes you can have. But then there’s also the longer-term question of whether (the club needs) a purpose-built training (complex) that can incorporate an academy, women’s and first team, that may or may not be coming down the track. That’s more about the long-term, and those are processes that are harder to fix.

"Being pitched into a summer window without building relationships and understanding how the board works, how Eddie works or how the recruitment works, has been a challenge.

"Obviously, you are stuck within a tight timeframe because the transfer window shuts on September 1.

"So, it was about getting players out and off the books, getting some players in on loan from a development pathway point of view, adjusting contracts, for example Elliot Anderson, and then bringing in some senior and youth recruits.

"We brought in five senior players, and signed five younger players (for the development ranks). I’ve been doing this job 15 years now, and I don’t think I’ve ever said the day after deadline, ‘That was perfect and we got every position we wanted and everybody we wanted’.

"I would always like more emerging talents for the category of those younger players, and possibly one more to support the first team. But, overall, I was really pleased with the players we signed and business we did.”

photo: nufc.co.uk