Ex-NUFC captain tells Saudis to go for this 'big name' boss - NOT Benitez - once £300m takeover is done
Some of you may be old enough to remember Mick Martin wearing the armband back in the late 70s early 80s.
Well, our former captain has given his thoughts as to who he believes should manage our club should the Saudi-backed takeover be approved.
The man Mick wants is ex-Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, believing Benitez shouldn't be chased after "jumping ship" for the Chinese millions - also feeling Bruce's days will be numbered once they begin to make big changes.
Speaking to the Express, the Irishman said:
“While I was a big fan of Benitez, I wouldn’t be chasing him for the job,”
“He jumped ship and went to China for the money, and I was hugely disappointed.”
“Steve came in and I was one who was saying, ‘It’s going to be hard work for him’. But I could understand him taking the job because he’s a Geordie.”
“I have to stress, I think Steve has done a great job and the players have responded well to him.”
“But if the takeover happens, I think Steve might be vulnerable. I think there could be huge changes.”
“If so, I might be looking at the likes of Pochettino. He knows big players, he knows South America and he knows Europe. He’s a big name in the game.”
“If you’re looking for trophies, you look to tempt big players, like Kevin Keegan did when he was manager here first time around.”
“He signed people like Andy Cole, Alan Shearer, and David Ginola.’’
Our former skipper becomes the latest name to denounce Benitez’s potential return to the club, which is quite surprising.
There seems to be a section of supporters who are adopting the ‘never go back where you left’ policy regarding Benitez - which is totally fine - but I thought the desire to have the Spaniard back at the helm would be a lot stronger than what it is within the fanbase.
Pochetinno is a name that has been thrown around a lot on social media - and obviously, most people rate him.
People are keen to point out that the Argentine, despite his merits, hasn’t actually won anything as a professional manager, whereas Rafa has won a bucketload of trophies.
That said, both are world class and could work wonders on Tyneside with the right backing.
Could Poch be the man to take us forward? Maybe not now - we have a long way to go yet - but his name could come into the equation if we begin to show signs of a rapid rise up the table.
Whoever the Saudi’s want in charge is one thing, but it does beg the question - is this talk disrespectful to our current gaffer?
