Despite Steve Bruce talking to journalists last week as he was the man for the job as manager at Newcastle going forward, with rumours flying about him being shown the door as soon as the takeover was official. Bruce lasted a couple of weeks or so into it before it all became real that the former Man Utd player never was the long term or even a short term alternative to lead this club forward.
Instead owners have turned to Greame Jones to take temporary charge of the team, but who is Greame Jones, relatively unknown for most, but still a man with a long life in professional football as a player, coach and also beein directors of football at Aston Villa.
He is like Steve Bruce in many ways going back both being long term fans of this football club as they are both former fans from the terraces at St. James Park. Bruce born in Corbridge, Jones in Gateshead and their love for the club being Magpies through and through might be the course of Jones taking charge and not following Bruce out the door at Newcastle.
Greame Jones was brought into the club last season to get som fresh ideas around the place and by many seen as the one helping Steve Bruce to get to were he managed last season, but with the start to this season people might have seen a change, who knows, with Jones now in temporary charge to a new manager is found.
Embed from Getty ImagesGreame Jones is 10 years younger than Steve Bruce and at 51 years of age been around in the game covering a set of different positions, and forced to cut his playing career short starting out as a coach at his club Hamilton Academical. Then later moving to Swansea to take up a coaching position under the leadership of Roberto Martinez, also following him to Swansea and Everton, but when Martinez switched to take up the position as Belgium national coach not following on, but instead taking up the vacant position as manager of Luton Town.
Jones did struggle with Luton and left his position with the club being 2nd to bottom when that happened. A chance to move back up to Newcastle appeared and was seen as a good alternative after a short stint at Bournemouth in the same type of coaching position, and the rest is history. He had a positive impact when arriving at St. James Park and talked fondly off among those close to the set-up and to step into this position must be thrilling as the club starts their chase for a permanent man to take charge.
Not really famous from his playing days, missing the top flight action in England and just seen frequently in the top of the SPL, but of course a good professional as he played for different clubs in both England and Scotland. A proven goalscorer with a total of 113 goals in 315 league appearances for his clubs as we Jones spent time at Wigan, Bury, Southend, Boston, Hamilton and St. Johnstone among his many destinations.
Interesting to see what Greame Jones will bring to the table with a little or no really good experiences from being left in charge with Luton being his only real shot at this type of job, often seen as the ideal assistant for other man in charge.
Newcastle need points and with Steve Bruce out of the picture a search for a new manager will be probably start at this point, with Greame Jones also uncertain about his close future, but again to see The Magpies relegated this season would have been a massive blow to the start of a new era at this football club.
Newcastle fans are devoted and eager to see their team up there fighting for trophies, with Mike Ashley that ambition has been totally absent and a life between the two top tiers has been what this football club have achieved in the years with Ashley as owner.
A few years back under former managers Kevin Keegan, Kenny Dalglish and Sir Bobby Robson things were a bit different but still not as fresh and lovely as fans would like to see themselves up there winning trophies, but a long time ago any team of such lifted a major trophy. Newcastle are former winners of both League and FA Cup, but few or no one have any experience of that happening as we do have to go back to 1927 to find the last proof of a league title and in 1955 lifting, for the last time, a FA Cup trophy.
Of course interesting to follow Newcastle going forward but we do believe that it will take time before the club will look at major trophies in their cabinet as the club first and for all need to find the tools to repair a team that at the moment looks a bit away from any trophy hunt and the only way to bring in major talent must be to outbid the bigger and better, but located in the north of England it might be a difficult act to play.
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