30th November 2013, that's when this carry on started, over six years ago! The proposed new "stunning new state-of-the-art training complex as part of a multi-million pound redevelopment of the Club's existing 35-acre training ground site" was something that surprised and excited supporters into believing the penny had finally dropped, and our owner was finally investing for the future. Then director of football, the ever colourful Joe Kinnear, said: "This is a hugely exciting development for Newcastle United. We have one of football's great stadiums and we are delighted to now be announcing plans for a training complex which will rival any in Europe.Top players and top teams need top training and medical facilities. Our current training ground has served the Club very well but the new complex will give us all of the ingredients that we need to continue maintaining and enhancing the performance of elite footballers." So that was that, an amazing investment into the future of the football club, due to get underway following the conclusion of the 2014/15 season.
Yet here we are, January 2020 and no development, and no "new 20-metre swimming pool, hydrotherapy and fitness pool and specialist equipment to aid injury prevention and recovery." quite apt really, considering the amount of injuries we've had recently. It was also one of many issues that proved fatal in swaying previous manager Rafa Benitez to walk out on Newcastle at the end of last season.
Back in the summer of 2016 following Newcastle's relegation to the Championship, the impossible seemed possible. Rafa had decided to stay at the helm, and he was straight in Managing Director Lee Charnley's ear, advocating an upgrade into United's facilities, following an embarrassing photo of players standing in make shift wheelie bin ice baths, and recovering in a blow up paddling pool.
Bear in mind that all environmental searches and surveys had been completed back in 2014. The club had already spent thousands of pounds setting up the plans for the reported £10million project. Not to mention that planning permission was granted in 2015, giving the club three years to complete the work. Point being, Rafa shouldn't have needed to bang Charnley's door down, the work should have already commenced during the Steve McClaren era!
Rafa managed to make some progress and work began on resurfacing artificial pitches, upgrading gym equipment, and a new relaxing space for players to bond and unwind; all ready to go for when the time came to face the grind of a season in the Championship.
In the meantime, then Premier League Champions Leicester City were preparing to announce plans of a new training complex (below right), and Bournemouth, who Sky Sports reporter Mark McAdam yesterday described, as a "League One club operating in the Premier League" were developing their own state of the art training complex (below left), dwarfing the facilities available to Newcastle United.Is it really any wonder Rafa walked, when Lee Charnley hardly shared the same drive, saying "Our pitches are very good, our gym is perfectly adequate and functional. Do we have a swimming pool or water facilities? No. Would we like to have it at some stage? Absolutely."
With today's news of Newcastle dropping out of the World's top 20 richest clubs, the comparison between ourselves and Tottenham Hotspur inevitably resurfaces, as we were on a par with Spurs when Ashley bought our beloved toon. As Tottenham are midway through their first full season in their awe inspiring £1 Billion stadium, Newcastle are left in a different stratosphere, lagging behind relegation threatened Bournemouth in terms of player facilities. The whole debacle, which I repeat started in 2013, has already cost Newcastle thousands of seemingly wasted pounds on survey and legal fees, a world class manager in Rafa Benitez, and who knows how many potential signings that may have been put off by the facilities, contributing to them signing elsewhere. But does our esteemed owner care? I somehow doubt it.