When Newcastle United appointed a new first-team coach this week it may have, to the casual observer, appeared as though Graeme Jones was the new manager rather than an assistant to Steve Bruce.
Jones, highly rated and a North East native, who formed a successful partnership with Roberto Martinez at Wigan Athletic, Everton and the Belgium national team, with given a lengthy interview on the club’s official website detailing his methods, beliefs and plans to improve the team.
He talked about winning the FA Cup with Wigan Athletic, which he of course did alongside Martinez back in 2013, and talked up the quality of the players he would work with, both those in and out of the team, and stressed he would be a new set of eyes and voice on the training ground.
It is hard to remember another first-team coach being given such a platform to raise their profile so soon after joining a new club, which is why it raised eyebrows.
It was a strange interview, in that respect, in both tone and length, which has helped fuel rumours that his arrival could have serious ramifications for Bruce should Newcastle’s run of 11 games without a win stretch another three games over the next seven days.
Jones has been told he will not lose his job if Bruce loses his, which would certainly make him the ideal person to take over as caretaker manager should the club decide Bruce is the problem rather than a solution to their alarming loss of form.
That has naturally caught the attention of fans who want rid of Bruce. A change, any change, would be good enough for them such is the toxicity of the mood on Tyneside, even if that means turning to someone who was sacked by Luton in his first and only managerial role last year, with the club sitting 19th in the Championship.
It is worth knowing, though, that Bruce has wanted a new coach for some time. It was an awkward situation as he did not want to lose one coach to make room for another and was aware of how bad it would look to his existing staff.
This was not, he insists, done above his head. Jones has not been forced upon him and that is fascinating because it shows a manager who is willing to change and adapt. To survive, in the first instance, and then, hopefully, improve.
Bruce arrived at Newcastle in July 2019 with two coaches, Stephen Clemence, who has been with him since Hull City, and Steve Agnew, who started working under him at Aston Villa. Bruce also brought in former Newcastle goalkeeper Steve Harper to act as a link between the Development Squad and first team.
Bruce is loyal to those who he likes, and he needs people he can trust around him. Yet he realised the team needed fresh ideas and a different approach on the training ground. It was a tacit admission that, as much he still rates Agnew and Clemence, something has been missing. It was also a reflection of his own shortcomings, perhaps. But a willingness to accept those weaknesses may well be a sign of strength.
At the age of 60, Bruce wanted a younger, more dynamic coach alongside him. Someone he could bounce ideas off, as well as take counsel from. Someone he could ask to prepare the team to implement whatever tactical tweaks he wants to make, who can put his ideas into practice on the training pitch.
It is not a revolutionary idea. Brian Clough is one of the most revered managers in the game, but he spent very little time taking training sessions.
It is also something Sir Alex Ferguson was superb at during the second half of his reign at Manchester United, refreshing his coaching team with younger men, talented football brains who could spend their time on the grass while he focused on matchday preparations, man management, recruitment and the overall task of leadership.
Football is constantly evolving and by working with a younger generation of coaches better versed in modern training methods and techniques, Ferguson kept up with the times and focused his energy on other parts of the manager’s job.
Interestingly, those close to Bruce have been urging him to consider this option for months and it is something he has been looking to do since the end of November. Jones came highly recommended and was also the club’s first choice.
We also have to realise that Mike Ashley, Newcastle’s owner, does not want to sack Bruce, despite how much the supporters dislike him. Ashley is no stranger to animosity or abuse, and he has never been inclined to listen to supporters. If Ashley sacks Bruce, it will because he is left with no other option and it is the only hope of avoiding relegation.
The arrival of Jones is a change in approach and possibly direction. It is also a shift by Bruce himself and if you step back from the volatile emotions of this bipolar football club, it possibly shows strength rather than weakness.
There are some who still believe Bruce has welcomed his replacement to St James’ Park, even if he does not realise it yet, but that ignores his own role in wanting a new coach, as well as Ashley’s reluctance to sack him.
Jones may well step in if the worst happens and Bruce is removed, but it also raises another possibility – could Bruce be moved upstairs to oversee the whole football side of the business alongside managing director Lee Charnley?
If Ashley cannot sell the club – and he is no closer to doing that now than he was a year ago when news of a Saudi Arabian-led consortium bid first emerged – Bruce could move into a director of football role at St James’ Park. There is no evidence to prove that is the plan, at this stage, but it might make sense.
Jones benefits from working with a veteran manager like Bruce, who benefits from his work on the training ground, before the younger man eventually takes control of the team and Bruce moves into a wider role.
Ashley has always liked the director of football model. The problem has been the people he hired to do it - Dennis Wise and Joe Kinnear – who were ill equipped and totally unsuitable to do the job.
Bruce certainly has the contacts, eye for a player and football knowledge to do it if he decides he’s had enough of front-line management. The stress and strain this season has put him under, with so much criticism and abuse aimed at him, has taken its toll.
He could advise and help Jones in the background, so while the new head coach strives to improve the team on the training ground he also draws on Bruce's experience to deal with the other facets of management.
That is not going to happen straight away, but it might well be a route the club go down in the not-too-distant future.
Whether he ever becomes Newcastle manager or not, Jones’ presence is significant and not just because of the interview he gave on his first day. It shows a manager who is willing to change and a club that wants to help rather than remove him.
Marseille fans have been thinking they're getting a Saudi takeover - either by PIF or not - for months, I've seen it almost as long as ours. Haha sorry to scare everyone, but at least it puts the PIF to Marseille talks down, not that it was ever serious. That Prince though is one of the richest in the Kingdom I think, maybe if both come off we could get a partnership going