Isaac Hayden

[HawK]

“When we drew with QPR [in February], coming out of St James’ Park, I could see the devastation in children’s faces, people’s faces. I went home, but couldn’t sleep, so I was playing music in my speakers, some Drake, until 2am.

 

“Two days later I got a notice through from the flat [company] about ‘a noise disturbance’. I’d been so disappointed that I was just sitting there, listening to music until 2am, thinking about the game, deflated, and didn’t realise there were people trying to sleep next door.

 

It's original, I'll give him that

He was most definitely humpin with Drake on in the background.

 

I've not heard any of Drake, is it quite throaty and gutteral?

[Heron]

“When we drew with QPR [in February], coming out of St James’ Park, I could see the devastation in children’s faces, people’s faces. I went home, but couldn’t sleep, so I was playing music in my speakers, some Drake, until 2am.

 

“Two days later I got a notice through from the flat [company] about ‘a noise disturbance’. I’d been so disappointed that I was just sitting there, listening to music until 2am, thinking about the game, deflated, and didn’t realise there were people trying to sleep next door.

 

It's original, I'll give him that

He was most definitely humpin with Drake on in the background.

 

I've not heard any of Drake, is it quite throaty and gutteral?

 

Nar, that's just the bird Isaac was choking 

[Billy2Sheds]

“When we drew with QPR [in February], coming out of St James’ Park, I could see the devastation in children’s faces, people’s faces. I went home, but couldn’t sleep, so I was playing music in my speakers, some Drake, until 2am.

 

“Two days later I got a notice through from the flat [company] about ‘a noise disturbance’. I’d been so disappointed that I was just sitting there, listening to music until 2am, thinking about the game, deflated, and didn’t realise there were people trying to sleep next door.

 

It's original, I'll give him that

He was most definitely humpin with Drake on in the background.

 

I've not heard any of Drake, is it quite throaty and gutteral?

 

Nar, that's just the bird Isaac was choking 

:lol:

 

[HawK]

“When we drew with QPR [in February], coming out of St James’ Park, I could see the devastation in children’s faces, people’s faces. I went home, but couldn’t sleep, so I was playing music in my speakers, some Drake, until 2am.

 

“Two days later I got a notice through from the flat [company] about ‘a noise disturbance’. I’d been so disappointed that I was just sitting there, listening to music until 2am, thinking about the game, deflated, and didn’t realise there were people trying to sleep next door.

 

It's original, I'll give him that

He was most definitely humpin with Drake on in the background.

 

I've not heard any of Drake, is it quite throaty and gutteral?

 

Nar, that's just the bird Isaac was choking 

 

[Away Day Gadgie]

Class interview that! I'm a big fan of this lad, i think he's got the attributes to be a Premier League quality CM, he might just surprise a few people next season and end up being a key player.  He seems to be improving really quickly under Rafa so long may it continue.

[HaydnNUFC]

https://www.nufc.co.uk/news/features/isaac-hayden-programme-interview-in-full

 

Isaac Hayden sits down in the stalls and takes it all in. There is a certain majesty about the Tyne Theatre and Opera House, befitting the 150 years it has stood at the bottom of Westgate Road, just a short walk from St. James’ Park. It feels a strangely appropriate place to discuss this afternoon’s curtain-raiser.

 

“I’ve been to the theatre a fair few times,” says Hayden, over the sound of rehearsals for West Side Story on the stage in front of him. It is, he admits, one of the more unusual venues in which he’s been interviewed.

 

“I’ve been to The Lion King, I’ve been to Stomp in London and a couple of other musical theatre events, so it’s something that I quite enjoy when I get the time to go. I’ll take the missus, or take my mum, something like that. It’s always a decent day or night out.”

 

Listening to Hayden speak, it is difficult to believe that he is just 22 years of age. His eloquence and conviction of thought is genuine, not forced or for show. There is a maturity about the England Under-21 international that is not only evident in his words, but in his actions too.

 

Indeed, Hayden – who visited the Newcastle’s West End Foodbank to lend a helping hand earlier this year – arrives early for this interview and is generous with his time. His level-headed demeanour and outlook on life are characteristics he believes emanate from his childhood.

 

“A lot comes from my upbringing. My parents weren’t rich, but they weren’t poor – it was just a general working-class family, and they always made sure I had the right values and never got ahead of myself,” he explains.

 

“I think it comes from within the person as well, you know? I understand a lot about where I could be, and the possibilities that I’ve got. The opportunities that I’ve got are amazing, and I don’t want to throw them away or take them for granted, because things could be a lot worse.

 

“I just have that mindset every single day – that even if I have a bad day or a bad performance, things could always be worse. To be a professional footballer and do what you love every day is a privilege.”

 

In this city where he works towards seizing those opportunities, there is comfort to be taken from laying down roots. Hayden, born in Chelmsford, is part of a pool of players, all signed permanently, who are largely similar in years, while his loved ones make regular visits north.

 

“It’s difficult for family members to come up all the time, because it’s quite a long distance, but when they can, it’s always nice,” he says. “I’m quite an independent person so I can deal with things by myself, but then I always know I can have the help of people around me who I know have only got my best interests at heart.

 

“Family members come and visit me a lot more, because they know that this is my home now, and I’ve taken well to it. They come up and spend a lot of time with me when they can.

 

“The lads, too – it’s a close-knit group, with a lot of lads who are the same age. Jacob’s 22, I’m 22, Rolando’s 21, Jamaal’s 23, Yedlin’s 24, Pérez is 24, so there’s a lot of players around the same age, and that helps a lot when it comes to time off the field.”

 

If Hayden arrived on Tyneside last summer as something of an unknown quantity, his value to the Newcastle cause is now perhaps measurable by the energy and tenacity the midfield misses when he is absent.

 

His qualities have been recognised by those in the stands. He has a connection with the supporters, and is acutely aware of the pedestal on which players are placed by fans. When asked why he has been received as well as he has by the Magpies crowd, he considers his answer.

 

“I can’t put my finger on it exactly. I think it’s just because I’m not…” Hayden pauses. “I wouldn’t say I’m arrogant, and I’m not a ‘big-time Charlie’. I just go on the football pitch and put 100 per cent effort and commitment in, and play as if I’m a fan. I think that’s the best thing you can do as a football player – play as if you are one of the guys sitting there paying to watch you, because they would kill for the opportunity to be where you are.

 

“The fans are important. Without fans at a football club, it doesn’t work. To have the fans that we have, we’re very fortunate. They want the best for the football club, and so do the players.

 

“I think that we worked well together last season. There were times when it was difficult for the fans, which the players understand – we’re fans ourselves, we still love football, so we can understand from their point of view that certain times last season must have been frustrating, but they stuck with us. In the last couple of games, I think we rewarded them.”

 

Thirty-eight games in all competitions is a total few may have expected the former Hull City loanee to reach in his first year at the club. It was less of a surprise for the man himself.

 

“That was always the idea. I don’t think I’d have joined if I didn’t think I was going to play my part as much as I did,” says Hayden. “A lot of people were probably a bit sceptical when I joined, thinking I might not have played anywhere near as much as I did or contributed as much as I did.

 

“But the main thing for me is that I knew the manager had trust in me, and wanted me to sign for a reason. I think it was more a factor of confidence from the manager, and confidence in myself.

 

“I improved as the season went on, and I was learning about my game. It was the first time, really, that I’d played in the team, week-in, week-out. There were two or three games a week, and you’d always have a game where you’d be involved. The season before, I’d go four or five weeks without playing a minute, then I’d get 90 minutes, and then another four weeks without.

 

“There’s always going to be times when you’re not on form or not playing at your best, but it’s about riding through those times and making sure that you come out of it stronger, mentally and physically.”

 

Hayden’s belief in his own ability is easy to detect, and perhaps a large factor in why his first term in black and white was such a success. He explains that, as a product of Arsenal’s esteemed but often stifled youth system, such a level of faith is less of a desirable trait than simply a requisite for the job.

 

“The thing is, that when you play for a club like Arsenal from the age of 13, it’s almost like you have to have a winning mentality and a belief, otherwise you don’t survive at a club like that,” says Hayden, who joined the Gunners from Southend United.

 

“If you don’t have confidence in your own ability or faith in yourself then you’re never going to get anywhere in those sorts of environments, because it breeds the best players in the world and the best talents that comes in at a young age. If you haven’t got that mental strength, then you’ve got no chance.

 

“When you’re going into training at 17 and you’ve got players there like Van Persie and Nasri, if you’ve not got confidence in yourself then how are they going to have confidence in you? Some players might not have it but can develop it, and some players might not have it at all. You generally find that the players that play in the Premier League are all quite confident and they have that faith in their ability, otherwise they wouldn’t be there.”

 

That Hayden, just 13 months on from his departure from the Emirates, is now back in the top flight and an equal of those in Arsène Wenger’s squad is testament to his own ability. He insists there is no residual desire to prove anything to the Gunners, who handed him his senior debut four years ago.

 

“Not at all, actually. I’ve been asked that question a few times. It’s not about proving anything to Arsenal, because if I’m being honest with myself and I think if they were being honest, I think at the time they genuinely did want to let me go,” says Hayden, who now has two Championship promotions under his belt.

 

“It was a situation where I had a year left, they’d brought in Granit Xhaka because he was a proven player the manager wanted, and they couldn’t afford me the game time I needed to improve.

 

“I said to them, ‘look, I don’t want to go on loan anymore’. I didn’t want to be a player like at Chelsea, where you sign a three-year contract and then go on loan for three years. I want to go somewhere where they’re going to make me feel welcome, and I can contribute. I don’t want to go there for a season, come back, do the same thing again and then

repeat it – I wanted to feel like I was a part of the club’s family, rather than just being there temporarily.

 

“I think they knew that’s what I needed. The manager at Arsenal was very good – I’ve got a lot to thank him for. I don’t really have anything to prove to Arsenal. I think that deep down the manager knew I had ability anyway – it’s just that I needed a chance to show it, which he couldn’t give me.”

 

Now, with a first real crack at the top flight to come, Hayden has that chance. Helping Rafa Benítez’s men earn victory over Tottenham Hotspur today would be a fine first act on the big stage.

 

“If I get the opportunity to play and perform, for however many minutes that is, it would be great to beat Spurs, because of the previous I’ve had with Arsenal. I’m an Arsenal fan anyway, so to beat Spurs would be quite nice,” he says, preparing to depart for an afternoon with visiting family.

 

“But it’s not even just that, it’s just the whole Premier League experience now – the feeling that we’re where we deserve to be, with the club’s stature and the manager and the infrastructure we’ve got. It just gives us that platform now to go on and improve, and to prove that we do deserve to be there.”

[Amir_9]

Not sure what benefit from him in the EPL we'll get, despite him still being raw...

 

Not commanding enough, nor a constant threat, nor able to break much down

 

Reminds me a bit of Alan Smith in that sense (at this level).

[Twinport53]

Not sure what benefit from him in the EPL we'll get, despite him still being raw...

 

Not commanding enough, nor a constant threat, nor able to break much down

 

Reminds me a bit of Alan Smith in that sense (at this level).

 

What 

[The College Dropout]

he suits a team that presses harder and higher.  As is he's not offering much. 

[Guest neesy111]

No one should be ever compared to Alan Smith, even Colback.

[Darth Crooks]

Not sure what benefit from him in the EPL we'll get, despite him still being raw...

 

Not commanding enough, nor a constant threat, nor able to break much down

 

Reminds me a bit of Alan Smith in that sense (at this level).

 

What 

 

[Leazes_End_Mag]

For all he did good against Spurs, he was equally as bad today.

[Amir_9]

Not sure what benefit from him in the EPL we'll get, despite him still being raw...

 

Not commanding enough, nor a constant threat, nor able to break much down

 

Reminds me a bit of Alan Smith in that sense (at this level).

 

What 

 

Rash tackling, ineffective in midfield. That Alan Smith.

[Amir_9]

Not sure what benefit from him in the EPL we'll get, despite him still being raw...

 

Not commanding enough, nor a constant threat, nor able to break much down

 

Reminds me a bit of Alan Smith in that sense (at this level).

 

What 

 

 

Up yours

[Zero]

He is slowly becoming our weakest link in starting eleven except GK.

[Altamullan]

He is slowly becoming our weakest link in starting eleven except GK.

Do you think Hayden had a worse game yesterday than Ritchie, Atsu, Gayle, Perez?

[Altamullan]

he suits a team that presses harder and higher.  As is he's not offering much.

You've got to look at the pairing in the middle. To me,  Hayden looked stretched at times because he was covering too much potential threat, sometimes due to Merino's position. He did a decent job yesterday/out in a good shift when we didn't have the ball (which was most of the time...).

[Newcastle Fan]

I thought he was fine yesterday to be fair.

[Zero]

He is slowly becoming our weakest link in starting eleven except GK.

Do you think Hayden had a worse game yesterday than Ritchie, Atsu, Gayle, Perez?

 

It's more about his lack of control and technique that undermines the overall build up play.  I like Hayden, especially for his defence contribution, but he is part of the reason why we cannot penetrate through the middle yesterday. 

 

FYI.  Perez actually played well considering the extremely limited space he had. 

[Zero]

To expand a bit: I think it's Kinda selection or tactical error by Rafa yesterday that exposed Hayden weakness.  We tried to play very technical football yesterday, but we don't have the quality to do so (mainly Gayle and Hayden).  The players are not good at making intelligent run to create space for others.  Had we opt for a more direct style, or start Joselu/Mitro who is better at holding up balls and create space for Perez, we should be fine and Hayden's weakness won't be exposed like that.  We will see more and more occasions that Hayden unable to utilise the space created by Merino/Perez if Rafa continue to go technical football direction.

[Lush Vlad]

I thought he had a good game, a couple of rash tackles aside.

[Shearergol]

We should probably write him off after 2 games in the league tbh, particularly after he wasn't that good in 50% of them.

[Sean]

We should probably write him off after 2 games in the league tbh, particularly after he wasn't that good in 50% of them.

 

Yeah, we should probably write all our players off already.

 

Seriously it's his first starts in the PL, give the lad a bit of time to adjust to the quality. Hayden has got the potential to get much better, that is likely to only come through more playing time though. He looked nervous/short of confidence to me yesterday.

[TRon]

We had the rubbish being written about Merino yesterday, now we are getting more bollocks written about Hayden today.

[Mole_Toonfan]

I thought he had a good game, a couple of rash tackles aside.

 

That's not my issue with him, his first touch is very erratic and struggles under pressure. He can get away with it in the Championship but in the PL it results in either giving the ball away or the ball just stopping.

 

He's not alone though, a lot of the team struggle under pressure.