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The Journal

 

 

My dream is to manage United

 

Feb 28 2007

 

By Paul Gilder, The Journal

 

Newcastle United first-team coach Lee Clark

 

An ambitious Lee Clark last night insisted that the lessons he is learning from Glenn Roeder and Nigel Pearson can help him to realise a long-held dream to manage Newcastle.

 

The 34-year-old rejected opportunities to continue his playing career last summer in order to pursue a future in coaching and, although it was an obvious wrench to hang up his boots ahead of schedule, Clark has no regrets.

 

While his main responsibilities are in working with United's reserve players, the former England Under-21 international has played a prominent role on the first-team scene this season.

 

With his ultimate aim to follow Roeder into the St James's Park hotseat, Clark is determined to take all he can from an experience that could prove invaluable.

 

"I have set myself targets and goals throughout my career, and the ultimate one is to manage Newcastle United," said the former Gallowgate midfielder, who was handed his first coaching post following Roeder's appointment last summer. "I will do everything I can to make that happen and, as long as I keep learning, I believe it will.

 

"Glenn promised to show me the ropes and he has done that. He knows what my ultimate goal is. I want to be a manager and to manage Newcastle one day and he has been brilliant with me.

 

"He has shown me how to deal with agents and the media and I could not be with better people to learn my trade.

 

"I'm enjoying it immensely. Working with the manager is a great opportunity and he has shown a lot of confidence in me as a coach. That is great for me and the fact that we have someone here of the quality of Nigel has helped enormously.

 

"He has worked at the highest level inside the FA and has completed every badge. He assesses the coaches who want to become coaches, so to work with someone like him is fantastic for me. This year has been superb for me."

 

Clark had not planned to retire last summer and was contemplating playing offers outside the North-East when Roeder asked him to join his staff. It was an offer the boyhood United fan could not resist.

 

"The opportunity to become a coach is something I always wanted, even as a young player," he said. "Management is my goal, so to get my first coaching job at a club like Newcastle was one I couldn't turn down.

 

"I had chances to carry on playing elsewhere but I decided to knock the playing days on the head a year earlier than I first planned because it was such a great opportunity.

 

"I originally planned to carry on but circumstances change. It tugged at me and, although I had a choice, it was a pretty straightforward one to take and I haven't looked back."

 

Clark has seen firsthand how quickly things can change in football. He said: "You never know what might happen. A good friend of mine, Chris Coleman, was the Fulham skipper. One day he had a horrific injury which finished his career and then he became a coach.

 

"Within a couple of months he was managing Fulham and I think a lot of people would agree that he has done an incredible job in three or four years down there. For me, he has been the manager of the season every year."

 

Following in Coleman's footsteps is Clark's dream and, while Premiership management remains some years down the line, a coach who is working on his Fifa Pro Licence qualification is confident he is on the right lines.

 

"My main job is to work with the younger pros and reserves but, on occasions, Nigel and Glenn have told me to take the first team, which is a great learning curve," he said.

 

"The lads have been very supportive. I'm learning my trade alongside someone who has been on the coaching side for years and, as soon as Nigel walked through the door, you could tell that he knew what he was doing straight away.

 

"The players instantly respected him and I can only watch and learn from that."

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Evening Chronicle

 

Clarkie singing Carroll praises

 

Feb 28 2007

 

By Lee Ryder, The Evening Chronicle

 

 

Newcastle United first-team coach Lee Clark

 

Lee Clark has urged his young troops to follow the example of Andy Carroll by using the reserves as a major stepping-stone to first-team football.

 

The latest test for Clark and the Magpie kids is an away clash against Manchester United at Hyde tomorrow night.

 

United will be looking to pick up where they left off against Manchester City last time out, with former Toon star Clark describing the performance as one of the best of the season.

 

Carroll and South African midfielder Matty Pattison have been used in the last two games following good shows in the second string and Geordie coach Clark wants more of the same.

 

 

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Teenager Carroll only played a cameo role at Wigan at the weekend to make his Premiership debut, while Pattison came off the bench with him in the second leg of the Zulte-Waregem UEFA Cup win.

 

Clark says it all bodes well for the future.

 

He said: "I speak to Glenn Roeder on a regular basis about how the lads are performing in training and even more so after a game.

 

"He takes a lot of interest from his time with the academy and he knows these lads well.

 

"It is rewarding some of the lads getting a chance with the first-team and that is because of the performances they put in at reserve level.

 

"It has helped with confidence having a few of the young lads around the team who are involved in the FA Youth Cup run.

 

"They have an exciting semi-final against Liverpool coming up and playing at reserve level, where it is tougher, can only be good for them."

 

Clark went on: "Some of the younger players on the fringe of the first-team, like Andy Carroll who came on at Wigan, might not be involved given how close our game is to the first-team game on Saturday.

 

"That gives a few of the younger players a chance to come in and show what they can do in the reserves."

 

With the clash against the Red Devils next for Clark and Co, the ex-Fulham ace added: "I have gone on record as saying the performance against Manchester City was up there with our best of the season.

 

"It will be another great test as they have such a fantastic reputation of bringing good, young players through.

 

"It will be a very tough game and a great test for our players."

 

Kick-off at Hyde's Ewen Fields is at 7.00 tomorrow night.

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The last game I was at him and McDermott did nothing.  Absolutely nothing.

 

Were you in the locker room, then? or perhaps on the bench?

 

You can see the bench, yes.

 

Maybe you think that managers shouldn't actually do anything DURING the game itself? Makes you wonder why clever people like Mourinho, Wenger and Ferguson bother even going down there, you can see better from the stand. Or even better, from home on the telly. Shame they don't have your grasp on the right way to manage a team, eh?

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Keep dreaming Lee.

 

Why?

 

Premierleague.com

 

Newcastle Reserve lost 1 in 8 games, score an average of nearly 2 goals per game (2nd behind Boro reserve), but concede a staggering average 1.5 goals per game, only better than Wigan.

 

Who are our regular reserve defenders? David Edgar and Paul Huntington? Who are our regular reserve striker? Andy Carroll? Actually who usually play in our reserve? Is there any website where we can follow reserve news?

 

All in all, I think our reserve have done decently on paper. With our injury crisis I wuold imagine that lots of our reserve players consist of youth players. In addition this is also Lee Clark first managerial job.

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Keep dreaming Lee.

 

Why?

 

Premierleague.com

 

Newcastle Reserve lost 1 in 8 games, score an average of nearly 2 goals per game (2nd behind Boro reserve), but concede a staggering average 1.5 goals per game, only better than Wigan.

 

Who are our regular reserve defenders? David Edgar and Paul Huntington? Who are our regular reserve striker? Andy Carroll? Actually who usually play in our reserve? Is there any website where we can follow reserve news?

 

All in all, I think our reserve have done decently on paper. With our injury crisis I wuold imagine that lots of our reserve players consist of youth players. In addition this is also Lee Clark first managerial job.

 

You are aware that the reserves league has become an absolute mockery, yes? Its no longer abotu second string players, and bringing people through. Its shite, now.

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Kick-off at Hyde's Ewen Fields is at 7.00 tonight.

 

How can we go to Ewen Field? Which bus to take? Any admission charge?

 

Train from Piccadilly, £4 to get in I think.

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The Evening Chronicle

 

 

Clark's attack pledge

 

Mar 1 2007

 

By Lee Ryder, The Evening Chronicle

 

 

Lee Clark has pledged to make sure that the future players of Newcastle United continue to play entertaining football.

 

Clark will take his reserves to Hyde to take on Manchester United's second string tonight (7.00) hoping Newcastle can keep up their unbeaten away record.

 

Geordie Clark played in Kevin Keegan's Entertainers side that not only wooed the Tyneside public with the likes of Peter Beardsley, Andy Cole, David Ginola and Tino Asprilla on board but also meant that United became the second team of fans all around the world.

 

In Clark's first game in the dug-out this term the former Wallsend Boys Club product watched in horror as his side went 3-0 down against Manchester City before rallying the youngsters to a 4-3 victory on a cold night at Kingston Park.

 

Clark told the Chronicle: "I've been brought up playing good open and attacking football with most of the managers I have played under and that is what we want the young lads at Newcastle to be doing too.

 

"Entertaining football is what our fans want and I believe that's the way we should play.

 

"We saw some of that in the Man City game when we drew 2-2.

 

"For me that was the best performance of the season.

 

"Manchester United play a lot of their experienced players which makes it a good test."

 

The only two defeats of the season so far have both resulted in grim scenes after the young Magpies went down in home games against Middlesbrough and against Whitley Bay to go out of the Northumberland Senior Cup.

 

However, it has otherwise been a fairly positive season for the second string with Matty Pattison, Paul Huntington, Andy Carroll, Tim Krul, Kazenga LuaLua, David Edgar and James Troisi all tasting life in or around the first team as well as the reserves.

 

Clark added: "We have spoken at length about Whitley Bay - it just wasn't acceptable.

 

"But we went to Man City and put in a performance up with the best.

 

"Now we want that to continue at Man United."

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The Evening Chronicle

 

 

Clark's attack pledge

 

Mar 1 2007

 

By Lee Ryder, The Evening Chronicle

 

 

Lee Clark has pledged to make sure that the future players of Newcastle United continue to play entertaining football.

 

Clark will take his reserves to Hyde to take on Manchester United's second string tonight (7.00) hoping Newcastle can keep up their unbeaten away record.

 

Geordie Clark played in Kevin Keegan's Entertainers side that not only wooed the Tyneside public with the likes of Peter Beardsley, Andy Cole, David Ginola and Tino Asprilla on board but also meant that United became the second team of fans all around the world.

 

In Clark's first game in the dug-out this term the former Wallsend Boys Club product watched in horror as his side went 3-0 down against Manchester City before rallying the youngsters to a 4-3 victory on a cold night at Kingston Park.

 

Clark told the Chronicle: "I've been brought up playing good open and attacking football with most of the managers I have played under and that is what we want the young lads at Newcastle to be doing too.

 

"Entertaining football is what our fans want and I believe that's the way we should play.

 

"We saw some of that in the Man City game when we drew 2-2.

 

"For me that was the best performance of the season.

 

"Manchester United play a lot of their experienced players which makes it a good test."

 

The only two defeats of the season so far have both resulted in grim scenes after the young Magpies went down in home games against Middlesbrough and against Whitley Bay to go out of the Northumberland Senior Cup.

 

However, it has otherwise been a fairly positive season for the second string with Matty Pattison, Paul Huntington, Andy Carroll, Tim Krul, Kazenga LuaLua, David Edgar and James Troisi all tasting life in or around the first team as well as the reserves.

 

Clark added: "We have spoken at length about Whitley Bay - it just wasn't acceptable.

 

"But we went to Man City and put in a performance up with the best.

 

"Now we want that to continue at Man United."

 

Yeah ..... Very attacking, one shot on target in 90 minutes!

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