Thompson wonders if Hayman buy was right
Nov 12 2010 by Luke Edwards, The Journal
DAVE Thompson has questioned whether the signing of New Zealand international Carl Hayman was a good decision for Newcastle Falcons as he tried to explain the club’s new transfer strategy.
Hayman left Newcastle in the summer after nearly three years at Kingston Park to move to Toulon in France, and while the world’s best prop was often brilliant on the pitch, his presence forced the departure of homegrown prospect Davey Wilson.
Wilson has gone on to break into the England squad at Bath and – if rumours are to be believed – could well be returning to the North East in the summer now that Hayman is no longer blocking his path.
Thompson said “We brought in Carl Hayman a few years ago and he was the best prop in the world, but as a direct result of that Davey Wilson signed for Bath because he couldn’t get a game. He’s playing for England now.
“In retrospect, was the signing of Hayman a good move or a bad move? It’s not an easy question to answer, but these are the problems our Director of Rugby is wrestling with as he looks to invest in new players. It is constantly balancing the short term with the long term.
“(Head coach) Alan is trying to build a squad for this season and next, but he also knows it is the World Cup next year and if he signs international players they will be missing for 12 games or whatever.
“That doesn’t help our short term ambitions, but that is not to say there are any handcuffs in place. He just has to balance all of that in his own mind before he decides which players he wants to bring in.
“Last year with brought in Jimmy Gopperth and he was the leading point scorer in the Premiership, but Semore’s investment has given us far more flexibility in the market.”
Dwindling crowds at Kingston Park has been a worrying trend over the last few years and there are those who question whether Newcastle can ever realistically hold their own against clubs who attract double or even triple their average attendance.
It is something Thompson and Kurdi know they need to rectify, firstly by halting the decline and eventually by expanding the fan base.
Thompson added: “In 1991, Newcastle United’s average crowd was 13,000. Now they are getting 50,000 and most of that is to do with what happened on the pitch.
“We have a large support base and this is the thing we struggle with. If you look at who attends United games every week, the vast majority of them go back every single week.
“Interestingly with us, we have around 20,000 plus people who attend games during the season, but they don’t attend every week.
“It’s a different problem, there is huge support here for rugby, Semore and I are convinced there is. We have to get these people to attend 10 to 16 games a season, not two or three.”
