Colin Calderwood's 'lack of integrity' blast
Dec 7 2010 by Luke Edwards, The Journal
COLIN Calderwood has accused Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley of lacking integrity following the sudden decision to sack Chris Hughton.
The ex-Newcastle assistant manager hinted he had decided to leave the club to take the manager’s position at Hibernian in October because there was already a lack of backing and support for Hughton behind the scenes at St James’ Park.
And, the former Scotland international argued that the Magpies have wasted an opportunity to bring some much-needed stability to the club on their return to the top flight.
Calderwood said: “I think that it is a decision which lacks integrity. If they are getting rid of the manager now for the reasons given in the statement why didn’t they do that in the summer?
“You look for integrity and honesty behind the scenes and if that’s not there it’s a ludicrous situation. I feel it is the wrong decision and I think the reasons for it go beyond results.
“If they wanted an experienced manager in the Premier League they should have said that at the start of the season. People seem to have forgotten Chris has vast experience as a player and a coach in international football and the Premier League.
“The club had a chance to bring some stability. They are trying to sort out the financial side of things, but they have decided against that and they want to bring somebody else in.”
The failure to replace Calderwood was another indication the board doubted the long-term viability of keeping Hughton on as manager.
And the Scot added: “I think the club is probably where they would expect to be at this stage of the season in terms of points, but perhaps they thought that they would be further away from the bottom.
“But that just goes to show how unpredictable the league has been this season. There have been a lot of highlights, the 6-0 win over Aston Villa, the big win over Sunderland in the derby and the excellent victory at Arsenal as well.”
Calderwood, who also worked with Hughton when he was a player at Tottenham Hotspur, claimed that the Newcastle dressing room would be badly hurt after yesterday’s events.
He said: “I think they will take it harder than other groups of players, they will be hurt and they will also feel a little bit responsible for what has happened.”
