Build Toon like Foxes
KETSBAIA: LEICESTER WAY IS BEST
NEWCASTLE need to use the Leicester plan to get back into the big time – and rebuild the club from top to bottom.
That’s the view of former Tyneside favourite Temuri Ketsbaia, who believes the shock of Newcastle’s relegation matches that of Leicester’s romp to the Premier League title.
The Georgian famously scored the goal that secured Champions League football for the North East giants for the first time in August 1997.
The lofty heights of Europe’s elite, though, have rarely seemed so distant.
Rafa Benitez’s side were relegated by rivals Sunderland without even kicking a ball on Wednesday night.
That humiliation means the club is once again preparing f or life in t he Championship despite the huge sums spent on players in the January transfer window by vilified owner Mike Ashley.
And according to Ketsbaia ( above), it’s now time for the winds of change to start howling around St James’ Park after a second embarrassing demotion in just seven years. “It’s unbelievable that the club have been relegated,” he said.
“There has been so much money spent by the club and then
you look at Leicester winning the league and wonder how things could go so wrong.
“Leicester have proved that football is not about the money. Yes, money is important but it’s not everything.
“Leicester have built a side that will run through a brick wall for each other – they have shown how far team spirit can take you.
“Many things went Leicester’s way in the season but when you have players fighting for every inch of ground, every ball then you can go a long, long way. They deserved it because they showed so much commitment.
“Newcastle can learn so much from that. For me, Newcastle’s relegation is as much of a shock as Leicester winning the league. “The club has every thing – the fans, the stadium, the money. Unfortunately things have gone badly wrong.” When Andros Townsend and Jonjo Shelvey arrived on Tyneside in January it’s unlikely they had a wet Wednesday night in Preston on their minds.
That, though, is the reality for Newcastle’s star names as they face life in the second tier.
For Ketsbaia, it’s crucial that the club uses next season, not just as an opportunity to get back to the Premier League at the first time of asking but to also blood young local talent.
“In England, I think there’s always that desire to have some young local players playing for your club,” he said.
“For so many years there has been too much of an emphasis on foreign talent – not just in England but everywhere.
“Leicester have won the league by doing the opposite – bringing in a mix of English players and players from overseas that really no one had heard of before.
“In the North East, they love seeing their local players – guys l i ke Alan Shearer, Peter Beardsley, Paul Gascoigne.
“Newcastle still have everything going for them, they’re a huge club.
“But something has to change.”