One year has passed since Newcastle's Saudi-led takeover; Gary Neville: "The football project has been sensible, but there will always be question marks about [the ownership]"; Roy Keane and Jamie Carragher analyse "complete" Bruno Guimaraes as Eddie Howe's side travel to Man Utd on Sunday
Sunday 16 October 2022 17:29, UK
Gary Neville believes an improving Newcastle are benefitting from a "sensible" football project under their Saudi Arabian regime but insists "difficult questions" about the club's ownership must be answered.
Newcastle's impressive 5-1 win over Brentford on Saturday, a result that lifted them up to sixth in the Premier League table, came one year and one day after the completion of their £300m Saudi-led takeover.
Bruno Guimaraes, one of Newcastle's statement signings since the Public Investment Fund (PIF) bought the club from previous owner Mike Ashley, scored in each half on a memorable afternoon for Eddie Howe's side, who were languishing in the relegation zone when the takeover was finalised.
The victory saw the Magpies continue their impressive unbeaten run at home. They have not lost at St James' Park since April but are back on their travels this weekend when they make the trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United, who are one position and one point above them.
Speaking on his podcast to Sky Sports commentator Martin Tyler, Neville said: "Newcastle have improved enormously. Eddie Howe's doing a good job and the type of players they've signed are the right type to get them to that next level.
"They've not gone for that ridiculous approach that sometimes we've seen in the past where you go for these star players who are probably over the hill and all of a sudden it looks a little bit messy - almost like an owner in a sweet shop.
"It's been well thought out. The football project that has been put in place has been pretty good and sensible. We've been going up to Newcastle for 12 years and it was rancid. It was terrible for the fans, the atmosphere was shocking at times between the manager, the players, and the owner. It just felt like a toxic environment.
"I have unbelievable memories of playing up at St James' Park. It's had some of the greatest atmospheres I've played in and some of the best football matches I've played in as well. Around the mid-1990s when they had Kevin Keegan as manager and even when Sir Bobby Robson was there, the atmosphere was fantastic. It was brilliant.
"That was gone for so long under Mike Ashley's ownership. Then obviously the Saudi Arabians came in and all the Newcastle fans wanted was Ashley out - for a new start and hope.
"So the massive positive in this change in ownership is the fans are now going to games with hope. They've got their Newcastle back in the sense of the spirit in the club, the team playing in the spirit of the shirt that they want."
However, the takeover sparked widespread criticism due to Saudi Arabia's poor human rights record and brought the Premier League's owners' and directors' test into sharp focus.
And despite Newcastle's improvement on the pitch, Neville believes the club's owners must be more accountable as serious issues continue in the background.
"There will always be question marks about them," he said. "How were the Saudi Arabians accepted into the Premier League? We don't know. There's no transparency and there's no independence.
"What I would say is my conclusion has always been the same. I would rather work with these people and collaborate with them because if they are going to own football clubs in our country, we should expect something in return. And that's access and the ability to ask questions.
"I don't think it's fair that Eddie Howe is having to stand there in front of the cameras and answer the difficult questions when the owner - the ultimate owner of Newcastle - never shows up. Owners should be accessible so they can get asked questions.
"I've always said and maintained that I would rather be around the table with them and try to impact change and try to highlight issues than to be on the other side of the fence, whereby you point to the issues and don't let them in.
"These are complex issues in the whole of the Middle East. The Qatar World Cup is coming up, there's Saudi Arabian ownership, there's Abu Dhabi ownership in Manchester.
"The reality is these questions are not going to go away, but I don't believe they should be directed always to the football coach. The football coach goes there to work and do his job as a football coach. He shouldn't have to answer the difficult questions all the time.
"I'm not saying he shouldn't get asked questions, but the owners and the executives should be the ones taking these questions - as well as the Premier League."
Speaking about Guimaraes, who has arguably been Newcastle's best signing under the Saudi regime so far, Roy Keane and Jamie Carragher analysed the midfielder's performances and how he compares to other Premier League players in his position.
The 24-year-old Brazilian's stock has continued to rise since swapping Lyon for Tyneside back in January and his two goals against Brentford last weekend have put him under the national spotlight once more.
"He's playing with a lot of confidence, he seems a good character, the fans have obviously taken to him, he's adding a few goals to his game and he looks like he knows what the game's about," Keane said on Monday Night Football.
"He can read the game, he knows when to tackle. He looks like an intelligent footballer."
Carragher added: "He's making more tackles per 90 than anybody else and he's winning possession more than everybody except Declan Rice.
"But you then look at what he's doing going forward in terms of carries, chances created and through balls. This suggests he's a complete midfield player.
"When you play in a top team, you've also got to be able to deal with pressure and on the flip side of that most teams now want to press high, so as a midfielder you've got to be press-resistant.
"His pass success rate under pressure this season is 86 per cent - the fourth-highest in the Premier League behind Bernardo Silva, Rodri and Reece James.
"That shows how good he is when he gets pressed and when he doesn't have time on the ball. He reminds me of a Bryan Robson, a Peter Reid, a Roy Keane, a Patrick Vieira. It wasn't just about sitting in front of the back four, it's actually box to box and to cover every blade of grass."
October 16: Manchester United (A) - kick-off 2pm
October 19: Everton (H) - kick-off 7.30pm
October 23: Tottenham (A) - kick-off 4.30pm, live on Sky Sports
October 29: Aston Villa (H) - kick-off 3pm
November 6: Southampton (A) - kick-off 2pm, live on Sky Sports
