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'Unfortunately people lose jobs when teams get relegated... that's the harsh reality of professional sport'

By Liam Heagney
(Photo by Harry Trump/Getty Images)

Mick Hogan doesn’t beat about the bush. End-of-season demotion from the Gallagher English Premiership would suck for Newcastle and have some severe consequences. 

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“Unfortunately people lose jobs when teams get relegated, whether that is staff, whether it is players or whether it is coaches, whatever. But we know that and that is what we have got to deal with,” he told RugbyPass.

“No job is guaranteed in life, never mind in sport. That’s the harsh reality of it. The fans can come back next year and decide whether they want to support the club or not. For a lot of people it will end their involvement with the club as an employee, but that is the harsh reality of professional sport, isn’t it?”

Newcastle head into Sunday’s bottom-two showdown on the back of five successive defeats. They’re nine points behind the visiting Worcester and have only eight matches left to save themselves. In a region of England where Falcons are the sole professional rugby outlet, it’s clearly squeaky bum time if they are to preserve their top-flight status.

It’s 21 years since the region was last top of the pile, its shop window shining with Newcastle winning the league in 1998 and neighbours West Hartlepool fighting the good fight in those early years of professionalism.

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The Westies are no more. They’re scratching around these days in Durham/Northumberland 1, the seventh tier of the English league system. Meanwhile, Falcons are still figuring ways to financially better wash their face in an area where rugby is down the sports popularity pecking order. That’s a status which won’t be helped by losing Premiership exposure.

Newcastle Falcons’ 1998 title-winning players celebrate their trophy-clinching win at Harlequins, but the club is now threatened with a second Premiership relegation in seven years (Photo by Allsport UK/Allsport)
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“It’s huge and that’s one of the downsides of relegation,” admitted a concerned Hogan, the club’s managing director since 2014. “It doesn’t just put you out for the season that you’re down there. You also need another season just to get (Falcons rugby) back into peoples’ psyche and mindset, so it might take two, possibly three seasons. It puts you back. 

“That is the rules of the competition. We have known that all along and if that [relegation] was to happen we will have deal with it… we have got probably the least amount of rugby played in the region than anywhere else in the country and I stand by a couple of things.

“One is football (dominates) and the other is there isn’t the population up here in Northumberland, Durham and Cumbria that there is in other parts of the country. We have one of the biggest geographical areas but we have actually the lowest number of chimney pots. It’s a challenge to produce players from that, but also to produce supporters.”

Newcastle win a lineout during last year’s Premiership match against Northampton at St James’ Park, the Tyneside city’s football stadium which will host four huge rugby fixtures in the next seven months (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
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This necessity to create some glitz and glam about the sport is why the authorities have thought big in promoting rugby to the masses at nearby St James’ Park. In the next seven months alone, the 52,000 capacity Newcastle United football mecca will host Falcons in a Premiership match (they had an attendance of 30,174 last season), an already sold-out Champions Cup final, the Challenge Cup decider and an England-Italy international.

That’s quite an attractive playlist and Falcons will hope to reap some benefit of this greater interest back at their own Kingston Park – regardless of whether they remain in the Premiership or not. “If you inspire people through the big game strategy you have got somewhere for them to go and retain the interest in the sport,” continued Hogan.

“The long term vision of this club is that in five, 10 years’ time we want a stadium that holds 15,000 people, we want community pitches because we purchased the stadium three years ago and bought a number of additional fields as well.

“We want a second 3G pitch, we want two new stands in here, we want Premiership Rugby, we want Super League here, we want a women’s team here, we want disabled teams here more, we want this site – Kingston Park – to become base centre for rugby in the region.

Newcastle owner Semore Kurdi, pictured on the left with interim Saracens chief Mitesh Velani when the clubs met in Pennsylvania in September 2017, has a long term vision for the Falcons (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

“That is a centre of excellence if you’re playing at an elite level, but it’s also a community facility if you want to come along and get involved in whichever way you want you can… you know that Kingston Park has a place for you as well. It just becomes a hub for rugby across the north-east of England.”

It was 2012, eight months after Semore Kurdi secured majority ownership, that Newcastle were previously relegated from the Premiership. Kurdi’s faith in the project isn’t wavering, despite the growing threat of a return to the Championship where the one crucial difference compared to their last demotion is that play-offs have been scrapped, meaning the league can be won months before the end of a campaign and give the promoted club invaluable extra weeks to prepare to go up.

Sonatane Takulua walks off dejected at Exeter last weekend after Newcastle’s fifth Gallagher Premiership defeat in succession (Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

“He’s still very positive and, as we mentioned, it’s about the long-term vision of what we’re trying to achieve up here. If the club were to be relegated it would be a setback, but it would be a setback for any club that gets relegated. It just presents different challenges to different clubs, but what it doesn’t do is affect our long-term aim and that vision of the club and where we want to get to.

“Our central funding doesn’t radically change if we drop out of the Premiership because of the way the share structure is within Premiership Rugby. But obviously if we weren’t in the Premiership you see certain revenue streams go down, mainly ticket sales, hospitality and sponsorship.

Vereniki Goneva, celebrating Alan Shearer-style after scoring at St James’ Park last year, won’t feature against Worcester but the Fijian will hope the players who are involved will secure a much-needed win  (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)

“You have got to be able to react to that. You have got to be able to work just as hard if not harder and there is no reason why you can still be at a level you were at previously. Yes, there would be adjustments made. There would be adjustments made to the business side, but it’s not radical adjustments and we have got a long-term vision of where we want to take the club and that hasn’t changed.”

Newcastle were felt to have turned an on-field corner last year with a rare fourth place finish and qualification for the Champions Cup for the first time since 2004/05. But scratch the surface and the rub of the green they got was obvious. Four games were won by a point, a further three in the last minute.

Rob Andrew celebrates league victory in 1998

This good fortune has eluded them this term, leaving them precariously placed with Worcester visiting the city on banks of the Tyne. “I’m pretty nervous because it means quite a bit to me and all the other staff here, but it means a lot to our supporters as well so it’s that nervousness. It’s not that nervous excitement, it’s nervous fear as well.

“It’s the first of eight cup finals for us. Eight games to stay in the Premiership. I do believe if we win four of our five home games and pick up the odd win or a few bonus points away we will have enough in that – but we have got to get that. We have some tough games coming up, but it’s in our hands. If we win all eight we will probably be in the top six, but we have got to do it.”

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Jon 37 minutes ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

32 Go to comments
j
john 3 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

15 Go to comments
A
Adrian 5 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

15 Go to comments
T
Trevor 7 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
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