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In the second of our feature looking at Newcastle United’s facilities, Chronicle Live’s Andrew Musgrove speaks to the club’s facilities manager about the training ground.

It was back in 2013 that Newcastle United revealed grand plans for a new ‘state of the art’ facility, which was unveiled by then director of footballer Joe Kinnear. A completion date of May 2016 - the month the club fell into the Championship - was given.

Fast forward five years and those plans have been put on hold but for the club’s facilities manger, Eddie Rutherford, the need for investment is understood.

“Yes, we know we need a building long-term,” Rutherford concedes as I ask him about the criticism of some fans over Newcastle United’s training ground. “We know that but other investments down there have been put in place.”

With several Premier League clubs investing tens of millions in training facilities, Newcastle’s Darsley Park is looking distinctively tired in comparison to that of Brighton or Burnley’s training grounds.

But Rutherford, who has been at the club for 17 years, believes that while the buildings down at Benton don’t look aesthetically pleasing, it’s deceiving about the facilities inside.

“It’s common knowledge we have plans for the training ground, and they’re phenomenal plans,” he adds. “I’d love to do them tomorrow but everything up there at the moment is not falling to bits. If you go up there, the buildings – to look at – are not the best to look at and for the world to go ‘Wow what a structure’.

“But inside all the equipment the players need, medical, restaurant and kitchen is all really good.

“When the manager came in, we made a lot of changes because he wanted to change things around and make it work with him and we made all those changes and spent considerable money even though we knew it might be short-term but the whole point was that he had to have what he wanted at the time.”

(Image: www.nufc.co.uk)

That includes upgrading the pitches to 4G to make it easier on the players when they train - with the quality of the pitches now a UEFA B standard meaning Champions League football could, in theory, be played on it.

United were, of course, relegated to the Championship in 2016 but Rutherford maintains the improvements have continued at the training ground, that ironically he was brought into build back in 2003 under Sir Bobby Robson.

“The whole building is maintained and looked after to the highest standard. It’s not falling to bits. It’s clean, tidy, functional and again, the equipment we use is top notch. We’re not second fiddle to anybody when it comes to that side.

“The indoor barn is as good as anyone else, the pitch inside is as good, the pitches outside are superb. We have one pitch outside we want to upgrade – there are plans.

“The same as at St James’ Park there are things we want to do but within the training ground there are lots of things which have been done over the last few years and lots of things we want to do and the same at the academy.”

The academy, which has seen on the field changes with a new coach and several players released in the summer, has had improvements made to it. This includes a family lounge being built and extending the kitchen for the players. Work that some may consider little things such as fences, hand rails and segregating the pitches, have all been done too.

Rutherford believes that the last five years have seen a ‘phenomenal’ improvement in facilities at the training ground and expects to be able to say the same in five years time.

“Since I’ve been there, year-on-year we’ve always tried to be better and that’s all we can do.

“If I say I want all this money to do everything I want to do in one go, I’m not going to get it so you need to be sensible. These are things we need to do, and do it in a nice progression. Five years ago to today, it’s absolutely phenomenal so I expect the same in five years time.”