Steve Diamond confirms Newcastle Red Bulls’ stance on Louis Rees-Zammit as club looks to ‘dominate in the future’
Steve Diamond confirms Newcastle Red Bulls' stance on Louis Rees-Zammit as club looks to 'dominate in the future'
Steve Diamond has confirmed that “all players are of interest” now that the club takeover by sports drink company Red Bull has been confirmed.
At a press conference this morning, the newly named Newcastle Red Bulls boss did clarify that they’re “just looking at the short term this season” as the club gets to grips with its new budget, with big-name ‘marque’ players being out of the question for the next couple of years.
Expressing the importance of the next few months, Diamond explained: “My job now is just to concentrate on the squad and the coaching staff on getting the best out of the current squad who’ve been through difficult times and the new players who are joining us.”
Steve Diamond assesses next steps
On his next steps, he said: “You can’t just rush out and spend money. It never really works. So I think the infrastructure is really important, stadium, training ground, getting our academy right, making sure that it’s producing kids with the right quality in the community.
“We’ve got to get our academy running as best we can get it. We’ve got to give kids a progression and the opportunity to learn, from 13 to 14, not just 15 to 16, and the skill sets cascade down from the first team, from the coaches of the first team, right through the academy system. So when people come in, they know that they’re a Newcastle Red Bull. They know what’s expected of them, and they know what behaviour levels are expected of them.
“What I intend to do, certainly over the next six months, is to try and stabilise the place. We’ll have a competitive squad, but that’s just the beginning.”
First signings for the newly named side
When questioned about the potential of Louis Rees-Zammit joining the squad following an influx of available funds, Diamond refused to count him out in future, but did clarify that he wouldn’t be an immediate signing.
“All players are going to be of interest now, but at this moment in time, we’re just looking at the short term of this season; he won’t be joining us for this season. We’re just getting as competitive as we can for Saracens in late September.
“We’ll be looking at world-class facilities, world-class players and world-class coaches coming to Newcastle over the next three or four years to hopefully dominate in the future.”
Speaking about his first signings, he said: “There’ll be at least another two or three immediately. There are one or two guys who are currently playing in the southern hemisphere in the Rugby Championship, who won’t be arriving till the autumn, but that’s all in the plan.
“We knew we’d not have everybody here for the first of August, but we’ve just got to plan accordingly, and there are lots of players we’re looking at now. We’re looking at the southern hemisphere, but we want to give our opportunities to local talent and English talent, because we have to operate under the English qualified player regulations.
“Amanaki Mafi has come in. I tried to sign him three times at Sale and finally got hold of him. He’ll be a revelation in this competition – five meters out of the back of a scrum.
“Benitez Cruz, the nine, who’s been really exciting for Argentina. He will arrive in the autumn. And then there’s Freddie Clark and George McGuigan, Eduardo Bellows re-signed, Max Clark, Connor Dougherty, Ollie Fletcher – so we’ll have a competitive team. But I think the bigger picture is getting this team underway in September, sitting down with the powers that be and discussing the recruitment strategy.”
Newcastle Red Bulls’ recruitment strategy
So, how does Diamond go about recruiting? Well, old school still works best.
“Word of mouth is really good,” the 56-year-old said. “What the data does is back it up. That most recent data from the last 12/18 months is really important for looking at people’s fitness levels, etc.”
He made his final feelings on recruitment crystal clear, however.
“The greatest recruitment ever, lads, the greatest recruitment ever is your academy.”
Former Falcons returning to become Red Bulls
On that, it was time to address his former academy players that had since left the side – Jamie Blamire, Adam Radwan and so on. Would they be welcome back at the club if asked? Diamond holds no grudges.
“Possibly in one or two cases. I don’t blame anybody for leaving, certainly before the decision has come out today. There’s a lot of work behind the scenes, and players like Callum Chick, Jamie Blamire and Adam Radwan are ambitious, but they’ve also got to look after their families, so they actually went with my blessing.
“If they could have changed that decision now, maybe they might have done that, but you can’t live your life like that, particularly as a sportsman where you’re lucky if you play until you’re 32/33 these days.
“The lads who are 28/29 who’ve gone for two, three years, they would always be welcome back. But I think our age profile moving forward has got to be lower than that.
“They were great servants of the club, but their time has been, and you move on. And the job is finding kids on the west coast of Cumbria, in Wallsend in Durham, in Sunderland, and places like that. And getting the new Adam Radwan’s, the new Callum Chick’s.”
The veteran coach was keen to look to the future, concluding: “As one door shuts, another one opens, and I think once we get the infrastructure right in that area, then it will be booming.”
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