Deano stay or Deano go?
By Monkey1
March 19 2018
If ever a silence could be described as deafening then surely this is it. Nearing the end of the best season that Newcastle Falcons have had in two decades, still we don’t know if the pivotal character in this drama will be with us next season.
Falcons fans of a certain age will remember a record from 1980, when music was real, something that you could touch. Geno by Dexy’s Midnight Runners was a lively little number that moved along nicely, written about somebody’s hero, it started off with cheering and the chant of an adoring crowd:
Geno, Geno, Geno, Geno.
If we manage a win against Northampton Saints at St James Park on Saturday, such a chant wouldn’t sound out of place, just tweak it a bit, job done.
Six years ago things were a bit different. I can’t remember the timing, but I imagine it must have been well before we were relegated in 2012. I was asked by somebody at the club, what did I think of Dean Richards? It must have been when things were still pretty miserable at Kingston Park, because I remember thinking afterwards that there was zero chance of the big man coming to Newcastle Falcons. Nice idea, but get real. He would be free to go anywhere at the start of the coming season, a nice little number in France looked most likely.
I guess that at the time he was an unknown quantity & somebody at the club was sounding out the great unwashed to see how the land lay. My opinion for what it was worth at the time is that he was a first class rugby boss, my views on the notorious Bloodgate incident having been influenced somewhat by a report in one of the weekend rugby pages (from the days when newspapers still had properly trained sports journos & sports editors) about blood substitutions having fallen by something like a zillion percent during the following season, and that was across all leagues. The cynic in me suspected that Deano was carrying the can for a lot of people who had been doing naughty things. The cynic in me still thinks that to this day.
So five years down the line, things look a lot different to how they did back then. It isn’t just the rugby on the pitch, the whole club is in good shape, and that is down to a team that functions well, directed from the top by Semore, Mick, and Deano. The very idea of taking a game into town for The Big One this weekend harks back to what was tried and worked well when Deano was at Harlequins.
It has taken years of ideas, trying things, tweaking the machine and patient management to get where we are now, and at last it is starting to bear fruit. It is easy to see this excellent season as the pinnacle of that achievement, but I get the feeling that it is just part of the progression, that there are better things to come. It therefore seems imperative that we keep things on track, and surely that depends on Deano staying, but so far not even a whispering from the trees has been heard.
I really don’t know what to make of it. If he were staying, then surely the club would have said so to boost season ticket sales, to help sell sponsorship packages for next season, even to promote The Big One with a bit of positive news. If he were on the move however, then he would be going somewhere, and that somewhere would be rather keen to get the news out. The only thing that seems to make any sense at all is that Deano intends to retire and become a Buddhist monk.
I don’t get any of the inside news these days, indeed my life is so busy I miss most of the outside news. Even if I did, I get the feeling that this one would be nailed down so tight that it will never get out. I have no idea why, so for once I will just have to hope that no news is good news.
So if the final whistle is blown on Saturday, the Falcons notching up another win to give us hopes of a top-four finish, listen out for that jazzy saxophone introduction, the cheering, the clapping rhythm, and join in….
Deano, Deano, Deano, Deano
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We really need Deano to stay on and steer this ship on its journey. He is doing a fantastic job so far and long may it continue
If we can make days like the Big One a financial success and provide Dean and his team with that extra budget along with Champions Cup rugby then who knows where we can go?
The club is on the front foot at the minute and moving forward let’s hope Dean remains part of it
Hopefully there will be some announcements soon,especially in relation to Deano deciding to stay.....or move on.
As has already been mentioned getting Deano to stay will be the most important signing/resigning of them all.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2018:03:20:08:13:34 by Wensleydale Falcon.
I'm comfortable with how it is being played out.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2018:03:20:08:16:16 by NorfolkFalcon.
Quote:dick g
Very nice piece, Monk. I shall certainly join in chant. But will I be among familiar faces in the East Stand Paddock? Don't want to appear pillocklike.
Great piece monkey,
I’m East stannd upper Dick. Any of the South stand mob about there?
You only have to look at Eddie Jones getting a new one in November or Stuart Lancaster just before RWC 2015.
Good on Deano concentrating on the job in hand - it probably also strengthens his negotiating position!
Equally club progression will play a part and no one wants to be looking at team building and adding uncertainty in the closing stages of a successful season .
Good piece Monkey, thank you. Things have come a long way since people were wanting Deano sacked during and even after that 20-game losing run in the league.
I hear what you say in relation to the potential negotiation position that Dean currently holds especially if we were to win the premiership or finish top 6.
However, if it all went pear shaped and we finished 8th or 9th who would hold the upper hand then....?
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2018:03:20:15:23:11 by Wensleydale Falcon.
I’m East stannd upper Dick. /quote]
Is this your new moniker ff07?
I'm sure we lost or first game badly after deano signed his extension last time. Just wait till the end of the season to announce he's staying
Quote:falconsfan07
Great piece monkey,
I’m East stannd upper Dick. Any of the South stand mob about there?[/quote
I'm East Stand Upper too! - I think that the majority of the noise will be coming out of the East Stand. That's were the ST holders mainly are! Can't wait
Onwards and Upwards!
I will be adding my voice with other ST holders from the East Stand too.
He may just be shaking the pot up a little bit.
Quote:aidanb
Stuart Barnes has given off the impression for 20 years of hating the Falcons. I don’t know him personally to be able to say if that’s true or not.
He may just be shaking the pot up a little bit.
Barnes had it in for the Falcons from the very beginning. Rob Andrew had been Engkand's first choice fly-half instead of Barnes. When we won the league title at the Stoop, Barnes was commentating and we taunted him by chanting "Are you watching, are you watching, are you watching Fatty Barnes." He came up to a group of us in the bar after the game and laughingly explained that he had been watching.
Quote:. The cynic in me suspected that Deano was carrying the can for a lot of people who had been doing naughty things. The cynic in me still thinks that to this day.
As was effectively confirmed by the quiet shelving of the report on "blood" substitutions.... As a Harlequin it still leaves a bad taste in the mouth that Deano and Quins were hung out to dry for that :-( For your sake I hope he stays with you, he's certainly turned Falcons around. I just wish he'd stayed at Quins, our Premiership win under Connor O'Shea was based on Deano's squad.