Newcastle United are currently attempting to right the considerable wrongs of their chequered past.
While first team rebuilding goes on at a pace in the full glare of an appreciative audience previously worn down by neglect a more subtle rebuilding of the club is also under way below stairs. Bright young talent from across, England, Scotland, and Ireland is being lured to the club by the prospect of a fine future.
This drive to bring in tomorrow's stars is a complete reversal of United's policy in the eighties, the years between Keegan the player and Keegan the manager, when Chris Waddle, Peter Beardsley and Paul Gascoigne were criminally sacrificed on the alter of greed.
READ MORE: Eddie Howe has Newcastle United squad aim due to Premier League 'demand'
United's future was sold off in return for three sacks of gold. England superstars gone along with hope. Now the club's future is being secured by luring youthful talent not shipping it on.
It is only right and proper that when new owners with a modicum of ambition take over a football club their initial target must be a first team upgrade. Our latest custodians have admirably done that to awaken the slumbering beast that was Newcastle United.
Where season tickets could not be given away under the previous regime they are now gold dust. However if a club is to be built for the long term and not merely given a lick of paint to cover over the cracks then much deeper surgery is required.
Thankfully that is being addressed at SJP. The academy squads are being significantly strengthened after an embarrassing lack of potential was highlighted by last season's results, training facilities are to be booted into the 21st century, and even Newcastle's women's team is receiving loving attention from Amanda Staveley and her associates.
While fans have been captivated by the summer signings of Sven Botman, Nick Pope and Matt Targett, bright youngsters have also been captured as a result of an overhaul at U18 and U21 level which hopefully will impact upon the first team in years to come.
Let me recall the list so far: 18-year-old Alex Murphy from Galway United, Charlie McArthur (17) from Kilmarnock, and 18-year-old Jordan Hackett-Valton from Spurs.
It will not stop there of course. Overtures have gone out to Southampton's Tyler Dibling who at only 16 was included in the club’s first-team squad against Brentford in May. Dibling caught the eye when he scored a first-half hat-trick against Newcastle’s Under-23s a couple of months back.
The Magpies are not, as it is easy to see, merely attempting to fill pegs in the dressing-rooms of the Young Magpies with their summer drive but recruit genuine potential. For example Kilmarnock centre-back Charlie McArthur is the Scotland Under-17 captain and made his senior club debut in October 2021. It has cost United £350,000 to bring him south armed with a glowing recommendation from their old goalkeeper Tommy Wright.
Tommy managed Charlie at Kilmarnock and said: "The biggest compliment I can pay him is that when he made his debut the lads treated him like a 26-year-old not a 16-year-old. Charlie was a dream to work with. I don't want to stick labels on him but he's very, very good and will have a great career."
Then there is Alex Murphy who only turned 18 on June 25. Murphy joined Galway United's Academy at 14 and progressed through the ranks to make his first team debut in 2021 aged 16. He captained the Republic of Ireland's under-18 side and was called up by his country's under-19s for the UEFA U19 European Championship Elite Phase qualifiers in March.
Jordan Hackett-Valton? He has represented England at Under 15, Under 16, Under 17 and Under 18 level. There is no guarantee of course that potential will automatically blossom into super stardom. There are plenty of examples in the past of early promise disappearing on the wings of time but at least United are giving themselves a better opportunity of saving good money in the future by having PL stars already in the building.
The current two-tier recruitment - first team and age group squads - is spearheaded by the new owners and their Sporting Director Dan Ashworth who has a pedigree of nurturing young players with a genuine chance.
Academy manager Steve Harper will take over the polishing duties desperately needed with United's age-grade sides struggling badly last season. The under-18s finished bottom of their league while the under-23s failed to reach the play-offs of Premier League 2 Division Two.
READ NEXT
Eddie Howe's first words on Sven Botman as Newcastle United transfer confirmed
Newcastle United's new transfer focus gives hope for future as nine recruits are unveiled
Inside Newcastle United's first pre-season training session as players get to work
Newcastle United transfer news LIVE: Hugo Ekitike bombshell, Moussa Diaby change
