Tim Krul worked under many managers during his time at St James’ Park, and has some special memories
Former Newcastle United goalkeeper Tim Krul and then manager Alan Pardew
Tim Krul is more qualified than most to assess the merits of Newcastle United managers – after all, he played under eight of them during his nine-year spell on Tyneside.
From making his debut as a youngster on a European night in Palermo under Glenn Roeder to becoming United’s Premier League No 1 under Alan Pardew. the Dutch shot-stopper saw many highs and lows at St James’ Park.
He admits the perfect manager probably doesn’t exist, but he has learned plenty from the coaches he worked under at Newcastle and across a career which also took in spells at Norwich, Brighton and Luton, as well as several loan moves in his younger days.
One man stands out from his time at United, though, and it’s for a good reason, a the man himself explained.
“I had a fair few managers during my time at Newcastle… some good, some bad,” Krul told Ladbrokes at the launch of Ladisfaction.
“But that’s the case everywhere; I still haven’t found the perfect manager in my whole career, but I’ve picked something from every single one.
“My favourite manager at Newcastle was Alan Pardew, because he ultimately gave me the No 1 spot and trusted me in taking over that role for the club, and we had some great success with him. I’ve got fond memories of working with Alan.
“Alan doesn’t take himself too seriously, you know, you see him in adverts now and obviously a few years ago he was dancing at Wembley in the FA Cup final which he went on to lose… but one thing I would say about him is that he really knew how to keep that hunger within his squad.
“It took him three years to actually give me the No 1 shirt at the club, and that was so important to me because when I signed for the club, that’s what I wanted to be one day.
“He refused to give me that number for all those years, despite me playing regularly and the club making Europe… it was only after I’d played for my country against Brazil and kept a clean sheet in that game, that I went to see him at the start of the season.
“There was competition from Fraser Forster and Steve Harper at the time, and I remember speaking to him about the importance of that number one spot, and that’s when he eventually told me it was my shirt to lose.
“The trust from him really gave me the confidence to push on and be the number one for good, and I think we went on an 11-game unbeaten run after that conversation.”
While Pardew gave Krul the most experience, he remains indebted to others for their help along the way – and has revealed one manager was well ahead of their time in terms of health and fitness.
Sam Allardyce during a Newcastle United training session in 2007(Image: Getty Images)
Sam Allardyce may not be well remembered for the results on the pitch, but Krul feels much of what the former Bolton boss brought to the club is now commonplace.
“Glenn Roeder gave me my debut, and then with Graeme Souness, I would always have these one-to-one sessions with him, not in his office, but in the gym,” he added.
“He would be doing leg extensions while having a one-to-one conversation with me… he was a unit.
“He really was a fitness freak. It’s just amazing to look back and pull out all of these different experiences with those managers.
“Sam Allardyce was another one who was ahead of any other manager at the time; he was very much into the nutrition side of the game, and those marginal gains.
“He had special doctors telling us what to eat and what tablets to take, and he had so much experience by the time he came to Newcastle, it just didn’t quite work out for him up there.”
