Newcastle player drain continues as captain Callum Chick joins Northampton
Steve Diamond is staying positive despite losing his captain Callum Chick to Northampton Saints, insisting that Newcastle Falcons could become the Wrexham of English rugby union if the club secures new investment.
Diamond did warn that staff at Falcons, who are bottom of the Premiership table ahead of a trip to Saracens this weekend, still have 'their lives on hold' while they wait for a cash injection or a loan to help them survive beyond the summer.
Chick's move to Saints was confirmed on Tuesday morning, the two-cap England back-rower bound for the East Midlands at the end of the current campaign to continue an exodus out of Newcastle.
Adam Radwan joined Leicester Tigers earlier this season and will line up alongside hooker Jamie Blamire, another Falcons product, in 2025-26. Ben Redshaw, the England Under-20 full-back, is going to Gloucester, too.
Diamond admitted that Chick's exit was a 'body blow', yet showered praise on the durable 27-year-old and declared Northampton as 'the right club' to move to.
'Callum and I have chatted over the past couple of months and clubs have been really interested in him,' said the Newcastle director of rugby. 'With us still searching for investment, notwithstanding a loan that could help us survive, we thought it was fair and right that he exercised his option.
'Northampton was a very good offer and is a great club, coached by Dows [Phil Dowson] and his crew. It's an opportunity he couldn't overlook. He will be a loss but we wish him well. We've got to knuckle down, get some investment and rebuild.'
Stressing that Newcastle's owners 'are not going to let it go the way that London Irish went', Diamond claimed that the Falcons situation is 'hugely different' to those at Wasps and Worcester Warriors, having been boss of the latter when it unravelled in 2022.
Newcastle, he said, owe DCMS debts as well as debts to their owner, Semore Kurdi, yet are 'up to date and above board' with 'VAT and everything else'. Those plotting the franchise revolution are known to value a geographical spread of clubs, which stands Falcons in good stead, and Diamond wants his club to emulate a feel-good success story of football.
'People are looking for a story, people are looking for a Wrexham,' he said. 'If it's a franchise, could Newcastle be that story?'
A stream of local talent is one reason that Diamond remains confident in his project at Newcastle and has 'absolutely not' lost hope.
'What needs to happen is that we need to build our story,' he said. 'The club has been here for a long time, going from Gosforth to Newcastle. In the professional era, they've got it right and then bumbled along. The sort of investment we are looking at is the sort that will put a stamp on the north of England permanently.
'The only way to do that is through selective recruitment and retention, with a pathway through our academy. Our academy has produced kids but I don't think there's been enough organisation for us to make up 60 or 70 per cent of our squad.
'Next season, I think Sale's squad will be 70 per cent made up of their academy. I think we're at 25 per cent. It's ridiculous. It needs investment from top to bottom.
'Rugby is in a very sticky position at the minute and we have 45 players here who are [in] a holding pattern with their lives,' Diamond added. 'The coaches are the same, the physios are the same. And there aren't that number of jobs to go to at the minute. But we aren't thinking that the end of June is going to come along and we're going to take our lunch-boxes home to go and get a job digging holes in the road.
'It's a worry, but we'll represent the ownership, keep our noses to the ground and put our best foot forward against Saracens and Gloucester.'
Agreeing with the sentiments of Tony Rowe, the Exeter Chiefs chairman, Diamond backed a franchising system that could see the top flight expand quickly in order to enlarge the league fixture list and increase revenues.
'I'm grateful to the owners, because I've worked for three or four of them, but whatever they have done hasn't worked,' Diamond said. 'It doesn't stand up at the moment. Why would you invest in something with a one-in-10 chance of relegation?'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
33 minutes ago
- The Independent
Jofra Archer makes red-ball return to close in on Test comeback against India
Jofra Archer has closed in on a return to England Test whites after making a return to first-class cricket for the first time in four years. Archer, batting at No 10, made a crucial 31 for Sussex at Durham and is in line to bowl on Monday after making a comeback to the County Championship. The 30-year-old has not represented England in red-ball cricket since February 2021 having taken 42 wickets in his first 13 Tests after a series of injury issues. His latest set-back came during the IPL, with a thumb injury ruling him out of England's white-ball series against the West Indies and delaying his return to the longer format. Archer could yet feature in the second Test against India at Edgbaston next week, provided he proves his fitness for Sussex. 'He's been absolutely desperate to put the white shirt back on," said England skipper Ben Stokes ahead of the first Test at Headingley. "He's had a torrid run with injuries, but he's managed a fair bit of white-ball cricket recently. The fact that we can now put a structure in place for his red-ball return is a great sign." Sussex have confirmed that Archer is able to play a full part in their Championship encounter at Chester-le-Street, with the quick bowler not limited in terms of workload by England. He and Mark Wood, also working his way back from injury, bowled in the nets before play under the observation of England's elite pace-bowling coach Neil Killeen. Archer then showcased some of his strokeplay with the bat, hitting three fours and a six in a brisk 31 to help talented young batter James Coles reach his century in a key ninth-wicket partnership of 57. Sussex ended day one on 322/9, with Coles unbeaten on 117. Dutch all-rounder Bas de Leede was the pick of the home bowlers with figures of 4/83.
The Sun
36 minutes ago
- The Sun
Arsenal transfer news LIVE: Gunners ‘set' Martinelli asking price, Sesko EXCLUSIVE, Partey's replacement
United tussle Manchester United are reportedly ready to rival Arsenal for Sevilla's Lucien Agoume. The midfielder has been touted as a possible replacement for Thomas Partey at the Emirates. Fichajes claim the Red Devils are ready to fight the Gunners for Agoume, with Tottenham also interested.
BBC News
36 minutes ago
- BBC News
Textor to sell Palace stake to New York Jets owner
Crystal Palace part-owner John Textor has signed an agreement to sell his stake in the club to New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, sources close to the deal have deal, believed to be worth close to £190m, is subject to Premier League remains to be seen whether the deal boosts Palace's fight to be cleared to play in European football next Sport reported on Thursday that a deal was close between Textor and Johnson for the latter to purchase the 43% stake in Palace belonging to Eagle Football Holdings – the multi-club company owned by with knowledge of the negotiations have now indicated that the American businessmen have signed documents to confirm the takeover must be cleared by the Premier League, including Johnson passing the owners' and directors' is understood that Johnson indicated he can transfer the funds quickly, which is believed to have been a crucial factor in why his offer was viewed as the most favourable ahead of two other interested parties, given the predicament Palace find themselves with Uefa regarding their entry into next season's Europa could lose their spot in Europe, earned by winning last season's FA Cup, on the basis of Textor's perceived involvement at Selhurst football's governing body Uefa is ascertaining whether Palace breach its rules regarding teams under one multi-club ownership structure competing in the same European competition, given Textor has a stake in French club Lyon, who have also qualified for the Europa League. It remains to be seen whether the process of Textor selling his stake in Palace influences Uefa's final 78, is a former United States ambassador to the United Kingdom who bought the NFL's New York Jets in is one of the heirs of the Johnson family that founded the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimated his wealth at about £6.8bn ($9.18bn) in have drawn interest from other parties in America, sources have indicated that a globally renowned entertainment giant based in Florida has shown an interest, while another consortium that includes the NBA star Jimmy Butler has also been close to investment vehicle Sportsbank – which was named as the preferred bidder to buy into Eagle at a point last year when Textor was looking for investment – have also shown an interest in making an is expected to make a decision on whether Palace can participate in the Europa League by the end of June.
