Newcastle United coach reacts to 'brilliant' new appointments behind the scenes

Newcastle United’s coaching staff has undergone a slight reshuffle in recent weeks with a new appointment and a promotion.
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Former Gateshead and Hartlepool United goalkeeper Adam Bartlett has been promoted to first-team goalkeeping coach at Newcastle with former United goalkeeper Tony Caig coming in as the new lead academy goalkeeping coach.

Bartlett had been working with Eddie Howe and his first-team coaching staff on a regular basis, attending all Premier League matches home and away prior to his officially announced promotion.

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And Newcastle under-23s lead coach Elliott Dickman is delighted to see the 36-year-old’s hard-work pay off.

St James's Park, Newcastle. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)St James's Park, Newcastle. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
St James's Park, Newcastle. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

“It's definitely [a positive step],” Dickman said. “Adam has gone up to the first-team which is brilliant for him. He was fantastic for me personally when I first joined the club and he's helped and supported the goalkeepers really, really well.

"It's brilliant that his work has been recognised and he's now with the first-team.”

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Dickman has also welcomed the appointment of Caig, and thanked under-18s goalkeeping coach Dani Garcia for stepping into the vacant under-23s goalkeeping coach position on an interim basis.

Tony Caig in action for Houston Dynamo.  (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)Tony Caig in action for Houston Dynamo.  (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)
Tony Caig in action for Houston Dynamo. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)
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“Dani Garcia took over while we were looking to appoint somebody and Dani did a great job,” Dickman added. “He was obviously very busy doing two roles but obviously Tony has come in and has been brilliant so far. It's still early stages but he's been fantastic.”

Caig was Newcastle’s third choice goalkeeper behind Shay Given and Steve Harper between 2003 and 2006 but didn’t make a competitive first team appearance for the club before leaving to join MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps.

On Monday night, he was back in the St James’s Park dugout as Newcastle under-23s came from 2-0 down to beat West Bromwich Albion under-23s 4-3 in a thrilling encounter.

And Dickman has given his new goalkeeping coach a lot of credit for the crucial win in the Premier League 2.

Adam Bartlett of Gateshead celebrates after the final whistle during the Skrill Conference Premier Play Offs Semi Final second leg match between Gateshead and Grimsby Town at The Gateshead International Stadium on May 04, 2014 in Gateshead, England. (Photo by Ian Horrocks/Getty Images)Adam Bartlett of Gateshead celebrates after the final whistle during the Skrill Conference Premier Play Offs Semi Final second leg match between Gateshead and Grimsby Town at The Gateshead International Stadium on May 04, 2014 in Gateshead, England. (Photo by Ian Horrocks/Getty Images)
Adam Bartlett of Gateshead celebrates after the final whistle during the Skrill Conference Premier Play Offs Semi Final second leg match between Gateshead and Grimsby Town at The Gateshead International Stadium on May 04, 2014 in Gateshead, England. (Photo by Ian Horrocks/Getty Images)
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“The two set-plays we scored were Tony’s set-plays and he deserves all the credit for those goals because he's responsible for that and I think they worked really, really well,” added the under-23s lead coach.

“His manner with the players when he delivers the messages about the set-plays is brilliant and I'm just chuffed to bits that it has come off for us.”

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