Jamie McClen - Newcastle United
Hopefully some of you remember Newcastle United youngster Jamie McClen, otherwise this update will be of little interest. McClen came to the fore when under the management of Ruud Gullit during Newcastle's 1999/2000 season, McClen made his debut for the side against Tottenham Hotspur and at 20 years old, he was offered a new long term deal under the Dutch manager who seemed to see something in the central midfielder. McClen's evolution however, did not take the strides expected and he struggled to keep in Gullit's plans. When Gullit left Newcastle, his replacement Bobby Robson was keen to give some of the Newcastle youngsters a chance, and McClen was still seen as something of a hot prospect at the club. This tag allowed him to participate in 10 games during the 2001/02 season, scoring once in the FA cup against lower league opposition, and also included a mature display in the centre of Newcastle's midfield against Arsenal. McClen hovered around the Newcastle setup for 7 years, but his apparent potential was never fufilled, when he left the club for Carlisle in 2005.
After 9 clubs in just 3 years, McClen now plys his trade at Northern Premier League side Newcastle Blue Star. McClen never showed the quality needed to keep him within the League system, and after dropping into non-league in 2006, making it a very sudden demise, he played for local non-league sides like Gateshead. McClen played his first full season of football at the age of 28 last season, making 31 appearences for Gateshead, and will be hoping to build on that with his new side.
http://www.officialplayersites.com/players/mcclen/article.php?id=755
