Martins - Magpies a shambles

09 August 2009 11:28
Obafemi Martins claims he had no option but to leave Newcastle as the club was in such turmoil. The Magpies were relegated from the Premier League at the end of last season and matters off the pitch have still not been resolved. Owner Mike Ashley has been unable to sell the club, while there is no permanent manager in place and Chris Hughton had to take caretaker charge for the Championship opener against West Brom on Saturday. Martins sealed a switch to Wolfsburg at the end of last month and he has now hit out at the current state of his former club. "I was left with no option but to leave Newcastle. The place had become a total shambles," the Nigerian striker told the Sunday Mirror. No communication "No one seemed to know what was going on. The club was just left to drift after relegation and the worst thing was there was no communication with the players. "The players were hoping that Alan Shearer would get the manager's job, but the people supposedly running the club didn't seem capable of making a decision. "And with no manager and most of the top players wanting out, I felt I had no future there." Martins moved to St James' Park from Inter Milan in 2006 and he admits the club is now very different from the one he joined. "It is sad to see how the club has gone downhill in the last couple of years," he said. "There is absolutely no direction. The players are demoralised by the lack of leadership and I just can't see things getting better."

Source: SKY_Sports