"I remember he signed someone - and I won't name any names - who just didn't impress the rest of us in training.
"After a while, Joe took me to one side and asked 'what's your problem with this fella?'
"I said 'boss, he's not good enough for us'. Joe, albeit through gritted teeth said: 'yes, I'm beginning to think that myself' and never played him.
"But now, whether it's a new or old player that isn't up to the mark, nobody at Newcastle seems to want to rise above it.
"Instead, everybody's standards go down.
"The whole thing then keeps steadily moving downhill like a snowball. When that happens in football, you have to recognise it and stop it immediately, otherwise it spells disaster.
"Newcastle haven't stopped it.
"People scratch their heads and ask 'how did this happen?' But the reason is because Newcastle haven't had anyone behind the scenes who was bothered enough to stop it happening.
"Everyone on the outside could see it, and yet nobody has fixed things even now.
"So while it was a shambles last season, when the players report back on July 1 and nobody knows what they're doing, and nobody has the overall say on anything, it will be far worse."