Manager reveals brilliant way Paul Mitchell and Newcastle United helped Plymouth Argyle v Sunderland

Plymouth Argyle headed to the north east sat rock-bottom of the Championship having lost back-to-back matches, including a 5-0 hammering against Burnley in midweek. Sunderland, meanwhile, were sat in 4th knowing that a win would have, temporarily at least, moved them into 3rd place in the table.

And the Black Cats looked like having secured all three points when goals from Wilson Isidor and then Trai Hume had turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead for Regis Le Bris’s side as stoppage time approached. However, a late goal from Nathaneal Ogbeta secured a point for the Pilgrims in a match they enjoyed just 31% possession in.

Ogbeta’s late strike was a big blow to Sunderland and their automatic promotion hopes - one that was indirectly helped by local rivals Newcastle United. As revealed by Argyle boss Miron Muslic following the match, Plymouth were offered the chance to use Newcastle United’s training facilities ahead of the match with Storm Eowyn threatening to derail their pre-match preparations.

“We came up a day early,” Muslic explained. “I used my contacts, I know Paul Mitchell at Newcastle United, and we used the training facilities there.

“They gave us everything we needed so we actually used this storm to work on the pitch and we also stayed together for two days. We could do some tactical work, some video analysis, but also just get to know each other a bit more.

“In the end, a possible disadvantage turned into an advantage for us. The only thing they told me was that we cannot lose the game, so I have kept my word to them.”

Muslic replaced Wayne Rooney as Plymouth manager earlier this month, with one of his very first team talks with his new side going viral on social media and gaining plenty of plaudits for its inspirational message. The 42-year-old’s first job in England will be to guide his new club away from relegation danger.

Having spent his entire playing career in Austria, Muslic went into coaching after hanging up his football boots and enjoyed a brilliant spell as Floridsdorfer AC manager in Austria’s second-tier between August and December 2020 - a run that convinced SV Ried to hire him as manager. However, he lasted just over two months there before departing.

A move to Belgium to become assistant manager at Cercle Brugge followed in October 2021. That move saw him link up with Mitchell, with Newcastle United’s sporting director taking up a role as Strategic Advisor at the Belgian side at that time.

Muslic would eventually be promoted to manager of Cercle, a role he held for two years until December 2024. Whilst Mitchell and Muslic officially crossed paths at Brugge, it’s likely that they would have been aware of each other during Mitchell’s time in the Red Bull system with RB Salzburg one of Austria’s dominant forces in recent times.