Newcastle United have already made Matthias Jaissle stance clear - Ross Wilson explains succession plan
Newcastle United sporting director Ross Wilson has already made his plans clear regarding the club’s head coach.
Matthias Jaissle was Newcastle United’s ‘number one choice’ to replace Eddie Howe as head coach this summer.
Although the timing of Howe’s exit, three weeks before the start of the season, was not ideal, Jaissle was the man lined up to take the hot seat at St James’ Park.
The appointment of the German was the conclusion of a nine-month succession plan undertaken by sporting director Ross Wilson last season. The appointment initially looked like a masterstroke with Jaissle bringing fresh energy to the club and taking four points from the opening two Premier League matches against Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.
We have launched a new NUFC YouTube channel to bring you the latest Newcastle United news and analysis. Click this link and subscribe to NUFC Press Box.
The Gazette has launched a WhatsApp NUFC channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates directly to your phone. Simply click this link to join our NUFC WhatsApp channel.
But now, after three defeats in four matches, Jaissle is already under scrutiny as Newcastle head coach. His side were booed off against Aston Villa at St James’ Park on Saturday, a result which marked his first home defeat since taking charge.
Although results have taken a downward turn and Newcastle’s performance metrics don’t make for promising reading, the club will stand by their manager.
‘Number one choice’
“He was the number one choice,” Wilson said last month. “We started this planning work a long time ago and we knew the type of coach, the type of football we wanted to play therefore we had use our models to identify who those coaches might be.
“So it was really, really clear that Matthias – if he was transactable – was someone who would be really interesting to us.
“I spoke to him on the phone and it was a really good conversation. Then I met him and – I didn’t do this deliberately – but when I was on the phone he [David Hopkinson] said: ‘You sound really excited about this one’. I said ‘You’re probably right’.”
Jaissle himself has admitted he is ‘not concerned’ by Newcastle’s recent results or performances, but recognises the need for his side to improve in key areas. Although Newcastle aren’t planning for a change of manager so soon, Wilson has already made clear he is diligent when it comes to having succession plans.
Succession plan
“When I came to the club [last year],” Wilson explained. “I’ve been planning in the background for a managerial change for eight or nine of those months.
“We knew which direction we were going to go. Again, that does not mean we were always going to go to Matthias but he was always part of our planning.
“Part of our responsibility as leaders of the club, as sporting director and chief executive, is to be prepared.
“Clearly the timing was not one we had planned for. But clearly we had a plan in place, which is why we could execute it as quickly as we did.
“It might have caught some people off guard, but the reason we could move so quickly on it was because we had prepared for a number of months.”
Such plans will be in place regarding Jaissle’s successor, but Newcastle have already made their stance clear regarding the manager.
Wilson claimed there are no set targets for Jaissle this season on the back of a disruptive summer for the club and hopes to keep him at St James’ Park for the long term. Though performances will be a deciding factor in that.
“If he is [here for four years] that's us all doing well,” Wilson admitted.