Newcastle United head coach Matthias Jaissle has marked his 50th day in charge by telling his players to reflect on a whirlwind chapter in the club's history. Since arriving from Al Ahli, Jaissle has navigated the fallout from Eddie Howe's exit, the departure of captain Bruno Guimaraes, and a busy transfer deadline period.
Solid start despite turbulence
Jaissle's team currently sit ninth in the Premier League with eight points and have reached the Carabao Cup last 16. The head coach has spoken of the "fundamentals" he is trying to build, naming Yoane Wissa, Joelinton, and Dan Burn as key figures in his leadership group.
"Overall, really satisfied," Jaissle said. "You see a couple of challenges already from the outside, and you also know there is a huge transition at the moment in the club. And in these circumstances, we are really proud of what we have seen so far from the lads, fully committed to the journey. Now it is time to reflect and also hopefully get some players back from injury."
Backroom changes and key decisions
Howe's departure saw several staff leave, including Jason Tindall, Graeme Jones, Stephen Purches, Adam Bartlett, Simon Weatherstone, and head of performance Dan Hodges. Andy Howe has also left, while head of recruitment Steve Nickson had already tendered his resignation. Jaissle has appointed Alexander Bade to lead goalkeeper coaches, with Alexander Hauser, Engin Yanova, Florens Koch, Maximilian Fischer, and Steffen Konrad joining the staff. Shwan Jalal and Martin Mark have stayed on.
Jaissle quickly accepted Bruno Guimaraes' desire to leave, sanctioning a £75m sale to Arsenal and reinvesting in signings like Amar Dedic, Nico Gonzalez, and Matias Fernandez-Pardo. He also held an honest conversation with Nick Woltemade, who then joined Juventus on loan after being told he would get limited opportunities.
Youth gets a chance
Eighteen-year-old Sean Steur was man of the match against Hull and kept his place despite a mistake against Leeds. Jaissle told him he didn't need to apologise. Bazoumana Toure and Aladji Bamba have been assured their chances will come.
"We tried to change this narrative, that belief also, and hopefully you can feel that in the next weeks and months that if something goes wrong, we are energised in a positive way and supportive," Jaissle said. "With a young squad, especially, this is really important."
No comparison with Howe
Jaissle has urged against comparing his tenure with Howe's. When asked about Wissa's lack of chances under Howe, he said: "I had conversations with him like I did with many other players. Unfortunately, I can not compare with Eddie, that is something I will never do. I give him the maximum respect for what he did here in the past. Sometimes it is on the players. They have highs and lows in their careers, this is normal."
