Matthias Jaissle has been described as “fire” and a “rockstar”, but his formal “unveiling” as Newcastle’s manager revealed a rather more considered and conservative character than advertised.
First press conference and personal touch
At the precise moment the clock struck 3pm on Tuesday the 38-year-old German walked into a packed media suite at St James’ Park. Before taking his seat on the stage Jaissle, wearing a smartly understated open necked suit complete with a silk pocket square, took a deep breath and jumped down into audience, making a point of shaking everyone’s hand. It was a courteous and classy gesture.
Addressing the 'vacuum' after key sales
Once back on that podium, his evident excitement at exchanging Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ahli for the Premier League was tempered by the sort of realism inevitable at a club that, in Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimarães has just sold its three best players.
“This is now a vacuum as you call it,” Eddie Howe’s successor said in his excellent English. “They were great characters, great players, experienced players. Obviously we are in that transition phase. My job is to make the best out of it all. I am quite optimistic.
“We are ambitious, that’s the most important thing and why I decided to come here. But it will not happen overnight. I’m pretty sure it will be a successful story. But we need time now.”
Links with Tuchel and a new fan chant
Regular chats with the England head coach, Thomas Tuchel, promise to help minimise any culture shock. “It’s been a long connection,” he said. “Thomas was my youth coach when I was a youth player at Stuttgart. He was amazing, I really admire him. He’s a really special coach and I’m looking forward to staying in touch with him, and getting insights on the league. That’s something I want to use for sure.
“But it’s also important to build your own opinions because every coach is their own human being and has their opinions and, sometimes players get stuck in a box. It’s important for me to be neutral about players.”
Allied to a willingness to challenge assumptions, such refusal to take labels at face value hinted at the qualities that prompted David Hopkinson, Newcastle’s Canadian chief executive, to dub Jaissle “fire” and “a rock star”.
If the one-time RB Salzburg’s manager brand of football – “Front foot, intense, aggressive, vertical and, of course, also successful” – fits the latter tag, Newcastle fans have greeted him with an adaptation of a late 1970s Euro-disco hit.
Where the Spanish female pop duo Baccara soared to No 1 with Yes, Sir I Can Boogie, travelling supporters attending the friendly win in Valencia last Saturday chorused: “Oh Jaissle I can boogie/You try me once, you’ll beg for more.”
“All my staff members already said they’re looking forward to sitting after a match in the bar and listening to the song,” Jaissle said. “So let’s see about that! I heard it once and I was smiling. I’m really happy the fans already appreciate me a lot. The welcome from the fans was unbelievable when I was having a walk yesterday in the city. It was really giving me a nice feeling.”
Challenges ahead and transfer plans
There were more “big smiles” when he recalled a phone call last month asking him if he would be interested in replacing Howe but, little more than 48 hours after arriving in Newcastle for the first time following a training camp at La Manga in southern Spain, Jaissle is under no illusions as to the scale of the challenge ahead.
With the need to comply with football’s spending rules having seen the club pivot to buying young players with high resale potential – four of their five summer signings so far are aged 20 or younger – the immediate future remains opaque.
“I’m long enough in the industry now that you cannot promise anything,” Jaissle said when asked what he aimed to achieve this season. “It makes no sense to promise you things now because I don’t know how things will look in one year. But it doesn’t make sense to see the negative. There will be more adjustments to the squad this summer. We still have time. I would say keep the optimism.”
His cautiously upbeat mood will be bolstered further should Newcastle’s ongoing talks with Benfica about potentially signing their 23-year-old full-back Amar Dedic, who played for Jaissle at Salzburg and can operate on both the right and the left, conclude successfully.
“I had a tour of St James’ Park two days ago,” Jaissle said. “When I entered the pitch here with my assistant coaches for the first time, we were looking at each other with smiles and goosebumps. It’s really special, an amazing stadium. I can’t wait to see it full.
“When I received the call at the end of July and it was clearly most likely Eddie would quit there were no doubts or question marks. I had a big smile.”
