Backroom & executive staff

[toon25]

On 09/01/2026 at 18:19, The Prophet said:

In case you're interested in the Mark Douglas house of nonsense...

 

"When Antonio Cordero met Newcastle United officials last week to dissect his failed loan spell at Belgian side KV Westerlo he was asked: what more could you have done?

 

Cordero is a player Newcastle really believe in. The 19-year-old was signed from Malaga last season from under the noses of Real Madrid and Barcelona but progress stalled in his first move away from St James’ Park.

 

Last week’s meeting was as a sign of intent. Cordero wasn’t to blame for his time in Belgium falling flat but Newcastle want standards to rise above the board. Getting loan moves right matters.

 

Since Ross Wilson was appointed in September, he’s asked questions of everybody. The theory is that Newcastle have work to do across every department to cement a place in the elite and no time to waste.

A review of loans has been part of that energetic start from Wilson.

 

With the club committed to investing serious money in emerging talent over the next five years, they know they have to get it right. You only have to look at the success of Yankuba Minteh, sold at a £25m profit, to see the impact it can have.

 

Insiders believe the resources poured into Newcastle’s loan department – and the expertise at the fingertips of the dedicated staff – match almost any club in the Premier League. Chelsea, with their BlueCo multi-club model, are regarded as “top of the class” but Newcastle aren’t far behind.

 

Jack Ross, the club’s head of football strategy, is a big voice in loans and is well regarded internally.

 

Loans fall into three categories: moves with a view to players leaving the club, loans intended to give first-team experience and develop a young player and a third way – developing players with a view to increasing their value for a future sale. The last one is especially critical in the era of Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

 

Wilson’s loans review sought to identify which loans fell into which category and sparked the change of course with Cordero. After recalling him from Westerlo, Newcastle had approaches from five clubs but picked Cadiz so he would prosper in a playing environment he’s familiar with. With “buy in” from his new coach in Spain, the hope is he gets regular minutes in a league he knows and comes back better for it.

 

When Cordero’s loan flopped, a mini-inquest was carried out internally.

 

Some have questioned their loans strategy but the processes held up. Data, multiple meetings with Westerlo officials and continuous monitoring from sports science, medical and coaching staff went into trying to make it a success. Newcastle did what they could but ultimately the head coach just didn’t fancy him.

 

“We wouldn’t ask for assurances they would play – no one would do the same for us – so with all of these loans you have to accept a risk factor,” one source says.

The problem with loans is that sometimes plans change. Alex Murphy is a perfect example of Newcastle’s loan dilemma – better than under-23 football but not quite trusted at first team level yet. He needs minutes but plans to let him go out in January have had to be revised after Fabian Schar’s ankle injury.

 

Those with knowledge of PIF’s thinking are adamant that the club’s aspiration is to develop a multi-club model. Chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan is “fascinated” and “genuinely animated” about the prospect.

 

As part of a two-year project launched in 2024 to acquire more clubs, Newcastle isolated five markets as ripe for potential PIF expansion: Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Portugal and Brazil, taking into account style of play and Newcastle’s objectives.

 

The thinking originally was that this year would be the one where specific clubs were approached. But a change in the executive team and shifting priorities (Newcastle’s mixed form earlier in the season) might have put those plans on the backburner for now.

 

PIF’s processes – and the sheer amount of due diligence the group request before major investments – mean buying a club would take time. Interest in KV Oostende in 2024, for example, came to nothing despite Newcastle officials touring their facilities. But sources insist there remains an “appetite” for it if the right deals can be lined up.

 

In the meantime the club have made progress on informal partnerships in key markets, developing relationships in France, Belgium and the Netherlands that will be used in the future.

 

As one agent told The i Paper this week: “Newcastle were nowhere in this space three or four years ago but now, they’ve got a good reputation. Just look at Minteh.”

 

When reviewing our shitty loan system, no words are needed. 

 

 

 

 

[bobbydazzla]

With the club committed to investing serious money in emerging talent over the next five years, they know they have to get it right. You only have to look at the success of Yankuba Minteh, sold at a £25m profit, to see the impact it can have.

 

 

Says a lot about the plight of modern football when selling a player who never kicked a ball for you is a “success”.

 

Success should be judged by a player making a positive impact on the pitch, not the fucking balance sheet. 

 

 

Edited March 29 by bobbydazzla

[mouldy_uk]

10 minutes ago, bobbydazzla said:

With the club committed to investing serious money in emerging talent over the next five years, they know they have to get it right. You only have to look at the success of Yankuba Minteh, sold at a £25m profit, to see the impact it can have.

 

 

Says a lot about the plight of modern football when selling a player who never kicked a ball for you is a “success”.

 

Success should be judged by a player making a positive impact on the pitch, not the fucking balance sheet. 

 

 

 

Isn’t that what they meant by being champions in five years time?
 

Spreadsheet champions

 

[TRon]

1 hour ago, bobbydazzla said:

With the club committed to investing serious money in emerging talent over the next five years, they know they have to get it right. You only have to look at the success of Yankuba Minteh, sold at a £25m profit, to see the impact it can have.

 

 

Says a lot about the plight of modern football when selling a player who never kicked a ball for you is a “success”.

 

Success should be judged by a player making a positive impact on the pitch, not the fucking balance sheet. 

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately that's exactly our success blueprint as set out by PSR. Or SCR as it's about to become. Makes no odds that we have more capital available than all the other clubs put together if we want it. 

[Danh1]

1 hour ago, bobbydazzla said:

With the club committed to investing serious money in emerging talent over the next five years, they know they have to get it right. You only have to look at the success of Yankuba Minteh, sold at a £25m profit, to see the impact it can have.

 

 

Says a lot about the plight of modern football when selling a player who never kicked a ball for you is a “success”.

 

Success should be judged by a player making a positive impact on the pitch, not the fucking balance sheet. 

 

 

 

The idea of signing players to “flip” for profit doesn’t sit right with me at all. Neither does multi-club ownership. Saw some scouser on Twitter saying he’s disappointing their owners aren’t doing it, personally I think it’s a disgrace. 

[Abacus]

22 minutes ago, Danh1 said:

The idea of signing players to “flip” for profit doesn’t sit right with me at all. Neither does multi-club ownership. Saw some scouser on Twitter saying he’s disappointing their owners aren’t doing it, personally I think it’s a disgrace. 

Completely agree with this. I'd rather sign a player with talent, hope they do well on loan if that's where they go and then have a route to the first team. Not to operate like some sort of meat farm.

 

Financially, I get the logic, but from a sporting point of view, or even a human one for those players, it doesn't sit right with me either.

[toontownman]

Football we used to know is dead. Its get on the imperialist train or stay happy with mid prem or lower for life. You need to money-ball, shady deals, treat staff and fans like commodities and fuck the community aspect of football, unless its beneficial financially, then you can play ball and appear genuine.

 

Its why I am enjoying grass roots and the league building over here. The professional game is still ultimately guided by the same tropes as the market is dictated by it though. Its nice to have genuine people wanting to grow the sport not line pockets though.

[Scottish Mag]

Jack Ross potentially moving on...

https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/sport/16108932/jack-ross-leading-candidate-scottish-football-job/

[Turnbull2000]

https://www.thetimes.com/sport/football/article/chelsea-enzo-fernandez-marc-cucurella-liam-rosenior-martin-samuel-ndvftqnx0

 

Quote

 

Newcastle ripe for picking

 

David Hopkinson’s background suggests he should have know what was coming. Real Madrid, New York Knicks, New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, he has worked for some huge clubs and franchises. So when he sat down to discuss the future in his role as chief executive officer of Newcastle United, he must have known what was on the agenda.

 

By the end of it, Eddie Howe’s job was in jeopardy, Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon were on the market, Uefa were on the club’s case and the place was in flames. Oh, and Hopkinson believes selling Alexander Isak to Liverpool was a good deal, despite Newcastle sitting eight places and 14 points better off this time last season. With Isak, they qualified for the Champions League and won their first domestic trophy since 1955; without him they are out of all competitions and 12th. Had Hopkinson emerged from that meeting with his hair on end, his shirt ragged and ripped at the collar and his tie under his left ear, it could not have painted a more accurate picture of what just occurred. What was he thinking?

 

Manchester United have been looking for encouragement on Tonali all season, and now they have got it. The player’s agent will think there is a green light, too. Same with Gordon, same with Bruno Guimarães. Hopkinson will protest that he said players would only leave on Newcastle’s terms, but we all know what that means. They’re for sale. If they weren’t, he would have said they weren’t leaving, that Newcastle were done solving the problems of their rivals. The Isak deal wasn’t on his watch after all. He could have drawn a line. Instead, talk of Uefa disquiet suggests future parsimony. None of it makes Newcastle the place to be. Howe will draw conclusions from talk of assessing his future when the season ends, too. With Newcastle in the bottom half of the table, he will guess where that assessment goes.

 

It’s a mess. Not least because Hopkinson arrived, like a lot of football’s new executives, backed with a lot of big talk. He would be implementing a 100-day review, a “transformation plan” was presented to the board in December, he was changing mindsets, there was to be a Newcastle United Code with its core values: one club, excellence, relentless, accountable, integrity. If this just sounds like a word salad, that’s because it is. The owners could have got the same from AI for nothing.

There was only one way for Newcastle to move on from the Isak debacle, and that was by doing the opposite. Hopkinson instead has as good as ensured this summer will be spent fighting off suitors for their best players. At least it is unlikely Newcastle will have to worry about that Uefa sanction. Certainly not next season and, carrying on like this, for quite a few seasons after.

 

 

[gbandit]

Someone needs to hoy Martin Samuel into the sea with some lead weights attached to him 

[Ghandis Flip-Flop]

1 minute ago, gbandit said:

Someone needs to hoy Martin Samuel into the sea with some lead weights attached to him 

Just stick him in the London sewer system with the rest of the fatbergs 

[Kilcline]

1 minute ago, gbandit said:

Someone needs to hoy Martin Samuel into the sea with some lead weights attached to him 

Can probably even avoid polluting the sea (with the lead anyway, not sure he'd do the ecosystem any good either) unless he's been on the mounjaro  

[bobbydazzla]

2 minutes ago, gbandit said:

Someone needs to hoy Martin Samuel into the sea with some lead weights attached to him 

From a boat above the Mariana Trench 

[The Prophet]

"In flames" 

 

"A mess"

 

Talk about overdramatic. 

 

We'll always be vulnerable until then until we can pay the highest wages and regularly qualify for the Champions League. Even then most players don't say no to the likes of Bayern, PSG, Barca and Real.

[lovejoy]

10 minutes ago, Turnbull2000 said:

https://www.thetimes.com/sport/football/article/chelsea-enzo-fernandez-marc-cucurella-liam-rosenior-martin-samuel-ndvftqnx0

 

 

That’s bollocks.

[Virtua Stiva]

Wild that Martin Samuel is still a rent-a-quote gobshite  who is the audience for these columns? 

[TheBrownBottle]

On 30/03/2026 at 01:09, Danh1 said:

The idea of signing players to “flip” for profit doesn’t sit right with me at all. Neither does multi-club ownership. Saw some scouser on Twitter saying he’s disappointing their owners aren’t doing it, personally I think it’s a disgrace. 

I think the ‘flipping’ is unpleasant but more an inevitable consequence of having transfer fees for players’ registrations.

 

The multi-club model should be kicked into a bin, though.  It’s grotesque and completely at odds with what football clubs are meant to be. 

[Yorkie]

Our big players aren't suddenly on the market by accident, like. The rules (and the inevitability of the likes of Tonali wanting to leave) dictate that we have to sell. I'm not convinced by Hopkinson but framing that aspect as a gaffe demonstrates a pretty wild ignorance of our present situation. 

 

It's hardly like it's the first time either. Darren Eales put Bruno in a shop window framed with blinking fairy lights in the summer of 2024.

[Keegans Export]

Saying players can only leave on our terms is the only sensible position to take tbf. Saying "not for sale at all" would come across as delusional, which is what I've criticised him for in the past (specifically the 2030 thing)

[bobbydazzla]

6 hours ago, Virtua Stiva said:

Wild that Martin Samuel is still a rent-a-quote gobshite  who is the audience for these columns? 

Members of this forum, for starters 

[duo]

Hopkinson’s seems to be pointing fingers at others to deflect attention from him - he's done nothing.

[SUPERTOON]

Andy Howe has had a promotion according to Hope @JT24

[PauloGeordio]

1 minute ago, SUPERTOON said:

Andy Howe has had a promotion according to Hope @JT24

Head coach?

[JT24]

2 minutes ago, SUPERTOON said:

Andy Howe has had a promotion according to Hope @JT24

Well deserved. 

[Bimpy474]

On 05/04/2026 at 09:09, gbandit said:

Someone needs to hoy Martin Samuel into the sea with some lead weights attached to him 

 

The fat fuck will sink like a stone anyhoo.