Paul Mitchell (Sporting Director)

[et tu brute]

Howe says he has had nothing to do with the transfer window and puts the onus on Mitchell. Mitchell comes out and states this certainly wasn't the case (correctly if true, as his reputation was put on the line) and then slags off the process which was in place (a dig at DA, AS and MG).
 

I remember the number of posts on here and social media voicing their outrage, when the two players were sold and the thread on YM which is still ongoing today.
 

The process obviously wasn't right, when we were so close to breaking the rules and having a points deduction (bollocks rules mind). Mitchell and Howe will be judged on their performances this season. Personally I don't understand the stick Mitchell is getting, when what he said was what I see was correct. 
 

The Chairman needs to have a meeting to try to resolve any issues between the two now. Howe will be the one to depart if they can't (I personally think they will) as two highly rated Sporting Directors leaving so soon, will not be a good look. 

 

 

Edited September 14 by et tu brute

[Minhosa]

2 hours ago, Jack27 said:

Have noticed Waugh/Caulkin have started being overtly critical of the regime now their pals Amanda and Mehrdad have left 

Shame the pair of pricks never felt the need to criticise their mate Steve Bruce whilst he was in the dugout. 

[AyeDubbleYoo]

26 minutes ago, et tu brute said:

Howe says he has had nothing to do with the transfer window and puts the onus on Mitchell. Mitchell comes out and states this certainly wasn't the case (correctly if true, as his reputation was put on the line) and then slags off the process which was in place (a dig at DA, AS and MG).
 

I remember the number of posts on here and social media voicing their outrage, when the two players were sold and the thread on YM which is still ongoing today.
 

The process obviously wasn't right, when we were so close to breaking the rules and having a points deduction (bollocks rules mind). Mitchell and Howe will be judged on their performances this season. Personally I don't understand the stick Mitchell is getting, when what he said was what I see was correct. 
 

The Chairman needs to have a meeting to try to resolve any issues between the two now. Howe will be the one to depart if they can't (I personally think they will) as two highly rated Sporting Directors leaving so soon, will not be a good look. 

 

 

 

I’m pretty sure those meetings have already happened. 

[timnufc22]

11 minutes ago, et tu brute said:

Howe says he has had nothing to do with the transfer window and puts the onus on Mitchell. Mitchell comes out and states this certainly wasn't the case (correctly if true, as his reputation was put on the line) and then slags off the process which was in place (a dig at DA, AS and MG).
 

I remember the number of posts on here and social media voicing their outrage, when the two players were sold and the thread on YM which is still ongoing today.
 

The process obviously wasn't right, when we were so close to breaking the rules and having a points deduction (bollocks rules mind). Mitchell and Howe will be judged on their performances this season. Personally I don't understand the stick Mitchell is getting, when what he said was what I see was correct. 
 

The Chairman needs to have a meeting to try to resolve any issues between the two now. Howe will be the one to depart if they can't (I personally think they will) as two highly rated Sporting Directors leaving so soon, will not be a good look. 

 

 

 

Mitchell deserves stick for speaking in what could be argued an unprofessional manner… why would you choose to describe the previous transfer policy - implemented partly by some still working at the club - as “not fit for purpose”? That sort of bluster ties in with his “I’m world class and I’m gonna shake things up” words and vibes he was, supposedly, giving at the training camp in Germany.

 

Yes some reporters may be going OTT with their slant, who knows, but it’s not unreasonable to say Mitchell’s character comes across as somewhat unprofessional and ego driven. 
 

He might do a great job and work well with Howe, we’ll see, but I also wonder about his short stints most places he’s been. 

[The Bonk]

2 hours ago, KaKa said:

 

Maybe you should look into the work he's done elsewhere then.

 

Besides, I don't care who the sporting director is. Whoever has that position is in there to do a job.

 

You can't just have the manager doing what he wants because he has been successful previously, if that is not his remit.

 

Everyone needs to play their position, simple as that.

 

2 hours ago, KaKa said:

 

I can accept our difference of opinion on this.

 

I don't think the all conquering manager setup works nowadays, and having Howe involved in so many things will ultimately take away from the club's progress.

 

I think if Howe can just relax and at least give things a chance he'll ultimately benefit from it and be an even better manager.

Couldn’t agree more, @KaKa

Let Eddie manage the team, players and Mitchell handle recruiting, operations and Eales the marketing of the club.

 

All of the elite clubs do this and now we’re doing it. Mitchell has been here for a matter of months. 

 

I love Eddie, but he can’t do it all at 100% efficiently and get us where we want to be.

[The Bonk]

1 minute ago, timnufc22 said:

Mitchell deserves stick for speaking in what could be argued an unprofessional manner… why would you choose to describe the previous transfer policy - implemented partly by some still working at the club - as “not fit for purpose”? That sort of bluster ties in with his “I’m world class and I’m gonna shake things up” words and vibes he was, supposedly, giving at the training camp in Germany.

 

Yes some reporters may be going OTT with their slant, who knows, but it’s not unreasonable to say Mitchell’s character comes across as somewhat unprofessional and ego driven. 
 

He might do a great job and work well with Howe, we’ll see, but I also wonder about his short stints most places he’s been. 

Because it wasn't ‘fit for purpose’?
 

It worked out of necessity, not necessarily process. They did a decent job, I quite like players we bought, but we also had to sell two promising players and have failed to shift some legacy players.

Moving forward, we’ll be better getting value out of the market and we’ll see more players like Minteh be identified and play a role in us being a team challenging the top clubs domestically and abroad.

 

[et tu brute]

13 minutes ago, timnufc22 said:

Mitchell deserves stick for speaking in what could be argued an unprofessional manner… why would you choose to describe the previous transfer policy - implemented partly by some still working at the club - as “not fit for purpose”? That sort of bluster ties in with his “I’m world class and I’m gonna shake things up” words and vibes he was, supposedly, giving at the training camp in Germany.

 

Yes some reporters may be going OTT with their slant, who knows, but it’s not unreasonable to say Mitchell’s character comes across as somewhat unprofessional and ego driven. 
 

He might do a great job and work well with Howe, we’ll see, but I also wonder about his short stints most places he’s been. 

It wasn't fit for purpose that's why, deadline day sales to ensure that we didn't fail PSR. Everyone on here was raging about it at the time. As I said before, he will be judged on how the next couple of windows go and rightly so. 

[timnufc22]

I agree it wasn't fit for purpose from that angle and we can say it that bluntly as fans, but as Sporting Director, surely you'd expect a bit more tact when speaking in public as opposed to a sweeping statement which is directly or indirectly aimed at some people currently still at the club? Does that not speak to his character? The fact that Howe responded to this statement by defending the players signed, as opposed to coming at it from the player trading/selling players angle, tells you everything.

[Chinese Fans]

3 hours ago, Geordie Ahmed said:

You've massively misrepresented the position 
你严重歪曲了

 

Mitchell said they spoke every day, Howe even confirmed they spoke regularly but that since the window they hadn't spoke, which he further explained is normal since they have very different roles at this moment 
米切尔说，他们每天都说话，豪甚至证实他们经常说话，但自从窗口，他们没有说话，他进一步解释说，这是正常的，因为他们有非常不同的角色在这一刻

 

 

Alright, I'm sorry, I got it wrong.

[Kanji]

Transfer strategy alone doesn’t tell the PSR story; it also has to include commercial revenues. Which isn’t Howe’s remit. 

 

And you all say it wasn’t fit for purpose because we had to scramble to sell 2 players, yet ignores all the good with Bruno, Botman, Isak, Gordon….

[Upthemags]

16 minutes ago, timnufc22 said:

I agree it wasn't fit for purpose from that angle and we can say it that bluntly as fans, but as Sporting Director, surely you'd expect a bit more tact when speaking in public as opposed to a sweeping statement which is directly or indirectly aimed at some people currently still at the club? Does that not speak to his character? The fact that Howe responded to this statement by defending the players signed, as opposed to coming at it from the player trading/selling players angle, tells you everything.

Covering your eyes at internal disorganization is how you end up like a club like ManU, an unmitigated disaster with zero internal structure. We nearly swapped AG for Joe Gomez a few months ago because we've been unprepared to meet the burden of the new rules.

 

The only reason Mitchell's comments should upset you would be if you disagree with what he said. Eddie backed him into a corner when he said he had zero say in the goings on of the transfer window. That was aggressively, arguably maliciously, dishonest. Do people really expect a guy who has run operations at clubs like Tottenham and Monaco, who's unearthed world class talent in players like Mane, to not stick up for himself, and to give us a dose of honesty - and reality- we've been clamoring for for weeks, if not months?

 

It doesn't take a genius to see that a system where we're knocking on the doors of the cartel six, begging them to take our crown jewels at the eleventh hour, is grossly, negligently, unfit for purpose. I'll take the honesty over more smoke and mirrors from the rest of the lot.

[macphisto]

21 minutes ago, Upthemags said:

Covering your eyes at internal disorganization is how you end up like a club like ManU, an unmitigated disaster with zero internal structure. We nearly swapped AG for Joe Gomez a few months ago because we've been unprepared to meet the burden of the new rules.

 

The only reason Mitchell's comments should upset you would be if you disagree with what he said. Eddie backed him into a corner when he said he had zero say in the goings on of the transfer window. That was aggressively, arguably maliciously, dishonest. Do people really expect a guy who has run operations at clubs like Tottenham and Monaco, who's unearthed world class talent in players like Mane, to not stick up for himself, and to give us a dose of honesty - and reality- we've been clamoring for for weeks, if not months?

 

It doesn't take a genius to see that a system where we're knocking on the doors of the cartel six, begging them to take our crown jewels at the eleventh hour, is grossly, negligently, unfit for purpose. I'll take the honesty over more smoke and mirrors from the rest of the lot.

It's basic management 101 at any organisation to not openly criticise people still at the club. There is nothing to gain from it other than getting people's backs up; people you have to work with. All he had to say was that they've recruited well but there's always room for improvement or even say we have to be even smarter in our recruitment as the the FFP rules are directly aimed at Newcastle to create a siege mentality at the club to pull every one together. 

[Kanji]

I’ll say this over and over and over again and I don’t even care…

 

What has Paul Mitchell done for NUFC this summer that gives him ANY benefit of the doubt over the words of Eddie Howe? If you still back Mitchell first then you’ve got the shortest of memories. 

[et tu brute]

35 minutes ago, Kanji said:

Transfer strategy alone doesn’t tell the PSR story; it also has to include commercial revenues. Which isn’t Howe’s remit. 

 

And you all say it wasn’t fit for purpose because we had to scramble to sell 2 players, yet ignores all the good with Bruno, Botman, Isak, Gordon….

According to some of the media, they were expecting Bruno to be sold with his buy out clause. I was banging the drum that we can't afford to lose any our purples at the time. Your bang on about the commercial deals

[Upthemags]

1 minute ago, macphisto said:

It's basic management 101 at any organisation to not openly criticise people still at the club. There is nothing to gain from it other than getting people's backs up; people you have to work with. All he had to say was that they've recruited well but there's always room for improvement or even say we have to be even smarter in our recruitment as the the FFP rules are directly aimed at Newcastle to create a siege mentality at the club to pull every one together. 

I think a good manager is brave enough to call a spade a spade. Could Mitchell have politician-speaked his way through the whole interview, sure I guess? It's funny because so many were so desperate for an explanation from Mitchell, and now that he's given us one, we don't like it because he's hurt some feelings with his assessment. Remember: he was backed into a corner when Eddie said that he was hands off this transfer window - that comment was indirectly saying the entire debacle was Mitchell's fault.

 

Newcastle top brass are big boys, and they can handle the criticism, I'm sure. There's nothing unusual about a manager voicing his displeasure with a system, especially when he's literally been brought in to fix it. I'm glad our director has the cajones to stand up for himself and improve our system.

[Kanji]

Yet Eales gets to survive this without any blow back? Or the CFO? What about SIlverstone and his commercial work?

We have been shit sellers for ages, but we all knew that. 

[Jack27]

Just now, Kanji said:

Yet Eales gets to survive this without any blow back? Or the CFO? What about SIlverstone and his commercial work?

We have been shit sellers for ages, but we all knew that. 

Without any blow back? Have you been living under a rock

[Kanji]

No Jack, I haven’t. But as far as it sounds it seems Mehrdad and Amanda were blamed for this and yet Eales and the CFO carry on. They were and are in charge of the club too. 

[macphisto]

Just now, Upthemags said:

I think a good manager is brave enough to call a spade a spade. Could Mitchell have politician-speaked his way through the whole interview, sure I guess? It's funny because so many were so desperate for an explanation from Mitchell, and now that he's given us one, we don't like it because he's hurt some feelings with his assessment. Remember: he was backed into a corner when Eddie said that he was hands off this transfer window - that comment was indirectly saying the entire debacle was Mitchell's fault.

 

Newcastle top brass are big boys, and they can handle the criticism, I'm sure. There's nothing unusual about a manager voicing his displeasure with a system, especially when he's literally been brought in to fix it. I'm glad our director has the cajones to stand up for himself and improve our system.

A good manager calls a spade a spade behind closed doors. He'd also recognise that the previous people in charge, Staveley & Ghodoussi, were inexperienced and if any mistakes were made then they were made in what they believed was the best insterests of the club at that time. He should also know that without the same people he criticised he wouldn't even be at the club as we'd still be owned by Ashley. 

[Kanji]

8 minutes ago, macphisto said:

A good manager calls a spade a spade behind closed doors. He'd also recognise that the previous people in charge, Staveley & Ghodoussi, were inexperienced and if any mistakes were made then they were made in what they believed was the best insterests of the club at that time. He should also know that without the same people he criticised he wouldn't even be at the club as we'd still be owned by Ashley. 

 

And Eddie Howe is 100% bang on when he said you can easily look back and judge any transfer window but the reality is you have to go back in that moment and look at the context. “Fit for purpose” Seriously? We were staring at relegation and had to clean up the defense and add a midfielder and attacker. And we had to do all that with no gty we’d stay in the league.

 

Then the following summer we somehow pulled off signing Isak. Botman was an absolute coup. Everyone and their mother was calling him a Rolls Royce defender. We bought AG10 who many (me included) didn’t want. And what did he turn into? And who helped him reach those levels? “Fit for purpose”. Fuck off with that. It’s just really poor choice of words. 

 

 

Edited September 14 by Kanji

[Upthemags]

11 minutes ago, macphisto said:

A good manager calls a spade a spade behind closed doors. He'd also recognise that the previous people in charge, Staveley & Ghodoussi, were inexperienced and if any mistakes were made then they were made in what they believed was the best insterests of the club at that time. He should also know that without the same people he criticised he wouldn't even be at the club as we'd still be owned by Ashley. 

It isn't behind closed doors when Eddie says "don't look at me, look at Paul Mitchell", is it?

[macphisto]

4 minutes ago, Upthemags said:

It isn't behind closed doors when Eddie says "don't look at me, look at Paul Mitchell", is it?

When did Howe say that? 

[Keggy_Keagal]

Both Mitchell and Howe need to stop playing politics and airing the club's dirty linen in public. Be professional do your jobs and have a working relationship that benefits the club.

 

So many times when we've been on the brink of something special club politics has wrecked it. The float did for Keegan as a manager the first time, Ashley the second time. As much as I can't stand Pardew and think he was a terrible manager who got lucky, the decision to not back him by strengthening the team the summer after the fifth place was complete negligence. Then of course when Benitez showed he might be able to do something even working under Ashley's constraints he wasn't given any of the support McClaren and Bruce had.

 

Those days have to be over. Pif need to sort this shit out and fast . 

[timnufc22]

1 hour ago, Upthemags said:

It isn't behind closed doors when Eddie says "don't look at me, look at Paul Mitchell", is it?

That part I agree in that Howe started a narrative in public that he was quite hands off this window and that regular updates from Mitchell were not forthcoming. Maybe he was telling the truth through? Who knows… it doesn't make it any more justifiable for Mitchell to publicly respond in a ‘not my fault guv’ manner, slagging off the previous structure in the process, potentially causing more friction with others. 

 

Again, that sort of stuff rings true with going around talking about ‘world class’ credentials with the players in Germany, bigging himself up and talking going on a journey with him. 
 

I know it’s partly speculation, but I think we can read between the lines and give some kind of estimated judgement. 

 

 

Edited September 14 by timnufc22

[GEFAFWISP]

"Come with me on a journey"...takes them to Skegness.

 

Bobbins this lad. His ego interview is a glimpse.