Paul Mitchell (Sporting Director)

[Kanji]

1 minute ago, KaKa said:

Based on problems with Ashworth and now with Mitchell.

 

Who do we bring in next then? These are two of the more sought after names out there by the way.

 

So who next?

 

Ashworth wasn’t a problem until he was quietly taking emails from his Man United mates on company monitored communication. Ashworth isn’t a scout and never claimed to be one. Eddie only had a problem with him when Ashworth was flirting with another rival club on our time. 

[KaKa]

1 minute ago, Kanji said:

 

Ashworth wasn’t a problem until he was quietly taking emails from his Man United mates on company monitored communication. Ashworth isn’t a scout and never claimed to be one. Eddie only had a problem with him when Ashworth was flirting with another rival club on our time. 

 

No ... it has since been reported that Ashworth was being marginalised before then. And Howe was working with Nickson, Amanda and Mehrdad mostly.

 

This is why those reports came out about Eales saying that Amanda and Mehrdad were 'getting in the way'.

 

I'm not sure you've been following things closely enough, as you don't seem to have all the information.

[Kanji]

Really going to come at me with that? 

[KaKa]

Just now, Kanji said:

Really going to come at me with that? 

 

I'm not coming at you.

 

You don't seem to have read those reports from what you've just said previously.

[Kanji]

Just now, KaKa said:

 

I'm not coming at you.

 

You don't seem to have read those reports from what you've just said previously.

 

I read those reports but I’ve also read the other ones that talk about what Ashworth wasn’t doing, what he wasn’t good at. What his actual functional problem was. The fact he wasn’t a scout. The fact he was dragging fucking ass getting deals done or negotiated. The fact that the manager in the prior setup was a final-say person and the owners, the ones EH and Ashworth reported to, weren’t happy with. It only became this weird obsession that EH was too tight with Amanda and co when the CEO decided to say some comments that you are now taking for gospel

 

Again. Ill repeat this and we can agree to disagree - you are taking the opinion and word of a CEO who’s been here for a couple of years and a DOF who spends a couple of years at clubs before leaving. Yep, Mehrdad and Amanda have no experience in footbal, but the decisions they made with Jamie and PIF > Eales ‘charge’. And if he felt he was underminded by two folks who had 10% of the club, he shouldn’t be shocked. He doesn’t and will never have a fucking once of cred they did. They saved us from MA. I’ll take their unorthodox level over his at this point. He’s been in charge of growing commercial and all he’s got is a friendly Adidas deal (thanks PIF/Saudi) and Sela (thanks PIF). 

 

Darren Eales has ALL to prove and absolutely 0 credit in the bank for me and should for most fans. Same goes to Paul Mitchell. Track record elsewhere means nothing here once the season starts for corporates. 

[Kanji]

Ah and to make it clear, football clubs are fans, the players, the manager. When the suits and corporate boys make it about them they are lost and should be fucking shot out of a cannon. The best operators are the ones you don’t hear about or from. They get on with their jobs and make it work. 

[KaKa]

We are so screwed at this club man.

[Kanji]

Expand please. Why are we so screwed? 

[Vinny Green Balls]

24 minutes ago, KaKa said:

We are so screwed at this club man.

I hope you are being hyperbolic.

[Kanji]

*didn’t sign obscure CB

*why don’t we shove out Miggy to Saudi, fuck his feelings

*we should be run like a corporate club

 

^^news flash, for our entirety of the last 30+ years the reason we’ve got this absolutely mad fan base is the absolutely mad way this club has always been run, good and bad. It just so happened to click beyond measurable levels the past 3 years post takeover. But it’s all very start-up hype and it’s raw, unorthodox and fun. We back the absolute freaks who go 100% all-in on NUFC and not the corporate stiffs and suits. Every time you see one of those, you probably get run the fuck out of town. You back the ones who get IT. Never did I truly grasp that more than my last 3 trips to Newcastle in the last 18 months.  

[Kanji]

FYI I literally work in acquisitions, where my entire life is based on convincing my key stakeholders and fellow folks to agree to a deal. It’s my job, not theirs, to make the case. And if they say no, that’s literally on them and I have to find ways to make a deal work. I don’t throw my toys out and say “fuck them!” I find out what they want and are looking for and rebuild my case or change tact. 

 

While I want Mitchell to knock it out the park and find us our next Dani Olmo and Sadio Mane, it’s also on Mitchell to work with our manager to convince him as such. It’s also on Mitchell to convince his corporate colleagues to keep driving the commercial side to fund deals. it’s also on Mitchell to convince Eddie that selling Miggy or Murphy makes sense because the underlying data + the replacement supports that thesis. 

 

If you think Eddie is just going to say NO, my way or highway then you are lost. He’s never acted on his own self interests at NUFC. 

 

 

Edited Sunday at 00:33 by Kanji

[McDog]

52 minutes ago, Kanji said:

Ah and to make it clear, football clubs are fans, the players, the manager. When the suits and corporate boys make it about them they are lost and should be fucking shot out of a cannon. The best operators are the ones you don’t hear about or from. They get on with their jobs and make it work. 

 

 

The money ramped up and this is 100% untrue now for the top level teams. This is a business to make money. You are correct in a sense that if the fans hate the team, the ground will only have away fans when at home. The truth is fans will forgive and forget all the time but the people that invest all that money, they want a return and trophies help make that happen but they don't buy the team for us.

[timeEd32]

1 hour ago, KaKa said:

 

Yes, we were already miles behind in infrastructure and now we have a manager that doesn't seem to be open to the setup, and so how does this help us now?

There’s really nothing to suggest Howe is opposed to a DoF setup. In fact there are multiple reports that he wanted a larger overhaul of our data capabilities so that we have better information on global players.

 

He does want a certain amount of power, which is where he needs to compromise.

 

We have no idea what the problems are between him and Mitchell. It could be a bit of a power struggle. It could be that Mitchell said he’d go get Guehi and then failed. It could be as simple as Mitchell being a bit of a Billy big bollocks, which can only be tolerated if someone is useful. I’m quite sure it’s not just because there is a Director of Football at the club.

[Erikse]

2 hours ago, Kanji said:

I assume 99% here are Newcastle United over “individuals” but if you one for second think Eddie Howe isn’t thinking what’s best for the fans and his players over the shield that is NUFC than you need a reality check. Mitchell and Eales are suits who bounce around from job to job. Remember that before you want to make sweeping comments.  Remember we’re fans. This man has done nothing but think of what’s best for US and the players. 

 

@KaKa you’ve mentioned a ton of other clubs who had better head starts, an actual functioning academy, an actual functioning infrastructure at football and corporate level and no Mike Ashley. Sadly, we are an absolute anomaly of football. All we had to prop us up was a rabidly supportive fan base and a 52,000 stadium. Other than that, we were fucking useless in every single area. Our best academy talent consists of Sean Longstaff, Lewis Miley and the now gone Elliott Anderson. It should in theory, based on all the new rules created to fucking hold us back, take us a decade+ to compete yet we have a manager who cobbled together the 4th best points total since he joined our club.

 

Mate I will always love your passion and analysis on talent out there, but you absolutely need to step off the gas pedal with some of your takes as of late. Have some patience. Respect EH. He’d school every single fucking person on this forum on football. 

 

 

 

 

I think a lot of managers that you wouldn't let anywhere near our club would would be able to school people on a football forum. It's like saying that noone can argue with Mourinho coming in, because he knows more about football than all of us.

 

 

Edited Sunday at 00:54 by Erikse

[Zero]

I just want to add a point, whilst a DOF is not a scout, he is still the one that should have the final say on transfer, and that he is also the one that should be credited for, and accountable for, the transfer as a whole. If he decided that the team needs talents for the future, he will assign scouts to give him potential targets, thus formulate his long term transfer plans. If he decided that the team needs established stars, he will decide which one to go for and contact the agents, after considering the scouts reports

 

I genuinely think we made sensible transfers under Ashworth era, before January of coz.

[Froggy]

You simply cannot pick a manager over a director of football. 

 

Howe is class like. I've always rated him. I was on here fighting his corner when most of the board didn't want him when he was appointed. But what if he's given all the power and it goes tits up for him? You're at square one immediately. I know all too well what that's like. 

 

You need a director of football to build the identity of the club, and any future managers should be able to step into that identity and Newcastle would still be Newcastle. I don't think Liverpool have missed a step with Slot replacing Klopp, and I don't think City's next manager will have any issues keeping them at the top. It's the result of a long term process. 

[r0cafella]

2 minutes ago, Froggy said:

You simply cannot pick a manager over a director of football. 

 

Howe is class like. I've always rated him. I was on here fighting his corner when most of the board didn't want him when he was appointed. But what if he's given all the power and it goes tits up for him? You're at square one immediately. I know all too well what that's like. 

 

You need a director of football to build the identity of the club, and any future managers should be able to step into that identity and Newcastle would still be Newcastle. I don't think Liverpool have missed a step with Slot replacing Klopp, and I don't think City's next manager will have any issues keeping them at the top. It's the result of a long term process. 

Your right Frogman, I think most people are hoping they work it out and learn to work well together. 
 

Obviously both have a lot of work to do

[Froggy]

19 minutes ago, r0cafella said:

Your right Frogman, I think most people are hoping they work it out and learn to work well together. 
 

Obviously both have a lot of work to do

 

100%, but a lot of people don't seem to think it's possible that Howe could be the problem, as this is the second DoF there has been a rift with. 

 

I do really like Ten Hag as an example. I'm glad we've stuck with him, and although results aren't there yet we're miles better on the pitch so far this season, but I think I'd have total faith in Berrada/Ashworth now to make the right decisions in the future. 

 

Look at this thread at the beginning. I don't think all that positive feeling around a good appointment should be lost because of an interview that wasn't even public. 

[r0cafella]

2 minutes ago, Froggy said:

 

100%, but a lot of people don't seem to think it's possible that Howe could be the problem, as this is the second DoF there has been a rift with. 

 

I do really like Ten Hag as an example. I'm glad we've stuck with him, and although results aren't there yet we're miles better on the pitch so far this season, but I think I'd have total faith in Berrada/Ashworth now to make the right decisions in the future. 

 

Look at this thread at the beginning. I don't think all that positive feeling around a good appointment should be lost because of an interview that wasn't even public. 

Yeah, I think unfortunately the window we just had plus Mitchell’s comments has made him massively unpopular. I know you reading everything but posters are even kicking off he’s at the games   
 

We are pretty much left with a Cold War and no good options.

[Froggy]

5 minutes ago, r0cafella said:

Yeah, I think unfortunately the window we just had plus Mitchell’s comments has made him massively unpopular. I know you reading everything but posters are even kicking off he’s at the games   
 

We are pretty much left with a Cold War and no good options.

 

Whatever happened to patience? 

 

Mitchell is a long term hire. Are people honestly judging him on a transfer window that he was signed in the middle of?

[r0cafella]

Just now, Froggy said:

 

Whatever happened to patience? 

 

Mitchell is a long term hire. Are people honestly judging him on a transfer window that he was signed in the middle of?

Absolutely aye, what he said to the press has buried him in the eyes of a few. Also question marks as to weather him and Eddie can work together and as Monchi and Emery have show these two roles have to dovetail it they don’t you can forget it. 
 

 

[Ben]

15 minutes ago, Froggy said:

 

Whatever happened to patience? 

 

Mitchell is a long term hire. Are people honestly judging him on a transfer window that he was signed in the middle of?

 

Ashworth hit the ground running in his first January transfer window. Mitchell apparently has info on every player in the world, but the thing that worried me was the lack of a plan B once we couldn’t sign our first target.

[Jack27]

2 minutes ago, Ben said:

 

Ashworth hit the ground running in his first January transfer window. Mitchell apparently has info on every player in the world, but the thing that worried me was the lack of a plan B once we couldn’t sign our first target.

? Ashworth joined us in May 2022

[Mikky]

1 minute ago, Ben said:

 

Ashworth hit the ground running in his first January transfer window. Mitchell apparently has info on every player in the world, but the thing that worried me was the lack of a plan B once we couldn’t sign our first target.

This - we ‘seemed’ all in on one player with the price increasing with every bid - we all knew the issues we had - 2 priority positions needed strengthening - CB/RW - it was a must - we got neither - there were players out there 

[Whitley mag]

28 minutes ago, Froggy said:

 

100%, but a lot of people don't seem to think it's possible that Howe could be the problem, as this is the second DoF there has been a rift with. 

 

I do really like Ten Hag as an example. I'm glad we've stuck with him, and although results aren't there yet we're miles better on the pitch so far this season, but I think I'd have total faith in Berrada/Ashworth now to make the right decisions in the future. 

 

Look at this thread at the beginning. I don't think all that positive feeling around a good appointment should be lost because of an interview that wasn't even public. 

Howe’s undoubtedly part of the problem and it’s due to the fact he’s always had total control on transfers at Bournemouth and since he came here.

 

He’s massively out of his comfort zone since PCP left and his interview in Germany was a misstep, though maybe borne out of the approach Mitchell came in with if you believe rumours.

 

Our current transfer strategy is a mess, your new guy wanted shot of Joelinton instead of giving him a new contract, I think Ashworth was right but Howe had all the power and Amanda granted him his wish.

 

I think a lot of fans think our transfer approach looks to narrow under Howe, the bids for Elanga and Guehi looked desperate and unimaginative.

 

The major problem here is that nobody knows if Mitchell is the right man, he hasn’t stayed anywhere very long and he’s come across a bit arrogant and clumsy in his quotes.

 

Think you’ve got the better man in Ashworth in all honesty, whilst I get the pull of Man United I do worry that the reason he left is because PCP and Howe were just calling all the shots and he was pretty pissed off with the scope of his role to implement things here.