Amanda Staveley was part of the interviewing process that led to Eddie Howe becoming Newcastle United manager.
Amanda Staveley loved Eddie Howe’s vulnerable side to admit his mistakes when applying for the Newcastle United job.
It has been almost four years since a Saudi-backed consortium bought the Magpies from Mike Ashley. While PIF and the Reubens provided the financial muscle, Staveley was the front-facing figure in the media.
Newcastle were winless, heading for the Championship and desperate for a new man at the helm. Getting the right appointment was the most important decision facing the new regime at St James’ Park.
Eddie Howe masterstroke
The Magpies turned to Howe despite him spending over a year out of the game following Bournemouth’s relegation. Many in the national press questioned the call but have since been left to eat their words.
Howe steered Newcastle comfortably towards survival and has achieved two Champions League qualifications in three full seasons. The icing on the cake was winning the Carabao Cup in March - the club’s first domestic trophy for 70 years.
Amanda Staveley on Eddie Howe appointment
Speaking to the High Performance Podcast, former co-owner Staveley revealed that Howe reflecting on his career struggles helped land him the gig. She said: “The most important thing for us when we bought Newcastle was the coach.
“To get Eddie we had to interview over 30 people. There were two outstanding candidates, one was Unai Emery and one was Eddie. Eddie was just unbelievable but he just obviously had Bournemouth relegated so there's a lot of people saying to me ‘Well that Eddie, you know if you take him you'll be relegated’.
“Luckily, you've got to rely on your fantastic board which we had from day one. Yasir has a very good sense and loved Eddie straight away. It was the perfect manager (appointment) and god… he's just extraordinary.
“For me, maybe not to anybody else, but I remember him talking about the tough (times), what happened in the past and being relegated. I was more excited about him being relegated and going through that battle and having done that without a serious amount of money.
“His presentation was very good, he was very well-versed. He knew that we were taking a chance. He has a very low ego, he's very intelligent. He's just such a nice guy. It was such a privilege for me to count him as a friend today and also to work and learn.”
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‘I knew immediately’ - Amanda Staveley
“I was so convinced,” Staveley added. “You always make wrong decisions. Eddie was a really good decision, but it was collective. It was a board decision. We did our due diligence. We looked at his style of play and we knew he trained on the grass.
“For me, I didn't want someone that was just going to run it from the (distance) and not be involved in the training themselves. He excited me about that. I also realised that he will be someone that will get better and learn, but he is also able to learn from his mistakes. You have to be able to do that. I knew immediately (that he was the right man for the job).”
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