It's now 12 months since Paul Mitchell went in two-footed on Newcastle United's scouting department
Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe (left) and sporting director Paul Mitchell
Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe (left) and sporting director Paul Mitchell
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Eddie Howe reckons that Newcastle United are finally ready for lift off after ending the search for a new sporting director by appointing Ross Wilson.
The former Nottingham Forest chief football officer will oversee his first Newcastle game at Brighton & Hove Albion today with Howe confident that the Magpies are now on the up.
Howe was rocked by the departure of Paul Mitchell back in May when the ex-Monaco supremo walked out just days after Champions League qualification. But with a new CEO in David Hopkinson also on board now, Howe knows there can be no excuses on or off the pitch.
Ahead of the trip to the Amex Stadium, Howe said of ex-Rangers transfer chief Wilson: "I've known him for a number of years but not to any depth. He has been around the game for a long time. He has had a number of jobs and done really well from the outside.
"Working with him now, the first impressions of him and his work have been very good. He is a really good person and has fitted in really well so far. I am sure he can make a huge difference."
Just 12 months ago there were early teething problems between Howe and Mitchell with the former Wigan player branding the club's scouting department as "unfit for purpose" while the ex-Bournemouth boss warned about retaining "boundaries" between his staff and the football board.
Howe was asked if he was happier with the new arrangement of Wilson and Hopkinson and said: "I don't know about happier (than 12 months ago). I am just happy we have those positions filled because we need that.
"As I said the long-term planning and decision-making at board level and everything that the club decides at board level trickles down.
"We have strong leadership, we have dynamic leadership and hopefully we can benefit from that all through the football club. We've had meetings. On transfers? No, not yet. I think I'll let him sit down and get used to his new surroundings before bombarding him with that.
"We will have time for all those key decisions and meetings and strategic planning for the future.
"For the moment it's important he gets to know the staff, the players, gets to know how everything works and then can obviously makes changes as he sees fit to to take everything forward and make it better."
Newcastle face a Brighton side who sit just below them in the Premier League table on goal difference, but the Magpies have a horrendous record at the Amex with no top-flight victories at the venue in eight visits.
Howe said: “It is a team that we always have tough games against; they are well managed and coached and have some very good players in their squad.
"I thought we played well at their place last year, one of our better away performances, and that point ended up being so valuable for us."
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