Paul Mitchell will leave Newcastle United next month and it’s become increasingly clear that he was an awful fit from the off.
In his very first interview, he was like a bull in a china shop, utilizing the local media to brand our transfer business “not fit for purpose” was extremely ill-judged.
From the managers and recruitment teams’ perspective, they signed Kieran Tippier, Dan Burn, Bruno Guimaraes, Svn Botman, Anthony Gordon, Alexander Isak, Lewis Hall, Tino Livramento and Sandro Tonali, which together has helped deliver two Champions league qualifications, a trophy and the best season in our living memories.
This would suggest they were doing something right and I’m sure the criticism stung, especially as it came just days after an incredibly unsettling summer for Eddie Howe, who lost allies Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi, Dan Ashworth and two top talents to PSR.
The relationship between Howe and Mitchell was likely fractured from the beginning – Mitchell was clearly a Darren Eales appointment brought in on the quiet – and it would appear it never fully recovered.
Considering Howe has always had a big say on signings and Eales immediately mentioned that Mitchell would be ‘90% recruitment’ in his role, we (and the club!) should’ve seen this coming. That said, Mitchell had himself to blame for some of the early issues.
Mitchell’s early own-goal
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People will point to the recruitment contributing to last June’s PSR fire sale and that’s why Mitchell made the ill-advised phrase. But opting to use the phrase “not fit for purpose” was disruptive and disrespectful. It could have been handled much less clumsily and understandably it put Eddie’s nose out of joint.
The recruitment we’ve done steered us from certain relegation and then delivered Champions League twice, along with our first major trophy for 70 years. So would you change any of that?
I’d personally like to see the club raise revenues through other means than selling prospects to combat the prohibitive spending rules, but that’s where we found ourselves and it was navigated. – I’m sure lessons were learnt.
No point deductions were incurred last summer and we went on to win a trophy and qualify for the Champions League.
Mitchell won’t be missed
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Back to Mitchell, the days of consistently signing gems like he did for Southampton are long gone. Everyone has access to the data now. Mitchell hasn’t lasted long at nearly all of his jobs since and we need stability, not uncertainty.
Naturally, there is now sections of our fanbase questioning the direction of the club now another sporting director has bitten the dust, with some even wondering what ambition we’ll show this summer.
But Mitchell didn’t sign anybody. The core of the team and everything we’ve achieved since the takeover was delivered by Eddie, Mehrdad, Amanda, Steve Nickson, Andy Howe and Dan Ashworth.
Safe hands with Howe
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I can understand why people are concerned with the timing of the announcement with the summer window about to open.
I think we all just need to try and trust Eddie and the recruitment team on this one. They managed to convince Bruno to join us when we were 19th in the league. Isak, Botman and Tonali were also convinced by Eddie’s vision.
Howe is the most impressive bloke we’ve ever had represent Newcastle United in my lifetime. If I’m a footballer and it came down to sitting in front of some transient easy-come, easy-go executive, or sitting down with Eddie Howe, a man who lives and breathes football and takes personal pride in nurturing the careers of the footballers who play for him, I know which one I’m signing for.
A change like this is a good thing when it removes friction and aligns thinking. I fully trust Eddie and the recruitment team to handle matters and oversee a productive and exciting summer. Onwards and upwards.