Public Investment Fund (PIF) owners remain committed to Newcastle United but are drawing growing criticism for the slow pace of their decision-making process.
According to The Athletic’s George Caulkin, responding to a supporter’s question, Caulkin relayed Eddie Howe’s assertion that PIF are “very much engaged” and “desperate for success,” with ongoing discussions over stadium and training ground projects.
Howe told reporters these developments “take time” and that major club decisions cannot be fast-tracked, though he participates in board meetings focused on the future.
Caulkin acknowledged that while words of ambition have always been there, tangible action has been limited, to say the least.
The analyst argued that pressing ahead with a major infrastructure project would help reassure fans and convince key players that Newcastle’s long-term project is progressing, which is rather obvious, but that doesn’t seem to be the MO of PIF, at least judging by what they’ve done since they took over the club in late 2021.
Privately, according to Caulkin’s information, some at the club have voiced concern over PIF’s level of engagement, mostly by noting extended delays in senior executive appointments and the lack of a replacement for Darren Eales, who has yet to be replaced as CEO nearly a year after his “unofficial” departure and announcement he’d be soon gone from the club, a (lack of) decision that Caulkin described as “a nonsense.”
Caulking remarked that PIF’s methodical, “process-driven” style is working in other sports such as golf, but that it’s far from an ideal model to follow in the world of soccer, where flexibility and swift decisions are often needed, if not essential.