The home match against Hull City afforded me an initial first-hand look at the team some fans are calling Newcastle United 2.0.
Until then, I had viewed the influence of Matthias Jaissle and his coaches through the limited lens of the goggle box.
Television directors follow the ball, which means they inevitably miss important aspects of any game. Unglamorous but essential duties, such as closing down opponents, stretching the pitch to make space, offering options that teammates reject, are often ignored by the broadcasters.
What had already become apparent, however, were a number of tactical similarities to the team steered by Eddie Howe.
The former manager wanted intensity to be the Magpies’ identity. The fans lapped it up when the words were turned into action, never more than on March 16 last year. That wonderful day at Wembley was the ultimate endorsement of a manager wrongly accused of being a one-trick pony.
There were plenty of other highlights, in the Champions League and domestically, such as the 6-1 demolition of Tottenham at St James’ Park in April 2023. Before anyone shrugs apathetically and says “it was only Spuds”, the match had been billed as a Top Four eliminator and was played two seasons before the north London outfit started to monopolise 17th place in the Premier League.
Howe was only 31 when he became manager at Bournemouth, rescuing them from ruination, then lifting them into the Premier League.
Jaissle started his managerial career at Liefering aged 32 before quickly moving to fellow Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg in July 2021.
Howe took the Tyneside hot seat in November 2021, three weeks before his 44th birthday. Jaissle succeeded him on August 5, four months after his 38th birthday.
The similarities between the careers and approach of Howe and his successor are by no means coincidental. Neither should they be a cause for concern.
Rather, they should be celebrated.
When Jaissle was interviewed by Matthew Raisbeck of Radio Newcastle on Wednesday evening, the manager made clear his wish was for front-foot, high-energy football. He didn’t repeat the “intensity is our identity” mantra (he’s far too sensible to make that mistake) but there’s no doubt one reason he was hired is that his philosophy was in keeping with Howe’s.
David Hopkinson and Ross Wilson, respectively chief executive and sporting director of NUFC, wanted King Eddie to remain in situ. When he decided the job was no longer for him, the worst thing they could have done was appoint a proponent of tiki-taka or possession-based football.
Why hire a manager who would want to rip up the template that had brought Newcastle United their first meaningful silverware since 1969?
I believe Hopkinson and Wilson have chosen wisely. They identified a successor who had won titles in Austria and in Saudi Arabia by persuading his players at Salzburg and Al-Ahli to do what Howe’s men did at their best: stifle opponents by outrunning them, overpowering them and ultimately outplaying them.
Just as important as the man fitting the team was that the team fitted the man. Clubs such as Bournemouth, Brighton and Brentford lose managers to richer rivals but the template remains the same, because those behind the scenes, such as sporting directors, see no reason to throw out the baby with the bathwater.
Jaissle knew before he arrived what made his new club tick. He is trying to build on the foundations laid by his predecessor instead of demolishing them and starting from scratch.
Contrast that modus operandi with, for example, the chaos at Manchester United when Ruben Amorim succeeded Erik ten Hag. Each manager had won trophies in less demanding leagues and each believed his methods were the right methods.
The problem was that their methods didn’t suit the players. Neither the team nor the manager wanted to alter. Result: yet another “back to the drawing board” decision.
In the 13 years since you-know-who stepped down at Old Trafford, there have been 11 changes of the guard at Man U, including caretakers. Countless millions have been spent recruiting and summarily dismissing David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho, to name just three.
When Raisbeck asked Jaissle to name the career achievements that made him proud, the reply was revealing. I’m paraphrasing here but essentially he said: “Not proud, more grateful that I have been given the opportunity to work with teams to win trophies.”
This was not, in my opinion, a display of false modesty. The young German appreciates he is relatively inexperienced, knows he will make mistakes, realises “bumps in the road” are inevitable.
So far, he has coped admirably with a series of injuries to experienced players as well as the loss of Gordon, Tonali and Guimaraes in the weeks before and after he joined. Nine new signings need to be integrated. The alarming sick list has forced Jaissle’s hand.
A team that looked almost dead on their feet at Craven Cottage in May, when they played the 58th and final match of the 2025/26 season, were never going to be transformed into world-beaters in a few short months, whoever held the reins.
What Jaissle has done is encourage previously underperforming players to punch above their weight. Anthony Elanga, Yoane Wissa and Joe Willock are obvious examples.
The manager has also given new faces such as Lukas Hornicek, Amar Dedic and Sean Steur the chance to shine.
When Raisbeck asked whether any player had surprised the new manager, he said singling out individuals was not normally his style.
So far, so predictable. Why put extra and unnecessary pressure on anyone or run the risk of upsetting a player by not praising him?
Rules are sometimes there to be broken, however, and Jaissle clearly wanted to highlight one man/boy. He made a point of saying how impressed he had been with Steur, especially the way the Dutch teenager had responded to his error that cost the team a goal at Elland Road.
Credit: Newcastle United FC
So far this season, there have been four wins, two draws and one defeat. That’s pretty damned good when you consider the handicaps.
The recently appointed captain and vice-captain, Dan Burn and Joelinton, have yet to play even a minute. William Osula has not been seen since the opening fixture, also because of injury. Tino Livramento made just three appearances as a substitute before an unspecified setback on the training ground forced him to miss the game against Hull.
In all, nine players were unavailable for that latest Premier League match (two weeks ago today). That’s one similarity with much of Howe’s tenure nobody wanted.
Some familiar faces will be back and with luck ready to face Coventry on October 12. The bench will no longer be occupied mainly by kids whose entire competitive experience in the first team is precisely zero. Perhaps Steur, who has featured in all seven matches this season, will have a watching brief for once.
Win, draw or lose in the West Midlands, at least we’ll be able to watch our team for the first time since September 19.