It has been a rough few weeks for Matthias Jaissle; he would be the first to admit that. But with it has come some heated discourse across social media around whether Newcastle United should already be looking to make a change at the helm.
That is understandable given the state of the performances and fans will always be reactionary, but if the hierarchy adheres to those calls, it would undoubtedly leave the Magpies teetering on the edge of a slippery slope that professional football sees far too often in the present day.
Which is exactly why the comments Jaissle made today about the support he has received from those at the club are so powerful during a period of such unrest.
Jaissle speaks on the club’s commitment
Following a period of difficulty for Jaissle, likely exacerbated by his presence on social media, the German said: “I try not to follow things that are written and said, but here and there you get (told) some comments.
“But the nice part is I got even more feeling from within the club how committed they are (to me).
“That’s really important in a week where there has been speculation or rumours. It was good to know and good to feel. But I try in these aspects not to get distracted.
There was no need for meetings, every day from morning til evening I feel it (the support).
“Here and there you get a message. And that just shows me everyone believes in the long-term project and everyone is also realistic about the journey and where we are right now.” (Quotes courtesy of Keith Downie)
It is the last part of that monologue which is perhaps most pertinent in the current situation. Not only because it is insightful for us as fans as to the internal feeling about the current situation. But because it shows that there isn’t some expected immediate success and that there is a recognition of the position the club are in without emotional decisions being made behind the scenes because of it.
Why fans need to be patient
Of course we expect to reach the same levels we have seen over the last few years, but that is simply not going to be the case under the current circumstances and we have to accept that.
You can take a multitude of case studies of clubs who have lost dynastical managers and subsequently ended up in a despairing cycle of replacing the man in the dugout every few months or years. Take Manchester United for example who are still yet to find a sustained successor to Sir Alex Ferguson after he left back in 2013.
But the key thing in each is that managers are rarely given enough time to actually navigate the difficult situation.
I’m sure the club would like nothing more than to be competing for the Champions League places and sitting on the cusp of regularly challenging the elite like it felt we were close to under Eddie Howe, the same goes for both the fans and Matthias Jaissle too.
But we all knew that wasn’t going to be the case after the difficult summer the club faced and what Jaissle inherited, not many of whom are his players by the way.
Whether anybody likes it or not, we are in a rebuilding phase, one which we have to be patient with and actually allow to build, or we risk slipping into that exact dysfunctional cycle that seems to be the modern norm.
And that is exactly why it is so nice to see Newcastle United sticking by the manager they trusted to navigate this tough period, because he hasn’t yet had anywhere close to the time needed to succeed in his task.
I’ll leave you with this. Whether you are leaning on the side of change or willing to stick with Jaissle, would you prefer a couple of years of difficulty with the chance of building something that can more sustainably challenge in the future, or a prolonged period of chopping and changing managers, high squad turnover, and constant dissatisfaction with the way the club is being run?
I know which one I’d rather see.
Add us as a preferred source on Google