Newcastle United’s new head coach Matthias Jaissle has admitted he is “a bit scared” about how referees will react to his passionate touchline behaviour this season.
The 38-year-old cut a composed and measured figure at his first extended press conference inside the media suite at St James’ Park since taking charge earlier this month.
But those who know Jaissle best liken the difference between his on and off-field persona to Jekyll and Hyde, warning Premier League rivals of a very different character on matchdays.
“I will not change my style because that’s my personality,” the former Al-Ahli and RB Salzburg manager said, making clear he has no intention of toning down his intensity.
“On the touchline, I am emotional, but I need to respect the box a bit more,” he added, before joking about the distances he covered in Saudi Arabia’s vast technical areas.
“I’m a bit scared. I hope in the beginning the referees can maybe close their eyes here and there a little. I need to learn that.”
Such competitive fire was evident even during his playing days, before a serious knee injury ended his career at just 25 years of age.
Former Hoffenheim team-mate Chinedu Obasi has shed light on that relentless hunger, saying: “Matthias has always been very hungry. He’s had that leadership style and been vocal and passionate about the game. He wanted to win.”
Jaissle’s first impressions of St James’ Park were clearly powerful, with the German describing the experience of being shown around the ground for the first time as leaving him with goosebumps.
“We were just looking at each other with a big smile, goosebumps,” he said, capturing the sense of occasion that greeted his arrival on Tyneside.
Restoring St James’ Park as a fortress will be central to Jaissle’s early ambitions, after Newcastle lost seven home Premier League fixtures during the second half of last season.
The club finished 12th in the Premier League in Eddie Howe’s final campaign, a significant drop after the highs of winning the EFL Cup in 2025 and qualifying for the Champions League twice.
Howe stepped down last month following a difficult final period in charge, leaving Jaissle to navigate a significant transition after the departures of Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali, and Bruno Guimaraes this summer.
Jaissle acknowledged those exits have left a “vacuum” in the squad, but insists the situation also represents a genuine opportunity for the club to rebuild with fresh purpose and direction.
Season ticket holder Adam Stoker has welcomed the new appointment and believes Jaissle’s playing style will be a “huge positive”, pointing to similarities with the thrilling 2022-23 Newcastle side.
“We have seen a tiny bit of Jaissle’s ideas now and they seem to be very much in keeping with Newcastle in 2022-23, which was a hugely exciting team to watch,” Stoker said.
Goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek and defender Malick Thiaw have both spoken positively about the high intensity Jaissle has demanded since a pre-season training camp in Spain last week.
That camp concluded with a 2-1 victory over Valencia, giving the squad their first taste of the “vertical approach, aggressive, front-footed” football Jaissle has outlined as his vision.
Newcastle face Liverpool in their Premier League opener on 23 August, giving Jaissle precious little time to embed his ideas before the competitive action begins at St James’ Park.
“We are ambitious,” he said. “That is the most important thing. It is why I decided to come here, but this will not happen overnight, especially when you have such a big transition phase now. I’m pretty sure it will be a successful story. But we need time now.”
