In a restaurant in Murcia on Friday night, Newcastle head coach Matthias Jaissle was struck by two things about the magician entertaining him and his squad.
Firstly, the magic, and a sleight of hand that saw members of his party relieved of expensive watches, much to the amusement of those around them.
But secondly, and perhaps more so, the fact the club had thought to fly in the conjurer from the North East specifically for this introductory, team-bonding evening. The new boss, it is said, paused to appreciate the attention to detail.
Because if Newcastle are to survive this season – note, their relegation odds have been cut to single figures this week – Jaissle will need that same meticulous application in every aspect of his own operation. There is no illusion here, a Premier League rookie has inherited a situation that more experienced managers would have sidestepped.
For once the tapas dishes were cleared and watches returned to their rightful owners, the German would have realised there is no time to waste. A 2-1 friendly win over 10-man Valencia here in Spain may have marked his first game in charge on Saturday night, but in just two weeks’ time Liverpool await at St James’ Park in the Premier League.
Premier League rookie Matthias Jaissle has taken on a sizeable task at Newcastle
The new Toon boss appreciated the attention to detail when the club flew a North East magician to perform tricks at a team-bonding evening in Spain
Already, inside his first 72 hours, Jaissle has lost the club’s captain, Bruno Guimaraes, to Arsenal. Before that, Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali were sold to balance spending-rules deficits. The five players brought in have never played in the Premier League and four of them are aged 20 or under. There was a concern over goals last season and two of the top scorers, Gordon and Guimaraes, have now gone.
From afar, and even up close, a campaign of struggle appears more likely than not. The fact Eddie Howe stood down after originally deciding to carry on is informative. Not that those who remain on the inside share the view that a traumatic summer will extend into autumn and beyond.
Rather, beneath a Spanish sun this week, there has been optimism. There is now a steadfast belief that a reset was needed, on both the balance sheet and football pitch. Howe himself suspected that a fresh voice would bring more from certain players, and those who have witnessed Jaissle’s early sessions say that much has been evident.
One of the key takeaways has been a rule that, in certain zones of the pitch, only forward passes are allowed. If the ball goes sideways or backwards, Jaissle will stop play and penalise the offending team. Against Valencia, the likes of Sean Steur, in particular, adhered to that instruction. The new Dutch midfielder, 18, plays far older. He looks ready to be a starter but may have to wait. Jaissle wants former Tottenham man Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, 31, to anchor his midfield and a deal with Marseille should progress in the coming days.
Howe, of course, also wanted to play front-foot football. Having the tools to do so is a different matter entirely, as the former manager found last season in a world without Alexander Isak. But talk of the club’s past – its glories and its failings – is not being entertained by those who are charged with shaping its future, including sporting director Ross Wilson and chief executive David Hopkinson.
There is great excitement, internally, at the pace of a front three including Anthony Elanga, William Osula and new signing Bazoumana Toure, the Ivory Coast winger who was electric in the second half here. Like Steur, he looks a real find.
Elanga is one of those of whom big things are expected on the back of a poor debut season and, before being stretchered off after a horror challenge that saw Valencia skipper Gaya red carded, he was the pick for Newcastle. The winger, confirmed Jaissle, has escaped serious injury.
He has laid down the law in training, imposing a rule not to pass the ball sideways or backwards in certain drills
Yoane Wissa scored both goals and there is hope that, free of the knee injury that ruined his first season, he will perform to a level that will come close to justifying last summer’s £55m outlay.
But the X-factor, insist the hierarchy, will be Jaissle. They are unlikely to say anything else about their first appointment, and this honeymoon period is not even a week old. Still, there is absolute conviction among insiders when talking about the 38-year-old. His interview was so compelling, we are told, that senior staff wanted to follow him out of the building and offer him the job on the spot. Chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan was among those to speak to Jaissle and he very quickly gave his seal of approval.
There is a feeling among the decision-makers that a young manager with no Premier League baggage or previous domestic allegiances will be afforded patience by supporters. He will no doubt need it. Unless, that is, he really can pull rabbits from hats.
