Roles and Responsibilities by Josh Waldock

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Sir Bobby Robson Cancer Foundation

Roles and Responsibilities by Josh Waldock

Owner: Mike Ashley
The Owner does exactly what it says on the tin, runs the whole job. Everyone works for and reports to him. He also runs other business ventures but can normally be spotted in the crowd at matches.(For more on Mike Ashley’s day to day living visit The Mike Ashley Diaries)

Chairman: Chris Mort
Chris Mort’s basic job is to lead meetings with the board and other general meetings. The chairman also acts as a representative of the board to the public. And also has the defining rule over the other members of the board and staff.

Owner Mike Ashley along side Chris Mort

Director: Steve Hayward
Works under Chris Mort and will help him in some decision, specifically his main job is to create a realistic business plan with aims and to either plan on how to reach these goals, or to find someone that will help reach goals. He will work alongside Chris Mort and Mike Ashley with the appointments of head staff.
Will often organise research on how people view things are going. Looks at ways to expand the business (in new technology, links to other companies - like sponsorship and other partnerships etc.). He is also in charge of a lot of the back ground staff - looking at things such as health and safety in the work place and training of some staff.

Dennis Wise

Executive Director of Football: Dennis Wise
Dennis’s job should be a lot like Steve Haywards - however he wont be working with the staff that work in the Newcastle Store or run the website but rather he will be doing a similar job with the coaching, scouting, managing and playing staff. Working to ensure all the staff are able to work to their full potential. He will also be what has been described as the football brain on the board. And so will be almost the man between the pitch and the office. However it has also been said he will have no role in the day to day working of the playing staff but will have some say in player recruitment and development (specifically of the academy players)

Vice President of Player Recruitment: Tony Jimenez
Tony Jimenez is Keegan’s right hand man when it comes to Player Recruitment (that is if it’s not in Dennis’s line of work). Chris Mort said,
” Tony's role will be to negotiate deals and to use his contacts, especially in Europe," Mort said. "He will be part-time and will only really work for the club during the two transfer windows. He will identify players, particularly on the youth side, and recommend them to Kevin and Dennis. He will then help negotiate those deals.”

Technical Co-ordinator: Jeff Vetere
Not much information is really available about this position… all that is really known is it is one of three links between Manager and the board.

Alan Shearer

Ambassador (and general Legend): Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer, technically doesn’t work for us or any thing like that, but he is an informal representative of the club, you see him and you think of Newcastle! Also scoring 206 goals, being the former captain (of both Newcastle and England), and generally being the “Local Hero” has granted him the (un)official title of legend!

Head of Media: Gary Oliver
The Head of Media works like the head editor on media related to Newcastle United. Any official books, films, magazines etc. will be run past him (or one of his higher staff members). His biggest job is probably the day to day leadership of the website, he is the man that decides what goes on their and what doesn’t. He will also decide what goes on the NUFC World section of the website (in relation to video clips)

Assistant Press Officer: Mark Hannen
This is a position not too far from the Head of Media but is mainly linked to the organisation of Press Conferences, and information made known through a Press Release. He is the man that links the papers to the people (or in some cases will be who they speak to if it is a matter that he knows about). But more often than not he will be liaising with the wider media to enable effective release and publicity of information.

1st Team Manager: Kevin Keegan
Kevin’s duties are to arrange a group of players, to organise, either the training routine for the players or, the staff to arrange training routines for the players (including specialist staff such as fitness or goalkeeping staff). Pick players for matches and to inform the players and staff of such decisions. He should also give progress reports to the Board and also recommendations on how to develop the club further. They should (where possible) try to increase the safety (decrease the risk) to all associated staff (coaches, physios, etc.), players, and when on the pitch the safety of the opposition and the officials (obviously this section is often delegated).

Kevin Keegan and Arthur Cox

Assistant Manager: Arthur Cox
His job is to assist the manager where ever possible. This can be by advising on some decisions or when asked actually taking control of some areas.

Chris Hughton

Coach: Chris Hughton, Terry McDermott, Lee Clark, Steve Round
The job of these men is to take leadership roles during the coaching of technical football. I’m not 100% on how it is sorted, except that Chris Hughton is seen as the main defensive coach. But generally there will be a coach in charge of defence, midfield, attack and tactics. In defence you have things such as positional, tackling, marking, heading as well as unity between all the defender. The midfield coach (and players) probably has the hardest job of it, basically having to coach everything the defence and attack coaches as well as short and long range passing & crossing. The attacking coach will look at your obvious attacking qualities accuracy & power of shooting, positional/movement during play. And the tactical coach will work on the group as a whole – set piece routines, formational tactics, specific tactics for the next game (such as specific player marking or player exploitation). Together they will coach the whole squad but being overseen by the manager.

Lee Clarke

Goalkeeping Coach: Paul Barron
One of two clearly defined coaching roles normally (the other being the fitness coach). Work’s solely with the goalkeeper and ensures they are getting better – or at the very lest maintaining their level of play. Through different routines will work on reactions, speed, catching crosses, point blank saves, keeping hold of the ball, punching decisions, positioning amongst other things. Again works under the supervision of the manager.

Paul Barron

Fitness Coach: Adrian Lamb, Craig Russell
Works with all players to ensure all aspects of physical fitness are maintained at their maximal level. They will coach aspects involved in: speed, muscular strength (and subsequently power as power is strength at speed), muscular endurance, cardiovascular endurance & flexibility. Also alongside the dietician will try and ensure body composition is kept to a high standard. One of these maybe designated to work with the youth squad and one with the 1st team/reserves or they may both float between the two.

(Top to Bottom) Joe Joyce, Adam Sadler & Peter Beardsley

Reserve Team Manager: Adam Sadler
Youth Team Manager: Joe Joyce
Both men basically do the same job as the manager, although the reserve team manger won’t be overseeing training as the reserve squad will train alongside the 1st team squad. The youth teams however often train separately as the gap in ability is often greater especially in the under 16’s age group (although that said some players in the under 18’s benefit from training with the top players).

Youth Team Coach: Peter Beardsley, Steve Tweddle, Kenny Wharton
These men do the same job as the coaches for the first team, however just working with the youth squads/academy players.

Physio: Derek Wright, Mark Taylor, Kevin Ball
The job of a physiotherapist in sport is the recognition, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries. This means they will have a knowledge of what injury is likely to of occurred (difference between say a pulled muscle and a complete tear of the muscle – which have similar responses in the sufferer but are very different when it comes to treatment). They will often have links to other physio’s or professionals that specialise in certain areas (like Doctor Richard Steadman – and expert in knee injuries who has treated Shearer, Owen, Van Nistlerooy amongst others). It is often there contacts in the business that will do the treatment of injuries (as it is better to have someone who knows exactly what to do in that one circumstance than one guy that generally knows basically what to do in lots of situations). Then they have the rehab from the injuries, this is the coaching side of things, building them up steadily so that they are as close to their previous level of performance as possible. Before handing the player back to their regular coaching team.

Derek Wright

Scout: David Mills, Chris McMenemy, Jack Chapman, Vic Halom, Bobby Saxton, Paul Montgomery
The job of a scout is to scour the world for the best talent that is likely to fit in to the teams system. This maybe by going to watch a specific player, that they have been recommended to see (by an agent or the team manager). Or it maybe by going to watch matches in a specific league and hoping to spot a star. Other scouts will be going to watch youth matches at all levels (from Sunday league to Championship youth league) to pick out the stars of tomorrow. Whilst others still will have the job of watching the teams next opponent and report back on tactics and key players. All the scouts will report back to the manager (or chief scout in some cases) with their findings and allow him to make the next move – whether it be buying the suggested player, or by going to see them himself.