Newcastle United stand by Matthias Jaissle before Fulham away trip

Matthias Jaissle remains Newcastle United head coach and will take the side to Fulham on Saturday, with the club's hierarchy understood to be giving him resolute backing despite sustained criticism of his work.

Jaissle addressed the scrutiny on Thursday, saying there was "a lot of storm at the moment" around the club. His tactics, team selection, man management and wider philosophy have all been questioned in recent days, and he is reported to be holding his nerve rather than altering course.

2025/26

Season 2025/26

Why Newcastle are adjusting to life without the Champions League

Ank Kumar · CC BY-SA 4.0

Newcastle finished 12th last season under Eddie Howe, a placing that left them outside the Champions LeagueChampions LeagueEurope places. The effect is a campaign stripped of the continental fixtures that had become part of the club's recent routine — no visits to the likes of BarcelonaBarcelonaLaLiga · Spain, Paris or Marseille — and, just as significantly, without the revenue those matches generate.

That shortfall is being felt well beyond the dressing room. Supporters, players and directors are all described as finding the new reality difficult to absorb, and the mood around the club has been painted as anxious going into the weekend.

Jaissle's appointment and the pressure around it

Aniol · CC0

Jaissle's appointment has coincided with that adjustment, and much of the criticism aimed at him is bound up with the club's changed circumstances rather than with his decisions alone. A coach judged on Champions League nights is now being assessed in a season without them, and the two measures do not line up.

There is a distinction worth drawing. Newcastle's competitive and financial position is a structural problem created by last season's league finish; the questions over selection and style are a judgement on the head coach. The first constrains how quickly the second can be answered, whatever the manager does.

What the Fulham match will show

Craven Cottage is the immediate test. Away fixtures are where a manager under scrutiny is usually judged, and the hierarchy's support buys Jaissle time rather than immunity: backing in football rarely survives a long run of poor results, and the pressure will track the scoreline.

What is not yet known

Newcastle have not publicly commented on Jaissle's position, and the club has not set out the terms of the support he is said to enjoy. Nothing has been disclosed about his contract, about any targets for the season, or about whether the board's patience is tied to a particular run of fixtures.

No team news has been confirmed for the Fulham match, and there is no indication of whether Jaissle plans to change personnel or shape in response to the criticism. No date has been given for any review of results, and the head coach has said nothing publicly about his future beyond his remarks on the weather around the club.