Reflecting on her time at Newcastle United, co-owner Amanda Staveley discussed the battles faced over the past 18 months, our ongoing battle with FFP and the ‘marvellous’ job Eddie Howe has done.
It was no easy start for our group of owners who inherited a number of ‘difficult’ contracts – FUN88 being one of them – and had to ‘build’ a new team of backroom staff, meaning they were effectively performing ‘every role’ themselves.
However, the 49-year-old was keen to mention that this created a great ‘sense of family’ between those who were working so hard at the time, even if it was ‘exhausting’.
Staveley then touched on how ‘proud’ they were for getting this far despite having to be so ‘prudent’ due to FFP rules, adding how impressive it is that we’re still in with a ‘chance of Champions League’.
Although the Ripon-born businesswoman reminded everyone that we’ll still have to stick by those strict FFP rules, she’s excited to continue building and growing this incredible club and community – even if it will be ‘difficult’ to see certain players depart along the way as we plan more first-team investment.
Speaking at last week’s Financial Times’ Business of Football Summit, here’s what Staveley started with this reflection on the past year: “We were getting over being in a relegation position. And having to bring the club back to life.
“We had some incredible people with us day one, but we’ve had to build that team out well. We’ve had to bring in the marvellous Eddie Howe but when we first took over it was extraordinary because we didn’t have a director of football, a chief executive or a commercial director.
“We inherited very difficult contracts, Fun88 or contracts that were six or seven years in length, which were very much one way. So we were limited by the way in which we could drive our commercial revenues. It was a really difficult time and the priority was not to be relegated.
“We were very proud we finished 11th. We did everything Mehrdad and I worked together, I think the most extraordinary thing is I am sitting here still married after a year working alongside my husband!
“We did every role. We were CEO, commercial director, director of football and we did the transfer policy. We brought in some brilliant players and we are where we are today with the marvellous and brilliant Eddie.
“It was exhausting but because it was such a baptism of fire we created very much a sense of family. And that goes with the wonderful addition of Darren Eales, Dan Ashworth and now we have Peter Silverstone on the commercial side.”
On FFP restrictions, Staveley added: “We were prudent. Because we’d have hit our FFP buffer quite quickly because we didn’t have the revenues some of the other big clubs have on the commercial side.
“Relegation was absolutely critical. If I did it all again, we probably should have brought in more people more quickly, staff. The players we had to be very careful and analytical with everything we did.”
On Howe’s performance, Staveley said: “We had to make sure we built the back four so we could play the football Eddie wanted to play. This fantastic pressing football that we love, exciting attacking football.
“But to do that we had to make sure we could really strengthen because I think we had the weakest defence in the whole league. Now we have one of the strongest defences in the league.
“So we always want more players but when you are running a football club you don’t want to lose the players you’ve worked with and Eddie’s the same so it’s really difficult, so we have to do that.
“The last year has been extraordinary, we were 11th and now we are hoping potentially there might be the chance of Champions League.”
