The sporting director role at Newcastle United, prior to Ross Smith’s recent appointment, looked to be a bit of a poisoned chalice and a recurring issue for the club’s higher-ups.

Dan Ashworth came into the role with high expectations, but left in controversial circumstances for Manchester United after two years in the role.

Then came Paul Mitchell, who from the get-go looked to be at odds with anyone and everyone involved in the club. His departure by mutual consent was announced less than a year after his arrival.

And according to a new report, the behind-the-scenes situation seemed so messy and tense at one point, that Eddie Howe himself was “the de-facto CEO and sporting director” trying to keep things under control and running as smooth as possible.

Staveley departure divided Newcastle system

The Mail’s Craig Hope has revealed how Newcastle United’s behind the scenes set up was left incredibly splintered in the wake of Amanda Staveley’s controversial departure, leaving Eddie Howe to pick up a lot of the pieces.

Writing in his Newcastle Confidential Column, Hope reveals that the decision to oust Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi did not go down well at all with many of those working at the club.

With a lack of key leaders and a ‘face’ to the regime that Staveley assumed, a lot of the responsibility to be the club’s main figurehead and steer the ship fell on Howe’s shoulders.

A snippet from Hope’s piece explains this in more detail, offering an insight around the challenges ahead of Wilson and new CEO David Hopkinson:

‘Hopkinson and new sporting director Ross Wilson are aligned – they want ‘one club’. They have heard the stories, from inside and out, of how the post-takeover Newcastle Re-United began to splinter following the ousting, against their wishes, of co-owners Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi 15 months ago.

‘Training ground, boardroom and academy became separate islands. Tensions grew, lingered and irritated. The job Eddie Howe has done to that backdrop has been remarkable, for a leadership void at executive level left the head coach carrying far more than balls, bibs and cones. He was, at times, the de-facto CEO and sporting director.

‘For Hopkinson, Howe is the club’s ‘Bruce Springsteen’. He wants The Boss to be thinking about Fulham on Saturday, not clearing debris that is a legacy of the recent past. They speak – not every day – but the less they do, the less there is to fix and the more time Howe has for football. Because for everything Hopkinson is doing and plans to do, there is ultimately only one metric by which to measure success – the number of matches won.’

It’s fair to say Howe has done a simply exceptional job as this ‘de-facto’ decision maker: delivering results on the pitch, being an exemplary figure of it in the eyes of the fans, the media and the local community, and boasting a flawless talent ID, the club was able to weather a brief storm and stay focused.

With the chaos that came after Staveley’s exit last summer and Mitchell’s brief and turbulent spell on Tyneside, it’s clear Hopkinson is keen to support Howe by creating a strong spine and ‘one club’ feel that allows the boss to focus on matters on the pitch; not worry about the inner workings that distract from his players and match preparations.

Hopkinson, Wilson committed to change and unity

After a tumultuous couple years in terms of leadership and executive changes, the latest pair of appointments promise to promote some stability behind the scenes.

New CEO David Hopkinson and sporting director Ross Wilson are both committed to easing any underlying tensions still around from the Staveley/Mitchell/Ashworth days within the club.

Hopkinson in particular, in recognising Howe’s dedication and efforts, wants to make it so the gaffer only has to focus on his players and winning games, leaving everything else to he and the club’s higher-ups.

Wanting to install a united ‘one club’ narrative with Howe and the team at the epicentre of it all, Hopkinson’s vision is clear. And even though he’s only been here for a number of weeks, his values and aims already seem to align more with what the club needs to happen.