Matthias Jaissle has admitted he is «a bit scared» about how Premier League referees will react to his famously passionate touchline presence — but insists he has no intention of toning it down.

The new Newcastle United head coach, 38, addressed the media at St James' Park for the first time since taking charge earlier this month, arriving in a black suit and grey shirt and cutting a calm, measured figure throughout. Those who know him well, however, warn that the man on the touchline is an entirely different proposition.

«I will not change my style because that's my personality,» Jaissle said. «On the touchline, I am emotional, but I need to respect the box a bit more. I'm a bit scared. I hope in the beginning the referees can close here and there a little. I need to learn that.»

He joked that his time managing Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia — where technical areas are more generous — left him free to roam: «I had a long touchline in Saudi Arabia, so I think the GPS would be quite high if I had worn it!»

Forging a fortress on Tyneside

That fire was evident long before his management career began. Jaissle's playing days were cut short by a serious knee injury at just 26, but former Hoffenheim team-mate Chinedu Obasi recalls a competitor who burned with ambition from the start. «Matthias has always been very hungry,» Obasi said. «He's had that leadership style and been vocal and passionate about the game. He wanted to win.»

His predecessor Eddie Howe was cut from similar cloth — winning the EFL Cup in 2025 and guiding Newcastle into the UEFA Champions League on two occasions. Yet the final stretch of Howe's tenure saw the club slide to 12th in the Premier League, with seven home defeats among the damage. Rebuilding St James' Park as a hostile venue for opponents is now a stated goal for Jaissle.

«We were just looking at each other with a big smile, goosebumps,» he said of his first tour of the ground. «Just really special. When we hopefully play in the way the fans want to see us — intense football, a vertical approach, aggressive, front-footed — there is a great synergy between the fans and the team.»

Pre-season signs and squad transition

Newcastle's squad have had an early taste of what Jaissle demands after a training camp in Spain concluded with a 2-1 victory over Valencia. Goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek said the squad want to «show the opponents that they will have a hard time against us,» while defender Malick Thiaw has highlighted the «really high» intensity the new coach demands.

Season ticket holder Adam Stoker believes Jaissle's attacking philosophy will be a «huge positive» for supporters. «We have seen a tiny bit of Jaissle's ideas now and they seem to be very much in keeping with Newcastle in 2022-23, which was a hugely exciting team to watch,» Stoker said. «Playing front-foot, high-intensity football is something the crowd at Newcastle has always been on board with.»

Time needed amid a major rebuild

Jaissle inherits a squad reshaped by the departures of Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali, and Bruno Guimaraes this summer — a trio whose exits he acknowledged have left a «vacuum». Newcastle open their Premier League campaign against Liverpool at St James' Park on 23 August, giving the German little time to settle.

«We are ambitious,» he said. «That is the most important thing. It is why I decided to come here, but this will not happen overnight, especially when you have such a big transition phase now. If you have that synergy with the fans, the players, and the staff, I'm pretty sure it will be a successful story. But we need time now.»