'I was forced to quit' - Matthias Jaissle gives most raw Newcastle United interview yet
Newcastle United head coach Matthias Jaissle has explained his journey into coaching and the injury that ended his playing career in his most raw interview to date.
Matthias Jaissle opened up on his far-from-straightforward journey to managing Newcastle United in the Premier League.
Jaissle had big shoes to fill at St James’ Park following Eddie Howe’s departure in the summer. He also had the challenge of rebuilding a squad that had just finished 12th in the Premier League, lost several key players and had almost no time to spare.
The 38-year-old has got his spell at Newcastle off to a positive start with just one defeat in his opening seven competitive matches in all competitions.
But the German knows better than most how football are never as straightforward as you would expect.
Jaissle had a promising career ahead of him when he was a regular in the Hoffenheim side at the age of 20 while also on the verge of breaking into the Germany national team. Then a serious knee injury derailed his career entirely.
“I had just become a Germany Under-21 international player, and I was about to be called into the national team for the first time,” Jaissle told the media during a sit-down interview at the Newcastle training ground.
“That was the next step. When I made my debut in the first team, after seven, eight months of playing regularly for Hoffenheim, I ruptured my ACL, my meniscus, the cartilage, everything - I was done.”
Still, Jaissle had confidence in his recovery. But it was misplaced.
“I listened to the stories saying I could be back in four months and I fully believed,” he added.
“After four months, I was still in a wheelchair! I kept fighting a lot, and I kept the dream for longer than the doctors kept it. They gave me early hints that it would be better, maybe, to study or do something else.
“I did in the end. Maybe in retrospect, [I waited] too long.
“But at least now I can always wake up in the morning and say I did everything, even longer than they recommended.”
Forced to quit football
Just before he turned 26, Jaissle was forced to call time on his playing career. But through adversity comes opportunity.
“I was forced to quit,” Jaissle continued. “I actually had a period where I was not knowing what to do! I was also struggling for a couple of months, really down, tough to get motivated, tough to get your own rhythm again.
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“Then you come out with the support of friends, family, and coaches, and then you find a new purpose. For me, in the beginning, it was clear I wanted to have something with football again, not necessarily being a coach. It could have been sports director, athlete manager, agent, whatever.
“Then I got the chance through Ralf Rangnick - therefore sometimes I mention him as a mentor. I got the chance to do a trainee program in Leipzig.
“I started as an assistant coach for Sebastian Hoeneß, the current coach of Stuttgart and then I became an assistant coach there as a trainee, joining him, I knew because we played together in Hoffenheim. Afterwards, I should have gone to the sports director, administrative department, and so on, and circling around, commercial, whatever, marketing.
“But I had so much fun in the first six weeks as an assistant coach, and Sebastian told me it would be nice to stay, so I didn't move on. After two weeks I felt, ‘Wow, I have joy back in life, not only studying and reading. I have a new purpose’.
“I continued there with him for two years, finished my studying, education, and licenses, and then moved on to Brøndby for the first time as an assistant with the first team alongside Alexander Zorniger. Then to Salzburg, in the youth again, as a head coach, then Liefering, and then first-team Salzburg.”
It was at Salzburg where Jaissle really made his name as a manager, winning two Austrian Bundesliga titles and helping the club reach the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first time. He went on to join Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro League, where he won two Asian Champions League titles, catching the eye of Newcastle in the process.
And that story is only just getting started.