Darren Eales has already got the inside track on life on Tyneside before he starts his new role as Newcastle United's CEO later this month. Eales recently embarked on an 'undercover' fact-finding mission, taking in the pre-season friendlies against Atalanta and Athletic Bilbao at St James' Park, and the 51-year-old has reached out to those who know the club and area so well.
One such contact is Tony Annan, Atlanta United's former academy director, who just so happens to be a Geordie. Eales has already asked his one-time colleague 'where he should live' and it is certainly not the first time the pair have chatted about Newcastle over the years.
"We always spoke about how big the club was, the fan base, the city," Annan told ChronicleLive. "He genuinely loves the job he's going in to do and he will have a massive respect for the city and the club.
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"We would talk about the fan base a lot and how they needed to be a bigger club than what they were. One thing I know about him is it's not just a job. He will take it very personally to his heart that he wants to do this to the enth degree. That's what I know he will do.
"It's not just a job where it's another stepping stone to something else. It's not that because that's not the kind of guy he is."
Annan was actually one of the first people Eales hired at Atlanta when he left his role as Spurs' director of football administration to become president of the MLS expansion club. Although Eales went on to sanction deals for a number of foreign players, including Miguel Almiron, the executive also took a huge interest in the academy, which was set up before the first team.
In fact, Eales tasked Annan with producing a side full of academy players and gave his colleague the resources to try and do just that. George Bello, George Campbell, Caleb Wiley are just some of the academy graduates who have made the step up to the first team at various points over the years as Eales looked to upset the established order in MLS.
"He's probably the most competitive person I've ever worked with," Annan said. "He was always looking for a bet. Not financially but just a challenge.
"Even if we were playing golf somewhere, he was always on the side saying, 'Right, if I make this or you make that...' He's just got that competitive edge.
"Newcastle is my team - it's in my heart - and I'm genuinely excited that he's going there because I know what he's like. Once he gets the bit between his teeth, he will do whatever he has to do to win."
With that in mind, you suspect that Eales was only half-joking when he mentioned the prospect of Atlanta one day meeting Newcastle in the Club World Cup final as he signed off a farewell message to supporters of the Five Stripes on Monday. Newcastle, of course, would only be able to qualify for the competition by winning the Champions League and Eales has clearly not come to Tyneside to be the best of the rest in the years to come.
However, that is not to say the karaoke lover is your typical ruthless executive by any means. Annan recalled how he could 'walk into his office any day' and Eales would 'stop and have a conversation', and the Englishmen soon discovered a mutual appreciation for a certain Wham! hit.
"Darren and I use to do a duet every Christmas," Annan added. "We did 'Last Christmas' at every single Christmas party.
"The very first Christmas party we had was tiny. There was about 12 of us. We were in this horrible karaoke bar. We were all sitting there beforehand saying, 'Could you imagine if [club owner] Arthur [Blank] walks in here?'
"All of a sudden, the door opened and Arthur walked in with his wife, Angie, right in the middle of 'Last Christmas'. Just stuff like that made it so much fun to work there."
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