Have PIF and those now responsible for the running of Newcastle United Women finally made their move?
Without a Manager/Head Coach since Becky Langley left on 21st October, it seems they may finally have found their woman to lead the Lasses and our push for the WSL.
As reported by BBC Sport, Australian Tanya Oxtoby is in advanced talks with the Newcastle United hierarchy to take the vacant position on Tyneside.
Oxtoby is currently the Northern Ireland Head Coach, but is now looking likely to be the new woman in charge at Newcastle as we bid to get our promotion push back on track.
The 43-year-old has previously worked as the assistant to Emma Hayes at Chelsea, so brings top-level experience and pedigree in the women’s game.
Who is Tanya Oxtoby?
Oxtoby has a very solid CV in the coaching ranks a look around the internet will take you to places she’s been seen as a Coach and an Assistant. In 2012 after finishing her playing career with Doncaster Belles in the WSL she was appointed Head Coach at Nottingham Forest.
She stayed at Forest until 2014 when she moved back to Australia to become assistant coach at Perth Glory as well as the Australian Under-20 assistant coach moving back to The UK in 2016 to become an assistant at Birmingham City.
Then in 2018 she became the head coach at Bristol City for three seasons before stepping down in 2021 and moving to Chelsea where she was an assistant under the legendary Emma Hayes as well as combining those duties with being Scotland assistant manager.
In 2023 she was appointed Head Coach of the Northern Ireland International side and did a very good job with the Irish. She narrowly failed to get them to the 2025 Euros. They also just missed qualification to the top tier of the Nations League. Something N.I. hadn’t been close too before.
A strong appointment?
Nothing of course has yet been confirmed but it would be a very interesting appointment and perhaps one a little from leftfield? Not a name that was bandied about when Langley left nor a name that had appeared elsewhere since, but a name that now appears to be very much in the frame.
The PIF and powers that be seem to have done their due diligence and work behind the scenes’ and perhaps have landed their #1 target. We’ll never really know though until or even if it does happen.
What is clear is that it looks like a decent ‘punt’ by NUFC. Oxtoby has good extensive international experience. She’s also been a Head Coach as well as an assistant and appears to have had got grounding and is the sort of character that would hit the ground running.
Certainly, working for two years alongside Emma Hayes in the top echelon of Woman’s football in this country as well as her time at Northern Ireland is something that has to be seen as a positive. There seems to be real potential around her abilities.
Will she be in place for the League Cup ‘dead-rubber’ against Everton this weekend at Gateshead International Stadium? Will she even be in attendance? Or will Claire Ditchburn get one last ride in the NUFC Women’s hot seat?
All questions that no doubt be answered in the coming days as once again we relate to the fact that nothing in football whatever the level ever stands still for long.
