Newcastle release first interview with James Bunce - Watch 12-minute chat here

Newcastle United have released in-depth interview with new performance director James Bunce, who has discussed his move to Tyneside, his plans to reduce our injury issues, goals for the new season and relationship with Paul Mitchell.

Bunce, who has amassed 17 years of experience working with the likes of Monaco, Southampton, and the US National Teams, expressed his delight about being such a key part of Newcastle’s growth.

“Before you join a club like Newcastle, you hear about the magnitude of the club, the size of the club, the passionate fanbase, and only when you really join, you realise how massive that is.”

Bunce’s role as Performance Director will see him work closely with Eddie Howe and his team to make sure the Mags are as fit and available as possible, hoping to recover from the “lost minutes” from last season’s injury-plagued campaign.

“I have responsibility over the men’s programme, the women’s programme and the academy, and I oversee the kind of major disciplines of performance and sports science, medical nutrition, and psychology. My role is to make sure we maximise every player’s availability for Newcastle.” (Watch interview in full below)

https://twitter.com/NUFC/status/1819629273596285165

Having previously served as the Premier League’s Head of Elite Performance, Bunce will be keen to take his experience and help further modernise and improve Newcastle’s current fitness protocols and standards. “It’s about trying to just drive standards, and that’s what my job is now. Drive standards, drive process, drive protocols to really lift the whole club.”

Speaking on his relationship with Paul Mitchell, with whom he shares history at AS Monaco, Bunce believes that their partnership can help drive the club upwards and continue to “win, win, win.” “Paul’s a great professional with amazing experience. It’s his day-to-day drive and passion for performance, and leaving no kind of stone unturned in making sure that every part of a club is optimised. And I thrive under that pressure.”

Thanks to his valuable experience with the US Women’s National Team, which included victory in the 2019 World Cup in France, Bunce aims to help boost the Newcastle Women’s side to new heights after their already rapid success. “There’s so much opportunity in women’s football in general in the UK. But more specifically, the journey that’s happened at Newcastle is one that we’re already proud of and we’re already even more excited for the future!”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-j8i2fuJBG8