On 29 January 2008 Newcastle United announced that Wise would be joining the club as Executive Director (Football),[41] an advisor to the board on footballing matters, reporting directly to the club chairman Chris Mort.
Although speculated to be in the role of Director of Football or General Manager, the job is thought to be more restricted, involving transfers, scouting and youth development,[42] alongside simultaneous appointment of Tony Jimenez as Vice President (Player Recruitment) and Jeff Vetere as Technical Co-ordinator, following the earlier shock return of first team manager Kevin Keegan.
Keegan had previously expressed disquiet with the concept of a Director of Football, both in commenting about the previous Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce, and latterly the proposition of Newcastle owner Mike Ashley appointing one during his tenure at the club.
In the surprise career move, Wise had been attributed as having lost interest in direct football management since the loss of his assistant Gustavo Poyet to Tottenham Hotspur, and considered the executive position at Newcastle an opportunity "he had to take".[42] Wise's role, as stated by Ashley, was to be a '"football-related" executive director'.[43]
In a February 2008 interview, Christopher Mort revealed that Newcastle had "heard on the grapevine" that Wise was considering a "move upstairs".[4] Wise was selected as his relative youth and being a "bundle of energy" suited the new role that would involve "travelling around Europe and further afield".[4] Wise, with Vetere, was tasked with helping identify young players for approval by first team manager Kevin Keegan.[4] Wise's role would also entail him helping develop the academy.
The departure of Keegan from the club, on 4 September, saw Wise and club owner Ashley come under mounting pressure from the club's supporters to quit. Keegan, a manager with an exalted status among supporters of the club, stated that, "It's my opinion that a manager must have the right to manage and that clubs should not impose upon any manager any player that he does not want," adding that he had "no choice other than to leave".
Keegan was furious to discover that James Milner, a player he had previously stated was not for sale, had been allowed to sign a contract with Aston Villa, and he was not given adequate time or funds to bring in new players; Keegan had let his dislike of the management structure be known in the months leading up to his resignation.
Speculation of Keegan's resignation built in the days leading up, and a large number of fans began protesting at Ashley's employment of Wise, and his alleged interference.[44] The club issued a statement in response to Keegan's claim, and the widespread belief that Wise was responsible for transfer activity, by saying that Keegan was aware of the structure when he re-joined the club.
Thousands of fans protested against Ashley and Wise, dubbed the "cockney mafia", in the 2–1 home defeat to Hull City on 13 September, although neither Ashley nor Wise attended the match.[46] Days later Ashley released an emotional statement in which he announced that he was putting the club up for sale; Wise came in for praise from Ashley, who said that he had successfully scouted and closed out deals for a number of recent signings.[47]
Wise further angered Newcastle United fans when he was shown often attending Chelsea home games (and the FA Cup Final). Later, it was revealed he spent the vital last day of the 2009 season in Dubai celebrating his wife's birthday, showing a surprising disinterest in the outcome of a club in which he had very recently been involved. In fact both of Wise's signings (Xisco and Ignacio Gonzalez) failed to feature in the club's final game. While these signings have received fairly negative views from Newcastle fans, the late Sir Bobby Robson and newspaper pundits have slated them as second rate signings.
On 1 April 2009, following the appointment of Alan Shearer as manager on an interim basis, Newcastle released a statement that Wise had left his role as Executive Director of Football with immediate effect. The club also confirmed that there were no plans to replace Wise.
In an interview with the Guardian on 28 July 2009, it was revealed Wise is still receiving £20,000 per week from Newcastle United and was cited as one of the many reasons buyers were reluctant to purchase the club.
After the death of Sir Bobby Robson, The Sun's Bob Harris wrote how Robson told him: "My biggest disappointment was Dennis Wise, a director of football who was hardly seen at the ground, and who brought in players who were neither suitable, nor right, for Newcastle United. I forgive most people, but I am not sure I can forgive Wise for what he did to my club."
Wise attended a football arbitration hearing in September and October 2009 established to resolve the dispute between Keegan and the Newcastle board. Wise's actions in signing Nacho Gonzalez, claiming he wanted to 'do a favour' for two South American agents, and asking Keegan to sign players from YouTube.com, as well as confessions from the board that they had lied to the fans, press, staff and players regarding Keegan's allegations, claiming it was just 'PR,' led to the panel ruling in favour of Keegan.
Wise's image thereafter has been damaged, and himself admitted "It has all had a damaging effect on my career".[6]
http://s1330.photobucket.com/user/Bourani/media/cocknymafia_zpscb3ff024.jpg.html
This is copy pasted from Wiki, his time at Newcastle.
