EDDIE HOWE has repeated his call for off-field unity at St James’ Park, but refused to reveal whether he has ended his stand-off with sporting director Paul Mitchell.

The off-field political situation at St James’ Park has overshadowed much that has happened on the pitch in the opening month of the season, with Howe and Mitchell trading comments in interviews and press conferences that have suggested there is a huge divide between the duo.

Last week, Howe claimed he had not spoken to Mitchell since the recently-appointed sporting director delivered a blistering series of comments criticising the club’s scouting and recruitment and claiming key elements of the off-field set-up were “not fit for purpose”.

Howe challenged those comments at his press conference last week, but speaking to the press again ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Fulham, he refused to reveal whether or not he had spoken to Mitchell.

The Newcastle head coach revealed he had held talks with “senior members of the board”, but failed to clarify whether that included Mitchell, who has never been publicly announced as a board member.

“I’m not going go into it every week, in terms of our (Howe and Mitchell) contact,” said the Magpies boss. “But collaboration, as I said last week, is what we're looking to do to take the club forward.

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“Just so people know, I’ve had conversations with senior members of the board this week. So, I’m in regular communication with them, trying to collaborate and work together for the benefit of the club. That’s always in my heart and that will always be while I’m manager of the club.”

While Howe did not want to go into the specifics of the current state of his relationship with Mitchell, he was keen to stress the importance of adopting a unified front, as he had in the immediate aftermath of last weekend’s win at Wolves.

“I’m always the first one to say that the players are the most important people,” continued Howe. “For me, my direct work is always about the players and trying to get them in the best frame of mind to win matches.

“The tighter the group, the more we come together, the better for everybody. I include the supporters in that, because they can directly affect the players on the pitch.

“So, creating the best environment, the whole club united on that front, is basically all we need to get results.

“Now, the other stuff is hugely important, boardroom level and behind the scenes. But that’s more for the transfer windows and those kind of things.

“At the moment, we can’t affect that. So, let’s come together, and I think the players really have. We’ve got a really good team spirit, a tight group. Now, it’s about getting us to consistently play well.”