80 Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 22 minutes ago, Ronson333 said: Looks like he's missing Mehrdad to play with. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SAK Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 27 minutes ago, 80 said: Looks like he's missing Mehrdad to play with. Don’t hear much from Jamie Reuben these days as well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeyt Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miggys First Goal Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 Quote While those on the inside of Matfen Hall’s oak-panelled Morning Room looked into a window of Newcastle United’s future – new stadiums, training grounds, commercial deals - a couple of fellas on the outside cleaned the glass. Given the sensitivity of what was being presented on screens in the ground-floor conference suite, it felt like an oversight by the management of this five-star country hotel. Consider, too, the presence of Yasir Al Rumayyan, the governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, who last week kept company with Donald Trump and Elon Musk. He was sitting close to Eddie Howe this time. Maybe it was, then, that the window cleaners and the gardener, who casually tended to immaculate lawns, had earpieces and pistols. Because here, 18 miles from the spiritual home of the football club, the current custodians were making decisions that will shape its soul for tomorrow’s generation. This was top brass, top level, top secret. I wandered by the pair with their buckets and squeegees and the guy combing the grass - maybe they weren’t special agents after all - and into the gothic entrance of the countryside mansion, with its stained-glass windows, wooden staircase and grand piano. It felt as if the music stopped when a couple of the Newcastle hierarchy noted my attendance. The summit had just broken for lunch. Howe was saying his goodbyes before dashing across the pebbled car park and into his Range Rover, off to continue preparations for Wednesday’s trip to Liverpool. ‘I was very pleased that the ambition and drive to be successful is still very much there from everyone connected to the club,’ he later said. Meanwhile, in the chic 1832 cocktail bar - velvet Chesterfields and a sweeping vista of the Northumberland countryside - an overseas executive type who would be taking Howe’s seat for the afternoon session drank coffee and waited in front of his laptop. A club partner, most probably, who need not be privy to the football and finances of part one. Sporting director Paul Mitchell, on brand in black jumper and white shirt, soon greeted the gentleman. ‘Were you at the game yesterday?’ he asked. ‘No,’ came the reply. ‘Oh, you missed a good ‘un,’ said Mitchell. He was talking about the 4-3 win over Nottingham Forest, a result that no doubt contributed to the gaiety of the laughter and niceties that echoed around the stone-walled Great Hall in which board members, PIF chiefs and lawyers were gathering. It all felt a little first day at school, or Slough meets Swindon for fans of The Office. Darren Eales, the chief executive, and Peter Silverstone, the chief commercial officer, were among the genial hosts. ‘Good flight?’ ‘Nice room?’ ‘Have you had lunch?’ With that, the doors to the Emerald Restaurant were open, where a buffet of the finest meats and fish awaited. Simon Capper, the club’s chief financial officer, was one of the first up to refuel. Little wonder, he is the man charged with calculating Profit and Sustainability margins and delivering to the room the unavoidable truth: We need to generate more money! He looked like he needed a cocktail next door, never mind the chicken. All the chiefs were here, but none more important on this historic day than Brad Miller, the chief operating officer who is leading the stadium and training-ground projects. This was his chance to present to Al Rumayyan and the chairman’s PIF colleagues what those on the ground believe is the best way forward. Our sources have long since said that a new stadium on nearby Leazes Park will be their proposal, with a 70,000 capacity and state-of-the-art design. The alternative is a renovated St James’ Park holding just over 60,000. World-renowned architects KSS are among those to have provided drawings for both, as we revealed last month. We also understand that a planning consultant has now been enlisted to progress the newbuild option, while the freemen of the city have been wined and dined at home games. They and the city council are key to unlocking the use of the Grade II-listed Leazes Park. And so, beneath the chandeliers and painted ceilings, the sight of one man felt significant. Roger Thornton, head of property at Motcomb Estates, owned by the Reuben brothers, the club’s minority shareholders. He was appointed to the board last year and, say sources, has contacts inside the council that are unrivalled in the construction industry. Wheels must be greased before the engine of the digger is engaged. But for all of the groundwork that Miller, Eales, Silverstone, Thornton and others have done in recent months, two questions remain - what do the Saudis want and will they pay for it? The days of the PIF open chequebook are over, not that you could tell by the waft of the buffet, the blacked-out Mercedes vans buzzing around the estate and the Gulfstream jet waiting at a private airfield 12 miles away. It was always the preference of the Saudi ownership to stay at St James’, at least during initial exploration. But as Al Rumayyan kicked a ball about on the pitch after Sunday’s win, he looked lost amid a million thoughts, perhaps wondering how best to invest a billion pounds. Howe was far more focused when asked on Tuesday what needs to be done for Newcastle to compete at the very top. Don’t forget, it is Al Rumayyan’s stated ambition to be ‘No 1 in the world’. ‘We certainly need - if we are looking to catch the teams above us - to drastically improve everything we are delivering, still,’ said Howe, who is without a first-team signing in two years because of PSR limitations. 'That goes right across the board at every department of the club. We have so much to do to get to the top. ‘It’s not going to happen just by thinking it. It’s not going to happen by willing it. We have to actually deliver it. That takes money, that takes investment, that takes smart and strategic thinking, which I know is going on at the club. Then, we need to implement it.’ It was a sober and statesman-like evaluation of where the club is at. For all of the suits inside Matfen Hall’s de facto boardroom, the one wearing the tracksuit is as smart as any of them. He was long gone by the time the others retired to the 1832 bar, where the spirits sit on shelves beneath a series of ornate, church-like arches. Supporters can only pray that the future of their club is in good hands. But until those once-in-a-lifetime decisions are communicated, they, like the window cleaners, are watching and wondering from the outside. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
80 Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 10 minutes ago, Miggys First Goal said: I didn't have high hopes, but what a load of waffle. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big River Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 he's proper shit Hope like trying to pass off sitting in a public bar as some sort of exclusive, it's desperate Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menace Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 Being a modern journo must be soul crushing like Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoSelecta Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 Anything interesting? Gave up reading that shite half way through. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbandit Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 Just now, 80 said: I didn't have high hopes, but what a load of waffle. here’s my summation: “If the fans dream big then the board dreams bigger, some fans will attest to that. If there were signs of what would happen with the investment then they were whispered away, hushed voices, darting eyes. This was a meeting that decides the course of the football club for the next century. Behind the drawn curtains there were familiar knowing glances and plentiful smiles. This was a meeting that decides so many meetings to come. Should we let ourselves dream? Maybe, just maybe we should let the dust settle and the those knowing smiles turn to knowing glances, even knowing words. For it’s clear that the day when the future is decided is drawing closer” Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menace Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 The article describes a high-stakes meeting at Matfen Hall involving key figures from Newcastle United and the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF). The meeting focused on the club's future, including plans for a new stadium on Leazes Park or a renovated St James’ Park, training grounds, and commercial deals. Attendees included Yasir Al Rumayyan, Eddie Howe, and other top executives. Despite the luxurious setting, there is uncertainty about the Saudis' willingness to fund these ambitious projects. Eddie Howe emphasized the need for significant improvements and investments to compete at the top. The article concludes with a sense of anticipation and uncertainty among supporters awaiting the outcomes of these crucial decisions. Summarised by AI and I think it even ran out of words to use Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ikon Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 Was Lee Ryder the one cleaning and licking the windows? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
timeEd32 Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 30 minutes ago, 80 said: I didn't have high hopes, but what a load of waffle. That is a genuinely terrible article. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elliottman Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 Fucking hell that was a difficult read, couldn’t finish it, absolute nonsense. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hudson Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 Im so glad I've not read it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AyeDubbleYoo Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 I’m going for afternoon tea this weekend, will report back what I learn. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor Zaius Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 Serious amount of waffle to say 'they met at Matfen Hall' Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keegans Export Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 8 minutes ago, Doctor Zaius said: Serious amount of waffle to say 'they met at Matfen Hall' "They met at Matfen Hall and I gained no new or useful information" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AyeDubbleYoo Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 If they really want to wine and dine the freemen then I’m after a cup final ticket. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KennyUtd Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 3 hours ago, AyeDubbleYoo said: I’m going for afternoon tea this weekend, will report back what I learn. Make sure you speak to the gardener. He'll have more information than Hope. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danh1 Posted February 25 Share Posted February 25 I seen that article posted on Twitter when I was in the gym earlier and looked forward to reading it, getting some new info. Read it and what a waste of time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Jinx Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 "Oi, Brad.. over here" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 On 25/02/2025 at 09:55, Big River said: he's proper shit Hope like trying to pass off sitting in a public bar as some sort of exclusive, it's desperate “Wheels must be greased before the engine of the digger is engaged.” Every editor I had would’ve given me a smack if I had tried to get this line into a story Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Prophet Posted February 26 Share Posted February 26 "It was only once the lobster was in the pot that I realised the eagle had landed." Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JT24 Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miggys First Goal Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 Stack has only made £10? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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