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LoveItIfWeBeatU

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Jack27

Jack27

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8 minutes ago, BoSelecta said:

Can you post it please? 12ft ladder now disabled for athletic.

Inside Newcastle United 12 months on, they refer to the club as a “130-year-old start-up”, which feels like a neat summary; so much history, so much still to do. Everything has changed since the takeover in October 2021 — a transformation of ambition and outlook, with serious people in substantive roles and, beyond that, a profound sense of unity — but a moment of reflection will soon be swallowed up. The forever question at this new St James’ Park is: what’s next?

Since the Mike Ashley era became a sour, grey memory, Newcastle have appointed a new board, a new coaching staff, a sporting director, a chief executive, avoided relegation from an unprecedented position and brought the women’s team within the main body of the club. Funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), their controversial 80 per cent owners, they have spent £210million ($238m) on eight new players, smashed their transfer record and invested everywhere. This week, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of PIF and Newcastle’s chairman, declared that he aims to turn the club from a $354.8m (£305m) acquisition into a $3.5billion (£3.1bn) asset.

And then there is the less tangible stuff; the stated desire to win trophies, fans wanting to attend matches again, the rush for season tickets, the flags and ferocity of matchday and the unleashing of Newcastle’s long-hidden potential. All those things have given Tyneside its buzz back and yet, in so many respects, this remains the beginning. They are still in the departure lounge.

Over the past few weeks, The Athletic has spoken to multiple figures at every level at Newcastle, from the boardroom to the dressing room to the stands, to directors at other clubs, to agents who have worked with them, and plenty more, to mark this natural staging post and also point towards the future. There is a mood of excitement and energy and a redoubling of commitment. Among other things, we have learnt:

There is a belief it will take three summer windows to fully rebuild the squad

The ownership’s five-to-10-year timeline for competing at the highest level remains unchanged

There is unequivocal support for the “incredible” Eddie Howe and recognition internally that this is a season of transition for the first team

Building commercial revenues is the next big challenge, but Newcastle are effectively starting from scratch. Their commercial department has been a staff of four — the biggest clubs in the Premier League employ 250 people

Newcastle are in discussions with documentary-makers

They have narrowed down their search for a new training ground to four sites, which must now include accommodation for players

At Howe’s insistence, they have invested heavily on their existing training facility, including spending £1m on building and maintaining a new hydrotherapy unit

Pre-takeover, the annual academy budget was little more than half of the average Category 1 Premier League club budget but has now been significantly boosted

They are close to announcing the next women’s game to be played at St James’, with the club “desperate” to beat the domestic league record 47,000 attendance

They are returning to Saudi during the World Cup for a winter training camp

There are wider infrastructure plans for the city and the club will press the Government to bring their “levelling-up” agenda to Newcastle

Supporters will be consulted before any contentious commercial decisions, with the club mulling over a stadium partner rather than full-blown naming rights

This is not an attempt to relive every moment or revisit old ground, but is rather a boiling down of 12 extraordinary months into subjects, personalities and stories. Twelve months and 12 steps forward.

1.

First things first: a little perspective. “Incredible, extraordinary,” is the verdict from the very top of the club looking back over the past year. To still be in the Premier League, let alone seventh, is extraordinary given the depressed position Newcastle found themselves in at Christmas.

There is a huge sense of pride about what happened next, the renewal of the club’s bond with fans, the dash to safety. When they are out and about in the city, Newcastle’s owners are regularly approached by supporters who tell them they have fallen back in love with the team.

There are no second thoughts and no desire to row back on those heady words from Amanda Staveley, who said in her very first interviews post-takeover that Newcastle should soon be competing with Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain. By that self-imposed deadline, five to 10 years, is now four to nine.

“Do we stand by that? Yes. Absolutely,” says a senior source, who requested anonymity to protect their position at the club.

That timeline is uncompromising, yet there must also be some leeway. Under Howe, Newcastle are transitioning styles as well as personnel and the need for patience is “an important point — we need to give everybody a little time”.

Consolidation does not quite feel like the right word, though — not when “everybody is pushing as hard as we can”. And the dream scenario a year from now? “Europe”.

For the team and everything else: upwards.

2.

For much of this spell, Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi have been juggling problems and time. The husband-and-wife partnership, whose PCP Capital Partners are 10 per cent shareholders, are also the club’s asset-managers, and in the absence of any executive team under Mike Ashley, have been the day-to-day decision-makers. After years of stasis, emails to the pair from frustrated staff led to instant responses, covering everything from new goalposts to cheeseboards.

For them, it has been exhilarating and exhausting, shuttling between their home in London and a Newcastle hotel. On day one, more or less, they were hit with new Premier League restrictions on related-party sponsorship, and there has been very little let up since. Back in January, when they along with Howe and Jamie Reuben, the other 10 per cent owner, were at the forefront of Newcastle’s transfer activity, sleep was not a friend.

There had been questions about the pair’s lack of experience within football, but Newcastle are being populated with serious, diligent figures like Howe, the head coach, Dan Ashworth, the sporting director, and Darren Eales, the chief executive, and their work in the market has been cute. While all the biggest decisions are signed off by PIF, they have been guided to this point by Staveley and Ghodoussi.

Concerns that a Saudi-backed club would throw its weight around in the Premier League — there is a stark contrast with the aggressive policies of PIF-backed LIV Golf — have also been allayed. They have attempted to foster relationships. Staveley sits on the league’s financial controls advisory group, allowing her to help shape its economic rules.

They are not stepping back. Perhaps Staveley and Ghodoussi’s roles are now akin to that of managing directors, allowing the specialists to do the details but chipping in, looking at strategy, making everything work, still getting their hands dirty. Ghodoussi has been on the front line at the training ground, making it better. Staveley loves doing deals. Both have a passion for the women’s team. They referred to the club’s staff as their “family” during an end-of-season presentation at St James’ in May, leaving gingerbread men as presents.

They remain driving figures. Freed by the arrival of Eales and Ashworth, they can now look in other directions; the new training facility, the possibility of expanding and updating St James’ and big infrastructure projects around the city which are only loosely connected to football. “The club is at the heart of the city, the community flows in and it’s really important we bring those parts more together,” the source says.

3.

For all the excitement generated by the takeover, Callum Wilson reserved judgement until the first crucial appointment was made. Wilson was relieved that Steve Bruce’s replacement was Howe, who he had thrived under during six years at Bournemouth; he was enthused by what it meant for the future.

“He was the perfect man for the job,” Wilson says. “I had full faith in him coming here and making an impact. I know what he brings. He demands so much and that’s what this club needed.”

Structural changes, investment and strategic thinking have played key roles in reviving Newcastle, but no individual has been as vital as Howe.

Speak to those inside the club and it is Howe’s “mentality” and sheer desire to install a winning culture, after years of internal acceptance that merely “ticking along” would suffice, that has affected the greatest shift.

A simple sentiment he raised during his interview with Alan Shearer last month — “I’m not here to just exist“ — resonated powerfully with supporters.

The messages that adorn the training-ground and dressing-room walls — “Success is never owned, it is only rented and the rent’s due every day”, is one — are reinforced by Howe’s repetition of motivational slogans. Some of them he utters so frequently that players, almost subconsciously, repeat them during interviews. “If the team wins, no one loses”, is among the most important; re-emphasising that Newcastle will only succeed if the squad pursues a singular goal.

Significantly, Howe has quickly assimilated into Tyneside life. His wife, Vicki, three boys and Boxer dog, Willis, are now in Newcastle, with his children starting the academic year in local schools.

Those who know Howe best insist he has established a connection with the club and region; that he feels a sense of belonging. He was very selective after leaving Bournemouth — a legacy from his unhappy Burnley spell in 2011-12 — and turned down “a lot of jobs” before dedicating himself to proving to Newcastle’s owners via a detailed, impressive presentation.

Unai Emery may have been first choice but, in hindsight, the consortium are thrilled the man in close second was appointed. “We love him,” the senior source says. “He’s a marvel.”

“The club could have gone foreign and then all of a sudden you’re not getting the best out of your strong English core,” Wilson says. “The manager knew how to handle that.”

The “long-term” contract extension Howe signed over the summer rewards him for his work, reassured him he could relocate his family and is aimed to ward off England, should they soon be searching for Gareth Southgate’s successor. Aged 44, he firmly believes his best years in management await and he is viewed as the “club builder” the hierarchy were seeking.

And it is needed. Howe was drawn to Newcastle by its fanbase and status, but was shocked to find that much of the infrastructure was not even of Bournemouth’s calibre. He pushed for the training ground upgrade, including bringing in recreation space for players and a more conducive working layout, while recognising the need to build a state-of-the-art facility as quickly as possible.

Howe shares an office with Jason Tindall, his assistant, but his other coaches are housed in a separate part of the building, as are the players, which is seen as frustratingly inefficient.

Multiple employees The Athletic spoke to said the training ground, like the academy, is now “crying out” for more space. Newcastle have basically outgrown it, particularly given the rapid expansion in staffing levels. Andy Forrester, a first-team analyst, is the latest recruit, but nutritionists, a coach analyst and additional fitness coaches are among those added in 2022. Tynedale Travel now takes two coaches to away games, due to the volume of staff, kit and equipment that requires transporting. “Every week the lads seem to be telling me about a new backroom staff member joining,” says an agent, requesting anonymity to protect his relationships. “They say it feels like an elite sporting outfit now.”

Howe’s refusal to accept anything less than exacting standards has had an unmistakable effect across the club.

“This manager took to it like a duck to water,” says Wilson. “Now we’re seeing results and I don’t think anyone is better suited to this job.”

4.

“It feels like a dark cloud has been lifted,” Wilson says. “I always said this club was a sleeping giant. It’s been a transition but it feels like it’s starting to wake now.”

Back in January, Howe led the transfer drive and told the board that Newcastle needed to play a “simple game” to achieve the sole short-term objective — avoiding relegation — before evolving afterwards. Chris Wood’s £25m Burnley release clause was activated as he could offer a focal point for a team playing an uncomplicated way, while three defenders were acquired to transform a defence that conceded a Premier League record 80 goals in 2021.

The reversal in fortunes was extraordinary. Newcastle won 12 of their final 20 games, losing only five, and finished 11th.

Their form over the past year would put Newcastle sixth in the Premier League table — and that includes the difficult first three months post-takeover — up from 16th for the previous 12 months and 13th between promotion and Ashley’s departure. Their win ratio over 39 league games is 38.5 per cent and loss ratio 30.8 per cent; in the previous 12 months they were 24.3 per cent and 48.8 per cent respectively; from promotion until the takeover, they were 28.9 per cent and 44.6 per cent. The average 1.5 points per match they have collected is 0.4 more than their average over previous seasons.

During pre-season, Howe set about revamping Newcastle’s style to dominate possession, be on the front-foot and press high.

Already in 2022-23, Newcastle are averaging significantly more shots per game (15.8), efforts on target (6.0), expected goals (1.82) and possession (52.7 per cent).

The rolling xG graphic below — which measures average xG for and against over a rolling 10-game period — shows Newcastle are trending the right way in both directions. During the victory over Fulham, their xG was 3.55, the highest recorded by a top-flight team this season, while their xG against was 0.47.

The make-up of the starting XI has changed, too. Below is the side who started the final match of the Ashley era, a 2-1 defeat at Wolves.

Close to Newcastle’s strongest XI started the 3-3 draw against Manchester City in August (below). Six of those players below pre-date the takeover. Howe’s greatest achievement has been improving those he inherited, some of whom are unrecognisable. Nobody embodies the post-takeover transformation more than Joelinton; formerly a flop forward, he’s an indispensable box-to-box midfielder.

With 11 points from eight games and only one defeat, Newcastle are seventh but feel they should be higher. VAR decisions have been a particular contention, with the hierarchy lobbying for an adaptation as to how the system is used at Premier League level.

“You’ve got more confidence in players around you,” Wilson says. “Before you could have been thinking, ‘I’ll start every week’, and you get complacent. That’s not the case now. The manager’s come in, the culture and philosophy have changed — for the better.”

5.

Eight players signed, £210m spent — but the refashioning of Newcastle’s player pool will take another two years.

Ashworth is said to have reiterated that it takes three summer windows to overhaul a squad, but even that timeframe may be ambitious given that recruitment in January was solely focused on survival. Howe’s message to the board about playing a “simple” style led to conservative, if smart, recruitment. Wood was expensive, but there was always an acceptance he would be most effective for six months, then become a squad player if relegation was avoided.

“January was just a case of doing what they could,” the agent says. “The summer, once Ashworth arrived, was a lot more controlled.”

The second phase of Newcastle’s development is to address the attack; Wood and Alexander Isak, the £60m club-record signing, are the only offensive additions so far. Howe sought a right-sided forward and a midfielder during the summer and both are expected to be targeted in January.

Their strategy is to lure the best up-and-coming talent — Bruno Guimaraes, Isak and Sven Botman are all 24 and under — which is why moves were made for Hugo Ekitike and Benjamin Sesko. They have resisted the temptation to make glamour signings, instead allowing Howe to lead recruitment. Ashworth’s arrival coincided with outlandish links lessening.

“I thought, ‘Right, they’re going to come in and throw loads of money at it’,” a Premier League executive says, speaking anonymously to protect relationships. “But it became clear that’s not what they’re doing. They haven’t made the glitzy star signings we all expected, yet somehow they’ve managed to spend £210m. You’d expect that to transform them, but it shows the state of the market that you need half a billion quid to propel yourself into Champions League contention now.”

Newcastle’s spending power is deterring rival suitors, even if they are not yet competing with the elite for players. “As soon as I’m told Newcastle are making offers for a player we want, we can forget it.” he says. “That’s me out; it’s a waste of time competing.”

A leading European agent, who asked not to be named to safeguard their connections, admitted to The Athletic that he would not have considered sending his players to Newcastle previously but their attractiveness has increased hugely to his clients. The other agent believes that is due to “serious people” like Ashworth now being in situ and increased ambition. Pre-takeover, neither Botman nor Guimaraes would have countenanced joining.

“Until they get European football, they won’t attract the very best,” the agent says. “But more players are increasingly seeing Newcastle as an intriguing destination.”

Squad depth remains a “real issue”, admits the senior source, which can only be addressed over several windows. But Newcastle will continue to add quality, with January targets already identified by Steve Nickson, the head of recruitment, including one the insider describes as “extraordinary”.

6.

The line about Newcastle being a 130-year-old start-up is one of Eales’ and there are others, too, like changing the mindset at the club from “surviving to thriving”. The chief executive has only been in place for a month, but his area of expertise is going to be crucial. Newcastle need to earn money to power their expansion, in terms of transfers and elsewhere.

Ask people at the top about Newcastle’s next big challenge and the answer is straight: “We’ve got to build the commercial revenues. We’ve got to build profitability.” This is the next great frontier.

Eales worked at Tottenham and West Brom, but his most recent role was at Atlanta United, the American club he built from nothing to MLS Cup champions. On the face of it, this might seem like a different situation, except Newcastle was stripped back to the bone under Ashley.

The commercial department has been a team of four — the biggest Premier League clubs have 60 times that — but reflective of the prominence of Ashley’s companies in Newcastle’s marketing scope. They recognise they are “desperately lean in terms of personnel” — a chief commercial officer is incoming — and after a year’s “firefighting” they need to innovate and think about where the club needs to go.

Newcastle have already taken steps to bring FUN88’s shirt sponsorship deal to an early conclusion; who will replace them from the beginning of next season and how much they will pay is an immediate, vital issue. Another will be handling “wrapped-up” commercial deals, like with Castore, the kit suppliers, who run the club’s retail operation, effectively limiting Newcastle’s access to their own supporter data.

This is one part of Eales’ job. Another is getting more from Newcastle’s existing staff, unlocking their potential. Last month, he spoke to employees in The Barracks suite at St James’ and invited questions from the floor. He has taken departments out for meals, too.

He is a front-facing kind of man — personable, articulate and knowledgeable — whose family have already settled in the region (his two young sons have replica Miguel Almiron shirts, the player Eales’ Atlanta sold to Newcastle in 2019). He is eager for the club to be good citizens again, building relationships with other institutions.

Among others, he has talked with council leaders and Newcastle University and had lunch with Sir Brendan Foster, the founder of the Great North Run and a man who knows about driving sporting excellence in the north east.

He has cited Newcastle hosting the Eurovision Song Contest (sadly no longer a possibility) as the kind of project where it is in everybody’s interest to work together, bolstering the city’s image and making it more attractive to potential investors.

It has been so long since the club have done this sort of thing in a meaningful way.

Eales also attended the European Club Association’s (ECA) general assembly in Istanbul, the first time in years that Newcastle have sent a representative, aiming to learn from other clubs, but also put down a marker. Newcastle want to be playing in Europe, but they also want to help forge the agenda.

Alternative revenue streams will be considered. The big streaming services have swarmed around Newcastle, who are weighing up the financial and other merits of signing up for more than one documentary series.

They are very conscious of the backlash Ashley suffered when he renamed St James’ as the Sports Direct Arena without speaking to fans nor paying for the privilege. But could it, for instance, be “St James’ Park powered by” a sponsor prepared to spend millions? Anything like this would be put to supporters and handled sensitively.

7.

“It was free hit,” a top-flight executive says. “It was a blank slate, really, but they’ve made the most of it and made astute calls.”

A director at another top-flight club, who wished to remain anonymous to protect relationships, even describes Newcastle’s “on and off-field recruitment as surprisingly smart and efficient”. For all those within the Newcastle bubble, it is intriguing to find out what their rivals make of the consortium’s first year in charge.

“Their appointments make sense,” says the first executive. “You need a good coach, a good sporting director and a good chief executive — people who can build. They’ve gone about it the right way.”

After early frostiness towards Newcastle’s new-found wealth, relations have thawed with other top-flight clubs. Staveley has gone on a charm offensive, while simultaneously championing Newcastle’s interests.

A shift in approach has been perceived by other clubs. Previously, Newcastle regularly sided with the so-called “other 14”, but now they are said to be more receptive to dealing with the self-styled Big Six as well, which rival directors suspect is because they believe they will join that elite themselves.

While the second director describes “openly going to Saudi for training camps and wearing Saudi kits” as “surprisingly unpleasant and rank”, the other labels it “inevitable”.

“It’s no surprise whatsoever,” the first executive says. “But micromanaging a football club is never going to be top priority within their huge business portfolio. It needs proper people in place, as they’ve appointed.”

Newcastle are viewed as an entirely different proposition now.

“Before you thought, ‘What a shambles’,” the first director says. “Beyond that, there were so many ‘easy wins’ new owners could make to get things pointing in a better direction. They seem to have a defined strategy now. That’s the difference.”

8.

Newcastle are closer to determining where to build their new training ground, but their criteria are now different. Their plans have been upgraded to provide sleeping quarters for players — which may be helpful after long trips or to help those with young families to rest and focus — which means bigger sites. They have four locations in mind, although they have meetings planned with other big landowners.

They estimate that purchasing the land, securing planning permission and all the rest will take three years minimum before anything is built — and potentially longer — which explains why they have spent so much time and money on Benton, led by Ghodoussi. “We’ve had to invest because you can’t have players coming here that don’t have somewhere decent to train,” the senior source says. “It was embarrassing, frankly.”

There was a popular meme under Ashley of Newcastle’s players repurposing wheelie bins for ice-baths. The new hydrotherapy area will offer quite a contrast.

Much of the refurbishment should be completed early next year, with substantive work taking place during the World Cup, when Newcastle will hold another training camp in Saudi. The training ground feels like a place of “industry” again, but space and meeting rooms remain at a premium.

Ghodoussi has already ruled out moving grounds, saying, “It would be like tearing your soul out”, but every St James’ game is a sell-out and finding a way to increase capacity — not easy given the city-centre location — is in their thoughts. “We’ve got some decisions to make as to how we get the best out of the stadium,” the source says.

There are also ambitious, large-scale plans for building and social projects in Newcastle (the Reuben family are specialists in the property market), which would see the club work with local authorities. They want to use their influence — and new-found heft — to “bring levelling-up” to the city and to push “the Government to start bringing their agenda here”.

9.

Steve Harper talks about switching “from existence to performance”, a nice echo of Eales’ surviving and thriving. Harper is Newcastle’s academy manager, a former player and coach and a brilliant man who feels the club to his core.

The academy, which looks after more than 150 kids from Under-nines to 21, has witnessed as much change as anywhere else. Of their 70-strong staff, 25 per cent are new recruits with fresh ideas, including a psychologist, nutritionist, head of coach development and head of player development. All players are now given individual development plans.

In a period of upheaval, Newcastle have maintained their Category 1 status. Prior to the takeover, they were spending little more than half the average budget for Premier League Category 1 academies — around £6.3m — which meant existence was a challenge in itself.

Funding has been increased substantially — on pitches and upgraded facilities — but it’s not just about asking for money and getting it; they have to justify it and show there will be returns. There is a drive to keep improving, but there are no spare office desks.

“We’ve got to produce a world-class facility if we’re going to produce world-class players,” the senior source says.

Eventually, they hope to replicate Chelsea and Manchester City, producing rounded players to either populate the first team or move elsewhere and bring in revenue. The emergence of Elliot Anderson is timely and there is confidence that with Harper’s guidance and Ashworth’s input, youngsters will be provided with solid, joined-up career pathways. Scouting is being beefed up.

There has been another strand to the academy rejig, with Newcastle pump-priming their underage groups with signings like Charlie McArthur, Alex Murphy and, most excitingly, Garang Kuol.

Harper, like all football department heads, has given detailed presentations to Ashworth, who describes his role as akin to sitting in the centre of a wheel, where everybody is connected rather than operating in silos.

Ashworth is a visible training-ground presence, taking over the former media office, where he regularly speaks to staff. He is tasked with shaping Newcastle’s footballing side and, while he has had an impact already, it will be more keenly felt longer term.

10.

Newcastle’s women’s team sit in the fourth tier, but they have played their home games this season at Kingston Park, home of the Falcons, the rugby union team, attracting youthful, family-orientated crowds. Being officially taken under the club’s wing has brought immediate uplift and plenty of new signings.

As they did in May, when they attracted an attendance of 22,134, Newcastle’s women will soon play at St James’ again. Either then or in the future, Staveley would love to beat the English record crowd of 47,367, which attended Arsenal’s Women’s Super League derby with Tottenham on September 24.

This is a passion project of Staveley’s, who routinely gives up her Sundays to attend, and a source of deep pride. “I see all these young girls at matches who now have somewhere to come, who can be what they want to be and now have the same opportunities as boys to be involved in team sports,” she has said.

11.

The effects of Newcastle’s overhaul have been felt far beyond the club itself. Interest has soared, with global intrigue.

“People have a reason to tune in now,” says Adam Pearson, who runs a Newcastle United YouTube channel with more than 34,000 subscribers and almost 11 million views. “A year ago, it was depressing and so fans didn’t want to know. Now people can’t get enough.”

The change was instant. In September 2021, Newcastle’s social media channels saw their worst-ever month for engagement. “Takeover month” was their best ever and, rather than dwindle, Newcastle’s online reach remains significantly higher than before.

Fanzines, including True Faith and Gallowgate Shots, supporter channels like NUFC Fans TV and the Magpie Channel, and content creators like Pearson have greatly benefited.

Pearson quit his foundation degree in sports coaching to go full-time in October 2021, aged 20. It was a move he was considering for the summer, if viewing figures rose, but Ashley’s departure prompted him to make his hobby a job. The gamble appears to have paid off, with Pearson’s income able to cover his trips following the team, including pre-season in Austria and Portugal.

“A year ago, it would’ve been impossible to imagine this,” says Pearson. His subscriber numbers have trebled.

12.

If his team’s identity is their intensity, then Howe wants the club’s identity to be its togetherness.

When Ashley left, Newcastle felt harmonious again. The ownership and Howe have fostered that, with “unity” and “alignment” two of the most-used words inside St James’.

“It felt like a new dawn,” said Graeme Robson, a Wor Flags member who has followed Newcastle since the 1960s, but left when Rafa Benitez departed in 2019, alongside thousands. “The takeover was like a switch. It was instant.”

Engagement is key to retaining this new-found togetherness. Even if fans are keen to hear more from Ashworth, Eales and Al-Rumayyan, consultation with supporters is increasing.

“Our relationship with the club is night and day to how it was,” says Adam Beckett, a board member for Newcastle United Supporters Trust (NUST), which has more than 14,000 members. “There wasn’t much of one previously, to be candid.”

Newcastle did not have a full-time supporter liaison officer (SLO) during the final years of Ashley’s tenure. In time, Sarah Medcalf, formerly with the excellent NUFC Foundation, will oversee an entirely new department as head of supporter services.

“This is a chance to not only reset how we speak to fans, but how we listen to fans. This involves genuine two-way communication that is mutually beneficial,” Medcalf wrote in Newcastle’s matchday programme. “This is a commitment to demonstrate the crucial role fans play in the club’s success, because together we can achieve so much more.”

Supporter services will work out how to revive a version of the Fans Forum, discuss away travel and liaise with multiple supporters groups. Medcalf is speaking to other clubs about how they communicate with supporters and provide fan representation.

“We’ve already seen tangible results, with daily, if not hourly, contact,” says Beckett, who attended a virtual meeting with Medcalf, who hosted NUST board members at St James’. “She didn’t overcommit. We made it clear we didn’t want her to make promises that can’t be kept. She gave us insight into how they are going to grow long term. A crucial difference is just that comfort of communication.”

The 1892 Pledge Scheme, which the NUST launched last year to raise funds to buy a stake in Newcastle, has also been wound down, with the £200,000 raised being distributed to four local charities.

“We felt it was necessary under Ashley because of a genuine anxiety about the club’s future and a need to safeguard it,” Beckett says. “When the ownership came in, as a fanbase we felt reassured about our club’s future. We all feel we’re moving in the right direction again, together.”

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Yorkie

Yorkie

Posted
Posted

Regardless of his actual ability, it's the failure from so many to recognise the insidious impacts of his devotion to Ashley (however much he denies it, the prick) which is most frustrating. Obviously it's not worth dwelling on these days. 

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LV

LV

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Posted
3 hours ago, Jack27 said:

https://theathletic.com/3651769/2022/10/05/newcastle-takeover-what-next/ What a read that is


It’s a magnificent read.

 

I wonder who this refers to:

 

‘Squad depth remains a “real issue”, admits the senior source, which can only be addressed over several windows. But Newcastle will continue to add quality, with January targets already identified by Steve Nickson, the head of recruitment, including one the insider describes as “extraordinary”.’

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