Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi work the room in Newcastle United's plush chairman's suite before, during and after the narrow but vital victory over Brighton & Hove Albion. They are proud co-owners who are at the start of a busy weekend of work and are approaching the end of their first six months as part of the consortium that celebrated the purchase of United last autumn.
As guests take their seats in the premier suite of St James' Park's executive level, at first glance for onlookers there is nothing unusual about the proceedings at a Premier League club. However, on closer examination, the same onlookers find that the Ripon financier and her husband and fellow director Mehrad are trying to do something different.
On Saturday, Staveley did something very different to the average top-flight director and invited members of the local Press into the chairman's suite as the Chronicle, Shields Gazette and Radio Newcastle were invited to the top table. This wasn't for a Press conference or Q and A style interview, something that is expected to follow once Newcastle are safe from the drop.
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It was to help rebuild relations between the club and the local media. Not that the current owners had anything to do with the fact that Mike Ashley had no interest in liaising with any journalists, let alone the media that turn up at every game home and away.
It is also worth noting that Staveley sat down with the local Press less than two hours of taking over the club back in October but even then it was made clear that action not words were the only thing that could save Newcastle from relegation, and they have delivered on that front by lifting the Magpies up the table in 2022. And it wasn't just the local media who were invited up to Level 3 on Saturday, a supporter, decked out in black and white, and his little boy are called in and present Staveley and her husband, with flowers thanking them, as well as Yasir Al-Rumayyan and the Reuben family, for their efforts so far. In less than six months the new owners there have been big strides behind the scenes at St James' Park.
Eddie Howe replaced Steve Bruce and has led the team towards top-flight safety, the first-team squad has been enhanced by a £91million spend including fully-fledged England and Brazil internationals, a new CEO and technical director will be announced soon, plans for a new training ground and improved St James' Park will also get under way and there have been big pledges to improve the club's Women's team, with Staveley and Ghodussi present at their 6-2 win over Leeds at the weekend.
Throughout the afternoon the objective of the new co-owners is clear, they want to ask questions too and listen to opinions, something that simply didn't happen before. But even then the main crux of the conversation is about football, how the club are looking to improve on and off the pitch, and how they are keen to work with the local media to convey their message. There is an interest and passion from the co-owners that extends far beyond just existing in the Premier League like Newcastle did on Ashley's watch. Of course, Ashley got off to a good start as Toon owner with fans and even sat next to them in the stands, but from the moment he took offence at the backlash of Kevin Keegan leaving in 2008, that was it.
That made for a long 13 years of strained relations for United fans and the local media. Make no mistake there are people still at the club that wanted good communication and tried their best to make it happen. But for the most part, it was difficult, having an unenthusiastic, unambitious owner at one of the most passionate football clubs in the world was never going to be a good mix. As new owners simply chat about football and what type of a club United can be it is night and day compared to the previous custodians.
The appearance of journalists in the chairman's suite on Saturday unfolded for the first time in 10 years. Back then it was Alan Pardew who said: "We might not be able to do this next year". That was back in 2012 after Newcastle United had earned a place in Europe and Pardew's stock rose as high as it would get. Sat around tables in the chairman's suite Pardew toasted the local media then regaled them with tales from his playing and managerial career.
Pardew was absolutely right about not hosting the media again upstairs, in fact, it never happened again as relations became strained and trust between the media and the club floated down the Tyne. It even got to the point when the local media were banned for 18 months and by the time it had been lifted, Pardew had seen enough and left for Crystal Palace. The relationship between the club and the media remained uneasy, access went up and down, trust levels were at a premium.
Rafa Benitez put a sticking plaster over it for three years by granting superb access during his tenure with sit down interviews, hour-long chats after Press conferences and invites to the team hotel on pre-season and during mid-season tours in Spain. Then came Steve Bruce and it started well in the heat of Shanghai on pre-season in 2019 but by early 2021 the former Man United skipper fell out with both local and national journalists, culminating with a verbal volley after the 4-1 defeat at Old Trafford.
As new owners came in, new ideas came with them and within hours of Staveley and the Middle East consortium taking over sit down interviews had taken place at Jesmond Dene Hotel. Open communication with the local media and supporters was pledged and before the game against Brighton, representatives were invited from the Chronicle, the Shields Gazette and BBC Newcastle to the chairman's suite.
The message is simple and the aim is to give the city a club to be proud of and an institution where fans will be listened to. The long-term aim is to get Newcastle to be the best family and community club in the Premier League. The changes will start soon with the gesture of moving Alan Shearer's statue back on to United premises and Nine Bar reverting to Shearer's again very soon. From next season the match day experience is set to improve for fans and work on the stadium in some areas will start shortly after the final game.
Simple things like bigger screens for fans to watch before the main event at St James' Park will soon be erected, quick flowing beer pumps and better pints and new family areas will be introduced. In short, the stadium will soon reflect the best supporters in the country.
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