Newcastle United’s owners, executives and head coach Eddie Howe will gather at Matfen Hall this week for their annual ‘off-site’ meeting, addressing all of the key issues around the club.
It is the start of a seismic few months for Newcastle after a disappointing Premier League campaign that has them 14th in the table, with questions over key players’ futures and a host of unresolved issues off the pitch.
Last year, our chief football reporter Craig Hope was inside the country mansion as the delegation discussed new stadium plans. However, 14 months on and there has been no definite progress on that front.
So, what is on the agenda this time around? Here, Craig takes you through the five biggest talking points being discussed and brings you some big breaking news out of the Northumberland summit…
Newcastle United’s owners, executives and head coach Eddie Howe will gather at Matfen Hall this week for their annual ‘off-site’ meeting
PIF governor and Newcastle chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan (left) will examine alongside Howe where this season went wrong for the club
1. STAY OR GO (stadium)?
Top of the agenda, I am told, is Newcastle’s executive team on the ground learning from majority owners the Saudi Public Investment Fund what they intend to do with the stadium – either redevelop St James’ Park or build a new state-of-the-art arena.
This does not mean they leave Matfen Hall’s grand Morning Room and the club prepare an even grander announcement – here is the new stadium, everyone! Rather, it is more about the direction of travel.
If Yasir Al-Rumayyan, who is PIF governor and club chairman, indicates which way the ownership want to go – new stadium or develop St James’ – that gives chief executive David Hopkinson and his team clarity on the focus of their work. The other option, and this is far from ideal, is that they ask for more information and time before making a decision.
Last year, the summit was given a detailed presentation and shown a video of how a new 65,000-capacity stadium would look. The expectation then, inside the club, was that a new build on Leazes Park was about to be sanctioned. That PIF approval did not come, however.
Another year of feasibility studies and investigations have followed, and Hopkinson has even explored an alternative site to Leazes Park in recent weeks. He and chief operating officer Brad Miller now believe, at the very least, all of the information is available for the club to determine what avenue…