It was only a matter of months ago that the Newcastle United boardroom housed the powerbrokers of a regime which seemingly did their best to further alienate an already apathetic fanbase. Six months on from a takeover that transformed the club overnight, that same boardroom hosted a meeting which represents a 'huge step forward' in repairing the damage caused by the Mike Ashley era.
Eddie Howe hailed a 'big moment' in Newcastle's season when Chris Wood's penalty earned a win over Wolves on Friday night to lift his side 10 points clear of danger. Eight hours prior, co-owners Mehrdad Ghodoussi and Amanda Staveley held the first of what will hopefully be many meetings with representatives of the Newcastle United Supporters' Trust (NUST).
The trust have engaged in informal conversations with the couple managing the Magpies ever since the protracted takeover saga. Friday's afternoon meeting saw vice-chair Thomas Concannon, board member Alex Hurst, and chair Greg Tomlinson invited into the boardroom to meet with the co-owners and other senior members of staff.
Ghodoussi, Staveley and the rest of the consortium's main focus remains on Newcastle's battle for survival, with Howe's side likely a couple of positive results away from guaranteeing their top-flight status. However, that has not stopped the co-owners laying down the groundwork to address the issues that matter the most to fans.
NUST chair Tomlinson told ChronicleLive: "They have got a lot of work to do in terms of rebuilding the club, and I think we're all aligned in terms of right now, while we want to see best in-class supporter engagement, right now there's one priority for everybody and that's staying in the Premier League.
"I would say it's a really, really important step forward. We've had 14 years of Mike Ashley's ownership and effectively not caring about the supporters or showing any ambition.
"What we plan to do is build a lasting relationship where we can have that dialogue on things that matter to supporters. We're not there to talk about who they should be signing or footballing matters such as who should play at left back.
"We can help them and work with them on issues that impact supporters like ticketing, improvements to St James' Park and the matchday experience. It can be very beneficial to both sides, we want them to instil best in-class in supporter engagement and we're confident they will."
The 75-minute meeting addressed a range of topics surrounding fan engagement, with the club offering St James' Park as a venue for the NUST's AGM in 2023. The Newcastle owners' bold ambitions has already been well-documented, but it was a meeting which left Tomlinson convinced of their vision and conviction.
The NUST chair said: "They are phenomenal people, they get Newcastle United. They are incredibly ambitious, you cannot fail to be impressed when you spend time in their company.
"They are ambitious, tenacious, and know what they are doing. Taking off your trust hat for a moment, as a Newcastle fan you leave that room and cannot fail to be excited about the plans that they have, their passion for it and the ambition of the consortium. From a footballing perspective and rebuilding the club, it is exciting times to come."
Ghodoussi and Staveley's early approach to a re-energised fanbase is already proving 'chalk and cheese' to the one fans have unfortunately grown accustomed to. The NUST held meetings with former managing director Lee Charnley, but it often felt like nothing more than a box-ticking exercise.
Tomlinson explained: "The fact we're even sharing this update is a real positive, under Mike Ashley there was a clear division between fans and the club. The club effectively sat there at St James' Park aloof to the rest of the city, and that has been swept away overnight by our new owners.
"I met a number of times with Lee Charnley, Alex before me met with Lee as well and others. We had those meetings, but we never had any confidence things would be implemented effectively.
"I left that meeting with Amanda and Mehrdad with confidence in what they are doing and what they're planning to do. You get that understanding and belief in them, which could not be said for the previous regime."
The dark clouds which appeared to permanently reside over St James' Park have lifted. The spectre of relegation remains, but hope rather than fear is the overriding emotion on Tyneside right now.
Tomlinson admits the takeover has almost changed the role of the NUST overnight. The fan-led organisation has gone from trying to 'shame' the former regime on issues such as season-ticket refunds, to holding boardroom conversations with willing listeners wanting to do the 'right things'.
Tomlinson says 'huge thanks' is due to both Ghodoussi and Staveley for finding time in the midst of a survival battle and the beginnings of a complete overhaul to begin the process of reviving a vital partnership. He added: "The fact that the ownership of our football club is talking in a productive way to recognise one of the biggest supporters' trusts in the country is a real positive.
"There are a lot of things that the relationship can be beneficial to in terms of supporters having a say in the football club. We will be canvassing the views of our members in aspects of the club that can get better ideas on these issues so when that structured dialogue takes place, we can put the views of our members across.
"We're there to be a critical friend of the club, that's what we want to be. We won't agree with them on everything, we know that, they know that, but with a good working relationship it can be massively beneficial to Newcastle United and Newcastle fans.
"You don't flip from what we had as a skeleton under Mike Ashley to that huge structure an ambitious football club needs overnight. But through that dialogue that we can have with them, we can really help on issues that impact supporters.
"When this football club is united, it is almost unstoppable and that's where we are right now. If we can keep this going, there is a very bright future for all of us."
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