The Sports Direct signs had long been taken down at St James' Park, but Mike Ashley's influence was still being felt outside the ground. At Strawberry Place, to be exact.
It was Ashley, of course, who sold the land that historically belonged to Newcastle United to developers in 2019. Yet the stalled £120m proposal never got off the ground after planning permission was controversially granted by Newcastle City Council. Even when it appeared that the North of Tyne Combined Authority (NTCA) would step in with £3.5m of funding to cover a 'viability gap' last month, that did not come to pass despite the supposed benefits.
An NTCA report had claimed that the development, which included 328 flats, a 213-room hotel and an office block, would support more than 1,700 construction jobs and pump £670m into the regional economy within a decade. However, North of Tyne mayor Jamie Driscoll ultimately decided against signing off on the proposal because he did not want to put public money into it - much to the relief of Newcastle fans.
READ MORE: Newcastle see 'excellent' midfielder get 'back to who he is' elsewhere just when they need one
"I'm not the hero of Newcastle United," he told ChronicleLive. "That's entirely down to the players and the staff. If I can help, that's great but I'm not here to take credit for that."
Regardless, following the mayor's decision, it has emerged that Newcastle's owners have agreed a deal with Reditum Capital to buy back the long-term lease on the land in a huge breakthrough for the club. This could eventually enable Newcastle to build a fan zone on site and even help with the potential expansion of the Gallowgate End in the long run. After all, as complicated as it will inevitably be, even with modern technology, the Gallowgate remains the stand most ripe for expansion at a time when the Milburn and Sir John Hall stands are at capacity and the East Stand backs onto the listed Leazes Terrace.
This represents quite a turnaround when supporters once justifiably feared the land at Strawberry Place was lost forever. So what changed?
Well, it was only last month that the funding proposal reached the mayor in written form but, after requesting some additional evidence, Mr Driscoll was 'not satisfied' that the development made good use of public money. The mayor then raised the proposal with his cabinet colleagues, who all unanimously agreed, after the plans were given a 'fair hearing' and 'all the evidence' was weighed.
"If someone puts in a proposal, you have got to let it travel through the system and then make your decision properly," he said. "For me, it was not the sort of development that we wanted to fund.
"People, perhaps, don't realise that it was for a hotel and some offices as well as some apartments, but there were not going to be any affordable apartments in there. If developers want to do that, they have to do that on their own. I was certainly not going to put three-and-a-half million pounds of public money into it."
It is important to stress it is still very early days, but Newcastle's owners have already vowed to work with figures in the city to see what they can do in the long-term when it comes to the potential expansion of St James'. Relations have certainly been rebuilt since the Ashley era and the mayor has been in 'regular communication' with those at the top since the takeover in a 'complete revolution' from the previous regime.
There has been a complete revolution on the terraces, too. Whereas Ashley once had to resort to giving away 10,000 half-season tickets, now, every home game has sold out this season.
"Newcastle have gone from fighting relegation to being in a Champions League spot in a one-year turnaround," Mr Driscoll added. "There are not just thousands but probably tens of thousands of people who can't get a ticket. I hope the club bring forward plans to extend the stadium and we get more people here because it's one of the best things to happen in our region in a long time."
Send your messages to the Newcastle squad for the Carabao Cup Final - just CLICK HERE to leave your message for Wembley.
READ NEXT
Newcastle have found talented 16-year-old who's wowed staff and could be in squad vs Liverpool
Newcastle have found their Jose Mourinho 'untouchable' but Liverpool may see new 'solution'
Newcastle owners have their man, Eddie Howe's 'strong' words at half-time and fuming Sven Botman
Bournemouth make 'run for their money' statement but Newcastle change leaves Gary O'Neil 'desperate'
Newcastle punished, emotional Eddie Howe and Bournemouth's brutal Ryan Fraser chant - 5 things
