Slowly but surely the building bricks are being levered into position as those in charge relentlessly build a new fortress at Newcastle.
First a fresh manager Eddie Howe, then a succession of trophy signings like Kieran Trippier, Bruno Guimaraes and Sven Botman, an admired sports director Dan Ashworth, and now a chief executive Darren Eales.
Director Mehrdad Ghodoussi summed it up beautifully: "We're building a skyscraper, so we need to make sure our foundations are solid."
