Newcastle United takeover brings with it a sense of freedom, hope and pride the club could return to its former glory - and perhaps even surpass it

There have been countless twists and turns over the past two years but Newcastle United Football Club FINALLY has new owners.

CAT cases, arbitration, piracy issues and media speculation can be forgotten – and after years of stagnant Mike Ashley ownership, the club can now start looking forward.

PCP Consortium’s takeover of Newcastle United is as much about ridding the club of Ashley as it is about becoming one of the richest football clubs in the world.

But years of neglect and inadequacy have been woven into the fabric of Newcastle over the last 14 years and it can’t be ironed out overnight.

The club are in the Premier League relegation zone, winless after seven games and Steve Bruce remains in charge, for now.

Kylian Mbappe won’t be driving up Barrack Road to sign for The Magpies in January and patience is most certainly required – but that’s not really what this is all about.

Any football fan wants to see their club win trophies, break transfer records and play Champions League football every season and Newcastle supporters are no different. The myth that they demand or expect such things grew tired years ago.

This takeover has brought with it a sense of freedom, hope and pride that the club actually could return to its former glory and perhaps even surpass it. There are no guarantees, but hope is a powerful thing.

Growing up as a Newcastle supporter, signing world class players was par for the course, ‘black and white day’ at school seemed to be an annual occurrence like Christmas and European nights at St. James’s brought memories that would last a lifetime.

Such feelings eroded under Ashley’s stewardship – if you can call it that – with the club becoming a hollow entity and a new generation of supporters brought up believing that they should be content with merely existing in the Premier League.

After a gruelling takeover process, and the years of disappointment and failure that preceded it, Newcastle fans deserve to believe again, cans in hand.

Still, the ethics surrounding the deal and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment fund will not go away any time soon.

But United supporters shouldn’t be made to feel guilty for wanting their club to succeed, especially when the source of funding that potential success is closely linked with the British Government and various companies people benefit from every day.

It doesn’t make it right, but the Toon Army have every right to enjoy this, just like people enjoy Uber rides or watch Disney+ without pondering the moral implications.

In the short term, keeping the club in the Premier League is vital. Work can also be made on the first team and the club’s dilapidated infrastructure behind the scenes. And rip those Sports Direct signs down!

It’s the start of a new dawn for the club where the hope and pride of a city towards its pounding heart of a football club can be felt once again.

The thought of Newcastle winning something that isn’t the Championship or Intertoto Cup is something that quickly puts a lump in a lot of Geordie throats. It’s been beyond the realms of comprehension for well over a decade.

Now, at the very least, there is belief.

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