The Newcastle United hierarchy held their latest supporters’ event at St James’ Stack on Wednesday night.

I was interested in getting first-hand all the important information from the senior clubs in attendance.

Sporting director Paul Mitchell faced many of the questions and he revealed some insights into his first few months at the club.

First of all, he was quite open about his experience joining the club midway into the summer transfer window. Unsurprisingly, he was strongly of the opinion that he would not do it again, joining a club with the transfer window already underway.

Mitchell went on to comment on the challenges the club faced around PSR over the summer. He was effusive in his praise for how the club had handled transfer business in June, making some brave/tough decisions. He recognized that losing two talented young players in Anderson and Minteh was a big blow to the club, but in doing so the club had given him a strong platform to build from.

From here, his mission is to drive the club forward and to continue building on the foundations of recent years. Mitchell joked that it is his aim to make the rest of the NUFC hierarchy’s job as difficult as possible, driving recruitment to the club at all levels.

Paul Mitchell and Eddie Howe

Next on the agenda for Paul Mitchell was the status of his relationship with Eddie Howe.

He made it pretty clear that he found the speculation surrounding their relationship over the summer amusing.

He emphasized that the reality of their relationship is that it is one that is flexible depending on the agenda at any given time.

Paul Mitchell went on to praise Howe as an elite trainer and as such he is not over Howe’s shoulder on a daily basis, his role is to support Eddie to make his job easier. He also pointed out that while most people focus on his role in the first team, he also has responsibility for the development teams and the women’s team.

In the end, he emphasized that his relationship with Eddie Howe is good and as sporting director he does not have the final say on all transfers, recruitment is a collaboration with Eddie and the scouting department.

Finally, Mitchell told everyone in attendance that when all is said and done, there are two main points to focus on for the role of athletic director. The first is to strengthen the first team through player recruitment and trading and the second is to shape the future of the playing staff and build the club into perennial contenders.

Stay at St James’ Park or move to a new stadium (nearby)?

Also on the agenda at the event was the topic of the feasibility study for the stadium.

Darren Eales emphasized that the focus of the study is to see what is possible and also what is required to make it happen. Everyone agreed that whatever the decision, there is a huge responsibility on them to get it right, especially given the amount of investment at stake.

There was recognition that St James’ Park’s reputation and status as a leading stadium in the Premier League should not be underestimated. Any potential move would be carefully measured against this fact. However, there appeared to be a considered approach to the potential for a move away from SJP.

It was made clear to everyone present that any move would not be far from the current location and this is a key factor in their decision making process.

Interestingly, they made it clear that while the development of St James’ Park had the potential to significantly increase revenue, a move to a new stadium could generate up to twice as much revenue for the club.

The survey sent to fans over the past year regarding the development of St James’ Park and a potential move, showed an overwhelming desire to stay at SJP. With 71% of respondents saying they wanted to stay in our traditional home. Interestingly, in a quick survey of the room, it appears that opinion on this is changing in the wake of the PSR revelations in June.

Eales concluded the discussion on the arena by stressing that the owners are fully behind the project but want the club to make their final case before committing the necessary funds.

Overall, there were a lot of positive words from Mitchell and the board throughout the event, but… now it’s time for them to deliver on those promises.