Yasir Al-Rumayyan celebrated Newcastle United’s three-year anniversary early when wearing a club pullover at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship last week.
There were no sit-down interviews or statements pushed out by PIF’s media team yesterday, just a simple message that the Newcastle chairman was in the UK and still laser-focused on the years ahead at St James’ Park. He has Newcastle United on his mind every day say those who have met him.
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As Newcastle passed the three-year mark under Saudi ownership, there was no celebration at the PIF’s 80-story crystalline office tower in the heart of Riyadh. Instead, there was simply another statement of intent from the powers that be, another sign that PIF are gradually moving Newcastle forward and actions speak louder than words.
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For on the three-year anniversary of the Premier League rubber-stamping PIF’s co-ownership, originally with Amanda Staveley and the Reuben family, they sanctioned the appointment of a new director in Roger Thornton, an Asset Manager from South Shields.
Thornton’s arrival is deemed significant as far as the next part of PIF’s bigger picture is concerned. He has been introduced to the board by Jamie Reuben after working closely on the Pilgrims Quarter project, Newcastle Racecourse and buildings on Grey Street.
Crucially, his relationship with Newcastle City Council can help United push forward with the stadium project, which could include an entire rebuild of St James’ Park.
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Discussing the appointment, a club source told Chronicle Live: “Roger has basically been the Reuben brothers’ guy in Newcastle. The developments in Grey Street and around the city are there for all to see.
“Roger has worked closely with Newcastle City Council on all the Reuben developments. Having Roger on board is now a big factor for the stadium and should be deemed excellent news. He will help get what the club need from the council and make it all work.
“Nothing can happen without the council and the stadium project working for the whole community. It’s a crucial addition and a wise head, he is also local from South Shields so he needs no lessons in what it means to the fans and the community.”
The mere fact that PIF sanctioned his appointment on Monday morning shows there is no lag or no disconnect from Riyadh. True, there is a calmer approach than under previous owners at Newcastle with decisions not made in rash manner and there are no knee-jerk reactions.
PIF did not make a big statement or look to alter any perceptions on their vision at Newcastle. Because Al-Rumayyan’s wish to be “number 1” and “show ambition” has not changed.
Despite financial hurdles, PSR and FFP, the Saudi-based ownership are no less ambitious. And they want to win things. One source told us: “There is a big picture. It’s on track, the ambition was set three years ago to make the club competitive again at the highest level and that hasn’t changed.
“There has been a lot done on and off the pitch in the last three years. They want sustainable success and they don’t want to be a flash in the pan. The tone from the top is exactly the same as three years ago.”
Yasir Al-Rumayyan has been Newcastle United chairman since 2021
Yasir Al-Rumayyan has been Newcastle United chairman since 2021 (Image: James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
Newcastle’s owners know there is work to be done though – on and off the field. And so does Eddie Howe who said last week: “There is no guarantee that even with that investment you will win things, we all know that.
“But it gives you a much better chance. Since then there has been a real tightening of the rules. So it is unfair to judge them by those comments with the changing of the rules. Now it has become, I wouldn’t say impossible, but it has become very very difficult to achieve what they initially thought they could achieve through no fault of their own.”
Commerical chief Peter Silverstone told us back in August that Newcastle are playing “catch up” to Man City and Liverpool.
He’s not wrong with a target of £700m in revenue – the champions’ latest balance sheet – to chase down after Newcastle reported a figure of £200m in the last accounts. It’s understood that PIF need no reminders that on field performance goes hand in hand with off-field success and that there is a “clear understanding” of exactly that.
When we soon start to look back on 2024, it will be deemed a year of progress for Newcastle as far as the powers that be are concerned. True, the Magpies could not follow up the success of 2023 with a Champions League entry this season nor did they reach a cup final.
But off the field, the club opened the STACK fanzone – with the project taking 14 months – and have made progress behind the scenes with the stadium project, thanks chiefly to the arrival of COO Brad Miller.
It’s worth remembering that Newcastle’s ownership had to buy back the land on Strawberry Place that Ashley sold. A walk up and down the corridors at St James’ Park sees a stark contrast to the Mike Ashley era. No longer are rooms empty and staff trying to juggle half a dozen jobs each and no longer when staff decide to leave the positions aren’t replaced.
The commercial team has been bolstered significantly under Silverstone and the mantra is very much that revenues must be built off the field to invest on the park. The women’s team is another great example of club growth after Becky Langley’s team won two promotions in a row to achieve Championship status.
A source close to the women’s team said: “The women’s team was once an afterthought but three years on we’ve had promotion, games at St James’ Park and even a friendly against AC Milan in front of a packed house.”
PIF will continue to invest and as the club recover from the sad news that CEO Darren Eales will be leaving for health reasons, after being diagnosed with cancer, the self-proclaimed Toon fan for life, will help in the search for a successor.
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That won’t come overnight and Eales will work his notice period before the club decides on the right fit. What is clear is that PIF will see the next CEO, like they did with Eales, as their man on the ground. Both Eales and Silverstone report up to PIF’s board structure with staff in Riyadh getting “day to day” updates on what occurs back on Tyneside.
A source concluded: “PIF aren’t like a traditional local tycoon owner, there is always a clear process in place. Yes, PIF has led on all the big decisions but the management are empowered to do their job. Everything is connected from the commercial side to what gets said by the club’s transfer committee.”
PIF have not lost any focus on Newcastle and have no interest in buying other Premier League clubs. The aim is still to ensure black and white ribbons are tied to an English trophy sooner rather than later.
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