CRAIG HOPE: One year on from Newcastle’s Saudi takeover there are still big moral questions

Jesmond Dene House is now back to normal. The only sound that interrupts the tranquility of the secluded, leafy setting is that of loud teacups between the older afternoon dinners.

A year ago today it was champagne corks, hysterical supporters, satellite trucks, jostling journalists, ex-SAS bodyguards and finally, at 5:40 pm, the emergence of Amanda Staveley to tell the world Newcastle United was under new ownership, led by Saudi Arabia’s £700 billion public investment fund.

This quaint boutique hotel felt like the center of the sports universe that day. But while the seismic events that unfolded inside are just a reminder – lawyers completed the £305 million deal from a ‘takeover bunker’ – the aftershocks are still being celebrated three miles away in St James’ Park.

Twelve months can go by very quickly in football, but for those associated with Newcastle, it feels like a life of change. The club is unrecognizable from that of the wrecked era of Mike Ashley. Not in terms of bricks and mortar – even large numbers of employees remain the same – but it is day and night when it comes to ambition, care, competence and commitment. Black and white, you might say.

Staveley, Mehrdad Ghodoussi and Jamie Reuben – the UK owners who own a 20 per cent stake – started firing Steve Bruce. They had spoken to players and staff and had long identified the manager as an area for immediate improvement. It would have happened sooner – and not have tarnished the property’s first game, a 3-1 home defeat to Tottenham – had they been able to negotiate Bruce’s £8million payout, but he held out.

Still, lessons were learned, such as during the search for his replacement. Villarreal’s Unai Emery was their choice, but he was shocked when news of his imminent arrival spread. Despite private jets being booked, the Spaniard withdrew.

Former Arsenal boss Unai Emery was initially considered but got cold feet

But by losing a peseta, Newcastle found a pound. Of all the changes since last October, head coach Eddie Howe is the most impactful. Some sneered that he would be a stopover on the way to a more prominent appointment.

Yet the motivation of the new owners was never about the right names, but more about the right people. And Howe is. He is their man for today and tomorrow, as witnessed by a new, long-term contract in August. The owners recognize that in Howe – still only 44 – they could have the next great British manager.

A Premier League table from the past 12 months has Newcastle in sixth position, explaining a seven-match winless start to their property. Yes, the improvement has been helped by £210m spent on eight new players – and they’ve spent it well – but Howe’s management was the real accelerating factor.

The challenge for the owners is to build a club that can sustain that rise. Sporting director Dan Ashworth and chief executive Darren Eales have brought much-needed credibility to the senior level as there was a vacuum of such expertise prior to the takeover.

Thanks to Newcastle’s new funds, they were able to sign Alexander Isak, among others

And infrastructural investments are still being made in the academy, training ground, women’s team, recruitment and commercial departments.

Indeed, senior sources agree that the great thing about inheriting a club from Ashley was that all possible cuts had already been made. The flip side is that revenues and standards had fallen so far that there is no overnight solution. For example, navigating Financial Fair Play is not as easy as asking for a barrel full of cash from Riyadh. Nor do they want to be seen with pockets deeper than those Saudi oil fields.

On the contrary, Staveley and Co have long maintained that this is about sustainable growth, taking advantage of a club that is operating far below its potential and, with the help of Saudi backing, developing into one of the world’s best. In that regard, they have made a sensible and successful start.

But that brings us back to the monetary power behind the buyout – Saudi Arabia. Fans are happy to separate football from morality politics. So are Howe and his players. They see their existence in the isolation of a sports story and, for all the reasons mentioned, it has been an exciting and fascinating story with many chapters yet to be written.

Newcastle fans seemed happy to separate football from morality politics

But that doesn’t mean anniversary celebrations should ignore concerns about Saudi property. They are undeniably using Newcastle as a vehicle – whether that be for long-term financial protection, reputational damage or to facilitate their entry into the western world. There will come a time when Chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan has to change the driver box for the press box and ask questions about the above.

Not that the majority of the 52,000 who will be at St James’ on Saturday are waiting for the answers. That’s the reality of it. They feel like they have their club back. They enjoy afternoons of unity, flags, singing and generally winning football. That’s what the new owners have achieved within the vicinity of Tyneside in a year.

Unlike Jesmond Dene House, nothing will feel normal at Newcastle United anymore.