Five years ago, as we headed into another season behind closed doors and with Steve Bruce sat in the dugout, even the most optimistic of Newcastle United fans couldn’t have envisioned where we would be today.
The monumental takeover by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, and brokered by Amanda Staveley and PCP Capital Partners, has led to us rapidly ascending the Premier League table, returning to the Champions League, and ending our long wait for domestic silverware with the 2025 Carabao Cup triumph.
Even if she is no longer officially associated with the club, owing to her departure as Director last summer, Staveley’s (mostly) positive impact on the club will be felt for years and years to come.
An immensely popular figure, many fans have clamoured for her and Mehrdad Ghodoussi to return to Tyneside in some capacity, the prospect of which is an emotional matter for Staveley.
Speaking to Jake Humphrey on The High Performance Podcast, Amanda Staveley reflected on her sudden departure which sent shockwaves around the North East.
And despite the successful season we had last year, many fans have felt that the connection between the supporters and the ownership hasn’t really recovered since Staveley and Ghodoussi left.
On the podcast, Humphrey reads aloud a fan group’s letter addressing this shift in the fanbase, one which they feel would be a lot warmer with a potential Staveley return:
“Without Wor’ Mandy leading the charge in that regard, Newcastle United risks losing a vital connection with its soul: the loyal, passionate and ever present Black and White Army.”
“It’s time for the club to rediscover its voice, to reconnect with the fans, and to bring back some of that much needed warmth that Amanda Staveley so brilliantly provided.”
And in response, the former Director is visibly emotional and grateful for the kind words expressed, saying:
“That’s really hard. God, sorry“.
“That’s really hard because that is really lovely, and that is why I went into Newcastle because the fans are just so incredible…. and they really are.
“So leaving was the hardest thing I have ever done and took a long time to understand and do what is right for the club, and PIF is going to be an incredible partner for Newcastle, and the Reubens.
“We left it in very safe hands. There are so many great people with great hearts who put so much into that club and into the community and into everything about it.
“So for me it was a privilege. Every day I would go to work and think, ‘God, I am so lucky to do this job’.”
This amazing.
Amanda Stavely reacts to a letter from #Newcastle fans.
This is what football club ownership should feel like.
The conversation was incredible.
Listen to it in full here: https://t.co/KtarxV1P8U pic.twitter.com/S2KjjFGOy2
— Jake Humphrey (@mrjakehumphrey) September 10, 2025
Being from the North of England herself, Staveley served as a passionate, present and recognisable face of our new ownership. Fans could so easily resonate with her, as she clearly understood the club and shared out desire to get Newcastle back to the top.
She’s set an immensely high bar for other individuals within the club to follow in terms of connecting with the fans. The likes of Darren Eales and Paul Mitchell, as involved as they were with the club, haven’t quite been able to mirror what Staveley offered us.
The new CEO David Hopkinson does feel like a breath of fresh air however, and someone vaguely similar to Staveley in terms of his drive to succeed. With experience at Real Madrid on his CV, the Canadian seems genuinely passionate about us and the sport as a whole, and that this is more than just a job to him.
Although he takes up a different role, here’s hoping that the fans can instil enough faith in him as we did Staveley moving forward.