In the St James’ Park office awaiting a new chief executive, legend has it, there are cigar burns on the carpet that are a legacy of the Freddy Shepherd era at Newcastle United.
Shepherd sold the club in 2007, to Mike Ashley. He sold Newcastle in 2021, to the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, the richest football club owners in the world. Bound by Profit and Sustainability Rules they may be, but changing the carpets does not require sign off by the Premier League.
In fact, a lot of what the owners could and should have done is of no interest to the governing bodies, whom they blame - not without justification - for slowing their progress on Tyneside.