Eddie Howe's voice trailed off.
"I remember walking around the training ground when we came up that first time," said the Newcastle United head coach last week. "It was…"
Howe was not suddenly getting misty-eyed, but reflecting on the work that was needed to improve the club's tired Benton base following his appointment nearly four years ago.
Newcastle had not long been taken over by a Saudi-led consortium in a £305m deal which was opposed by human rights campaigners.
The club had been dubbed the richest in the world by outsiders, but the reality on the ground was rather different as they battled relegation.