The Athletic. Hello, I'm Floyd Hughes. Welcome to the Athletic Football Podcast. Adam Crafton is alongside me.

The focus of today's pod is the takeover of Newcastle United by the Saudi Arabia

financed consortium. We'll discuss the big decisions that need to be made by the new

owners, the future of Steve Bruce, January spending and how to address the

negative publicity surrounding the new owners and

English football's obsession with money.

So let's start by looking at what the change of ownership means for Newcastle United on

the pitch. We're joined now by Chris Waff

who covers Newcastle for the Athletic and also co-host Hodon the Tyne.

First things first, I think you have to say really, what is it like being in the city since the

takeover was announced there's just been a renewed vibe I mean we've almost forget

that sort of the start of last week Newcastle had just lost away at Wolverham Wondrous

and had been awful and it felt almost the lowest it's been and that is saying something given how

apathetic angry frustrated disconnected Newcastle

Newcastle fans have felt for certainly the last few years if not longer

under the Mike-Ashi regime and then by the end of the week suddenly Mike Ashi

has gone some the moment that I think many of them had come to

think was possibly not going to happen or certainly not in the short term and also a new ownership

Mike Ashley's gone perhaps the future of the Football Club could look very, very different.

And so there was wonderful scenes outside St James's Park on Thursday, even before the news was confirmed,

but the news was confirmed at 5.18 PM and there was and there was just there was flares going off

those people drinking there was just it was just wonderful and so many people

...