Latest updates on Newcastle United takeover

We're going to wrap up our live coverage of the Newcastle United takeover by a Saudi Arabian-backed consortium.

If you've missed anything, here are the main points:

• The deal brings Mike Ashley's ownership to an end after 14 years - a time described as an era of "lost hope"
• Fans have reacted with joy, turning out in force at St James' Park, and said a "sleeping giant is about to wake up"
• If you're wondering what is next for the club, we've tried to answer some of the key questions
• Newcastle's new non-executive chairman, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, says the consortium is proud to own "one of the most famous clubs in English football"
• The deal is raising some questions though, with Nicholas McGeehan, director of human rights organisation Fair Square, calling it a "disaster" for both the club and city

In case you're wondering what Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer thinks about today's developments...

Mike Ashley had "good intentions" when he bought Newcastle United in 2007 but hadn't realised how much money he would need to spend on the club, former captain Rob Lee has said.

"He’s a good businessman and saw the potential in Newcastle," Lee said, adding: "Nobody knows how much of the money he put in was a loan to the club and how much was his own money - he never really speaks to the press or the fans.

"He came in [to Newcastle] and went around the town, going to clubs and buying the fans beers and everybody thought it was a match made in heaven.

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"He realised quite quickly that he has was going to have to pay a lot more money than he was ploughing into the club and he thought 'I’m not gonna do that'.

"And that’s what set the fans against him - that he wouldn’t sell it.

"For six years he’s never been to games – he doesn’t support the club and I don’t know what enjoyment he got out of it.

"If you’re that wealthy and buy a football club, you’ve got to enjoy it."

I've been taking calls, reading texts and talking to former Newcastle player and co-presenter John Anderson on our radio programme this evening and it's been a night like no other.

We've been getting calls beyond any number I can remember and nearly everyone is delighted. A few have qualified it by saying they're not sure what's going to happen next, but on the whole it's been sheer elation from the supporters who have been getting in touch with us at BBC Radio Newcastle.

We've been getting suggestions of who the next manager should be with Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte mentioned, as well as which players might come in.

It is a day people have been waiting a long time for. We've talked about a takeover for what feels like years, night after night with people saying they want new owners to come in - preferably with a lot of money.

That is something that has finally happened.

Listen live here.

With Mike Ashley leaving NUFC, fans and journalists have been reflecting on his time in charge of Newcastle United.

Adam Widdrington, of the True Faith fanzine, said things quickly turned sour for the Sports Direct chief.

"He painted himself as not your typical businessman," he said. "He was happy to go into the away end with a strip on, alongside Newcastle fans, drinking pints.

"That's the way he endeared himself to the fanbase.

"When he realised what a mess the club was in financially and that he wasn't going to find it easy to turn a profit, he quickly started a period of austerity that we've all had to suffer and he's turned an incredibly important cultural institution in the North East into a husk.

"He had utter contempt for the people at the club, the playing staff, club legends and of course the fanbase."

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Meanwhile, John Gibson, football writer with the Newcastle-based Chronicle, says Ashley's treatment of then-manager Kevin Keegan was out of line.

"He [Keegan] was humiliated over his transfer deals and told if he wanted to see the latest player he could see him on YouTube.

"What a horrendous thing to say to a manager that had done so much for Newcastle.

"We were in a yo-yo period - was the club up for sale or not? He'd say it was up for sale then that he was taking it off the market and was totally committed to its future, only then to say he was selling it again."

Sports minister Nigel Huddleston said the takeover of Newcastle United by an Saudi Arabian-backed consortium which has raised concerns from human rights campaigners was an "issue for football" to sort rather than the UK government.

He said: “Any acquisition of any team is an issue for football first and foremost. There’s a lot of people have some strange expectations about what government should and shouldn’t get involved in.

"These are private companies and there’s a process in place already for them to go through, including the fit and proper person’s test.

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"It is a matter for football. They’ve got their fit and proper person’s test, we expect that to be applied rigorously and accurately. But it is an issue for football.

"At the end of the day, we’ve got to trust football to look after itself and do its job."

Former Newcastle United captain Rob Lee said the club's new owners must "prove to the fans they have the club at heart".

He said he was "excited" by the deal but warned immediately signing the world's best players and challenging for titles was unlikely.

He said: "As much as I know that fans want us to see us signing [PSG striker Kylian] Mbappe, I don’t see that happening.

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"The club has been in decline for a long time. On the pitch we’ve been very mediocre for a long time, the training ground is one of the worst in the Premier League and we haven’t had many players come through the youth system for a long, long time.

"If these people can come in and prove to the fans they have the club at heart, which we all hope is the case, the fans will be patient.

"As long as they see them doing the right thing for the club and the club progressing then the fans will get behind them.

"Yes we need an influx of players but there’s a lot to do behind the scenes that needs doing just as much as on the pitch."

Newcastle United could be being used by Saudi Arabia to "cleanse" its reputation for human rights abuses on a global stage, according to the Daily Telegraph's northern football writer Luke Edwards.

The Premier League has approved the takeover after being satisfied the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) behind the deal is separate from the state of Saudi Arabia, despite it being chaired by the country's "de factor" ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Mr Edwards said the deal was about "sports-washing", adding: "We always have to be mindful of that. The Saudi Arabian regime has one of the worst human records right on the planet.

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"This is going to be about the glory of the Saudi Arabian state, they have bought an English football club. It's very exciting for Newcastle but the reasons for them doing that we do have to be mindful of. It's about trying to cover their tracks and cleanse the name and the regime of Saudi Arabia on the global stage."

Mr Edwards admitted however the takeover could be "really good news for the wider economy" if the new owners invest in the city as the Abu Dhabi contingent behind Manchester City did in Manchester.

He said: "They rebuilt a whole area of the city, an industrial wasteland part of the city. They built a new training ground and with that comes new apartment buildings, property and business."

Streamer Kendall Rowan, who runs a Newcastle United blog, said she was "super excited" about the takeover although she admitted "It doesn't feel real".

She said: "It's been 14 years of neglect. We have been let down so many times before that it almost doesn't feel real. This will be a total new lease of hope and positivity."

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Gary Lineker has been reacting to fans who say they "feel sick" at the thought of Saudi Arabia, which has been accused of human rights abuses, being involved in the takeover of Newcastle United.

"Football fans want their clubs to succeed but at what price?", the Match of the Day host said, adding that was a "dilemma" facing supporters.

Former defender John Anderson, who played more than 330 games for Newcastle United between 1982 and 1992, said the takeover was "absolutely massive" for both the club and area.

He said: "From a football point of view, the money these people have got to put into the club that has been sadly lacking in recent years is absolutely endless.

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"The sooner these people get in the better for everybody concerned.

"If you want to be successful in the Premier League, you need someone behind you who has got huge wealth and who is prepared to spend that wealth on the football club, prepared to go and bring the best quality players into the club that they can get."

Former Newcastle United midfielder turned BBC Match of the Day pundit Jermaine Jenas said the fans had been on a "long tough road" under Mike Ashley, with the club becoming "unrecognisable"

Jenas, who made 152 appearances for the Magpies between 2002 and 2005, said: "The fans of Newcastle have been through an awful lot.

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"The club is unrecognisable to the club I used to play for under Bobby Robson when we had some amazing Champions League nights at St James' Park.

"That place is a really special place for football and it's been a long tough road. There's some really exciting times for the Geordie fans to look forward to."

Newcastle United Supporters Trust (NUST) reacted to the club takeover by saying a "resounding" 96.7% of members had wanted the consortium to take control.

NUST said in an open letter that "for the first time in many years" fans felt the new owners could help NUFC realise their full potential.

The letter says: "For the first time in many years we believe our desire for an ambitious Newcastle United that strives to be the best it can be can be a reality under your ownership.

"We admire your desire and tenacity to buy our football club despite the protracted issues with the Premier League, and we appreciate your clear understanding of the special place that Newcastle United holds in our communities, the passion of our supporters and your commitment to developing Newcastle United."

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Newcastle United fans say they are "over the moon" with the club's takeover, with some expressing lofty ambitions.

Supporter and DJ Chris "The Disc" Langshaw (pictured above) said he was "absolutely over the moon" and it was "fantastic for the city as a whole".

"It's been a long time [under Mike Ashley] and now we are going to rise from the ashes. The sleeping giant is going to wake up," he said.

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Student Tom Allen (pictured above) said: "We've been going stagnant under Mike Ashley and have been about survival instead of winning.

"No-one is expecting us to spend £300m in the transfer window every week, we just want a bit of ambition, we want to be able to win games."

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Fan Jonny Rowley (pictured above) has big ambitions for the club, including making a move for one of the hottest young strikers in world football and taking on the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea.

"Well there's a certain lad called Kylian Mbappe isn't there? He's available on a free. We will just pay the wages and get him on board. Pep Guardiola Jurgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel, watch out because we are coming for you."

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Mike Ashley was hailed as an "excellent custodian of Newcastle United's heritage" when he took over the club in 2007.

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The billionaire businessman, who owns Sports Direct and House of Fraser among other ventures, paid £134m for the club which had just finished five points above the relegation zone despite having set a target of a European spot at the start of the campaign.

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The appointment of Kevin Keegan as manager in January 2008 sparked hopes he could repeat the success from his time at the helm in the 1990s when the club was competing for the Premier League.

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But "King Kev's" resignation just eight months later amid his unhappiness with the involvement of club management in the team sparked mass protests against the club's ownership.

"Keegan leaving was the first point we thought 'wow, there is something seriously wrong here'," Alex Hurst, host of the True Faith podcast, said.

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The once-popular owner then put the club up for sale saying he had "listened" to the fans' objections. "I have the interests of Newcastle United at heart. I have listened to you. You want me out," Mike Ashley said. No offer was forthcoming.

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With Keegan's replacement Joe Kinnear having to leave after suffering heart troubles, club legend Alan Shearer was appointed manager in April 2009. Even he though could not save the side and Newcastle United were relegated to the Championship.

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Newcastle United bounced straight back to the top flight in 2010, winning the Championship under manager Chris Hughton sparking scenes of jubilation among the Toon Army.

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Their initial return to the Premiership was hopeful, despite the controversial sacking of Hughton, and in 2011 under Alan Pardew the club opened the season with an 11-game unbeaten run. The following year they qualified for the Europa League, where they were knocked out by finalists Benfica.

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But in 2016, with fans again blaming Ashley's leadership, Newcastle United were once again relegated from the Premier League. Mr Ashley said he regretted ever buying the club although he remained "wedded" to the club.

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With the popular Rafa Benitez at the helm, Newcastle won the Championship and immediate promotion back to the Premier League once again.

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Fan discontent has remained though with multiple protests against Ashley and the team under-performing on the pitch, with supporters blaming a lack of investment in the squad. Ashley put the club up for sale again in 2017.

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Newcastle United's last match under Ashley's ownership was a 2-1 Premier League loss to Wolves on 2 October. The side managed by Steve Bruce since 2019 are yet to win in the league after seven games of the season, and sit 19th in the table.

The atmosphere outside St James' Park has been carnival-like. I think for many fans, a takeover was less about who came in and more about Mike Ashley leaving because he has been so deeply unpopular.

It's been frustrating and painful and exhausting for the fans. The club has been relegated twice, there've been many, many low points and not too many highs.

They feel Mike Ashely wasn't interested in the club and there'd been a lack of investment, a real lack of care and love for Newcastle and, yes, they want someone to come in and give the club the love and attention it needs.

There are some suggestions Steve Bruce could leave, but there's nothing official yet.

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