Time to reflect on four years under this ownership

This month marks four years since Newcastle United was taken over by a consortium of the Saudi Public Investment Fund, the Reuben brothers, and PCP Capital Partners, so it feels like a great time to reflect on how it has all been going.

On the pitch, we have had an amazing time. Two seasons in the Champions League, plus finally winning a trophy, plus seeing some of the best players in the world in our squad. No complaints here.

Off the pitch? Slightly more tumultuous.

What has been great about the past four years is the stability that Eddie Howe has brought. Yes, we have been through two sporting directors, a chief executive has stepped down and one third of our purchasing consortium has left their post as director of the club... but we've kept the same head coach throughout.

So it was pleasant that at the weekend the club announced the appointment of Ross Wilson from Nottingham Forest to the sporting director role vacant since Paul Mitchell left in May.

Couple this with the appointment of David Hopkinson as chief executive last month and we are almost in a, dare I say, stable position behind the scenes.

A positive about Newcastle's new appointments is that these hires seem to be complementary to Howe and the way he works - for example, people keep saying Wilson is "Eddie's man".

Integrating with Howe is important to the continued success of Newcastle United on and off the pitch, because he knows what he wants to be doing, seems to be able to get it done and he understands the club and the region.

Obviously, time will tell on how successful these appointments will be, but we have got lots of positives over the past four years to happily reflect on.

Find more from Charlotte Robson at the True Faith: Newcastle United Podcast