Newcastle United make fresh St James' Park update as 'out-of-date' feature removed
Newcastle United have given St James’ Park another lick of paint as talk surrounding the future of the ground rumbles on.
A new-look tunnel at St James’ Park was unveiled ahead of Newcastle’s Carabao Cup semi-final against Arsenal last week. The tunnel features a black and white colour scheme with the traditional ‘howay the lads’ message though the gold detailing used previously has been removed.
The ‘we are United, we are ready’ wording on the walls now stands out having previously been behind images of supporters celebrating. The previous tunnel design also featured supporters wearing Fun88-sponsored Castore shirts, which are now out of date
Now the supporter designs in the tunnel are wearing the latest Adidas, Sela-sponsored shirts.
St James’ Park changes since the takeover
There have been several changes in and around St James’ Park since the £300million takeover led by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund in 2021. Like the tunnel, many changes have been cosmetic with the concourses being redecorated, the Sports Direct advertising being removed and the Newcastle United lettering on the East Stand being changed from the Sports Direct typeface.
There have also been extra hospitality areas installed in the ground. Outside, the St James’ STACK fan zone has been opened and Alan Shearer’s statue has been moved to be alongside Sir Bobby Robson’s outside the Gallowgate West Corner of the ground. Shearer’s Bar at the bottom of the Gallowgate Stand has also returned in place of Nine Bar.
Next to that, the club shop has been given a complete overhaul following the new kit deal with Adidas - and that’s also a reason behind the tunnel change.
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All the small changes that have taken place at St James’ Park in recent seasons, while welcomed, fail to address the elephant in the room when it comes to the future of Newcastle’s home. Talk of a stadium expansion has been ongoing since the takeover while a potential rebuild has also been mooted.
Details regarding the next steps of Newcastle’s stadium plans are set to be unveiled in the coming months. While various locations and solutions have been discussed, The Gazette understands a decision is still yet to be made.
Newcastle acquiring the Strawberry Place land currently occupied by the St James’ STACK gives some scope for a potential Gallowgate End expansion though it’s understood the club’s preference is now leaning towards a complete rebuild should a suitable site be found.
But Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe admitted that last Wednesday’s 2-0 Carabao Cup semi-final win against Arsenal highlighted how ‘special’ a place the current St James’ Park is.
“I totally agree with that,” Howe said. “I'm sure for a lot of people watching that game, not connected with Newcastle, they'll be thinking 'wow' you know, what an atmosphere, what an environment to play in.
“I'm sure there will be a lot of people looking at that and thinking 'how can we create that atmosphere at our stadium' - so we're very lucky to have the facilities that we have and the supporters that we have.
“But of course there's other challenges and other things that we now need to look at as a football club and try to improve. Various things as we've said before about the importance of our income.
“So it is a really delicately poised decision and of course I'm not making that decision which is quite a relief, really, for me. I can blame it on someone else. But I think it just goes to showcase what a special place at James's Park is.”