New owners of Newcastle United set for their first major test of the Saudi era...

Since news of the £300million Saudi-backed takeover became public back in October, every key figurehead involved in the takeover has rightfully been lauded by Newcastle fans.

The face of the operation - Amanda Staveley - has busted her gut since 2017 to get us out of Mike Ashley’s pocket and she became an instant cult hero with the Toon Army when four years of toil, sweat and tears came to a celebratory end in October this year.

The dialogue and actions of the consortium ever since has been nothing short of commendable. 

Open, honest interviews, appearances at charity events and donations to the food bank have all been selfless acts that go a long way to repairing bridges with Toon fans that were broken and dilapidated from the previous regime.

Sacking Steve Bruce, appointing a meticulous new manager and tearing down the Sports Direct signs are also instant-wins with fans. However, the real crunch time starts now.

Anybody can stroll in and endear themselves to the Geordie nation but now will be the first real test of the new regime. Newcastle sit 19th in the league and have won just one game all season, a dire situation that is worse than what our forecasts predicted when the new owners came in, with many fans - including myself - thinking NUFC would climb the table due to the buzz around the ground alone.

The upcoming January window is the most important in our club’s history and is one that our new owners HAVE to get right. Failure to do so, and we will be staring into the abyss of another Championship campaign.

Our new owners have a colossal challenge on their hands. Only Jamie Reuben has experience in a football boardroom and players will be reluctant to join us given our perilous league position.

They have just 31 days to decipher through the vulture-esque agents, time-wasters and chancers and assemble a squad that meets fans expectations of what this new era of Newcastle United looks like. Throw in the time of year, too, with January a notorious time to be sold a dud or played a fool.

Bringing in Nick Hammond as an advisor, a man who knows the logistics of a transfer window, is a smart move. Even if it is on a short-term basis, the former Celtic supremo can navigate the consortium through a field that is unknown territory for them right now.

With a bit of positivity and forward planning, I believe Newcastle can have a successful window and bring in the players needed to survive.

Amanda Staveley & Co are about to experience the roller coaster emotions of the takeover again, all condensed into the pressure-cooker bubble of a January transfer window.

The eyes of the footballing world are upon them are they embark on their first real test as Newcastle owners.