2 years of PIF at Newcastle United: The dawn of Al-Rumayyan’s age of expectation as Magpies challenge world order

NEWCASTLE: Two years ago, around about this time, a roar swept across Tyneside. One of joy, right from the heart, the soul. One that rippled through the hundreds of Newcastle United fans gathered at St. James’ Park — which soon became tens of thousands. A roar heard across all four corners of the globe; a noise that one feels is yet to reach its crescendo.

This was it. The moment: 5:18 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 7, 2021. A timestamp etched in the history of the Magpies. This was what Newcastle fans had been waiting for; all they hoped and dreamed of.

“The Premier League, Newcastle United Football Club and St James Holdings Limited have today settled the dispute over the takeover of the club by the consortium of PIF, PCP Capital Partners and RB Sports & Media.”

It continued: “Following the completion of the Premier League’s Owners’ and Directors’ Test, the club has been sold to the consortium with immediate effect.”

Months of waiting for words from the Premier League, and in two tweets it lit up a city. The Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia was the new custodian of hopes and dreams for every man, woman and child with black and white blood coursing through their veins.

Two years on, that landscape has altered immeasurably, both on and off the field — and with it, so has expectation. The Magpies are no longer the plucky underdog, the downtrodden sleeping giant. The giant is rumbling, and all of Europe, indeed the world, are taking note.

Take Wednesday, for example. Few so-called experts expected Newcastle to lay a glove on the first real “new money” world football project, Paris Saint-Germain.

It was billed by many as the established order against the young pretender — a lazy comparison given Newcastle have proudly