David Stonehouse uses an unfamiliar footballing term when talking of his vision for his beloved Newcastle United.

"Stakeholders" isn't one readily associated with the multi-million pound world of the modern game.

But United's chief executive, looking back on six months in the hot seat, believes it should be.

Sitting back in his office on the fifth floor of the new stand at St James's Park, which dominates the city skyline, he explains: "We need to work hard at rewarding all the stakeholders in Newcastle United Football Club, whether they are supporters who come to the game or supporters who can't, whether they are staff or shareholders.

"We need to run this business with the interests of all these stakeholders. And when I say staff I don't just mean players, which is the central criticism of football. Good players need good rewards, we want to make sure we do reward fairly and fully, but at the same time we are running a business for all its stakeholders."

That commitment to the club's ''stakeholders'' made the decision to reject the FA's request to allow Bobby Robson to take temporary control of England easier for the club.

''We have already said how important Bobby Robson is for Newcastle United's success and for all supporters. We felt it was only right we declined the FA's request for Bobby to be released, potentially until the end of the season, on a part-time basis. We are glad the matter has been resolved.''

A man with black and white running through his veins, Stonehouse knew the size of the task he was undertaking when he moved north from Sunderland.

Newcastle was a club that was ill at ease with its fans. The Save Our Seats battle and all the wrong kind of tabloid headlines had led to a growing feeling of frustration among the faithful.

The new man at the helm recognised all that - he still does. No-one is more acutely aware of the bridges that need building.

It disappoints him that there is a feeling that the club doesn't do enough for its community. "There's a positive amount of good work that is done by Newcastle United in the community for which the club hasn't necessarily had the recognition, but it happens anyway."

He believes the club had lost the public relations battle and vital channels of communication between the club and its city had been severed.

The result was an image of an arrogant club, out of touch with the fans and the community. It is an image he is determined to change.

To that end he is surprised that a significant line in the club's message to shareholders when it announced its B#19m loss has gone almost unnoticed.

"Few people recognised in the

chairman's statement that we are not increasing season ticket prices this year. It shows our confidence that we are getting things right."

And he leaves no-one in any doubt that "getting things right" is his priority.

Warming to that theme he talks of the basics: "Football supporters want to support their club. If we make it easier for them to support their club they will want to come back.

"They want to have pride in Newcastle United and it is down to us, all of us at Newcastle United, to give them that pride.

"That comes with performance on the pitch, it also comes with the way in which we treat people who support the club."

To that end Newcastle United has set up a customer services link, something unheard of before. A questionnaire is being sent to all season ticket holders - the first stage in plans for a fans' committee.

He says: "We chose season ticket holders as a representative group to ask what they think is necessary to improve links between the club and its supporters."

He stresses that the committee will be elected and that the fans will chose how it is operated.

"That will help us to build common links between the club and its supporters to the benefit of both."

And a part-time fans liaison officer has just been appointed.

Teething problems at the new St James's are still evident. And he is painfully aware of the empty seats in sensitive parts of the ground over which the SOS battle was fought.

He also knows that the sight of unused seats is causing murmurings amongst some supporters.

Firstly he defends the controversial decisions that were made to create the new stand and its corporate facilities.

He says: "We needed some high priced seats so we could go ahead with the whole development."

Without premium seats and prices the investment in the ground doesn't stack up, he argues.

And the empty seats? Some, now on sale on a match by match basis, were deliberately left empty in case the club lost its SOS battle, he explains.

They could not be marketed until the outcome of the legal process was known.

"These seats are now selling, they are premium price seats but they are selling. We just about sold out this weekend."

Some 250 seats are unfilled because of a reduction in the number of people using one of the hospitality suites. Those season ticket holders have been moved elsewhere.

Even before the start of the season it became obvious that the number using the suite would have to be lowered for comfort, he explains.

"That means that for a fair amount of the season, until we work out how best to reconfigure things, these seats are going to remain empty.

"It is easy to say 'couldn't you ship people in and out?' but there are lots of planning and safety issues which prevent that. We are looking at it and seeing how we can plan a way ahead in the future."

Mr Stonehouse, 45, enjoys talking about the future. That's what drives him on to work "too hard at the moment".

He is aware of the challenges facing all Premiership clubs - the need to keep apace with Manchester United on and off the field, the uncertainty over the transfer system, the fast developing multi-media world.

He is also aware that the club's generally good start to the season on the pitch has helped deflect some of the criticism it might have faced.

So both as a supporter and the chief executive of a plc he is hoping for a top six finish in the league. "A good cup run would also help," he adds.

And the highlights of his first six months in the hot seat?

"There's a wonderful feeling just to be able to think I can influence things. I can't really express it, it is just trying to get it right.

"There's no one thing, it is little things each day when I can say we are better today than we were yesterday."

-- Anonymous, October 27, 2000

Answers

And in a nice change, he doesn't mention our neighbours once. Everything he talks about is about us, one small mention that Man U are setting the standards on and off the pitch, but the rest just concentrating on us. Good

-- Anonymous, October 27, 2000

Seems a canny set of words. I wonder how many drafts it went thru??

To be honest, I'm pleased we have a new CE. Much of the previous ill-feeling was under the guideance of FF (not that I'm saying he was wrong or bad for the club). A new guy at the top can bring in his own new ideas, and can move the new regime forward. The ground building has been completed - let's concentrate on the future and put the past behind us.

-- Anonymous, October 27, 2000

....FF was wrong and bad for the Club!

-- Anonymous, October 28, 2000