Newcastle Confidential INSIDE MATFEN HALL: CRAIG HOPE gets into the summit deciding Newcastle’s future – this is what he found… and the surprise awaiting him beyond the golden rope

On the day Yasir Al-Rumayyan publicly walked away from the unfortunate misfortune of LIV Golf, the Titleist clubs unloaded from the back of his chauffeur-driven Mercedes at Matfen Hall demonstrated his special love for sporting relics.

Here in Northumberland, with the sun breaking the pristine green flags on the championship course, Al-Rumayyan might well be tempted to side-step the mansion in front of him and head to the tee box instead. If only.

Instead, at 12.30pm on Wednesday, he walked between the golden ropes of the Gothic-style entrance, past the Great Hall and its stained glass windows, and into the Morning Room, which today doubles as Newcastle United’s boardroom. After a subpar season on the football field, it was no longer time to play golf. The director of the Saudi Public Investment Fund will spend two nights there (the venue has been privately booked) before Newcastle host Brighton on Saturday.

Beyond the windows of the Morning Room was the 18th hole, but it was invisible to those inside. This time the curtains were closed. Last year, during the same Saudi-led summit, window cleaners polished windows due to a security oversight. Or maybe they had guns in their buckets.

Seven minutes before Al-Rumayyan’s motorcade sped toward the front door, Eddie Howe and his assistant Jason Tindall had sent clouds of dust into the rural air as their high-powered SUV searched for a spot not in the nearby gravel parking lot. No doubt keen to gain entry to the premises before the club president’s scheduled arrival, they improvised and parked on the kerbside, close to the Grade II-listed hotel.

At the entrance, general manager David Hopkinson was waiting to greet the new arrivals; It was reported that Al-Rumayyan’s £50 million private jet landed 15 miles away at a private airstrip next to Newcastle Airport at 11.35 in the morning. The Public Investment Fund manager will spend two nights there before Newcastle host Brighton on Saturday.

Yasir Al-Rumayyan showed where his priorities were by unloading his clubs at the Matfen Hall on the day he met at LIV Golf.

The venue is a 19th-century manor house in Northumberland, but today the Morning Room doubles as Newcastle United’s boardroom.

Along with him, a party of 25 from PIF are also attending a series of meetings that are supposed to decide the future of the club’s home ground (which could be a new stadium or a St James’ Park refurbishment) and the future of Howe himself.

The head coach looked relaxed, ready for work, with his form-fitting black jersey, sleeves rolled up to his mid-sleeves, and a goal that made gravel crunch in his step.

The weather was so hot that the hotel had placed sun loungers on the well-kept lawns. But for Howe, the hot seat was waiting inside. This was his chance to make the case for his side’s Premier League campaign, which saw them finish 14th, but also to learn from the PIF the roadmap for improvement if he wants to stay. All parties want it to be like this.

After waiting for the higher-ups to report back (co-owner Jamie Reuben was another person dispatched by a spaceship-like people carrier) I made my way to the entrance, waiting for the golden ropes to be placed in my path. Not so.

‘Can I have a coffee inside?’ Satisfied that the security guard made the call, I asked the hotel manager. ‘I was here last year and the coffee is good, that’s the only reason I’m coming back.’

Although the coffee was really good, the charm offensive soon opened the door to the 1832 cocktail bar, just yards from the Morning Room. Despite all the guesswork, planning and presentation on the other side of the door, my new surroundings were calmer, velvet Chesterfields overlooking the fairway.

A driver from the delegation waited patiently, under the rule not of the time but of the governor Al-Rumayyan. In fact, given that the PIF chief is only here once a year for such meetings and the depth of the agenda to be worked out, the shadow of the flag on the 18th would have lengthened until the public finally emerged from the summit.

Howe and Tindall were there throughout the day for lunch at the Emerald Restaurant, which served the finest meat and fish. There was definitely a lot to chew on.

There was plenty on the agenda for Al-Rumayyan and head coach Eddie Howe (right) as they presided over a disappointing Premier League campaign.

Co-owner Jamie Reuben was another person sent by a spaceship-like human transporter

Discussions will continue on Friday, likely after Al-Rumayyan plays his first round of golf since the time of the meeting at LIV. If this withdrawal gave the impression that Newcastle could be the next step from the PIF’s sports portfolio, that was not the message here.

According to sources, this only confirms their commitment to the club. As one insider said: ‘Look where they were the day they announced they were pulling out of LIV.’

Matfen Hall was so magnificent that in the afternoons, under the deep blue sky, it resembled a view from centuries ago. But internally, it is the decisions in the Morning Room that will color the Newcastle United of tomorrow.